The Daily Source Code #131

Daily Source Code for Friday February 25th 2005

Friday, February 25, 2005#13131 min📍 San Francisco, USE

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Podcast on February 25th 2005
From San Francisco, California
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No Stinkin' Transmitters - OpenPodcast.org #554
5th generation of RnR
Adam's Podcasting Sweeper
Rockmaninov Opener
Veruca Salt vs Yazoo
Don't seether
Aluminium
email from scott
ALUMINIUM VERSUS ALUMINUM

I thought this was funny, because I had this argument with a friend of
mine before. You said :

"'aluminium', which is the correct pronunciation - that's not actually an alloy"

First of all, an 'alloy' is a compound of two or more metals. Aluminum
(or Aluminium) is a pure element, not an alloy.

The metal was named by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, who
derived the name from the mineral called alumina. Sir Humphry first
spelled it alumium in 1807, then changed it to aluminum, and finally
settled on aluminium in 1812. English chemists liked the latter,
because it sounds like many other elements whose names end in -ium,
like magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

The American Chemical Society adopted the -um spelling in 1925, and
the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
officially standardised on 'aluminium' in 1990. In 1993, however,
IUPAC recognized 'aluminum' as an acceptable variant. Most American
chemistry papers still use 'Aluminum', not 'Aluminium'. These are big
smart people with PhD's.

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=aluminum&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Search
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum#Spelling

In the end, the Merriam-Webster dictionary spells and pronounces it
'Aluminum', and states 'Aluminium' as an British derivative. The
Oxford English Dictionary has both as acceptable spellings.

http://www.m-w.com/mw/table/element.htm
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=aluminum

Just thought I'd help out, in case some limey Brit is trying to make
you think that your perfectly acceptable American pronunciation is
inferior. The next time someone says "it's really 'aluminium'", feel
free to respond with "you commie".

Scott Chacon
http://jointheconversation.org
Airport security
email from Skeeter
Skeeter Murphy
to adam
More options 2/24/05 (8 hours ago)
Adam,

Regarding stupid security checks at the airport (DSC-2005-02-21), check
out Bruce Schneier's book, "Beyond Fear". He's a security guy and
agrees that most of what gets implemented in the name of security is
bogus.

http://www.schneier.com/book-beyondfear.html

> Over the last two years we've become obsessed with security, and put
> in place a whole host of policies and procedures that will do...
> exactly what? In his latest book, BEYOND FEAR, security expert Bruce
> Schneier explains how security really works. The key is to think of
> security not in absolutes, but in terms of sensible trade-offs,
> whether on a personal or global scale. Schneier's practical approach
> to problem-solving is a refreshing antidote to today's doomsday
> pessimism and anxiety. With the technical know-how and common sense
> that have made him one of the world's top security experts, Schneier
> shows how we can move beyond fear to start thinking sensibly and
> creatively about security.

Hope that's interesting for you. Have a good day...

Skeeter
Seattle visit
NDAs
Jan Polet
Jan Polet's Hit Test
Hit Test 15
Nicholas Otto

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