Mini 'Across the Pond' Rant!

[Camy]

Why, why, WHY is it that you - and by 'you' I mean those from the U.S.A. - write your dates the wrong way around? Where is the logic in putting the month first? The date should be: day, month, year. NOT: month, day, year.

It's most damnably annoying, not to mention confusing. It's English you're using, ENGLISH. In England, (where English comes from) we write the date korectly.

*sighs*

[DesDownunder]

Camy, I will sleep better tonight knowing that at last someone has dared to point out this irrational way of writing the date.

Tomorrow I will awaken refreshed, knowing that at least we in Austraya write the date as befitting the Queen's English, even if we speak it a bit funny.

[Tragic Rabbit]

Tomorrow I will awaken refreshed, knowing that at least we in Austraya write the date as befitting the Queen's English, even if we speak it a bit funny.

OMG, that's English you lot speak?

I had no idea, it's always been Greek to me.

TR

[DesDownunder]

OMG, that's English you lot speak?

I had no idea, it's always been Greek to me.

TR

Imagine how we feel when we hear Americanese.

I an always greatly amused by the fact that the US distributor dubbed Mel Gibson's voice for the first release of Mad Max because they thought the American audiences wouldn't understand Mel's Aussie accent.

[Bruin Fisher]

Long live difference, I say. I love the differences:

In the UK, the Royal Mail service delivers the post.

In the USA, The US Postal Service delivers the mail.

What's that all about then?

Bruin, much amused.

[DesDownunder]

Long live difference, I say. I love the differences:

In the UK, the Royal Mail service delivers the post.

In the USA, The US Postal Service delivers the mail.

What's that all about then?

Bruin, much amused.

In Australia we just make sure the males get delivered.

[Insomniac]

I would write today as 12MAR08, but then again I also use 24-hour time and know what Zulu time is. The problem I see with DD/MM/YY is that when storing computer files numerically the files won't be in correct cronological order. The again MM/DD/YY would only work if the files were from the same year. YYYY/MM/DD would be the only true way to store something numerically and cronologically, I've only seen it used a few times though.

[DesDownunder]

I would write today as 12MAR08, but then again I also use 24-hour time and know what Zulu time is. The problem I see with DD/MM/YY is that when storing computer files numerically the files won't be in correct cronological order. The again MM/DD/YY would only work if the files were from the same year. YYYY/MM/DD would be the only true way to store something numerically and cronologically, I've only seen it used a few times though.

For archiving of files I use my own system that no doubt had been invented by somebody else.

Every year I add the year to my folder names. so that I can tell instantly if I am looking at this year or last year. So this year would simply be "Ape Files"

Next year, as of 1st Jan 2009 that folder would be "Ape Files 2008"

While 2009 would just be a newly created "Ape Files" folder, ensuring that all my references and shortcuts maintain the same path.

Then I create new folders as needed, such as "AwesomeDude" or "latest story" etc.

"What about My Documents?" I hear you ask. I use 'MS Tweak Power Toys' to redirect it to the Ape Files folder and then completely ignore the other obnoxious "My this and that folders."

I will decide what is this and that, not Billion Gates.

[Tragic Rabbit]

Imagine how we feel when we hear Americanese.

I an always greatly amused by the fact that the US distributor dubbed Mel Gibson's voice for the first release of Mad Max because they thought the American audiences wouldn't understand Mel's Aussie accent.

I can understand Mel just fine, but don't ask me to interpret Southern (that's 'Deep South') American. Even some forms of Texanese are unintelligible to me. When I think of Aussie accents, though, I tend to think of the mock-Aussie skits perpetrated by Monty Python's Flying Circus.

What some people in the UK don't appreciate is that Americans don't understand their fellow Americans if they're from a few States over. I've lived in several parts of the country and have often had to learn to tailor my speech to local ears, even though my pronunciation is pretty close to American Standard. The biggest obstacle is usually speed: there are whole swathes of America where people speak veerrry slooowly...and expect you to do the same.

So, while I can understand Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine in films, I can't always understand--or stand--the regional speaking styles of my fellow Americans.

For what it's worth...

