terminology

Mike Henry wrote:

The situation is very sadly perpetuated (still) by
a) lazy, bad, and sloppy journalism, and
b) the television industry themselves. When you have ridiculous situations
like the time that the very well known digital terrestrial* channel, BBC
Three, won the "best non-terrestrial Channel of the Year" award in 2005,
...

Seems to be the "Edinburgh TV Festival" that's at fault. Even in
September 2007, they had:

"On the shortlist for best non-terrestrial network were BBC Three, BBC
Four, More4..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6963958.stm

The festival's award organisers need a heads-up.

--
Dave Farrance

Dave Farrance wrote:

Seems to be the "Edinburgh TV Festival" that's at fault. Even in
September 2007, they had:
"On the shortlist for best non-terrestrial network were BBC Three, BBC
Four, More4..."
The festival's award organisers need a heads-up.

I've found a form:
http://www.mgeitf.co.uk/contact_us/

So I sent this:

"Please change the name of the "Best Non-Terrestrial Channel" award to
something else because every year there's always terrestrial channels
placed on the shortlist. "Terrestrial" means broadcast from ground
transmitters, which includes "Freeview", the digital-terrestrial service,
and that is how the broadcasting industry uses the word -- and how the
public information packs on the "digital switchover" use the word.
Informing the public about the switchover is difficult enough without the
confusion caused by the festival's contrary use of the language."

--
Dave Farrance

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...

"Max Demian" wrote in message
...
"Marky P" wrote in message
...

I had a Captain Kramen digital watch in the late 70's. He was a
character devised by Kenny Everett. It had a touch sensitive button
for showing date and seconds. Everyone at school thought it was well
cool.

They used to sell Captain Kremmen watches in Woolworths that were just an
ordinary boring digital watch on a colourful card. Once you took the
watch off the card no-one would know it had anything to do with Captain
Kremmen.

Woolworths used to have a counter with torch bulbs, batteries, batten
holders, coils of cotton-covered wire, electric bells, and little
switches, all in perspex compartments. There were packets of cored solder
and tiny staples. It was partly for people who were wiring up dolls
houses. Isn't that astonishing? It would be about 1960.

How did we prepare the ends of the cotton-covered wire? Simple, we held a
match under it.

Bill


You missed out those miniature switches.
There were two types, one with a black plastic screw-on cover
and the other had a shiny metal one. If your application
used over 50V it would be better to use the first type because the
pivot pin securing the operating lever connected the cover
with one of the terminals.

--
Graham

%Profound_observation%

"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...

Woolworths used to have a counter with torch bulbs, batteries, batten
holders, coils of cotton-covered wire, electric bells, and little
switches, all in perspex compartments. There were packets of cored solder
and tiny staples. It was partly for people who were wiring up dolls
houses. Isn't that astonishing? It would be about 1960.

They also used to test every battery and bulb in front of you. Were they
really so unreliable?

How did we prepare the ends of the cotton-covered wire? Simple, we held a
match under it.

Reminds me of litz wire (used in transformers &c.), where strands of
insulated wire are twisted together and wrapped in cotton. To prepare this,
you hold it in burning meths (in a bottle cap, e.g.) to melt the inner
insulation and then quench it in the liquid.

--
Max Demian

In article ,
Max Demian wrote:
"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...

Woolworths used to have a counter with torch bulbs, batteries, batten
holders, coils of cotton-covered wire, electric bells, and little
switches, all in perspex compartments. There were packets of cored
solder and tiny staples. It was partly for people who were wiring up
dolls houses. Isn't that astonishing? It would be about 1960.

They also used to test every battery and bulb in front of you. Were they
really so unreliable?

No, I think it was to stop unscrupulous people coming back with the old
(dead) one and saying "I just bought this and it doesn't work.".

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

"Ian" wrote in message
news
In message , Mike GW8IJT
writes
"Bill Wright" wrote in message
. ..
I've got used to the fact that when a customer says 'analogue' they
probably mean 'terrestrial'.

Bill

People (customers aka peasants) really are totally stupid, aren't they?
Mike.


No.

There are actually some people who don't know everything.

Should I assume that you are never a customer?

It's not that people should know everything, it's rather this
"lets not blind 'em with science" culture we have in this country.
The other day I heard Lorraine Kelly *apologise* for using
the term 'Omega 3" in her introduction into a piece about
nutrition, lest it might put people off.

Remember how Proctor and Gamble (or was it Unilever)
brought Thora Hurd in to introduce us to the concept
of biological washing powder?


--
Graham

%Profound_observation%

Mike Henry wrote:
In , "Graham."
wrote:

But that's reasonable IMHO.
It's when they say terrestrial and mean analogue, that's when they are
confused.

The situation is very sadly perpetuated (still) by
a) lazy, bad, and sloppy journalism, and
b) the television industry themselves. When you have ridiculous situations
like the time that the very well known digital terrestrial* channel, BBC
Three, won the "best non-terrestrial Channel of the Year" award in 2005,
then it's no wonder that the poor viewers are confused! This industry has
had 10 years to notice that "terrestrial" and "analogue" are not casually
interchangeable terms (as well as lots and lots and lots of Freeview
adverts broadcast on the BBC)!


* and DSAT and DCAB. But it's definitely a DTT channel too.

Surely this is a symptom of FCP Syndrome* and needs extensive medical
research :-)

* First Common Product -
Thermos flask = vacuum flask (or should that be Dewar Flask?)
Hoover = vacuum cleaner
Biro = ball point pen
........

--
PeeGee

The reply address is a spam trap. All mail is reported as spam.
"Nothing should be able to load itself onto a computer without the
knowledge or consent of the computer user. Software should also be able
to be removed from a computer easily."
Peter Cullen, Microsoft Chief Privacy Strategist (Computing 18 Aug 05)

In article ,
Graham. wrote:


"Ian" wrote in message
news
In message , Mike GW8IJT
writes
"Bill Wright" wrote in message
. ..
I've got used to the fact that when a customer says 'analogue' they
probably mean 'terrestrial'.

Bill

People (customers aka peasants) really are totally stupid, aren't they?
Mike.


No.

There are actually some people who don't know everything.

Should I assume that you are never a customer?

It's not that people should know everything, it's rather this
"lets not blind 'em with science" culture we have in this country.
The other day I heard Lorraine Kelly *apologise* for using
the term 'Omega 3" in her introduction into a piece about
nutrition, lest it might put people off.

and it seems to be only a marketing name for old fashioned "cod liver oil".

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

In article ,
PeeGee wrote:

Surely this is a symptom of FCP Syndrome* and needs extensive medical
research :-)

* First Common Product -
Thermos flask = vacuum flask (or should that be Dewar Flask?)
Hoover = vacuum cleaner
Biro = ball point pen
.......

and then firm in Australia who marketed clear self-adhesive tape.

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

In article ,
Max Demian wrote:
They also used to test every battery and bulb in front of you. Were they
really so unreliable?

They certainly were afterwards. Mains bulbs (used to?) have their filament
coated in a rigid material to prevent vibration damage in transit. Which
burns off the first time it's used.

I'd guess they did it to prevent people bringing back their old one saying
it didn't work.

--
*Prepositions are not words to end sentences with *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.