Are dive computers making bad divers?

[Belzelbub]

For some reason this song is in my head now …

Only one shark, though. My daughter wore the Otter costume. There is also a Narwhal and Walrus costume that are in rotation.

 

[Chavodel8en]

It depends upon what ancients you are talking about. The Vikings had a base 12 system, and their culture dominated northern Europe for hundreds of years, especially northern France (Normandy) and England. That's why we have so many 12s in our life today.

Mesoamerica (Mayans, etc) with the base 20! (actually seems really unwieldly, even if it is my heritage)

 

[dmaziuk]

This guy nailed it:

ObNitPick: depends on the `umask`, actually... if you started with mode 000, it does help with file access.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Mesoamerica (Mayans, etc) with the base 20! (actually seems really unwieldly, even if it is my heritage)

There are many different based numbering systems. It would be interesting to know how we wound up with the units for time, degrees on a compass, etc..

I think though the metric system screwed up. The meter should have been based on the nautical mile.

 

[Wibble]

I think though the metric system screwed up. The meter should have been based on the nautical mile.

The French wouldn't have it!
Wasn't it Napoleon's walking stick?

 

[Akimbo]

I think though the metric system screwed up. The meter should have been based on the nautical mile.

Agreed. The meter turned out to be arbitrary anyway, no better than the Yard in the Imperial unit.

For other readers:
The original intent to base the Meter or Metre one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. The trouble is it couldn't be measured too accurately in 1793. As a result, it basically came down to an arbitrary unit defined by International prototype metre bars, which didn't all match exactly as determined later by more modern measuring technology. Today the Meter is defined by the length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second — which could also change as the definition of a second is refined by new technology.

 

[boulderjohn]

. Today the Meter is defined by the length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second

It's good to know things like this as a backup plan in case you don't have a meter stick handy.

 

[dmaziuk]

There are many different based numbering systems. It would be interesting to know how we wound up with the units for time, degrees on a compass, etc..

Should've gone with I'Ching's 3-bit "nibbles" and 6-bit "bytes", 9 directions of compass and 64-hour clock.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Should've gone with I'Ching's 3-bit "nibbles" and 6-bit "bytes", 9 directions of compass and 64-hour clock.

I do wish a 12-based numbering system won out over a 10-based, due to the most common fractions: 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 of 12 being whole numbers.

 

[Wibble]

I do wish a 12-based numbering system won out over a 10-based, due to the most common fractions: 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 of 12 being whole numbers.

The British currency was based upon 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. Not forgetting 21 shillings to the guinea — which racehorses are still priced in.

In 1971 it was decimalised into the boring 100 "new" pence to the pound.