• (ReacTor) Finally, a Unit of Measurement for (...)

    From James Nicoll@3:633/10 to All on Friday, June 05, 2026 10:26:28
    Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral
    Depravity...

    We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before.
    Let's give it a name...

    https://reactormag.com/finally-a-unit-of-measurement-for-a-certain-kind-of-moral-depravity/
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Friday, June 05, 2026 18:46:26
    On 6/5/2026 10:26 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral
    Depravity...

    We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before.
    Let's give it a name...

    https://reactormag.com/finally-a-unit-of-measurement-for-a-certain-kind-of-moral-depravity/

    You may want to edit that a bit.

    If I was on an *escalator* which stopped, I wouldn't wait even five
    minutes to take action. Id use my feet and walk to the top or
    the bottom.

    An *elevator* OTOH...

    Well, strong action is sometimes justified. One group of survivors
    in the WTC on 9/11 were in an elevator when the building was hit,
    halting the elevator in an area without a door.

    They survived because one was a repairman carrying a heavy
    knife, which they used to carve through two layers of plaster
    board, allowing them to escape the elevator car and take the
    stairs to safety.

    pt





    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Friday, June 05, 2026 18:03:04
    On 6/5/2026 9:26 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral
    Depravity...

    We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before.
    Let's give it a name...

    https://reactormag.com/finally-a-unit-of-measurement-for-a-certain-kind-of-moral-depravity/

    What, no mention of "Farnham's Freehold" by Heinlein ?

    Lynn



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From James Nicoll@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, June 06, 2026 01:22:01
    In article <10vvjk2$1f99e$2@dont-email.me>,
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
    On 6/5/2026 10:26 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral
    Depravity...

    We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before.
    Let's give it a name...

    https://reactormag.com/finally-a-unit-of-measurement-for-a-certain-kind-of-moral-depravity/

    You may want to edit that a bit.

    If I was on an *escalator* which stopped, I wouldn't wait even five
    minutes to take action. Id use my feet and walk to the top or
    the bottom.

    It's a joke.

    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tony Nance@3:633/10 to All on Monday, June 08, 2026 12:11:40
    On 6/5/26 10:26 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    Finally, a Unit of Measurement for a Certain Kind of Moral
    Depravity...

    We've all encountered this trope in post-apocalyptic fiction before.
    Let's give it a name...

    https://reactormag.com/finally-a-unit-of-measurement-for-a-certain-kind-of-moral-depravity/

    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If
    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms?

    Tony, who probably should have spent a quarter Baldwin contemplating
    before writing

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Monday, June 08, 2026 13:22:48
    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If
    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms?

    Why not? We have ml and cc, not to mention bar and atmospheres.

    Much better than using the same term for two different measurements, like
    oz fl and oz avoirdupois. Or pints and pints.

    Paddington saw on TV where some people had lost ten pounds at a health spa
    and he went down to get their money back.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tony Nance@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 09, 2026 15:08:20
    On 6/8/26 1:22 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If
    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms?

    Why not?

    Oh, I'm not saying we can't - I'm wondering why we would do so, on
    purpose, in this case.

    On the other hand, if the amount of time was 47 minutes, or 71 minutes,
    or not0something-already-in-use, I think "Baldwin" would be perfectly cromulent.

    We have ml and cc,

    yep

    not to mention bar and atmospheres.


    I don't think last those are exactly the same, but I am getting your point.

    Tony

    Much better than using the same term for two different measurements, like
    oz fl and oz avoirdupois. Or pints and pints.

    Paddington saw on TV where some people had lost ten pounds at a health spa and he went down to get their money back.
    --scott



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 09, 2026 14:32:07
    On 6/9/2026 2:08 PM, Tony Nance wrote:
    On 6/8/26 1:22 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Tony Nance˙ <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If
    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms?

    Why not?

    Oh, I'm not saying we can't - I'm wondering why we would do so, on
    purpose, in this case.

    On the other hand, if the amount of time was 47 minutes, or 71 minutes,
    or not0something-already-in-use, I think "Baldwin" would be perfectly cromulent.

    We have ml and cc,

    yep

    not to mention bar and atmospheres.


    I don't think last those are exactly the same, but I am getting your point.

