Simviation Forum - Switching allegiances...

Reply #15 - Mar 8^th, 2012 at 4:24am

Hagar Offline
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My Spitfire Girl
Costa Geriatrica

Posts: 33159

Fozzer wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 7:39pm:

Having sorted out the Universal Measurement Problem, I am now left with the Universal Switch Problem...

Up for on, or down for on?

After a day of switching toggle switches, etc, on my various Aircraft, up for on, I find that I am going around my house wondering why my Kettle is not boiling, and why my Hoover is not hoovering, and why I keep switching my lights off!

You see, in my part of the world we switch switches DOWN for on, in a similar way that we drive on the left-hand side of the road, and unwind our Toilet Paper from the outside of the roll.

It takes quite a while to re-educate my brain in this confusing switching application.
I can look at a switch for ages, wondering what I should do to operate the toggle to electrify, or de-electrify, a particular piece of household electrical apparatus before me.. Embarrassed

..!

Therein lies my daily problem!

This is a bit late but here's my theory on the switches in aircraft cockpits. It all started with magneto switches which are earthed (grounded for our US cousins) to switch them OFF. This meant that to switch them ON (breaking the circuit) they were moved in the opposite direction from conventional household switches.

Early aircraft mag switches were ordinary household light switches like this.

For many years they were the only electrical switches in aircraft cockpits so when others were introduced they followed the same convention - UP for ON.

Why Americans always seem to do things the opposite way round from us has always been a mystery to me. Undecided

I suspect it might have been deliberate to demonstrate their independence from the Old Country.

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Reply #16 - Mar 8^th, 2012 at 3:22pm

H Offline
Colonel
2003: the year NH couldn't
save face...
NH, USA

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Hagar wrote on Mar 8^th, 2012 at 4:24am:

Why Americans always seem to do things the opposite way round from us has always been a mystery to me. Undecided

I suspect it might have been deliberate to demonstrate their independence from the Old Country.

When we began the Revolution we had to meet you face-to-face and, obviously, we needed to be on the "right" side, not just take the route that was 'left'. Subsequently, we decided to stay on the "right" side, regardless of where that has left you...

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Reply #17 - Mar 8^th, 2012 at 5:06pm

Fozzer Offline
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An elderly FS 2004 addict!
Hereford. England. EGBS.

Posts: 24861

H wrote on Mar 8^th, 2012 at 3:22pm:

Hagar wrote on Mar 8^th, 2012 at 4:24am:

Why Americans always seem to do things the opposite way round from us has always been a mystery to me. Undecided

I suspect it might have been deliberate to demonstrate their independence from the Old Country.

When we began the Revolution we had to meet you face-to-face and, obviously, we needed to be on the "right" side, not just take the route that was 'left'. Subsequently, we decided to stay on the "right" side, regardless of where that has left you...

I suspect that most of the immigrants to North America came from Europe, (Germany, etc), where things were done on the right-hand side.

....a few left-handed-sided Brits remained on the top North-East bit, and now have to suffer the right-handers...!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.s...

Paul...dressing on the left-hand side...(you may be interested to know)... Wink

...!

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Reply #18 - Mar 8^th, 2012 at 8:07pm

Bob70 Offline
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Whatever works.

Bob

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Reply #19 - Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:32pm

Bud Greene Offline
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What's up, doc?
Up, up in the air...

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Fozzer wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 7:39pm:

and unwind our Toilet Paper from the outside of the roll.

I wonder if Thomas Edison suffered from a similar dilemma?... Roll Eyes

...!

Hey Foz, I wasn't aware toilet paper could be unwound any other way. I would appreciate an illustration of how it might be unwound from the inside. Cheesy

As for Edison, I have lately been reading a condensed version of his biography and have not run across any such dilemma. Wink

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Reply #20 - Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:48pm

Fozzer Offline
Colonel
An elderly FS 2004 addict!
Hereford. England. EGBS.

Posts: 24861

Bud Greene wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:32pm:

Fozzer wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 7:39pm:

and unwind our Toilet Paper from the outside of the roll.

I wonder if Thomas Edison suffered from a similar dilemma?... Roll Eyes

...!

Hey Foz, I wasn't aware toilet paper could be unwound any other way. I would appreciate an illustration of how it might be unwound from the inside. Cheesy

As for Edison, I have lately been reading a condensed version of his biography and have not run across any such dilemma. Wink

Regarding the Toilet Paper Bud...

Many years ago, we had a Poll, and a long discussion regarding how Members arranged the Toilet Roll on its dispenser on the wall.
Was it positioned so as to unroll from the front of the roll, or from the rear of the roll, against the wall?

