NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Review of "Overboard" (history of Slocum)
From: John Huth
Date: 2010 Dec 30, 19:54 -0500
From: John Huth
Date: 2010 Dec 30, 19:54 -0500
Patrick -
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Keeping up with the grind
Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Right now, I'm wondering if there are two possible paths. One is the direction you're inclined to - the reference to "blind". The other is what I would call "dead aim" - an archer or person shooting a musket gets a clean kill from a single shot. That seems more likely to me - it has an element of bravado to it clearly, but might appeal to navigators in the British Navy in the 17th century, when this appears to arise.
I should mention Marissa Tomey's character in the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" - she gets into an argument over whether a leaky faucet had been properly secured by a torque wrench in an exchange that seems strangely reminiscent of some of the NavList discussions. She ends up saying that the torque wrench is "dead on balls accurate", which is an "industry term".
"Dead on", "dead aim", "dead straight" all seem to arise from shooting or archery.
Best,
John H.
On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 7:17 PM, Patrick Goold <goold@vwc.edu> wrote:
Thanks, John H., for the link about DR. I found it interesting.
The derivation from 'deduced' seems impossible to me and not just because of the anachronism. I don't see how "deduced" would distinguish this sort of reckoning from celestial navigation or pilotage. All these forms deduce a GP from a combination of signals or observations. What is distinctive about the reckoning in DR? Isn't it that it is dead to the world beyond the boat? Compass, knot log and timepiece are all on board and they measure things directly present to the boat. Given these instruments the process is self-enclosed, self-referential, dead to (the rest of) the world. Maybe 'blind' would be clearer.
Just a thought.
Best regards,
Patrick--On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Apache Runner <apacherunner@gmail.com> wrote:
Nevermind, I found a link that explains this.http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2053/is-dead-reckoning-short-for-deduced-reckoning--
On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 5:27 PM, Apache Runner <apacherunner@gmail.com> wrote:Frank -In the realm of navigational trivia, Wolff repeats the modern "folk etymology" which originated in the 1920s that suggests "dead reckoning" is derived from the phrase "deduced reckoning".
Where did it come from? I was under the impression that it was from the abbreviation d'ed reckoning. But I'm willing to learn.Thanks!
John H.
Keeping up with the grind
Dr. Patrick Goold
Department of Philosophy
Virginia Wesleyan College
Norfolk, VA 23502
757 455 3357
Charles Olson: "Love the World -- and stay inside it."
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Keeping up with the grind