Cyclists rig Time poll shock horror!

Simon Brooke said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

I find it amusing that they quote one of their experts on "inventing"
electricity, whereas I was under the impression that it was discovered.

However, back to correcting all my text books; as Newton invented gravity,
before then everything could float around freely.

- Nigel

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 10:29:35 +0000 someone who may be Simon Brooke
<[email hidden]> drew our attention to this:-

Quoted message said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

Quoted message said:

The judges — Lindsay Sharp of the National Museum of Science &
Industry,

Tends to be interested in large scale engineering and that odd thing
called science.

Quoted message said:

Anjana Ahuja of The Times,

A journalist ISTR.

Quoted message said:

Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, the former Cabinet minister,

A party politician.

Quoted message said:

Lord Broers, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering,

Also tends to be interested in large scale projects.

Quoted message said:

and Mandy Haberman, the inventor of the Anywayup Cup

Never heard of it, but presumably more interested in small scale
engineering.

Quoted message said:

chose electricity over vaccination by a narrow margin of
three to two.

I tend to agree with them, provided that electricity and electric
light were separate items on the shortlist. Electric light is not on
its own a greater advance than cycles, but electricity is.

Quoted message said:

It allowed working men and women to travel cheaply, and the
geneticist Steve Jones has even claimed that it had a direct
effect on human evolution, by bringing to an end the
inbreeding that was once endemic in village communities.

Which is a good thing.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

Simon Brooke posted:

Quoted message said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

"The particular version of the bike included in the poll was John Kemp
Starley’s Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, which turned cycling into a safe
form of mass transport."

I don't remember that. I thought the poll just said "Bicycle".

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

David Hansen said:

Quoted message said:

and Mandy Haberman, the inventor of the Anywayup Cup

Quoted message said:

Never heard of it, but presumably more interested in small scale
engineering.

It's a wonderful device if you have young children. It's a beaker that
can be tipped upside down and it won't leak, but a child can quite
easily get liquid out by sucking on the spout.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

chose electricity over vaccination by a narrow margin of
three to two.

Quoted message said:

I tend to agree with them, provided that electricity and electric
light were separate items on the shortlist. Electric light is not on
its own a greater advance than cycles, but electricity is.

I probably would too, but ISTR that electricity and vaccination weren't
actually on the same list as bicycles anyway. I remember voting for
vaccination on the medical list.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Quote from the report:

Quoted message said:

Steve Jones has even claimed that [the bicycle] had a direct
effect on human evolution.

I wonder what the human cyclist will look like with a million years of
evolution.

Quoted message said:

I wonder what the human cyclist will look like with a million years of
evolution.

Just watch Belleville Rendezvous. Champion's physique is a sneak preview ;-)

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
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David Hansen said:

Quoted message said:

It allowed working men and women to travel cheaply, and the
geneticist Steve Jones has even claimed that it had a direct
effect on human evolution, by bringing to an end the
inbreeding that was once endemic in village communities.

Which is a good thing.

Arguably limits the opportunities for evolution, if you subscribe to
the view that nature capitalises on changes from the norm - which
occur more often in inbred communities.

Danny Colyer said:

"The particular version of the bike included in the poll was John Kemp
Starley’s Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, which turned cycling into a safe
form of mass transport."

I don't remember that. I thought the poll just said "Bicycle".

You could click on each option and be given some background and more
details.

--

Call me "Bob"

"More oneness, less categories,
Open hearts, no strategies"

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

Ah - unfortunate typo there, I wondered what the Time poll referred to was.
Times makes more sense.

cheers,
clive

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:54:16 +0000, David Hansen
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

geneticist Steve Jones has even claimed that it had a direct
effect on human evolution, by bringing to an end the
inbreeding that was once endemic in village communities.

Quoted message said:

Which is a good thing.

I offer exhibit A: the Isle of Sheppey :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:28:07 -0000,

NC said:

I find it amusing that they quote one of their experts on "inventing"
electricity, whereas I was under the impression that it was discovered.

However, back to correcting all my text books; as Newton invented gravity,
before then everything could float around freely.

I've often found myself cursing Newton for inventing gravity when I'm
half way up a long hill. Rarely do I praise him on the way back down as
that's "just the way things are" :-)

Tim.

NC [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

I find it amusing that they quote one of their experts on "inventing"
electricity, whereas I was under the impression that it was discovered.

This is one that I find very disturbing. It implies that the "expert"
either doesn't understand what it means to "invent", or doesn't
understand what electricity is.

Jon

Simon Brooke said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

Cheeky twunts, how dare they say the poll was rigged ? I never buy
papers and today we have seen one of the reasons why.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Simon Brooke said:

<URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18069-1376728,00.html>

Interesting that they used phrases like "well-organised campaign".
Simon's post here may have generated some interest, but that kind
of heads-up is hardly what I'd call organisation. As if
usenetters were something that could be organised :-)

Come to think of it, I followed Simon's link, and read it as several
separate polls in different categories. I voted in several categories,
so although I voted bike in the transport category, my others diluted
its total vote.

--
Nick Kew

MSeries [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

Cheeky twunts, how dare they say the poll was rigged ? I never buy
papers and today we have seen one of the reasons why.

Yebbut. It was!

Jon

Jon Senior said:

MSeries [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

Cheeky twunts, how dare they say the poll was rigged ? I never buy
papers and today we have seen one of the reasons why.

Yebbut. It was!

Jon

But was it ? If many cyclists are motivated to vote and they did then
surely this is totally legit. and not rigged. Is there evidence of
multiple votes or fans of the other inventions being prevented from
voting ? [No need to answer I couldn't really care to be honest.]

NC said:

I find it amusing that they quote one of their experts on "inventing"
electricity, whereas I was under the impression that it was discovered.

However, back to correcting all my text books; as Newton invented gravity,
before then everything could float around freely.

Yeah, but the bicycle is a clear exception to Gaudi's "Man does not
create; he discovers". So, I suppose, is the infernal combustion engine.

Danny Colyer quoted:

Quoted message said:

"The particular version of the bike included in the poll was John Kemp
Starley’s Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, which turned cycling into a safe
form of mass transport."

Well, it was unlikely to have been the 1976 Raleigh Chopper Mark 2 ;-)

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 12:09:41 +0000 someone who may be Danny Colyer
<[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

It's a beaker that
can be tipped upside down and it won't leak, but a child can quite
easily get liquid out by sucking on the spout.

Thanks.

Quoted message said:

ISTR that electricity and vaccination weren't
actually on the same list as bicycles anyway.

Sounds like something dreamt up by a committee involving a
journalist and a party politician.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.