    A bar is 14.5 psia and an atmosphere is 14.696 psia. Both are absolute values, not relative values like barg, atmg, and psig.

    I support 27 different pressure dimensional units in my software. It is
    a pain. Only 4 temperature dimensional units though.

    Lynn


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tony Nance@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 09, 2026 15:37:36
    On 6/9/26 3:32 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    On 6/9/2026 2:08 PM, Tony Nance wrote:
    On 6/8/26 1:22 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Tony Nance˙ <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If >>>> a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both
    terms?

    Why not?

    Oh, I'm not saying we can't - I'm wondering why we would do so, on
    purpose, in this case.

    On the other hand, if the amount of time was 47 minutes, or 71
    minutes, or not0something-already-in-use, I think "Baldwin" would be
    perfectly cromulent.

    We have ml and cc,

    yep

    not to mention bar and atmospheres.


    I don't think last those are exactly the same, but I am getting your
    point.

    A bar is 14.5 psia and an atmosphere is 14.696 psia.˙ Both are absolute values, not relative values like barg, atmg, and psig.

    I support 27 different pressure dimensional units in my software.˙ It is
    a pain.

    Heh - that's a lot of units, and it would surely be painful. Does your software use/support any conversions between them?[1]

    Tony
    [1] Yes, that would also be painful.


    Only 4 temperature dimensional units though.

    Lynn



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 09, 2026 18:09:02
    On 6/9/2026 2:37 PM, Tony Nance wrote:
    ...
    A bar is 14.5 psia and an atmosphere is 14.696 psia.˙ Both are
    absolute values, not relative values like barg, atmg, and psig.

    I support 27 different pressure dimensional units in my software.˙ It
    is a pain.

    Heh - that's a lot of units, and it would surely be painful. Does your software use/support any conversions between them?[1]

    Tony
    [1] Yes, that would also be painful.

    Yes, you can specify your input in any of the dimensional units and
    desired units for the calculated values. I have to, half of my sales
    are outside the USA. Generally, we convert everything to psia, R, and
    lbmoles on the inside but there are exceptions to that rule like
    everything else in life. I've been working on this software since 1975
    except for an eight year stint as an power plant engineer. This is me
    and my people:
    https://www.winsim.com/

    Lynn


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Tony Nance@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 09, 2026 19:47:54
    On 6/9/26 7:09 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    On 6/9/2026 2:37 PM, Tony Nance wrote:
    ...
    A bar is 14.5 psia and an atmosphere is 14.696 psia.˙ Both are
    absolute values, not relative values like barg, atmg, and psig.

    I support 27 different pressure dimensional units in my software.˙ It
    is a pain.

    Heh - that's a lot of units, and it would surely be painful. Does your
    software use/support any conversions between them?[1]

    Tony
    [1] Yes, that would also be painful.

    Yes, you can specify your input in any of the dimensional units and
    desired units for the calculated values.˙ I have to, half of my sales
    are outside the USA.˙ Generally, we convert everything to psia, R, and lbmoles on the inside but there are exceptions to that rule like
    everything else in life.˙ I've been working on this software since 1975 except for an eight year stint as an power plant engineer.˙ This is me
    and my people:
    ˙˙ https://www.winsim.com/

    Lynn


    Cool - thanks. My son (mechanical engineer) may have crossed paths with
    your software at some point as an undergraduate.[1] He's mostly working
    with Ansys in his current job.

    Tony
    [1] It's probably standard practice, but I was impressed with how many different softwares he was exposed to as a student.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 08:39:55
    On Mon, 8 Jun 2026 13:22:48 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If

    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both
    terms?

    Why not? We have ml and cc, not to mention bar and atmospheres.

    Much better than using the same term for two different measurements,
    like
    oz fl and oz avoirdupois. Or pints and pints.

    And then there is the "inch": various national inches, various
    agreed-on inches, various standard inches. And so on. A veritable zoo
    of inches.

    Paddington saw on TV where some people had lost ten pounds at a health
    spa
    and he went down to get their money back.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Evelyn C. Leeper@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 12:36:21
    On 6/10/26 11:39, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 8 Jun 2026 13:22:48 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If
    a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms?

