Column 8
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday February 15, 2010
"Does anyone know what the red horizontal lights at the top of the Westpac tower in the middle of Sydney signify?" asks Richard Evans, of Belrose. "There are eight lines, facing south, that illuminate in an apparently random fashion, but maybe it's more sinister than that." Sorry, Richard, they are not very sinister. The Herald has reported that "Sydney's skyline boasts a giant barometer", and that's what it is. Each bar represents a change in air pressure of five hectopascals, apparently, starting at 990 hectopascals.Here's another puzzling barometer question. The Column 8 mansion has an antique English barometer with "Rain, Change, Fair" on the dial, corresponding to low, medium and high air pressure. Those readings might have helped predict the weather in London, but do they still foretell Rain, Change and Fair in Sydney?Changing technology has Elise Ferrari, of Penrith, worried. She writes: "My dad and I had a thought the other day - with the introduction of phones with QWERTY keyboards, what are businesses that spell out their number going to do? The numbers on these keyboards lack the lettering that home phones, ordinary mobiles or iPhones have. How do you expect to dial something like 131 EAT?""The suggestion that recent ship launchings could cause sea levels to rise (Column 8, Friday) is interesting," writes David Gilbertson, of North Sydney. "But we've done very well to reduce our water usage over the past few years. With less water going down the drains, surely this should balance out the rise caused by ships (and whales)."John Hingston, of East Maitland, writes: "Dear Column 8, love your work and your delightfully under-occupied contributors." We'll take that as a compliment. He continues: "On supertankers, floating hotels and the fecundity of whales, don't forget the 2000 to 10,000 shipping containers lost at sea each year."Nick Lampe, of Turramurra, says: "I bet I'm not the only Old Salt to point out that the sea water displaced by the Oasis of the Seas is not 220,000 tonnes. That relates to the gross tonnage, a measure of volume. The load displacement weight is about 100,000 tonnes, compared, say, to the 82,000 tonnes displaced by the RMS Queen Mary of 1936. So the beachside residents of Dee Why are safe for a little while yet." Well, Nick, we'll have to weight and sea about that.Phillip Bradbury, of Gosford, weighs in with maths. "Calculations suggest that the Oasis of the Seas alone would displace enough water to raise sea levels by over a quarter of a nanometre (i.e., a four-billionth of a metre). Clearly a result requiring immediate attention."One tiny missing hyphen and they never let you forget it. Carolynn Everett, of Mona Vale, writes apropos illiteracy and health (Column 8, last week) "As I am quite literate, I would be intrigued rather than alarmed by a sign reading 'Beware!man eating crocodiles'." She adds: "I'd like to see him try it!"Column8@smh.com.au(no attachments please).Phone 9282 2207 fax 9282 2772. (include name, suburb, daytime phone)
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
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