Re: OT: Flashlights [was Re: PEP8 and 4 spaces]
On Saturday, July 5, 2014 5:15:32 AM UTC-5, Steven D'Aprano wrote: (By the way, outside of the USA, flashlights in the rest of the English- speaking world are usually called torches, so called because, like the old-fashioned burning torch, they provide light.) Well Steven all i can hope is that one day you and i will be working on a project together, and you will ask me for a touch, and when i return with a petrol soaked rag burning on the end of twig and proceed to light your hair on fire, hopefully at that moment, you will THEN gain a healthy respect for logical naming conventions! You see, just as a proper programming language utilize the punishments of Exceptions for illogical behaviors, life utilizes the power of pain for even greater effect. Ah, what's that old adage about doing the same things over and over but expecting different results? Oh well, maybe someone can chime in... SHALL WE RINSE AND REPEAT MR.D'APRANO? A few minutes googling would have given you the answer: flashlights are called flashlights because originally you could only flash them on and off. Due to the high power requirements and the low battery capacities at the time, leaving the torch switched on would burn out the filament, exhaust the battery, or both. So what you're telling me is that in the early days of the portable light the function of the device was so terrible that the best all one could hope for was limited intermittent functionality with a great chance of destroying the device simply in the course of its normal use? Wow, and people actually paid money for these devices? Sounds like window 95 all over again! SNIP HISTORY LESSON *yawn* So far from being an illogical term, the name flashlight actually gives you a glimpse into the historical background of the invention. Yes, because when my power goes out, and i need to get to the electrical panel during a torrential rainstorm, at 2am in the morning, after a long day working in the company of idiots, and then coming home to a nagging significant other, and then my dog dies... whist i tromp through the mud and the muck, at least my mind will be at peace knowing the historical significance of an illogical naming convention coined for a device that was so impractical as to render itself completely useless... THANKS FLASHLIGHT @_@! -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: OT: Flashlights [was Re: PEP8 and 4 spaces]
On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 1:41 AM, Rick Johnson rantingrickjohn...@gmail.com wrote: Well Steven all i can hope is that one day you and i will be working on a project together, and you will ask me for a touch, and when i return with a petrol soaked rag burning on the end of twig and proceed to light your hair on fire, hopefully at that moment, you will THEN gain a healthy respect for logical naming conventions! Let's reverse that. Suppose you're the one who is asking for something to illuminate your task - what item will you request? Remember, the person who provides it will be exactly what you're suggesting of yourself - a literal-minded genie. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LiteralGenie http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JackassGenie ChrisA -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
OT: Flashlights [was Re: PEP8 and 4 spaces]
On Fri, 04 Jul 2014 19:47:45 -0700, Rick Johnson wrote: [A continuation of my last reply...] Here is a recent situation that occurred to me that showcases the tendency of humans to carelessly bind illogical terms to common objects, I think you mean the tendency of certain people to go off half-cocked and mistake their own ignorance for knowledge. Since I personally don't know why flashlights are called that name, it clearly MUST BE that there is no reason for that name!!! (By the way, outside of the USA, flashlights in the rest of the English- speaking world are usually called torches, so called because, like the old-fashioned burning torch, they provide light.) thereby creating a inverse esoteric of ubiquitous illogic, in this case, the term: flash-light. A few minutes googling would have given you the answer: flashlights are called flashlights because originally you could only flash them on and off. Due to the high power requirements and the low battery capacities at the time, leaving the torch switched on would burn out the filament, exhaust the battery, or both. The Oxford Dictionary also points out that flashlight is a term used for signalling and warning lights, such as in lighthouses. It doesn't say whether the signalling use inspired, or was inspired by, the hand-held flashlight. I expect that, since electric lighthouses are more than two decades older than flashlights, that usage came first. Both the flashlight and the flash bulb were first patented in 1899, and it is possible that the name of one was influenced by the name of the other. Flash bulbs used an electrically-ignited filament of magnesium to provide a single, extremely bright, flash of light. They replaced the older system of a small trough of flash powder (a mixture of magnesium and potassium chlorate) ignited in the air. So far from being an illogical term, the name flashlight actually gives you a glimpse into the historical background of the invention. Of course everyone knows that a flash light does not flash, Everybody is wrong. I have torches (flashlights) with a flash function, where they flash on and off. I've also owned torches where they had a switch to turn them on and give a steady, hands-free light, and a second button that only generated light while it was held down. so why do we continue to propagate such foolish terms? Not a foolish term, merely a sign that technology marches on. Well, for the same reason language designers keep giving us illogical terms like function and class, but i digress. Oh my, I can hardly wait to hear this. It ought to be good. The point is we go around the world falsely believing we have a strong grasp of the simple things Speak for yourself. Oh, I see you are! -- Steven -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
