"Andrew Dyke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >I have been looking at this post for some time to see if I am missing >something. Can't see it, please explain why 7.48 is not the same as 12 >minutes to 8?
It appears that to the BBC they are different, with the former much inferior. Despite the frequent errors by broadcast staff in reading out the time from the (presumably analogue) clock in the studio (usually getting the hour wrong), BBC appears almost religiously opposed to adopting the very common practice in North America of having a digital clock and simply reporting the time it shows (e.g. "7:48", instead of trying to translate into "twelve minutes to eight"). This practice results in many fewer errors AIUI. Since the matter appears to be religious, I assume there is no rationality behind it. Except perhaps anti-Americanism. Adrian . Adrian Stott 07956-299966
