There are about 2 slipstick enthusiasts per million people
> in the US.
>
> Assuming independence (a very poor assumption) there is no reason
to
> believe that given random chance that there is any rational chance
of
> even one person being interested in letterboxing and slipsticks.
> (Actually the chance is on the order of 2 x 10^-12.) I believe
that
> 10^12 may be more people than have ever lived on earth.
>
> But statistics can be off by many orders of magnitude if the
> conditions are not independent. I have entered a poll to find out
if
> you had heard about slipsticks before I brought up the subject.
>
> Flyfisher

Sorry, TI55 ruled when I was in engineering school and I missed out
on that part of my education. :-)

Trish

Your statistical exercise is about to experience
the chaos theory - we have 3 letterboxers who not
only HAVE USED a slipstick, OWN slipsticks but you
even get one who STILL DOES USE the slipstick! I
always hated mine and was happy to put it up on
the shelf. Logs are best used for carving,
cutting, nailing, veneering and hiding boxes
under.

Another poll? How many people did a net
search trying to find out what the stick is?

Regards,
Susan
architect fool on the vermont hillside

It seems to me that there would be many crossovers
for those who enjoy letterboxing and either own or use
a slide rule. I still have my slide rule, I bring it
out and show it to my math students, who are amazed
that it actually works. They are spoiled with their
TI-83. It takes me longer to figure some problems out
on the calculator then doing it out long hand.

I think there are many engineering letterboxers, who
would be 40 or older, and have fond memories of slide
rules. I know I'm one.

Hmmmmmm maybe I'll create my first box, keeping the
slide rule-slipstick in mind!

ME


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Me too! We used to add all the fractional numbers on paper (13' 49-
32/16" = 13'51"= 17'-3") and keep calculation sheets on file. Then came the
foot-inch calculator and now the computer just does it. I still do a lot in
my head- nothing quite like verifying your comprehension of what the numbers
represent by exercising the brain cells!

Susan



ME Z wrote:

> ..... It takes me longer to figure some problems out
> on the calculator then doing it out long hand.....

> ME

Boy! I am sure glad that I have the scientific background. I was taught
Log and Trig tables in secondary school, bought a TI-81 in High School for
$120 (lots of dough back then to save up for), and in the end I am
extrememly happy I now use the Metric System. It is so much
easier moving decimal places and converting rather than remembering
PSI:mmHg:foot/lb conversions.

Perhaps I should throw out a box in which all the clues are conversions.
But I doubt it would get many visitors except for people sporting slip-sticks,
and comprehensive books of log tables/trig functions.

Jeremy


On Fri, 5 Apr 2002, Susan/Erik Davis wrote:

> Me too! We used to add all the fractional numbers on paper (13' 49-
> 32/16" = 13'51"= 17'-3") and keep calculation sheets on file. Then came the
> foot-inch calculator and now the computer just does it. I still do a lot in
> my head- nothing quite like verifying your comprehension of what the numbers
> represent by exercising the brain cells!
>
> Susan

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