Astor Florida

@MAGolding Yeah, I get that. But I can't imagine the first decision about defining a pound as "Let's base weight on 5,760 grains". I can see "Let's base weight on the weight of a loaf of bread or a large apple". Perhaps 5,760 is the amount of wheat grains it takes to make a loaf of bread?

axsvl77

Aug 4, 2021 13:52

Thank Pieter; so the tldr is "a pound was arbitrarily decided; it wasn't, in general based on anything". Did I get that right?

axsvl77

Aug 4, 2021 13:52

OP asks "How could ancient people confirm and verify the mass of the pound? What was the benchmark?"

Discussion on answer by nick012000: H…

Imported from a comment discussion on politics.stackexchange.c...

axsvl77

Mar 29, 2021 14:52

Bush started a lot more that 2 wars, iirc. More like 2 big ones and 8 small ones

Discussion on question by Argyll: Why…

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axsvl77

Jan 14, 2020 11:39

@Argyll I agree with you that to "strike at the earliest possible moment is just naive". As a logical extension of this thought, the whole of WWII (and the following cold war) was naive and imbecilic. Not to mention a waste of human lives and manpower.

axsvl77

Jan 14, 2020 11:39

I knew a guy who lived through the war. He said when Hitler found out that the USSR had just finished a single tank factory with the same output as all of Germany, he knew waiting wasn't an option. I've always wondered if this was true.

Discussion on question by user50229: …

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axsvl77

Jan 12, 2020 06:36

@user50229 That's awesome that you took the time to take care of yourself. I appluad you!

Discussion on answer by phoog: Is Ame…

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axsvl77

Sep 30, 2019 01:47

@phoog How about standing in line at an immigration checkpoint?

Discussion on answer by user6726: Can…

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axsvl77

Sep 30, 2019 00:45

"disobeying the boss". Which boss? Police?

Discussion on question by Mark: Did t…

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axsvl77

Aug 6, 2019 19:22

VTC people, please use critical reading skills. This is not alternative history. This is not a 'what it' question.

Discussion on answer by EvilSnack: Di…

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axsvl77

Jul 12, 2019 12:01

@Ant I think "religous" has more than one meaning. This one might be "scrupulously and conscientiously faithful". I think you're taking Franklin out of context.

Ten fold

CrossValidated's general room for gossip, grumbles, and idle c...

axsvl77

May 10, 2019 22:05

Hi everyone. I posted a question about noise simulation over at the Mathematica SE. Wondering if anyone wants to take a look?

Discussion on question by Tirous: Has…

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axsvl77

May 6, 2019 13:09

@R.Schmitz Yes, true. Also, don't get me started on the "Christian" soldiers who subjugated the earth during the colonial era.

axsvl77

May 6, 2019 13:09

@user76284 A prime example of this is George W Bush.. He claimed to be a Christian - but he lied to millions about Iraqi WMD to precipitate a war that has claimed many lives, with the goal of enriching himself and others. In my view, it is difficult to call GW Bush, a person who starts a war for the purpose of material profit, a Christian. Perhaps if he stood trial as a war criminal, and apologized for his actions, he could become a Christian.

axsvl77

May 6, 2019 13:09

@user76284 It is a sarcastic/obnoxious/humorous comment about about the type of people that become presidents. Also a little sad. The idea is this: there are two ways to define a person as Christian. One way is sort of like asking if someone is a member of a club - do they attend church regularly, tithing, etc? This is a weak definition. The second, more rigorous definition, is probably better described do they behave in a Christian manner.

axsvl77

May 6, 2019 13:09

I have my doubts that any of them an be considered Christians

Discussion on question by MaxD: How s…

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axsvl77

Apr 4, 2019 17:05

@MaxD Consider text from this answer: "wear the bathing suit and any other spare clothing onto the airplane. Bring an empty plastic grocery bag in your pocket. Once on the final leg of your journey, you can stick the excess clothing into the plastic bag."

Discussion on answer by Zach Lipton: …

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axsvl77

Apr 2, 2019 20:18

The whole trip would be just looking for a particular variety of rice! Sounds fun.

Discussion on question by Programming…

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axsvl77

Mar 15, 2019 13:22

@throwaway1805 I agree with jos - this is a good way to find undergrad research assistants. This could be a good thing. Study before the meeting.

Discussion on answer by alephzero: I'…

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axsvl77

Nov 15, 2018 19:36

@alephzero The banks get us in both directions here in the states.

axsvl77

Nov 15, 2018 19:36

@alephzero Are there fees for bounced cheques in the UK? Here they can be pretty steep.

axsvl77

Nov 15, 2018 19:36

Just to be risk-adverse, it would be a good idea to call the bank that issued the check to confirm availability of funds.

