I'm relatively new to dialing, and indeed this is my first post to the mailing list (but I've lurked here for a few months). I'm also a great enthusiast for using "rules of thumb" in everyday life, but so far I've not found many cases where I can put the two together. I'm hoping that this posting will lead to a discussion about rules of thumb which bear on sundials / sun naviagation / sky navigation.
Here are a few examples of the kind of thing I mean: - Point the hour hand of your watch in the direction of the sun. Divide the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock position. This shows you where North/South are. - Put a stick in the ground. Use a pebble to mark where the tip of the shadow is. Wait a few minutes, now make a line from the pebble to the new position of the shadow tip. This is an East-West line. Of course, these two are not accurate - rules of thumb often aren't - but I'm hoping a few gems will turn up. Anybody got any, good or bad? Especially ones for telling the time. Steve
