You ask a guy for directions and, while very kind, he answers with “go down this path until you reach the perpendicular street, then…”.
Maybe there is such a thing as too much studying.
You’re reading Signal v. Noise, a publication about the web by Basecamp since 1999. Happy !
You ask a guy for directions and, while very kind, he answers with “go down this path until you reach the perpendicular street, then…”.
Maybe there is such a thing as too much studying.
curt mills
on 21 Apr 08I think there is, and a classic symptom is using words like perpendicular when giving directions.
Elliott
on 21 Apr 08If it describes the situation perfectly in less words than it would otherwise take then whats the problem?
Any adult that does not know the word perpendicular should probably have paid a little more attention to their maths classes when they were 12. If you believe only Stanford grads should understand it then I think we are aiming a bit low.
Mr Oz
on 21 Apr 08Am I missing something? Where is the problem in using the word “perpendicular”? Is there anyone in the world which doesn’t know that word?
anoop
on 21 Apr 08at least they didn’t say “orthogonal”.
Anonymous Coward
on 21 Apr 08Yeah but what would he have said if the street name was ‘The Perpendicular Street’?
Ken
on 21 Apr 08Then there’s the student with a sense of humor and tells you to go down this path until you reach the parallel street.
Joshua Works
on 21 Apr 08Like Mr. Oz above, I’m confused by this post. When did we arrive at a time of such dumbed-down vocabulary that “perpendicular” is deemed such a learned term? And not only learned, but worthy of derision as being high-falutin. Sad.
Thomas
on 21 Apr 08Anonymous, that’s an edge case, but we should build a unit test to check for it.
Jess Martin
on 21 Apr 08And you might be a geek if that sentence seems perfectly normal to you. :-)
Perp Man
on 21 Apr 08No offense, but this weekend I taught my 4-year old the meaning of parallel and perpendicular. And neither one of us goes to Stanford. Maybe its time to read a book?
Es
on 21 Apr 08I was also thinking this was a Stanford in-joke or something at first, and didn’t get it. Perpendicular is a pretty common word…
Mike Trotzke
on 21 Apr 08Problem is it’s unclear because it’s used in an atypical context. I assume he is referring to a T in the road. There may be many perpendicular roads before you get to the T, so maybe its the first road that crosses at 90 degrees. Or it could be a street name since when speaking it’s hard to tell if it’s a proper noun. Sometimes dumbed-down vocabulary is the right choice. It often adds context as a result of it’s typical use.
You never sound more intelligent to me just because you are unclear.
joe
on 21 Apr 08Is it just me or are most street intersections “perpendicular?” Isn’t the point of the post that while being a specific and correct way to describe a street one sense, it’s almost too vague as to be helpful in most cases? Maybe around there the paths all cross at very acute or obtuse angles (ooo… more big words) and so it makes sense, but I live in NYC, so to me that’s as ridiculous as saying, “walk that way and turn at that the building on the corner with the door and windows.”
Alex K
on 21 Apr 08If the snarky comment wasn’t there, this would pass for an amusing anecdote. But that comment ruined it – it changed the focus of the story to how much cooler you are than that student. Grow up.
WickedTribe
on 21 Apr 08Perpendicular is a great word. I can see how it could almost be in the same category as “monetize” but I think that the difference between the two is that “make money” works as well as “monetize” in nearly every situation. There is no comparable phrase for perpendicular. The closest would be something like “the street that crosses at 90 degrees to the one you are on”. Rather awkward in the mouth, especially if you know the word perpendicular. Even that does not work all the time because something can be perpendicular to something else without ever crossing.
The point is that just because something is not commonly used does not mean that it is to be shunted to the side immediately. Think about it and if it has a real use adopt it. That is the real reason you “study”. So kudos to Stanford students who so study and apply what they now know. Everyone else let’s catch up.
nate
on 21 Apr 08“Perpendicular” is a common enough word, I don’t think that’s the point. The point is most people would have just said “intersection”.
Joshua Works
on 21 Apr 08Looking at a map of the Standford campus (I’ve never been), I can see that perpendicular intersections may be a rarity, and may perfectly eliminate most other intersections as being the one in question.
To boot: not only an undeserved and ignorant snarky comment, but one to a lad who was helpful enough to give you directions.
Anonymous Coward
on 21 Apr 08@nate: Right, and intersection is also clearer, because it doesn’t imply at what angle the intersecting street crosses.
