In article
<arabianknits-A5FA0E.22182420092010@reserved-multicast-range-NOT-delegat
ed.example.com>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:

> In article
> >,
> Dan Abel > wrote:
>
> > In article
> > >,
> > spamtrap1888 > wrote:
> >
> > > On Sep 17, 9:16*am, blake murphy > wrote:
> > > > On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:08:25 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > In article >,
> > > > > *zxcvbob > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >> (actually, New Math was teaching young kids to work in different
> > > > >> number bases like octal and binary for no apparent reason.)
> > > >
> > > > > * *I think it was fourth or fifth grade when they foisted that idiocy
> > > > > on
> > > > > us. *
> > > >
> > > > what is idiotic about teaching there other base numbers systems apart
> > > > from
> > > > ten?
> > >
> > > It's not math you can use unless you want to be a programmer.
> >
> > Or unless you want to learn how to think!
>
> Learn Latin for that. Then you can read old documents and histories
> in their original language, too.

Thanks for mentioning that. I was going to, but forgot. Learning
another language, almost any language, is another way to stretch your
brain.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article
<arabianknits-E95D05.22193520092010@reserved-multicast-range-NOT-delegat
ed.example.com>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:

> In article
> >,
> Dan Abel > wrote:
>
> > If by pure manipulation you are talking about those infernal "ditto
> > sheets", I agree.
>
> Ditto sheets have been outdated for some time. Though, my college
> math department still used them. We hadn't seen them in school since
> early elementary, however.

The technology of ditto machines is obsolete, but it's the same concept.
Last I heard, the "official" name is "drill and kill". Nothing is more
discouraging to me than seeing some "new and exciting" arithmetic
computer learning program, which turns out to be nothing more than ditto
sheets on a computer screen.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On 2010-09-22, Dan Abel > wrote:

> My wife and I both have a dislike for PowerPoint presentations. She'll
> go to a meeting, and I'll ask her how it was. She'll sometimes say, "It
> was a PowerPoint". She doesn't need to say anything else. For us,
> "PowerPoint" and "no content" are normally synonymous.

Boy, howdy!!

Powerpoint is to managment what Sylvester Stallone is to eloquent!
Namely, the dumbing down of the corporate workplace, if that's at all
possible. Nothing used to infuriate me more than some mid-mgt dolt
getting up in front of a "meeting" and droning off, verbatim, the one
line bullet points off a PP presentation. Holy crap! Send me the
freakin' memo!

nb

On Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:47:24 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:

> On 9/19/2010 5:03 PM, jack wrote:
>> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:55:21 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
>>
>>> On 9/17/2010 3:35 PM, jack wrote:
>>>> Problem description incomplete. What are the dimensions of the door,
>>>> does it have any windows, and if yes, how large?
>>>
>>> You're overthinking the problem. Remember, your granularity is gallons.
>>
>> Not really. Granularity of the final answer is gallons, ceil(calculated
>> amount), since I buy paint by the gallon. If door+windows brings the
>> calculated amount from n+0.1 to n-0.1, that saves buying one gallon.
>
> Textbook answer, not guy with paint on his britches answer.

Wrong on both counts.

Practical answer to what was originally a textbook question. Inspired by
helping someone who'll get paint on his britches work out the amount of
paint needed to paint a warehouse the other day.

The guy who already has paint on his britches doesn't need no steenking
calculations - he just looks at the room, and says 'ah, that'll be about
a gallon'.

-j

In article >,
jack > wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:47:24 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
>
> > On 9/19/2010 5:03 PM, jack wrote:
> >> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:55:21 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
> >>
> >>> On 9/17/2010 3:35 PM, jack wrote:
> >>>> Problem description incomplete. What are the dimensions of the door,
> >>>> does it have any windows, and if yes, how large?
> >>>
> >>> You're overthinking the problem. Remember, your granularity is gallons.
> >>
> >> Not really. Granularity of the final answer is gallons, ceil(calculated
> >> amount), since I buy paint by the gallon. If door+windows brings the
> >> calculated amount from n+0.1 to n-0.1, that saves buying one gallon.
> >
> > Textbook answer, not guy with paint on his britches answer.
>
> Wrong on both counts.
>
> Practical answer to what was originally a textbook question. Inspired by
> helping someone who'll get paint on his britches work out the amount of
> paint needed to paint a warehouse the other day.
>
> The guy who already has paint on his britches doesn't need no steenking
> calculations - he just looks at the room, and says 'ah, that'll be about
> a gallon'.

