[r-t] Poll on consecutive blows in the same position

[Don Morrison]

On Sun, Dec 28, 2014 at 5:29 AM, Mark Davies <mark at snowtiger.net> wrote:
> I think we need to remain focussed on "lead-based methods", or, as most of
> us call them, "methods"

I think you have just epitomized what causes me to keep being such a
pain and bringing up bizarre alternatives. If you continue to use
"method" to mean just "lead-based method" you are denigrating the
efforts of those who ring something else. If you want to debate
properties of "lead-based methods", that's fine, but you need to be
clear that you are only talking about a subset of what people ring and
call "methods". As soon as you slip into using "method" to mean just
the subset that you find easy and entertaining to reason about, you
are slamming the door on those interested, now or in the future, in
other things. It is similar to what the Central Council does today
with peals they choose to include in the analysis versus those they
don't, which, despite protestations to the contrary from within parts
of the Council, most ringers think of as consignment to inferior
status.

"Method" needs to describe the whole, broad class. When we want to
talk about just the lead-based subset of that class, we need to state
that explicitly.



-- 
Don Morrison <dfm at ringing.org>
"The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings
are untidy."      -- John Goldsworthy, _Over the River_