DHH
on 21 Apr 08The answer was no doubt correct, but it just sounded funny (in the Strunk sense of “never use a big word when a small one will do”). I’ve never heard anyone use perpendicular as part of a sentence explaining a simple direction to a stranger. I’d think most people would just have gone with intersection or cross street.
Anonymous Coward
on 21 Apr 08ITT : commentators on their high horse about how they’re not on their high horse.
Stephen
on 21 Apr 08You know you’re on the internet when…
...you’re reading a blog and people start discussing whether perpendicular is a reasonable way of describing directions.
Perhaps there’s such a thing as too much free time.
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
Jemaleddin S. Cole
on 21 Apr 08You know you’re on a liberal arts campus when a student tells you “Go down, down, down the sterile road, down past the memories and dreams washed up on the rocky shores of experience like so many tired argonauts, then turn, turn, turn dizzying and spinning and falling and laughing as you feel the light of the morning sun…”
I’ll take “perpendicular” any day. It’s not like he was throwing around “secant” or something.
GeeIWonder
on 21 Apr 08I’ve never heard anyone use perpendicular as part of a sentence explaining a simple direction to a stranger. I’d think most people would just have gone with intersection or cross street.
I’ve never heard anyone argue that perpendicular was anything but a simple direction.
Don’t be afraid of big words. Be afraid of incorrect ones.
GeeIWonder
on 21 Apr 08Also, linking to the Wikipedia definition of perpendicular is ridiculous.
Jason
on 21 Apr 08That reminds me of an early Second City sketch from the early 1960s, “Football Returns to the University of Chicago,” which features (among other things) the students explaining to the coach that the yard lines aren’t actually lines, but really line segments.
Ian
on 21 Apr 08This reminds me of a William & Mary humor magazine article from my college days, listing student behaviors: “W&M students don’t cut corners; they take the hypotenuse.”
jna
on 21 Apr 08Here in #sanfrancisco we take great pride in misdirecting tourists seeking pier 39. We tell them “it’s right next to pier 38”.
The math-inclined port authority decided many years ago to place all even numbered piers south, and all odd numbers piers north of the ferry building. Heh.
Peter Cooper
on 21 Apr 08never use a big word when a small one will do
“Perpendicular” being one character longer than either “intersection” or “cross street”..
Anonymous Coward
on 21 Apr 08“Perpendicular” being one character longer than either “intersection” or “cross street”..
yes, but spoke it’s three syllables longer than “cross street”, and they’re hard consonant sounds that are percieved weightier.
Anonymous Coward
on 21 Apr 08not to mention most people relate to geography differently than geometry.
GeeIWonder
on 21 Apr 08‘Perpendicular’ contains MORE information than ‘intersection’ or ‘cross street’. It is to ‘intersection’ as ‘apple’ is to ‘fruit’
Not to mention if someone asked me for directions and then had the audacity to question the language in which I took the time to give them, I’d be very inclined to smack them in the face.
DHH
on 21 Apr 08We need a new one of these. You know you’re in the blog comment-land when a two line entry on the word perpendicular spawns so many entries. Including multiple by the same people.
Daniel
on 21 Apr 08I won’t speak to the Strunk definition of “big word” but I doubt it’s all about length in characters or syllables… Except to say that in writing you could plausibly use “x-street” and that’d be even shorter
But nevermind, I’m really here to bug David with a story from his homeland (and mine). The Technical University of Danish (where, alas, I’m studying,) there are – and this is no joke – the following place names:
- Mathematics Square (“Matematiktorvet” in Danish)
- Electro St. (Elektrovej)
- Acoustics St. (Akustikvej)
- Chemistry Square (Kemitorvet)
- Energy St. (Energivej)
... and the list goes on (here’s a GMap if you want to see for yourself and can )
“Mathematics Square” is even funnier in English, since the the Danish spelling doesn’t refer to a square (as in “plaza”) with the same word used to describe a geometric figure.
But it gets better (worse.) Not only are all the street names mind-numbingly dull and/or inane; they’ve also divided the campus in quadrants – as in Cartesian quadrants – and numbered the buildings accordingly. I.e. to the north-east are the 100s, to the south-east the 200s, and so on in a clockwise fashion.
Good luck figuring out that scheme when you’re among the buildings.