    Why not? We have ml and cc, not to mention bar and atmospheres.

    Much better than using the same term for two different measurements, like
    oz fl and oz avoirdupois. Or pints and pints.

    And then there is the "inch": various national inches, various
    agreed-on inches, various standard inches. And so on. A veritable zoo
    of inches.

    In recipes, a Canadian cup is about 227ml, while a US cup is 236.59ml.
    For more detail than anyone might want, see <https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/articles/cooking/cups-and-tablespoons-worldwide.php>.

    --
    Evelyn C. Leeper, http://leepers.us/evelyn
    Super Callous Fragile Racist Sexist Lying POTUS -anonymous sign
    86 47 II/4 25

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Lurndal@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 16:38:29
    "Evelyn C. Leeper" <evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com> writes:
    On 6/10/26 11:39, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Mon, 8 Jun 2026 13:22:48 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
    I very much enjoy the idea of this essay, but I'm a little confused. If >>>> a Baldwin is the same as an hour, is there any reason to use both terms? >>>
    Why not? We have ml and cc, not to mention bar and atmospheres.

    Much better than using the same term for two different measurements, like >>> oz fl and oz avoirdupois. Or pints and pints.

    And then there is the "inch": various national inches, various
    agreed-on inches, various standard inches. And so on. A veritable zoo
    of inches.

    In recipes, a Canadian cup is about 227ml, while a US cup is 236.59ml.
    For more detail than anyone might want, see ><https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/articles/cooking/cups-and-tablespoons-worldwide.php>.

    Yet another reason to cook by weight rather than volume.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Horny Goat@3:633/10 to All on Monday, June 15, 2026 22:56:00
    On Fri, 5 Jun 2026 18:46:26 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    If I was on an *escalator* which stopped, I wouldn't wait even five
    minutes to take action. Id use my feet and walk to the top or
    the bottom.

    An *elevator* OTOH...

    I've done the first numerous times.

    I've only ever done the second once - which happened to be when I took
    my 4 year old and 2 year old daughters to the hospital to meet their
    newborn baby brother for the first time. There was another dad in the
    elevator and after a couple of minutes where the elevator didn't
    restart we pulled the doors open (not know where between floors we
    were) found we were about 2' below the landing on the floor we were
    going to and lifted our tykes to the floor then climbed out ourselves.
    My wife was furious with us as we had missed our son's first photo
    shoot even after I told her how we'd spent the previous 20 minutes in
    the elevator...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.17
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Lurndal@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 15:10:52
    The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> writes:
    On Fri, 5 Jun 2026 18:46:26 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    If I was on an *escalator* which stopped, I wouldn't wait even five
    minutes to take action. Id use my feet and walk to the top or
    the bottom.

    An *elevator* OTOH...

    I've done the first numerous times.

    I've only ever done the second once - which happened to be when I took
    my 4 year old and 2 year old daughters to the hospital to meet their
    newborn baby brother for the first time. There was another dad in the >elevator and after a couple of minutes where the elevator didn't
    restart we pulled the doors open (not know where between floors we
    were) found we were about 2' below the landing on the floor we were
    going to and lifted our tykes to the floor then climbed out ourselves.
    My wife was furious with us as we had missed our son's first photo
    shoot even after I told her how we'd spent the previous 20 minutes in
    the elevator...

    While in college in the late 70s, a group of us explored most of
    the not easily accessible areas of the campus. The campus was
    heated by steam from a central power plant, and was riddled with
    steam tunnels. Exploring them was fun (if a bit on the hazardous
    side, given the hot steam (and chilled water) piping). They did
    provide access to buildings otherwise locked down at night, so
    we would "play" with the elevators at night when nobody was
    around. There were a set of inspection controls (basically hold
    a button for up or down travel) on the roof of the cab
    that overrode the cab panel; useful to freak out any
    passenger(s). Most of them were traction rather than hydraulic.

    In those days, the top hatch wasn't generally locked.

    In one building there were two elevators side by each in the
    same shaft - time for elevator races standing on the top of
    the cab. It's a wonder we didn't get seriously hurt.

    Today, there'd be security video coverage everywhere, so
    I suspect those nocturnal activities have gone the way of the Dodo.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.17
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)