There's the math answer, and the practical answer. I do very little
painting. That's my wife's job. In fact, she's out there painting
right now! But even *I* know that the practical weakness in the specs
is the "500 sq ft per gallon". For a perfectly smooth surface, it will
take less paint. For a textured surface, the peaks and valleys will
increase the area of each each square foot quite a bit. For a porous
surface, you'll need yet more paint. The second coat will take less
than the first coat.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

blake murphy wrote:

>
> latin taught me a lot about english grammar. my high school latin teacher
> was constantly shaking his head over how little most of us knew about it.
>
> your pal,
> blake


Mine did a week-long intense review of English grammar before she
started teaching us any Latin. It was a valuable re-learning experience
and really helped refocus the concepts for both languages.

gloria p

On Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:22:36 +0200, jack wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:47:24 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
>
>> On 9/19/2010 5:03 PM, jack wrote:
>>> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:55:21 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 9/17/2010 3:35 PM, jack wrote:
>>>>> Problem description incomplete. What are the dimensions of the door,
>>>>> does it have any windows, and if yes, how large?
>>>>
>>>> You're overthinking the problem. Remember, your granularity is gallons.
>>>
>>> Not really. Granularity of the final answer is gallons, ceil(calculated
>>> amount), since I buy paint by the gallon. If door+windows brings the
>>> calculated amount from n+0.1 to n-0.1, that saves buying one gallon.
>>
>> Textbook answer, not guy with paint on his britches answer.
>
> Wrong on both counts.
>
> Practical answer to what was originally a textbook question. Inspired by
> helping someone who'll get paint on his britches work out the amount of
> paint needed to paint a warehouse the other day.
>
> The guy who already has paint on his britches doesn't need no steenking
> calculations - he just looks at the room, and says 'ah, that'll be about
> a gallon'.
>
> -j

he's not usually the one paying for the paint.

your pal,
blake

On Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:27:50 -0600, gloria.p wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>
>>
>> latin taught me a lot about english grammar. my high school latin teacher
>> was constantly shaking his head over how little most of us knew about it.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> Mine did a week-long intense review of English grammar before she
> started teaching us any Latin. It was a valuable re-learning experience
> and really helped refocus the concepts for both languages.
>
> gloria p

it was very helpful. also kinda funny: 'what in god's name *have* they
been teaching you?'

your pal,
blake

blake murphy wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:27:50 -0600, gloria.p wrote:
>
>> blake murphy wrote:
>>
>>> latin taught me a lot about english grammar. my high school latin teacher
>>> was constantly shaking his head over how little most of us knew about it.
>>>
>>> your pal,
>>> blake
>> Mine did a week-long intense review of English grammar before she
>> started teaching us any Latin. It was a valuable re-learning experience
>> and really helped refocus the concepts for both languages.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> it was very helpful. also kinda funny: 'what in god's name *have* they
> been teaching you?'
>
> your pal,
> blake


It's really the first time you had to apply the grammar they had been
teaching you from third grade. Kind of an "Aha, that what it really
means!" moment. If you have learned the pluperfect subjunctive in one
language, it's easy to extrapolate.

gloria p

On Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:29:49 -0700, Dan Abel > wrote:

>In article >,
> jack > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:47:24 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
>>
>> > On 9/19/2010 5:03 PM, jack wrote:
>> >> On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:55:21 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:

>>
>> Practical answer to what was originally a textbook question. Inspired by
>> helping someone who'll get paint on his britches work out the amount of
>> paint needed to paint a warehouse the other day.
>>
>> The guy who already has paint on his britches doesn't need no steenking
>> calculations - he just looks at the room, and says 'ah, that'll be about
>> a gallon'.
>
>There's the math answer, and the practical answer. I do very little
>painting. That's my wife's job. In fact, she's out there painting
>right now! But even *I* know that the practical weakness in the specs
>is the "500 sq ft per gallon". For a perfectly smooth surface, it will
>take less paint. For a textured surface, the peaks and valleys will
>increase the area of each each square foot quite a bit. For a porous
>surface, you'll need yet more paint. The second coat will take less
>than the first coat.

I'm the painter in my family too and just painted my approximately
9X12 office (and not the ceiling). It is slightly textured and I
happened upon a paint pro while strolling the paint aisle at Home
Depot (I think) and he recommended a certain nap for the roller- etc.
Among other things he said always buy the most expensive tools- brush
and roller "cage" etc. Of course his customers are paying for his
tools, but I went along with the idea.Think he was right.

I worried about the gallon I got- wondering if it was enough- and it
was. BUT I used that Behr one coat that includes primer and that
certainly eliminated the need for a <groan> 2nd coat.That was great!!!
The Behr one coat is thicker and I did not go much off the original
color but just knowing I only had to do one coat made the job easier
and happier.

aloha,
Cea