Posted on 09/16/2002 7:15:16 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
IIII has been used for IV in the clockmaking biz for centuries. This is the only place where IIII means IV.
Modern Seth Thomas' also conform to this convention.
You're not kidding. I recently stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items. The total for my stuff came to $5.61. I handed six dollars to the clerk (age 20 or so), and she entered it in the register. It displayed 39 cents change.
Then I remembered that I had some pennies, so I pulled one out and said, "Here's a penny." Very apologetically, she said, "I'm sorry, I already punched in six dollars." I said, "That's okay, just give me 40 cents." This was incomprehensible to her, and she proceeded to count out 39 cents and handed it to me.
Just think -- she's a voter.
Most likely something like "spinward" and "anti-spinward", already used in science fiction novels to reference planetary rotation. The analogue clock face is related to the sundial, which also indicates planetary rotation.
I think it's a mistake to abandon the analogue clock, as it conveys more meaning to units of time - especially if there is a sweep second hand. A digital display that counts up to 12:59 and then starts over again does not make the connection with where the sun is in the sky.
You also cannot use a digital watch as a field-expedient compass - but who needs *that*, what with hand-held GPS units? Sheesh.
Yup, Japanese calligraphy is a dying art. We hosted an exchange student from Yokohama. She brought us a beautiful tapestry her grandmother made. I asked her what it said, and she couldn't tell me because she hadn't learned how to read calligraphy.
I told her it was a shame, and encouraged her to spend time with her grandmother and learn before it was too late. I'll have to email her and see if she took my advice.
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