tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post1336379447866392504..comments2024-03-13T09:47:40.487+00:00Comments on Cockpit Conversation: Out of Comm RangeAviatrixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-92043600961426212292009-06-23T20:39:52.063+00:002009-06-23T20:39:52.063+00:00As dpierce points out, one must have some exposure...As dpierce points out, one must have some exposure to British media to know what a fortnight is. If not their TV at least their books. I learned what a fortnight was when I was a kid, from Enid Blyton's Famous Five books. That and the fact that the British send their kids to bording school to be raised...Strange concept for a Canadian kid to understand.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08985699561397840322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-88874175713295429882009-06-22T21:08:55.774+00:002009-06-22T21:08:55.774+00:00I've had trouble convincing some Americans tha...I've had trouble convincing some Americans that the "stone" is used as a common measure of weight in Britain, and that I wasn't completely trying to pull one over on them.<br /><br />A quick e-mail poll of eight people here in the office found that nobody knew what a fortnight was. One suggested a night in a fort. Of course, I doubt this crowd has studied any Shakespeare or watched any Britcoms, but that's probably representational of the majority.dpiercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397601206317363858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-75935958340055030742009-06-22T20:57:03.210+00:002009-06-22T20:57:03.210+00:00And here I was thinking that Americans used all th...And here I was thinking that Americans used all the old British measurements.<br /><br />ehhhh not really. As you probably already know the US gallon is nothing like the Imperial gallon. (and I'm old enough to remember when the imperial gallon was what you got in Canada, nobody, not even the Canadians knew WTF a liter was) The feet we use are different that the feet that the english used, although the differences are a number of places to the right of the decimal point.<br /><br /><br />FWIW I've known about fortnights since I was a kid, but it's not a common term.<br /><br />Nobody ever uses "stone" unless they're trying to appear british, or alternately poking fun at the british. I would say that "stone" is less common, and less likely to be understood than "fortnight"A Squarednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-9488826649937756222009-06-22T19:15:23.181+00:002009-06-22T19:15:23.181+00:00And here I was thinking that Americans used all th...And here I was thinking that Americans used all the old British measurements. A fortnight is really as obscure as a Smoot to you? I'd never heard of the latter, but I love that they made the guy lie down for each measurement instead of creating a smootstick, and that the renovators sectioned the pavement in Smoot increments. <br /><br />I guess you don't use stones for weight though. Neither do Canadians, but there are the same number of pounds in a stone as there are days in a fortnight.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-31879078334305598982009-06-22T18:38:14.547+00:002009-06-22T18:38:14.547+00:00http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot
Another intere...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot<br /><br />Another interesting unit of measure used by geeks and now Google Earth. Try it out on your customers and see if they know it. <br /><br />Probably not as usefual in flight planning, but then again with an E6B one can do anything to pass the time in flight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-53439556265970752802009-06-22T17:58:21.835+00:002009-06-22T17:58:21.835+00:00Most people in the US won't be familiar with t...Most people in the US won't be familiar with the term "fortnight". If it weren't for this blog, I wouldnt've realized it's used in Canada. (I thought it was strictly a UK thing.)dpiercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397601206317363858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-9848658230443667912009-06-22T07:14:57.811+00:002009-06-22T07:14:57.811+00:00Locals may have to resort to more traditional form...Locals may have to resort to more traditional forms of entertainment. Like exotic dancers.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-57900586356233980402009-06-22T07:10:01.689+00:002009-06-22T07:10:01.689+00:00Hmmm, a place without internet, in this day and ag...Hmmm, a place without internet, in this day and age, is probably pretty......exotic.A Squarednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-33625187214323143912009-06-22T07:04:04.769+00:002009-06-22T07:04:04.769+00:00A fortnight is a two week period, but I know you&#...A fortnight is a two week period, but I know you're asking why it's called that. I looked it up for you. Astonishingly simple: it's <b>fo</b>u<b>rt</b>een <b>night</b>s.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-17752989208854033362009-06-22T06:56:59.277+00:002009-06-22T06:56:59.277+00:00I never have understood what a fortnight is ... ma...I never have understood what a fortnight is ... maybe you can blog this for me? ;-)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10357752193201032059noreply@blogger.com