TR

I have to say, I adore the BBC news site:

Stunning discovery of ancient Hobbit bones in the Shire raises anthropological questions

[Trab]

I guess this is where I point out that YYYY/MM/DD is the official international standard. It is used for pretty much everything, everywhere, except the USA, where MM/DD/YYYY seems to still retain a hold. Worse though, is that MS kinda went and made all these computer spreadsheet programs that require dates to be in DD/MM/YYYY. I don't know why they did that, but it causes lots of misery. I worked in a government office and ALL our dates had to be YYYY/MM/DD EXCEPT anything financial or purchasing, since it would go in a spreadsheet and screw up. Those all had to be the other way around.

[Cole Parker]

Oh, the sheer effrontery of it all! A Brit telling us what convention to use to notate the date!

This from the chaps who are so crackers they put cheese on biscuits rather than, well, crackers, who ride up in lifts rather than wearing them, who put their boots in their boots rather than their trunks in their trunks. Difficult to take them seriously, you know? When they don't know enough to come in out of the rain, they stand in it waving around their bumbershoots. Bumbershoots! I ask you!

But, let's look at this dating matter. I know, I know, it's hard to talk logic to someone who thinks the size of a foot measurement should be based on the pedal dimensions of some long-forgotten king who was more noted for his foot size than than anything else. Perhaps the queen was interested in that, it having a bearing on other anatomical measurements. Perhaps those should have become a standard, or perhaps he wasn't that manly a king.

Anyway, I digress. Dating conventions, that's what we were discussing. That, and the impeccable American logic behind it. We, of course, and corrently, too, use month, day, and year, in that order. As we should. The reasons are readily apparent to any clear thinker. We put the month first, because, obviously, what's the point of having the day first? If you ask me the date, and I say, "It's the 22nd," you'll know next to nothing, even though you posed your query to a very learned individual. You will almost always, in fact, follow up by saying, "Of what?" Because, you see, knowing it's the 22nd and not knowing if it's the 22nd of April or August, May or March, June or July, doesn't give yoiu much to work with. And how do we avoid this, we people who put a premium on logical thinking and time management and don't like to befuddle the one or screw up the other? Why, we put the month first. Which as you can see is logical, time saving and the single most appropriate place to put it!

The year? Why heavens, everyone knows the year! It's one of the first things they, the men in the little white coats, ask you to learn if you're compos mentis. You're sane, I'm sane, we all know the year, so why emphasize the thing by putting it first? It's silly to do that, and it could be thought to be insulting, inferring the one you're communicating with has the mind of a twit. No, put it at the end. Where it belongs. Where we considerate Americans put it.

Okay, this has run long enough. Our convention for noting the date is logical, functional and empathetic. The Brit one is mostly based on a King's dick size. Need I say more?

C

[Trab]

Cute, Cole. Actually, maybe also cute Cole, but I digress as well.

Based on your impeccable logic, which only ignores the metric system being used, even in jolly olde England, the French have it right, with their "the car red" and "the tree green" etc. I'm so glad that Americans are going to be switching to that system soon.

[Caylor]

I love all those differences. They make those UKers so interesting!

[Trab]

LOL. It is especially interesting when you show up for your appointment on the wrong day in the wrong month, because someone you dealt with is using a different standard/format.

[Caylor]

Hey, when in Rome................Or the UK.........

[JamesSavik]

Camy-

In my time working for NATO, the way the military type wrote their dates appealed to me. It works very well because it easily sorts. I use the format on everything and have a macro that puts it in standard format for stuff that goes out.

In this format we have the year, month day. The sweet part about this format is that it easily sorts without a lot of programming raz-a-ma-taz. For example Sept. 11th in the NATO format.

year month day

2001 Sep 11

2001.09.11

I liked the NATO guys better than our troops for the most part. They were a tad older, better educated, had manners and were a lot less cocky. Oh yeah- they were better looking since they weren't all bald.

James

[colinian]

I would write today as 12MAR08, but then again I also use 24-hour time and know what Zulu time is. The problem I see with DD/MM/YY is that when storing computer files numerically the files won't be in correct cronological order. The again MM/DD/YY would only work if the files were from the same year. YYYY/MM/DD would be the only true way to store something numerically and cronologically, I've only seen it used a few times though.

I write dates yyyy/mm/dd as well. That's the only way that makes sense for digital storage. dd/mm/yy (or yyyy) and mm/dd/yy (or yyyy) are useless in that regard.

