the situation is worse than you thought

Thanks, but I already understand what usenet is. That does not change the fact that people SHOULD be civil and polite. Sure, they don't HAVE to, but they SHOULD. Which brings us to Androcles. I never said anything to warrant being cussed at. So now, I just don't want him to read my posts any more. That's all. He doesn't realize how many people LOVE to read my posts. So it is his loss. He's out! He will NOT read or reply to my posts anymore, or I will report him. He made his bed, now he can lie in it.

Thanks,

-Paul P.

I actually came across someone who couldn't tell how many hours are between 9:00 and 17:00... insisted on 9 hours.

You're always better off just letting 'em fill it up. Pour the rest off yourself.

There's definitely a brain trust at most fast food places. I recently had the misfortune of going through the McDonald's drive through. I ordered a Big 'n Tasty, add cheese and bacon, no sauce of any kind (I hate catsup & mayo on burgers). What did I get?

1. Bacon Cheeseburger, with mayo and catsup.
2. Big and Tasty, no cheese or bacon, with mayo and catsup.

RichD wrote: to dispense.

I will weep for the Republic -- Bob Kolker

of hot water...

Who's the more numerically illiterate? The one who only feigns to stumble over numbers by directive of a Pop Culture that, nonetheless betrays its true nature by being awash in numeracy at every turn, or the one who doesn't even have the presence of mind to seek out the 7 digits that count -- her number.

Everybody knows what 3/4 means. It's as much a part of pop culture as everything else (e.g. the 3rd turn on the 400 meter run). But it's also equally part of Pop Culture to go out of your way to manifest the exact antithesis of nerdy bookishness. It's proof by case-in-point that the last thing you ever want to do to find out what a human says, believes or means is to directly put it to them. You can't trust a human to give you a straight answer or account on anything they hold to any further than you can throw one. Instead, to elicit the true mathematical ability requirest getting udner the consciously-guarding- against-nerdiness-appearance hood and catching them in the act. I.e., setting up a "Busted!" on them.

And yet, here we are. Not a single one of the 7 digits (or 10 in crowded US metro areas; assuming this is in the US).

replied "A half-dozen."

You can't fault someone for a relative lack of familiarity with a largely outmoded term whose very use dates the person uttering it.

It'd be like asking a used car dealer for how many pence or shilling can one procure a crank-free horseless carriage.

Not surprised. Most retail sales clerks today can't make change without the help of a computer. Try it. Next time you make a cash purchase for something like $4.15 cents, give them $5.15, and watch them try to figure out how to make change for the difference. Most will call the manager over, who might not have a clue either...

Tom Davidson Richmond, VA

Ok, your boon is granted. *plonk*

Seven ounces has nothing to do with it. About three-quarters was the request. In other words, about one-fourth of the way down from the top.

You don't need to eyeball a certain number of ounces. You need to look at the side, go half-way down, and then half-way from there back up.

How wide the cup is doesn't matter!

He mentioned it once, and it's redundant to filling it 3/4 full.

It doesn't matter, since he didn't ask her to put a particular amount in. He asked her to fill it 3/4 full.

If he asked her to fill it halfway full, would it matter how big it was? No, you look at the side and eyeball a halfway point, kind of like folding a piece of paper in half.

Similarly, to fill a cup 3/4 full, you look at the side of the cup, split the difference between top and bottom, and then split the difference between that point and the top.

Not if you filled it 3/4 full, as requested.

He didn't say anything abuout seven ounces; you pulled that out of some orifice.

The point is, she couldn't even figure out how to _guesstimate_ 3/4 full. Geez, the kids on "Cyberchase" do this level of math routinely, and they're, like, seven!

The problem, of course, has been the collusion of government and the unions, who have been dumbing-down the schools for at least two generations now; whether it's intentional or unintentonial remains to be determined.

Thanks, Rich

The snipper has to have enough common sense to _leave in_ the relevant comments to which he or she or it is replying. Otherwise, it's just trolling.

Thanks, Rich

Not to worry. In few month, you will be able to see people with advanced degrees working as the waiters.

VLV

I didn't say that he said to put a certain amount in it. But if it was a 12 ounce cup and she was supposed to fill it 3/4th full, it would be under-filling it if unbeknownst to them it was actually 14 ounces. It would be short by an amount of 3/4 times the difference of 2 ounces when adjusting. If 3/4 of 12 is 7 then I don't know what 3/4 of 14 is but it would have to be different because two different numbers cannot be the same unless they are the same number.

-Paul P.

No, Androcles, you cannot killfile me because I have already banned YOU! I don't believe in killfiling people but if I ban you then you will not be able to read or reply to my posts. Don't try to change my mind, either. You have no one to blame but yourself.

-Paul P.

And what was the relevant comments to which he or she or it is replying?

In the case that the cup was really 12 ounces it would have something to do with it. If the cup was larger than 12 ounces then obviously seven ounces would not be 3/4 of the cup. It would be less because the cup is bigger.

-Paul P.

Who's to say the waitress in question doesn't hold one now. And isn't reading the petty self-indulgent sentimentality here with a grin?

Like a lot of us are....