Comments on: Elevators and Floor Numbering http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/ Thoughts and photos from an American living in Spain. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:13:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: sgazzetti http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/comment-page-1/#comment-637 sgazzetti Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:38:21 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/#comment-637 Your "and the rest of Europe" may be (very slightly) untrue; I've heard that Russian floor numbering follows the same system as in the U.S. And while the bulk of the Soviet Union was Asian, Russia (or much of it) is certainly part of Europe. In Slovenia we follow the normal (European) system, with K = klet (cellar), P = pritličje (ground floor) 2, 3, etc. (For the longest time I assumed P was 'parkiranje', parking. Duh.) I'm still canvassing the book spines on our shelves. Your “and the rest of Europe” may be (very slightly) untrue; I’ve heard that Russian floor numbering follows the same system as in the U.S. And while the bulk of the Soviet Union was Asian, Russia (or much of it) is certainly part of Europe.

In Slovenia we follow the normal (European) system, with K = klet (cellar), P = pritličje (ground floor) 2, 3, etc. (For the longest time I assumed P was ‘parkiranje’, parking. Duh.)

I’m still canvassing the book spines on our shelves.

]]> By: Paul http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/comment-page-1/#comment-636 Paul Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:23:43 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/#comment-636 In graduate school I trained pigeons. It was important to start with a "naive" pigeon, one which had never received pellets for pecking before. Celsius and metric measurement are only clearly superior in the laboratory where all your pigeons are naive. Once the critical mass of trained humans are making one-second estimations based on their viewing of football games (100 yard field), Bob Beamon's broad jump (30 feet), and feeling comfortable (72 degrees), rule-makers (all trained themselves) have a hard time forcing change. In graduate school I trained pigeons. It was important to start with a “naive” pigeon, one which had never received pellets for pecking before. Celsius and metric measurement are only clearly superior in the laboratory where all your pigeons are naive. Once the critical mass of trained humans are making one-second estimations based on their viewing of football games (100 yard field), Bob Beamon’s broad jump (30 feet), and feeling comfortable (72 degrees), rule-makers (all trained themselves) have a hard time forcing change.

]]> By: erik http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/comment-page-1/#comment-635 erik Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:03:55 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/#comment-635 Dang it! I knew smarty pants would say, "some languages are one-indexed!" It's true, but they are in the tiny minority, and end up having to decrement the index before looking in memory anyway. I'm not saying that I think it will change. I'm just stating that one way, of a seemingly arbitrary issue, is better. I considered writing one of these on the metric system, including Fahrenheit-v-Celsius, but there's no doubt in anyone's mind as to which is superior, so I discarded the idea as pointless. Dang it! I knew smarty pants would say, “some languages are one-indexed!” It’s true, but they are in the tiny minority, and end up having to decrement the index before looking in memory anyway.

I’m not saying that I think it will change. I’m just stating that one way, of a seemingly arbitrary issue, is better.

I considered writing one of these on the metric system, including Fahrenheit-v-Celsius, but there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind as to which is superior, so I discarded the idea as pointless.

]]> By: Uncle Steve http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/comment-page-1/#comment-634 Uncle Steve Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:18:47 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/2007/03/16/elevators-and-floor-numbering/#comment-634 "In computer programming, all lists and arrays are zero-indexed": Not so, some languages begin their indexing at 1. "Spain’s zero-indexed floor numbering system is superior to the American one-indexed system": True, but so is the metric system superior to the US (or, isn't it really the British?) system, but the US still has not adopted the metric system. I strongly remember two things from my jr. high days (yes Erik, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth...): 1) I was told that before I graduated high school, the US would be on the metric system, so I'd better learn it now. 2) My science teacher yearned for the day that scientists would finally conclude that cigarettes were actually harmful to one's health, because then they would of course be made illegal. Funny, eh? “In computer programming, all lists and arrays are zero-indexed”: Not so, some languages begin their indexing at 1.

“Spain’s zero-indexed floor numbering system is superior to the American one-indexed system”: True, but so is the metric system superior to the US (or, isn’t it really the British?) system, but the US still has not adopted the metric system.

I strongly remember two things from my jr. high days (yes Erik, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth…):

1) I was told that before I graduated high school, the US would be on the metric system, so I’d better learn it now.

2) My science teacher yearned for the day that scientists would finally conclude that cigarettes were actually harmful to one’s health, because then they would of course be made illegal.

Funny, eh?

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