Colin

[DesDownunder]

I write dates yyyy/mm/dd as well. That's the only way that makes sense for digital storage. dd/mm/yy (or yyyy) and mm/dd/yy (or yyyy) are useless in that regard.

Colin

dd/mm/yy (or yyyy) works for me. Perhaps one of us has a backward computer?

[colinian]

...I liked the NATO guys better than our troops for the most part. They were a tad older, better educated, had manners and were a lot less cocky...

Jeez, that's too bad. Less is smaller, right?

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about cocky...

Cocky means boldly or brashly self-confident.

Cocky is Australian slang for cockatoo and also for farmer.

Cocky is the name of the mascot for the University of South Carolina.

Cocky is an album by Kid Rock.

Colin

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Deleted

[Cole Parker]

Um, it wasn't clear I was being facetious?

Uh oh.

I think I'll retire now.

C

[colinian]

Oh, the sheer effrontery of it all! A Brit telling us what convention to use to notate the date!

This from the chaps who are so crackers they put cheese on biscuits rather than, well, crackers, who ride up in lifts rather than wearing them, who put their boots in their boots rather than their trunks in their trunks. Difficult to take them seriously, you know? When they don't know enough to come in out of the rain, they stand in it waving around their bumbershoots. Bumbershoots! I ask you!

But, let's look at this dating matter. I know, I know, it's hard to talk logic to someone who thinks the size of a foot measurement should be based on the pedal dimensions of some long-forgotten king who was more noted for his foot size than than anything else. Perhaps the queen was interested in that, it having a bearing on other anatomical measurements. Perhaps those should have become a standard, or perhaps he wasn't that manly a king.

Anyway, I digress. Dating conventions, that's what we were discussing. That, and the impeccable American logic behind it. We, of course, and corrently, too, use month, day, and year, in that order. As we should. The reasons are readily apparent to any clear thinker. We put the month first, because, obviously, what's the point of having the day first? If you ask me the date, and I say, "It's the 22nd," you'll know next to nothing, even though you posed your query to a very learned individual. You will almost always, in fact, follow up by saying, "Of what?" Because, you see, knowing it's the 22nd and not knowing if it's the 22nd of April or August, May or March, June or July, doesn't give yoiu much to work with. And how do we avoid this, we people who put a premium on logical thinking and time management and don't like to befuddle the one or screw up the other? Why, we put the month first. Which as you can see is logical, time saving and the single most appropriate place to put it!

The year? Why heavens, everyone knows the year! It's one of the first things they, the men in the little white coats, ask you to learn if you're compos mentis. You're sane, I'm sane, we all know the year, so why emphasize the thing by putting it first? It's silly to do that, and it could be thought to be insulting, inferring the one you're communicating with has the mind of a twit. No, put it at the end. Where it belongs. Where we considerate Americans put it.

Okay, this has run long enough. Our convention for noting the date is logical, functional and empathetic. The Brit one is mostly based on a King's dick size. Need I say more?

C

Very funny, Cole. But the king's appendage dimension? Which king? What state? Who did the measuring, the checker of the Exchequer? The Royal Timekeeper? If the king didn't like the stated results of the measurement, did he yell "Off with his head!"? And if so, which head was he referencing? Or should it be "whose head" or maybe "who's ahead"? Whatever. Today's just the 12th. Remember that. There will be a quiz, probably ahead of time.

Colin

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Deleted

[Tragic Rabbit]

Today's just the 12th. Remember that. There will be a quiz, probably ahead of time.

No, today's quiz was yesterday, you just missed it.

Don't blink!

TR

[Caylor]

You have to admit, basing measurements on the radius of the planet, instead of the length of someone's foot, is far more reasonable.

And sane.

The metric system is easier, and far better than the 'standard' system. The US was supposed to make the big switch decades ago, but inches, feet, pounds and gallons still rule. We buy gas and milk by the gallon, meat and vegetables by the pound. Sodas and water in 12 oz cans or 20 oz bottles. Thought liters are popular in sodas for the 1 and 2 liter sizes. But that's about it.

Imagine, a system of volume based on the density of water as a base unit. Instead a gallon is based on the amount of sea water that weighed ten pounds. And a pound was based on 15 "tower ounces" or about 6,750 grains weight of grain.

Thanks wikpedia.