The latest 5 iron will hit the ball further than a 5 iron of a few years ago. This is mainly because the modern day 5 iron has an equivalent loft of a 4 iron of bygone years. Why? Well, each year the manufacturers need to "improve" on their last year's model and, to most golfers, this means more distance. So, after the technological advances have plateaued all that's left is to "strengthen" the loft and make the golfer think he's hitting the ball further with your clubs. Your 5 iron hits as far as the old 4 iron, so it must be better. Clever, right? Nope. Cos now you don't have enough clubs at the short end - the wedges. Now you need to buy a "Gap" wedge (or wedges...) as the clubs have all shifted. All that's happened is the clubs have been renumbered to make us all feel better and to maintain our faith in the, apparent, never ending improvement in golf club performance.
So, to GCSE grades. Years ago, exams were "normally" assessed - such and such a percentage of candidates got As, such and such Bs etc. The problem politically is that, by definition, the percentage of, say, Cs won't change from year to year so how do we show we are getting better each year? So out went O levels and "criterion" assessment GCSEs arrived. Now, a certain mark will get you a certain grade, no matter how many candidates achieve that mark. Politically, we are able to see whether results are improving year after year - and do you know what? They are! Children are actually getting cleverer every single year, amazing! Fantastic! Yeah, as in "fantasy". So we have to have a new grade of A* as the "top" is too crowded - hello?? What happened to the Bell Shaped Curve? I imagine it's still right there, actually. It's a similar story with A levels, they're introducing an A* there too for the same reason and Universities are having to employ their own exams to differentiate between all the hopeful candidates with 17 or so A grades each.
Why do we think that everything must improve all the time? In reality, things tend to stay the same - whether it's the distances we hit golf balls or the distribution of "intelligence" amongst the population. When things won't improve we make them: adjust the lofts and appear to hit the ball further, and adjust the exams and appear to improve academic attainment. Genius.
Here's my prediction for the future:
1) A set of golf irons consisting: wedge 10, wedge 9, wedge 8, wedge 7, wedge 6, wedge 5, wedge 4, wedge 3, wedge 2 and wedge 1.
2) A range of exam grades consisting: A*******, A******, A*****, A****, A***, A** and A*.
Family life, Church life, songs, associated matters and anything else that pops into my head.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The power of imagination...
Monday, August 13, 2007
I am not a hairy man but...
Getting older is very interesting, I think. I'm 38 and I feel 38. Never quite understand when people say, "Inside I'm still an 18 year old..." - some sort of denial?
Anyway, to the title. I have started noticing unexplained rogue hair growth. This is just one of those things that happen as you age. I HOPE. First I noticed that my eyebrows had sprouted a couple of long hairs each, with a mind of their own, shunning the crowd and launching off to go their own way. So, what do you do? Tricky one this, but I had to pluck them out. I am having to pluck my eyebrows. This is not to reshape them, you understand, but simply to keep them under control.
Actually, upon further recollection, it was my nose that first gave the game away and my brother saying, "There's no excuse for that..." Male grooming gadgets, oh dear. I have electric nose hair clippers. There, I said it. (Warning, don't use these for eyebrows - one slip and you can end up looking a little, erm, "street"?)
Just the other day I also spied a mutant long hair on my wrist - what's next, the palms of my hands??
Ah well, one should accept these changes graciously. I still have all my own teeth, you know...but, now then, where did I leave them...?
Anyway, to the title. I have started noticing unexplained rogue hair growth. This is just one of those things that happen as you age. I HOPE. First I noticed that my eyebrows had sprouted a couple of long hairs each, with a mind of their own, shunning the crowd and launching off to go their own way. So, what do you do? Tricky one this, but I had to pluck them out. I am having to pluck my eyebrows. This is not to reshape them, you understand, but simply to keep them under control.
Actually, upon further recollection, it was my nose that first gave the game away and my brother saying, "There's no excuse for that..." Male grooming gadgets, oh dear. I have electric nose hair clippers. There, I said it. (Warning, don't use these for eyebrows - one slip and you can end up looking a little, erm, "street"?)
Just the other day I also spied a mutant long hair on my wrist - what's next, the palms of my hands??
Ah well, one should accept these changes graciously. I still have all my own teeth, you know...but, now then, where did I leave them...?
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
I'm clever I am.
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