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

From: Delbert Waterbury <paseclipse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 13:56:21 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <516447.13491.qm_at_web51307.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

Hi Sterling, yeah I agree with you to a point. However
I'll throw this in there for you:

I am a Mechanical Design Engineer and occasionally I
pick up projects of something someone built and all
they have is a picture with no documentated dimensions
or anything to help you figure the size out. So I have
to get an X dimension and a Y dimension from that
person, calculate the scale of the photograph, then
start designing away. This is not the most accurate
way to design things, but you can get the design in
the ballpark range.

So in a situation like I describe above, do you think
a scale cube could help out? Absolutely! I've
experienced this first hand. Using a scale cube is a
lot better and more accurate that someone telling me
"oh yeah, that part is about XX long". So if you ask
me about taking "measurements" from a photo's I'll
tell "heck yeah you can do it".

As for putting a quarter in a picture for scale. Yea I
think this is good too because most people know the
exact size of a quarter and they can visualise it a
lot easier. However the major problem with a quarter
is the fact that it lacks the third dimension.

Since I hunt meteorites, a scale cube is perfect for
my in-situ pics. And no, I'm not planning on using it
for "exact" measurements because I have no intention
of selling any of my finds.

Just my two cents.

Del


--- "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
wrote:

> 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
>
> __________________________________________________
>
>


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Received on Thu 08 Nov 2007 04:56:21 PM PST