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: Patrick Goold
Date: 2010 Dec 30, 19:17 -0500
From: Patrick Goold
Date: 2010 Dec 30, 19:17 -0500
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
--
Dr. Patrick Goold
Department of Philosophy
Virginia Wesleyan College
Norfolk, VA 23502
757 455 3357
Charles Olson: "Love the World -- and stay inside it."
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."