Pictured is Wiser and siblings at Halloween many moons ago
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
Each week that I write and publish my Wrambling, I ponder as to which topic I start with.The “perfect” start would be that which this week’s title hints at. The title, and even my use of the word in the previous sentence, takes the liberty of assuming that nothing can be wrong with whatever is described using the word “perfect”. The presumption is that perfection has been reached perfectly. In researching the word itself it was noted as being either a Noun, Verb, Adjective or Adverb. In other words, it might be a perfect word.
Where and when I started my relationship with the highly technical side of the term was in the teaching of some of my Engineering or Manufacturing courses at Alfred State College (ASC). I used to “preach” that the manufacturing of a product or component could never reach perfection. It could get closer and closer depending on the “precision” of the methods or process. In English numerics the decimal point is used to designate the precision called for or achieved. The “number of numbers” before and/or after a decimal point used to describe a size also describes the precision desired. The size or dimension of 1.0” does not (or at least should not) mean the same thing as 1.0000”. It might be difficult to distinguish between a decimal point or a “period” as both use the same symbol. The more zeros added to the number indicate the degree of precision (or perfection) desired. .5, .005 and .0005 are not the same as far as “perfection” is considered. In manufacturing you could achieve a manufactured size such as 15.1 using a hand saw. To achieve 15.0001 would require either a computer-controlled machine or an extensive amount of time “honing” the size to get to the implied precision. I used to tell my students that building the parts of a rain barrel would require far less precision than manufacturing the size of the piston in an automobile engine. When engineering/manufacturing drawings started being created using computers I used to cringe when the “dimensioning” of the parts would automatically add .000 or .0000 after the number. The more zeroes, the more precision. The guys “in the shop” needed to know how closely to perfect they needed to be. They couldn’t be perfect as theoretically perfect, is never 100% reachable.
And so, these thoughts always come to mind when conversationally a person will reply to a spoken comment saying “Perfect!” or an advertisement heard on TV that says “these garments are perfect for summertime wearing. Or, that my Wrambling is perfect. It’s not! Be sure you enunciate those last two words carefully. If not clearly enunciated they come out sounding slimy.
Since I’ve put half of you to sleep with that topic I might as well add a little more technical rant, even at the risk of showing my naivety. Recent news reporting was to congratulate a high school student for having solved the Pythagorean Theorem using Trigonometry methods recently. That is a mathematical statement or equation used to solve mathematical unknowns using a formula derived thousands of years ago. I’m not exactly sure what was done differently than when I and all other Trigonometry math class students had to do in our high school math class covering that equation. We had to learn and recite the “Proof” of that equation. A “proof” is a set of mathematical steps or processes that validates the equation or concept presented.
By description or example in laymen’s terms, that above theorem would allow you to calculate the straight-line distance from your front door to your mailbox if the sidewalk was a few feet to the side of the box. Normally you would walk to the box in a straight line across the grass. If the grass is wet, you would walk straight out to the road and then take a 90° turn and walk the few feet over to the mail box. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, you could calculate the diagonal straight line distance as opposed to the addition of the two legs of the “out to the road and over to the mailbox” path. If your mailbox is on the road at the end of the driveway at a distance of 100 yards away it would make a significant difference, especially if you had a pan of water boiling on the stove.
My “Grammar Groan” for today derives from the spelling of Pythagorean. A recent Facebook response to a comment I had made regarding spelling as being part of Grammar, was that spelling and grammar were two separate components. I contested that and offered the following research clip… “Spelling is definitely considered a part of the study of grammar. Understanding the standard and appropriate use of words (usage) often depends upon the ability to spell. In large part, this is due to the large number of homophones, homonyms, and homographs in the English language.”
An opposing viewpoint disagrees and says, “Grammar deals with how words change form and come together to make meaningful sentences. Spelling refers to how letters come together to form words. Both grammar and spelling are needed for clear written communication, but they’re not the same.”
Under the topic Wiser’s Wrambling Words of Wonder, I think the parenthetical word (Usage) in the first “Grammar Groan” paragraph is the key to the inclusion and use of any particular word. I have finally come up with the simplified version would state that; You “speak” using proper grammar and “write” using correct spelling. I wonder if that clarifies or muddlefies.
Don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend. As Dave Toot mentioned at Grace United Church choir practice last night; “If you forget you’ll be here at church an hour early.” We are preparing to end Daylight Saving Time as it will end at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 3, 2024. We should set back our clocks by one hour Saturday night. Twice a year the topic results in “Yay versus Nay” regarding this annual ritual. People are more critical in the springtime as they feel they are losing an hour of sleeping time. Your biological clock is very adept at accepting the change and it typically only takes a couple of days to get used to the change. I for one, am fully in favor of Daylight-Saving Time as I favor getting that extra hour of daylight in the spring and summer as the morning sun dawns an hour earlier.
As noted before in my Wrambling, my house is across from the Allegany County Gravel Storage lot. All kinds of things happen there day or night, usually more notable at night. The other day I was alerted to something going on as I heard motorcycle engines roaring not far from the house. I looked out the front facing window toward the gravel piles to see two people on motor bikes revving up to a high RPM and then heading into or over the gravel pile. The first attempts failed, but they eventually got the right direction and speed to make it over. As I often do, when able, I grabbed my camera and took a couple of pictures of them. I can’t decide whether I should have reported it or applauded, as I was a little envious and saw myself doing that years ago.
If I hand write or “letter/print” Valve or Value such that they are not clearly distinguishable, and the secretary chooses the wrong one in the report she is writing, was that a grammar error or spelling error? BTW…that actually did happen once when I submitted a customer letter for typing, back in my Contract Administrator days at dear old Air Preheater.
As a short topic of personal habits, here are a few that I have noticed, and/or have myself:
- When you are dressing and putting on trousers or shoes and socks do you do the same leg or foot first each time by default? Many deny this, as I did, until we become conscious of it.
- If you take cream or sugar in your coffee, do you stir it a fixed number of rotations? I use a metal 16-ounce coffee cup and its “pings” as I stir. I find myself stirring the same number of stirs with the “ting, ting, ting” a certain number of times. How many times? I don’t know.
- When speaking, do you start, or end statements with the same word or group of words? I detest my doing it sometimes but a few of the favorites include starting with; So; (*) You Know; Ummm; Sorry, but; You won’t believe; You’ve probably heard this before; Let me be clear; So, there’s no mistake; Just so you’ll understand; and may others. Words or phrases that end a statement include: You Know (*can start or end a statement);
And that’s a fact; Believe it or not; Right; Okay; Anyway; Am I right? You know what I’m saying? Isn’t that so; Ah. Ummm, or Uh.
Following a car home from Wellsville the other day I noticed the license plate number on the car ahead of me which read “JA17MYQB.” It caught my attention and only took a few seconds for the translation to the proper meaning. I will leave you with that and with your own interpretation.
Attached or adorning this piece somewhere are a couple of pictures of me in my former life. Back “in the day” when political correctness wasn’t so prominent we used to play “Cowboys and Indians.” Well, here I am as one of the former.