The Time Machine

General discussion for history.stackexchange.com. For urgent i...

axsvl77

Nov 14, 2018 17:24

All those sources he provides aren't actually up to par RE History

axsvl77

Nov 14, 2018 17:24

Think we could provide something more primary, like a newspaper article to this?

axsvl77

Nov 14, 2018 17:23

Here is the comment response: cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/93840/…

axsvl77

Nov 14, 2018 17:23

Again, this one: cooking.stackexchange.com/a/93843/50876

axsvl77

Nov 14, 2018 17:22

Hi Everyone. I was reading this answer over at the cooking SE site. In th e comments, I asked for some historical sources, and he gave me a bunch of links to pop articles.

axsvl77

Oct 6, 2018 15:47

Sorta figures, its a WWII question.

axsvl77

Oct 6, 2018 15:46

I just gave it another vote. I hope somebody gets this particular badge

axsvl77

Oct 6, 2018 15:24

@LangLangC I don't know for sure, but I think it is because 1) The only answers that get above about 10 or so are answers to Hot Network Questions, combined with 2) A question voted down to -5 would never make it to HNQ.

I think when the site graduates, there is a higher likelihood that something could break 10 without being a HNQ.

axsvl77

Jun 30, 2018 02:16

Here is an HNQ that we are probably better qualified to answer. Anyone? Anyone?

axsvl77

Jun 30, 2018 02:16

Q: Why did flatbread dominate the Middle East but Europe adopted raised breads?

This may be a history question so please move it if appropriate. Culturally, local ingredients dominate cooking recipes and national dishes (e.g., soy in SE Asia), but why do Europeans add a raising agent to bread items to make loaf bread whilst people from the Middle East still favour flat bre...

Discussion on question by Lance Polla…

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axsvl77

Sep 21, 2018 06:52

@T.E.D. The yellow river areas, aka the "North China Plain". I think the most of the rest of the country is this way too, but don't know well enough to say.

axsvl77

Sep 21, 2018 06:52

North China has 3 meals a day,with a summer fruit snack mid-afternoon

Discussion on question by guest271314…

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axsvl77

Jul 29, 2018 18:06

@guest271314 It seems like you pose a question, then answer it yourself. This is a good thing here on stack exchange. However, when you put your answer as part of the question, it is a little confusing as the site is organized thus that people vote on the quality of questions and answer independently. Might I suggest putting most of your post into an answer?

axsvl77

Jul 29, 2018 18:06

@Orangesandlemons Got a source for that?

Discussion between T.E.D. and DrZ214

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axsvl77

Jun 22, 2018 03:32

@Semaphore Why isnt this the answer to the question about phonetic implementations of Chinese language?

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 02:30

Hmmm. good point. I do need to make an effort to understand what was happening in China between 200 and 600 CE

axsvl77

Jun 14, 2018 22:23

@Semaphore Do you have a link about the pronunciation system developed during this time? I'd like to read about that.

axsvl77

Jun 14, 2018 22:23

It is notable that they developed their own pronunciation system instead of adopting Sanscript script wholesale.

axsvl77

Jun 14, 2018 22:21

Ah! I missed this party! Darn! @T.E.D., I think the Chinese-cultural-superiority thing wasn't really present during the first half of the Tang. It was a regime founded by barbarians, and the whole culture embraced all things foreign. There was a massive importation of foreign talent, and a lot of international trade. It is no coincidence that the Buddhist texts from South Asia were translated at this time.

Discussion on answer by axsvl77: Did …

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axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

@FrédéricGrosshans I think that blog post is wishful thinking. I can't read Hanzi, so I will take notes in Hanyu Pinyin with tone marks. It takes my wife a long time to figure out what is written there. Partially from lack of practice, but also from the abundance of homophones. She can do it, sure, but it is far less efficient than using Hanzi.

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

For example, could the Confucian Classics have been transcribed into Dungan script? It is my understanding that it would be very difficult to understand in Hanyu Pinyin. "Unreadable", I expect.

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

@FrédéricGrosshans Nice. I didn't know about the using the Arabic script. I am fairly certain that the Latin script version, introduced by Soviet authorities was based on the Sin Wenz. Sin Wenz, as I mention above, is another modern example of implementing a phonetic script with a Chinese language. A question for you: Was the Dungan script sophisticated enough to handle the sophistication of a cosmopolitan Chinese culture? Or was it more appropriate for simple communication?

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

@lly Thanks - your Chinese skills are better than mine.

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

@DrZ214 Check this out. There just arent too many sounds.

axsvl77

Jun 15, 2018 22:09

Right. However, even if everyone did speak the same language, it still wouldn't work for something as technical as a software manual. Just not enough sounds.