Today's number - 24
Today's number has been inspired by the lovely Joanne Fry, who is also doing something a little like this, only she is off to Australia in November to spend a year in 4 states being a midwife. Hmm Australia or Chelmsford? You'd all go, admit it. You'll have a fabulous time Jo.
So the relevance of the number 24? Well, some of you may have a favourite sportsman who plays in that number, or have a t shirt with that number (the nearest I've got is 28) or even have a favourite television programme with that number. Now i am not in to 24, not at all. I did watch the first 3 episodes of series, sorry, season 1. But then i missed a few and within 8 episodes, or hours if you are watching back to back (please advise if i need to explain the concept of this show to anyone..), Jack Bauer was being defibrillated or something on his deathbed. About a month (or 4 hours) later, he was once again saving the world, jumping over cars and basically single handedly keeping us alive. Good old Kiefer Sutherland. It lost a bit too much reality for me in the episodes i saw, surely the entire cast couldnt change so quickly in a day... but then again this isnt Eastenders, and every hour, Jack has to kill anyone who stops him from finding that nuclear missile... so maybe. I am open to it anyway, so maybe over Christmas i'll sit and watch a whole series in one or 2 sittings on DVD... anyone up for that?
But. Back to the number. 24. And the clues are here, because the link is in the TV programme just mentioned. The reason for today's number is the number of hours in a day. 24 of them. And yes, sometimes it would be great if there were more.
Jo was chatting to me on MSN and asking what time it was here, and in Australia, and how it was all so confusing having different time zones. (Sorry Jo!)
And here is the reason for this post today. You can blame time zones on a Canadian. In fact, better than that, on a Canadian from Peterborough! (For anyone other than my dad reading this, Peterborough is a town about 70 to 100 miles east of here, rather like the distance from Pboro to Brum at home!). So whilst Peterborough in the UK may not have had any long lasting effect on anyone (except possibly people waiting for their change of train or passport), Peterborough, Ontario was home to the man responsible for standard time.
Sir Sandford Fleming founded the Royal Canadian Institute here in Toronto in 1849, designed an inline skate in 1850, designed Canada's first stamp in 1851 (called the 3 penny 'beaver' - and apparently the beaver is the national emblem of Canada... how i may regret typing that...), designed 3 railways...
In 1879 he spoke to the Royal Canadian Institute, where he talked of the need for standard time, to assist east/west travel in North America. The idea was well received, and was universally adopted in Washington in 1884, with its meridian at Greenwich, London.
So there you go. Time as we know it. Developed in Toronto by a lad from Peterborough. And today's story comes full circle. See. More than just a blog this. This is education. Well, for me, anyway!
At 5pm Jo decided she had to rush off and watch Big Brother, which is presumably showing at 10 at home. Which reminded me of some of the differences between reality TV and home and here, but thats for another day....
So the relevance of the number 24? Well, some of you may have a favourite sportsman who plays in that number, or have a t shirt with that number (the nearest I've got is 28) or even have a favourite television programme with that number. Now i am not in to 24, not at all. I did watch the first 3 episodes of series, sorry, season 1. But then i missed a few and within 8 episodes, or hours if you are watching back to back (please advise if i need to explain the concept of this show to anyone..), Jack Bauer was being defibrillated or something on his deathbed. About a month (or 4 hours) later, he was once again saving the world, jumping over cars and basically single handedly keeping us alive. Good old Kiefer Sutherland. It lost a bit too much reality for me in the episodes i saw, surely the entire cast couldnt change so quickly in a day... but then again this isnt Eastenders, and every hour, Jack has to kill anyone who stops him from finding that nuclear missile... so maybe. I am open to it anyway, so maybe over Christmas i'll sit and watch a whole series in one or 2 sittings on DVD... anyone up for that?
But. Back to the number. 24. And the clues are here, because the link is in the TV programme just mentioned. The reason for today's number is the number of hours in a day. 24 of them. And yes, sometimes it would be great if there were more.
Jo was chatting to me on MSN and asking what time it was here, and in Australia, and how it was all so confusing having different time zones. (Sorry Jo!)
And here is the reason for this post today. You can blame time zones on a Canadian. In fact, better than that, on a Canadian from Peterborough! (For anyone other than my dad reading this, Peterborough is a town about 70 to 100 miles east of here, rather like the distance from Pboro to Brum at home!). So whilst Peterborough in the UK may not have had any long lasting effect on anyone (except possibly people waiting for their change of train or passport), Peterborough, Ontario was home to the man responsible for standard time.
Sir Sandford Fleming founded the Royal Canadian Institute here in Toronto in 1849, designed an inline skate in 1850, designed Canada's first stamp in 1851 (called the 3 penny 'beaver' - and apparently the beaver is the national emblem of Canada... how i may regret typing that...), designed 3 railways...
In 1879 he spoke to the Royal Canadian Institute, where he talked of the need for standard time, to assist east/west travel in North America. The idea was well received, and was universally adopted in Washington in 1884, with its meridian at Greenwich, London.
So there you go. Time as we know it. Developed in Toronto by a lad from Peterborough. And today's story comes full circle. See. More than just a blog this. This is education. Well, for me, anyway!
At 5pm Jo decided she had to rush off and watch Big Brother, which is presumably showing at 10 at home. Which reminded me of some of the differences between reality TV and home and here, but thats for another day....
posted by CBC at 7:09 pm
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