From the mouths
Broadcast journalists sometimes show unexpected wisdom when they're just filling time. They tend to be stupid when discussing Heavy Topics.

This morning a local drive-time show was picking up the taped forecast from weather guy Mark Peterson. Weather guy is cheerful this week because he's the messenger of beautiful weather. "Today we'll reach 68. Tomorrow just a scosh cooler at 64."

One of the drive-timers then said:

"A scosh is different, of course, if you're talking about Fahrenheit or Centigrade."

Unexpected wisdom. Comparing official and natural measurements is wise, and it's something you don't hear from Official Commentators.

In more detail: A scosh, or a smidgen, or an oodle, or a shitload, is constant regardless of official system; so the Fahrenheit equivalent of a scosh is different from the Centigrade equivalent of a scosh.


Sidenote 1: I'll bet today will be Aphid Day. Earlier I wasn't sure we'd get an Aphid Day this fall, because I didn't think we would get close to 70. Will update later, but wanted to place the bet now. [Later: Nope. A few of the aphids showed around sunset, but not a proper swarm yet.]

Sidenote 2: Peterson often shows a solid understanding of Reality vs Official Systems, and expresses it in a wonderfully terse way. Recently he said "Rain yesterday: a tenth of an inch at the airport. More at your place." Exactly. Spokane's Official Weather is measured at the airport where NOBODY lives. The airport's readings are always significantly different from the inhabited parts of Spokane. No matter where 'your place' is, it's going to have a higher temperature and less wind and more rain than the airport. Peterson said it all in four words.


Sidenote 3: In this Fibber episode Fibber formalizes and tabulates the system of natural units. He's talking with the little girl next door Teeny:

Teeny: Mister, what's a scad? Willie Toops says his uncle has scads of money and I can't argue with him because I don't know how much a scad is.

Fibber: You know what an oodle is, sis?

Teeny: No, but everybody says my dog has oodles of fleas.

Fibber: Exactly. There are several scads in an oodle; plenty of oodles to a gob; lots of gobs to a heap; batches of heaps to a load; and multifarious loads to a galore. Understand?

Teeny: Well, no.

Fibber: Well, let's put it this way. Suppose you had several oodles of peanuts. Somebody gives you a heap more. How many scads would you have?

Teeny: Loads, I betcha.

Fibber: Loads of scads, or lots of gobs, or a batch of heaps.
  ¶ 6:09 AM