[meteorite-list] Since Scale Cubes are a topic today

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 15:20:35 -0600
Message-ID: <0b4c01c8224d$34454440$c944e146_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, All

I hate to sound a sour note, but these "artifacts" are
for SCALE, not measurement. I think it's wonderful
that folks make them accurate to +/- 0.001 inch or
millimeter, out of materials with low coefficients of
expansion, and so forth, but that is purely an exercise
in personal perfectionism.

Measurement from a photo with a scalecube in it
is impossible except in the case of a very elaborate
photo setup designed to make such measurements
possible and even then, the precision is low. The
purpose of a scalecube is SCALE ONLY. Scale
is a measurement so crude that we don't even apply
the word "measurement" to it.

Originally, they were for use "in the field" only. You
could carry it in your pocket and drop it on the ground
for the "in situ" photo. Putting them into a lab photo is
an affectation and serves only the PR purpose of making
a photo of a rock look "scientific." (There were people
who said, "We paid billions to go to the Moon, and this
is what we get: a picture of a rock?" And you could point
to the scalecube and say, "Nah! See, it's Science.")

During the scalecube threadflood, Dean Bessey kept
saying, "Just put a quarter in the photo." Apparently,
he understands that the purpose of the object is Scale,
not Measurement! If you see a picture of a rock with
a featureless white background and there's a quarter
next to it, you know it's a little rock. If you see a picture
of a rock with a featureless white background and
there's me standing next to it, you know it's a big rock.

Making the scalecube artifact with such great care and
precision is admirable and very enjoyable, but let's apply
a little perspective to the purpose of the cube. And I DO
admire the makers' pride in precision. Precision is a fine
thing (say I, who have ancient Starrett verniers and micro-
meters in their old wooden boxes, so I understand), but
precision is NOT the purpose of the cube.


Sterling K. Webb
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Bandli" <fuzzfoot at comcast.net>
To: "'Delbert Waterbury'" <paseclipse at yahoo.com>;
<Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Since Scale Cubes are a topic today


http://www.niger-meteorite-recon.de/en/meteorite-scalecube.htm

Best,
Mike



-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Delbert
Waterbury
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2007 11:04 AM
To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: [meteorite-list] Since Scale Cubes are a topic today

I seem to remember a few months back someone posted a
link that told the story of the Scale Cube. I was
wondering what that link is so I can read it.

Del

__________________________________________________
Received on Thu 08 Nov 2007 04:20:35 PM PST