Subject: Re: english name of the pound symbol on the telephone

From: "Mike Brudenell" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 10:11:52 +0000

--On Fri, Dec 12, 1997 12:04 pm -0600 "Adam H. Kerman"
<[email-masked]> wrote: 

>>From: Mike Brudenell <[email-masked]>
>>Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 15:26:13 +0000
> 
>>--On Fri, Dec 12, 1997 8:48 am -0500 "Michael Holzberg"
>><[email-masked]> wrote: 
> 
>>>Can you tell me what the official name is of the pound symbol on the
>>>telephone?  I think its prefix is octa....
> 
> So your DTMF dial pad lacks one of
> 
>>        |  |
>>      --+--+--
>>        |  |
>>      --+--+--
>>        |  |

The standard UK dial pad includes both the above ("hash") and asterisk
("star" in British Telecom-speak).

--On Fri, Dec 12, 1997 11:59 am -0800 "David L Miller"
<[email-masked]> wrote: 

> Sorry to continue this off-topic discussion, but I just though I would
> add a little more confusion to the mix.  In the US, the "hash" symbol
> is also used to refer to "pound" as the measure of weight.  Thus we
> really do use the right word, but with a different definition!

Gentle groan of understanding!  (So what do they use in the US to indicate
"a number"?)

Here in the UK "#" (hash) is usually used to indicate a number, whereas "lb"
indicates the unit of weight known as a pound, and the "curly-L" I tried to
draw before is the "pound" unit of currency.  Perhaps this is yet another
explanation for the continued confusion (I and, I suspect, a lot of Brits
have never heard of Americans using "#" to indicate a unit of weight! 
Incidentally the confusion deepends as my American colleague has never heard
of the convention of using "#" (hash) to represent a weight!)

[For those of an entymological nature I am informed that "lb" comes from the
Latin "libre": something to do with weight apparently.]

Cheers,

-- 
Mike Brudenell                                         <[email-masked]>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Tel: +44-1904-433811  FAX: +44-1904-433740  http://www.york.ac.uk/~pmb1/

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---

From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Dec 1997 12:26:00 +0100

>> "MB" == Mike Brudenell <[email-masked]> writes:

MB> [For those of an entymological nature I am informed that "lb" comes
MB> from the Latin "libre": something to do with weight apparently.]

Oh dear... that's "libra" (i.e. "scales" or Roman "pound") you
barbarian. "Barbarian" (for those of an etymological nature) comes
from Greek ... <rant>

Could the list maintainer please change the subject for this forum?

TIA,
Robin

-- 
Robin S. Socha M.A.
Political Science Dept., Bonn University 
main(){printf(&unix["\021%six\012\0"],(unix)["have"]+"fun"-0x60);}

---

From: Noone Special <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 08:27:52 -0500 (EST)

> Gentle groan of understanding!  (So what do they use in the US to indicate
Same symbol you do :)

> draw before is the "pound" unit of currency.  Perhaps this is yet another
That is the same convention used in the US, only most computer systems
don't make it easy to get the English pound symbol (as discussed earlier)

> of the convention of using "#" (hash) to represent a weight!)
I have heard of this from time to time.  The only explanation I can deduce
is that when the convention of converting the hash (#) to the English
pound symbol came about, it simply confused a lot of Americans (which is
easy to do.. quite a bit of our language has been bastardized by people
who have simply misheard a word being spoken ;)  who then began using the
symbol for American pounds as well, which then caught on.  So we can be
blamed for statements like:
1,500# #1 race horse, 50,000#

Americans are never confused enough.. just look at our television
programming :)

(BTW, I just responded so Robin would have more to rant at ;)

Pat

---

From: "Adam H. Kerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 10:18:47 -0600 (CST)

>Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 10:11:52 +0000

>On Fri, Dec 12, 1997 David L Miller <[email-masked]> wrote:

>>Sorry to continue this off-topic discussion, but I just though I would add a
>>little more confusion to the mix. In the US, the "hash" symbol is also used
>>to refer to "pound" as the measure of weight. Thus we really do use the right
>>word, but with a different definition!

>Gentle groan of understanding! (So what do they use in the US to indicate "a
>number"?)

Same symbol. Two pounds (weight) is 2# or 2 lbs. Number two is #2, which should
be the same as your practice.

>of the convention of using "#" (hash) to represent a weight!)

It isn't nearly as common as "lb."

---

From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Dec 1997 17:29:03 +0100

>> "NS" == Noone Special <[email-masked]> writes:

NS> (BTW, I just responded so Robin would have more to rant at ;)

<rant>
What's a pound, anyway? Why can't you sickos not use metrics like
civilised peoples do?
</rant>

What's this got to do with pine? Who's Pat? Why's everyone faking
their from-line all of a sudden? Is anyone writing on this list using
pine? What is the meaning of life?

Robin - confused without American television

-- 
Robin S. Socha M.A.
Deadeye watches, still the killing carries on,
to the rhythm of the gunfire and the voices of concern.

---

From: "Adam H. Kerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 10:47:47 -0600 (CST)

>From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
>Date: 15 Dec 1997 17:29:03 +0100

>What's a pound, anyway? Why can't you sickos not use metrics like civilised
>peoples do?

Metric? Feh. What does a fraction of the distance of the meridian through Paris
have to do with my life? I have an easier time estimating length based on the
body parts of a strangely-shaped English king.

We use weight measurements. In vague attempts to convert US to the metric
system, we have built spring and electronic scales to measure kilograms, more
commonly a unit of mass. This requires a balance scale, of course. While it is
true that there were, at one time, 3 different weight measurement systems, only
one is commonly used today. Gold is still measured in troy ounces, though.

Before anyone gloats that "metric is standardized" I would point out that there
are 2 systems, the meter-kilogram-second system, and the International System.
Certain electrical measures, like current and charge, are defined differently!

So there. I'm not converting till the French get it right.

---

From: "Robin S. Socha" <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Dec 1997 17:58:40 +0100

>> "AHK" == Adam H Kerman <[email-masked]> writes:

AHK> So there. I'm not converting till the French get it right.

*pffffffff*
What are you referring to? Food? War? Science?
*giggle* 

Robin "frog-friend" Socha

-- 
Robin S. Socha M.A.
"Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk ?"

---

From: "Adam H. Kerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 11:47:02 -0600 (CST)

>Date: 15 Dec 1997 17:58:40 +0100

>Adam H. Kerman <[email-masked]> writes:

>What are you referring to? Food? War? Science?

Diplomacy.

---

From: Noone Special <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 18:48:54 -0500 (EST)

> pine? What is the meaning of life?
To answer your questions in order:
Nothing.
I am.
I haven't seen any faked from-lines lately
I am.
Fish.

Pat