In disagreeing with someone’s conclusions it can sometimes appear that one is disparaging his work. In the case of my disagreeing with Neville Wood nothing could be farther from the truth.
Our system of measurement was built upon the work of a number of people who put forth opinions. Others agreed or disagreed. After some time elapsed, we had settled on a reasonably workable and understandable way to run a certification system. This should not mean that it is set in stone. Without new input the process gets fossilized.
It has been a while since anyone came up with a new idea. Neville has contributed two – he has done valuable work on investigating the use of electronic counters as replacements for the Jones/Oerth counter, and now he is looking at the effect of temperature on calibration.
This kind of curiosity, and the willingness to convey one’s thoughts to others, is precious. Without new ideas our course measurement system will become about as interesting as doing one’s income tax.
I thank Neville from the bottom of my heart and I’d love to see several more people start speaking their mind about alternative ways to do things.
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