Is the Paper hanging from the front, or the rear of the roll.

There was much discussion over this serious subject, and I think the consensus was that most Members arranged for it to be dispensed from the front of the roll, on account of the fact that with a new roll, the paper could jam against the wall and tear in other than the perforations between the sheets.

It may be interesting to know if that opinion still stands...

...so.... Wink

...

...!

Paul....I prefer a Sausage Roll... Smiley

...!

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Reply #21 - Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:56pm

Steve M Offline
Colonel
Cambridge On.

Gender:
Posts: 4097

Fozzer wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:48pm:

Bud Greene wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:32pm:

Fozzer wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 7:39pm:

and unwind our Toilet Paper from the outside of the roll.

I wonder if Thomas Edison suffered from a similar dilemma?... Roll Eyes

...!

Hey Foz, I wasn't aware toilet paper could be unwound any other way. I would appreciate an illustration of how it might be unwound from the inside. Cheesy

As for Edison, I have lately been reading a condensed version of his biography and have not run across any such dilemma. Wink

Regarding the Toilet Paper Bud...

Many years ago, we had a Poll, and a long discussion regarding how Members arranged the Toilet Roll on its dispenser on the wall.
Was it positioned so as to unroll from the front of the roll, or from the rear of the roll, against the wall?

Is the Paper hanging from the front, or the rear of the roll.

There was much discussion over this serious subject, and I think the consensus was that most Members arranged for it to be dispensed from the front of the roll, on account of the fact that with a new roll, the paper could jam against the wall and tear in other than the perforations between the sheets.

It may be interesting to know if that opinion still stands...

...so.... Wink

...

...!

Paul....I prefer a Sausage Roll... Smiley

...!

Most anyone with a cat should load the paper from the rear of the roll. Wink

Flying with twins is a lot of fun..

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Reply #22 - Mar 10^th, 2012 at 1:24pm

Bud Greene Offline
Colonel
What's up, doc?
Up, up in the air...

Gender:
Posts: 480

Fozzer wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:48pm:

Bud Greene wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:32pm:

Fozzer wrote on Mar 5^th, 2012 at 7:39pm:

and unwind our Toilet Paper from the outside of the roll.

I wonder if Thomas Edison suffered from a similar dilemma?... Roll Eyes

...!

Hey Foz, I wasn't aware toilet paper could be unwound any other way. I would appreciate an illustration of how it might be unwound from the inside. Cheesy

As for Edison, I have lately been reading a condensed version of his biography and have not run across any such dilemma. Wink

Regarding the Toilet Paper Bud...

Many years ago, we had a Poll, and a long discussion regarding how Members arranged the Toilet Roll on its dispenser on the wall.
Was it positioned so as to unroll from the front of the roll, or from the rear of the roll, against the wall?

Is the Paper hanging from the front, or the rear of the roll.

There was much discussion over this serious subject, and I think the consensus was that most Members arranged for it to be dispensed from the front of the roll, on account of the fact that with a new roll, the paper could jam against the wall and tear in other than the perforations between the sheets.

It may be interesting to know if that opinion still stands...

...so.... Wink

...

...!

Paul....I prefer a Sausage Roll... Smiley

...!

I am enlightened!

Now that this tale of the dark side has been brought into the light (so to speak), I can say with confidence that I am a front-loader. Grin

As for perforations on the toilet paper...
A group of engineers were truing to figure out how to keep the wings of a new plane from detaching at speed. No matter what they tried they couldn't keep the wings from falling off. Well, a janitor who had been cleaning nearby suggested that they put perforations along the base of the wing where it attached to the fuselage. The engineers took his advice and after several successful tests they asked the janitor how he knew the perforations would work.
"Well", said the janitor, "you can never get paper towels or toilet paper to tear at the perforation. Same principle."

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Reply #23 - Mar 13^th, 2012 at 6:22pm

H Offline
Colonel
2003: the year NH couldn't
save face...
NH, USA

Gender:
Posts: 6837

Steve M wrote on Mar 9^th, 2012 at 1:56pm:

Most anyone with a cat should load the paper from the rear of the roll.

As should anyone with toddlers, as Mom learned; not sure if the catrs learned from us or we from them.

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Reply #24 - Mar 14^th, 2012 at 4:35pm

eno Offline
Colonel
Why you shouldn't light
your farts!!
Derbyshire UK

Posts: 7802

Wouldn't know about switches...... as for driving on the left or right up until a small French upstart called Napoleon most of the world rode on the left.

You may also note that most ex colonies of us Brits drive on the left, notable exceptions US and Canada ..... and you can blame the french for that Cheesy

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