On Wed, 3 Feb 2016 07:04:12 -0800 (PST), whisky-dave
wrote:

snip
Interesting. I was watching a program on TV the other day that
suggested that some people can't 'visualise' something when given a
description by someone else.

There was an article about a women who couldn;t recognise her two kids faces (no the kids weren't two faced)


http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...e-own-children

Oooerr! Now I'd have to admit, as it mentions in the article that
like others I sometimes have difficulty recognising people of a
different race (the old stereotype of 'they all look the same to me
....') but only when they do share a close 'look'.


But don't water and gas tapes turn in the opposite direction.

I'm not sure mate? Most gas taps I've come across are actually
stopcocks so.

I was thinking of those on ovens and gas rings and how attaching nuts to those meant they had to go on the other way around.

Ah, yes, sorry, but then I think that's done for a reason (like wheel
hub nuts) and so most people would be forgiven for not getting them
right first go (although they often have small cuts in the corners to
give us a clue). ;-)

'on' could be a quarter turn clockwise which would indeed
be opposite a std water tap. goes and checks something. Yes, the
cold ceramic tap on our kitchen mixer is anticlockwise for on whereas
the hot is clockwise. ;-)

Did you also check with a digital watch :-)

;-)


And thens theres' what postion you're turning it from.

That rarely bothers me ... same with running RC models where the left
/ right are reversed when the model is coming towards you. I must
always consider such things from the perspective of being at the
optimum position to it (so in a RC buggy that would be behind / inside
it). ;-)

yes you can get the hane of it, I was trying to solder using a microscope
as you move the tip up under the scope it moves down so everything is reversed except up and down as in hieght.

Was that a straight optical scope Dave? I've done quite a bit of fine
soldering under a camera microscope and of course you can turn the
camera round to make it linear. ;-)


If it's under a desk and you're leaning over and upside down it gets tricky.

I've never considered it so (I never have to think about it for a
second etc) so it must just be one of those things that you can either
do instinctively or not.

I think that's it, soem can draw what they see others like me it' sjust a mess of lines maybe we can be trained I'm not sure.

Whilst I'm sure there is a mix of nature and nurture I think most can
generally improve their skills with training and practice (or training
OR practice as people can learn in different ways).


Like I never had any issues differentiating
my left and right or port and starboard etc. 'Right' is just that way
(to the right) and I can't see (but accept it is the case of course)
why everyone else can't just to so equally?

Left and right is a strange concept, try imagingign explaing it to an alien on another planet how would you describe what left and right were same as up and down.

Hmm, that's the thing, I can't imagine *not* being able to explain it
to an alien (even). Right is just the label to that side / direction,
just as is forward or up. How come even those who can't remember their
left from right, don't generally have issues with the other
dimensions?

Even Rod in Aus knows what up is

Are you sure about that? weg

but if we were both to point to up we'd bother be pointing pretty much in the opposite directions.

Not if observed by someone in front of us but yes if you are talking
about it absolutely. However, if you asked them both to point towards
something that was generic to the world, say 'the North', they would
(should) both point in the same direction. Good point though. ;-)



I wonder if that is also linked to a 'sense of direction'? We know
birds and some other creatures can use the earths magnetic fields to
give them a 'bearing' so I wonder if some people can also tap into
that, even if only subconsciously?

yes there's a tribe in Austrailian that doesn;t use the mthods other humans do for directions. Star trek use a similar system of co-ordinates.

Oh?

Those AUSies also say that their future is behind them and teh past in front.

But they are a strange lot. ;-)

if you think about it it makes sense.
You can not see yuor future so it must be behind, and as for teh past well we know(can see) our past as it's in front. Seems logical if you think about it.

Well, yes, I guess, but that's only because you / they are using the
term 'see' literally? However, it's nothing to do with sight but time
so they both work (correctly) even with your eyes shut. ;-)



If we are visiting a new to us town, walk round and round and end up
in a cafe, when we leave to go back to the car I'll tend to start off
in the right direction whereas the Mrs will go in what appears to be a
completely arbitrary direction (possibly linked to the direction we
came in from, if we are lucky). ;-)

I can be liek that and my mum when going into a shop and coming out never could work out which direction along the street she was going,

It can be funny sometimes. ;-)

she also could visual cutting a round cake into 3, she just couldn't get the Y shape anywhere near correct propotionally,

Well to be fair, I think most people but have to think about that for
a second and maybe use a little trial and error prior cutting.

wasn't bad with cutting it in 4 though.

Ah, the advantages of symmetry. ;-)


But didn't they print an upside down map of England that was supposed
to be for 'women'?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Upside-Down-.../dp/0952930404

intresting not sure hwo useful it is or why.

Well, if some people are traveling North to South they would turn the
map over but then all the place names are upside down. That map fixes
that. Same with people who have 'Track Up' on their GPSD's. It's as if
they are just driving forward all the time with no consideration for
the compass.


On my GPS's I always set them to 'North up' because that way I am
seeing it as I would if looking at a map and so can retain *my*
bearings.

that's the defualt I guess not sure hwo those in the southern hem. do it.

I'm guessing still 'North up' as that's the way the maps are still
printed their way.


If I come across some new road or traffic layout that isn't
covered on the GPS I can still navigate manually because I was aware
what direction I was heading in the first place. ;-)

Apparently women are better at remebring such things from their POV rather than from a map POV. soemthing to do with them having a slightly wider field of view than men.

Ok.


The thing that still gets me is when joining the likes of the M25 are
the choices on the signs have no bearing on my destination. Now I know
it can't be like a tube map where it tells you on each direction
choice, all the stops in order but an abbreviated version might be
better than two places I'm not interested in or even directly on the
M25!

I think daughters later Garmin GPS has better lane guidance and it
announces the name of the road you are turning into (that can be quite
reassuring) so I might try hers on the next trip and may even treat
myself to one (or it's current replacement). That way I get some
better features and the latest maps. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Not drivign means I don;t have any of these devices not even an iPhone
so dont; really comment on how useful they are to me.

Ok, if you don't need to make journey direction decisions then they
may not be of much use to you at all.

I can still use a A-Z map

Ok, then if you use that then a GPS might be of use. So, say you used
public transport and pop out of the underground somewhere in London
and need to find a building down a myriad of backstreets easily and
quickly. With an A to Z you either have to look in the index, find
where you are and where you want to go, joint the two together (hoping
they are on the same page) and 'steer' yourself with the AtoZ as you
go.

With a GPS you would only need to enter your destination (Postcode and
number or address or find it in the Points Of Interest listings (if it
was a Hospital etc). and say 'Route'. You don't have to know where you
are and if you make a wrong turn along the way it sorts itself out
again. ;-)

although some things are obviously out of date.
especailly the list of strip pubs in the local area listed at the back. :-)

Hehe, I'm not sure any GPS has that sort of specialised listing by
default. However, many companies now supply POI for their shops or
golf courses though.

Cheers, T i m