Oh, and one last thing: There is a place in Jarvis Bay, Australia, NSW, that’s called “Point Perpendicular.” Excellent diving spot, by the way.
Jemaleddin
on 21 Apr 08Thanks for nothing, Daniel; now I’ll spend the evening with this in my head:
“We gonna rock down to Electro Avenue “And then we’ll take it higher”
Stephen Tudor
on 21 Apr 08These days in America, “perpendicular” would be considered a rather nerdy term. I wouldn’t think twice about using it myself… especially if I’m on the campus of Stanford, where I could assume I’m surrounded by other nerds.
KatyR
on 21 Apr 08Scoble was there talking to the Sloan program today at the GSB – we should have asked for directions just for kicks.
Ara Pehlivanian
on 21 Apr 08You’re making fun of a guy who used the word perpendicular? Really? I don’t even have a degree and it didn’t seem weird to me.
Dunno, you kinda sounded like a jock making fun of him. Just sayin’.
GeeIWonder
on 21 Apr 08“Brother can you spend a dime?”
“Sure here’s a dollar—it’s not a dime, but it’s a form of currency”
“Tee-hee—you said ‘currency’”
“Yup, I sure feel like an ass now.”
Mr Oz
on 21 Apr 08My spheres are falling perpendicularly to the floor.
Sarven Capadisli
on 22 Apr 08This is lame for two simple reasons:
1. Suggesting that “perpendicular” is a complex word reserved for the educated and looking down on people at the same time.
2. This article adds nothing but noise to the rest of the Web.
Shame.
Nick Caldwell
on 22 Apr 08The Strunk point (heh) is “omit needless words”. Use words precisely—if one long word does the job, prefer it to 10 waffly words that sort of get you there.
Derick
on 22 Apr 08(I agree that this is lame, and suspect that most everyone reading this knew the meaning of perpendicular by age 8…but it reminds me of a joke.)
A guy’s looking for directions on the Harvard campus. He sees a tweedy-looking professor-type walking by and says (in your best Southie accent): “Hey where’s the library at?”
Prof.: (spoken like a true Boston Brahmin) “At Hahvahd, we don’t end a sentence with a preposition”
Guy: “Ok. Where’s the library at, asshole!”
Sheesh
on 22 Apr 08What are you doing asking for directions? Real men don’t ask for directions. Just look it up on the map on your iPhone.
Louis
on 22 Apr 08This was one of the most thoroughly enjoyable comment threads I’ve ever read. Thanks everyone.
Kesey
on 22 Apr 08Seriously, who doesn’t know what perpendicular means? You seriously think that sounds funny? I would expect some hippie at a community college to be able to use perpendicular in a sentence (even while giving directions).
I hope you personally don’t do any hiring at 37signals.
Patrick Hall
on 22 Apr 08GO BEARS!
Berserk
on 22 Apr 08We need a new one of these. You know you’re in the blog comment-land when a two line entry on the word perpendicular spawns so many entries. Including multiple by the same people.
Even better than to ridicule those who help you is to ridicule those who ridicule that you ridicule those who help you.
This post would in most circumstances be considered trolling (and a successful one at that).
Ian Waring
on 22 Apr 08You know you’re in Stanford when most of the directions you get a relative to the Quad.
fwiw, Excellent University Bookshop there. There’s even a shelf-full of Rails books sold there…
Vesa
on 22 Apr 08Nice, now I know what perpendicular means. Never heard before.
“Is there anyone in the world which doesn’t know that word?” The whole world is not speaking english as a mother tongue. I´m one of them.
Ismael
on 22 Apr 08In spanish that word is trivially used when giving directions (at least where I come from). It’s funny that many latin-based words common in spanish and french are considered fancy in english. I think (but I might be BS’ing) it is because of french influence in old british nobility.
Samo
on 22 Apr 08Some people forget that if they are reading the 37 signals blog, they usually are not what one would call “the average Joe”.
Ther’s plenty of people (I dare say over 50%) who would go “Perpiduwhat?” – and a lot of them even those who learned about it at school but simply forgot about it, because they do not use it. I found the article funny, and in no way looking down on others…
Charles
on 22 Apr 08The snack machine at my office displays the product behind glass. You drop the coins, make the selection, and the spiral pushes out the snack into the bin below.
I got laughed at when I commented about the latency between pressing the snack coordinates and the engagement of the servo motors…
Anonymous Coward
on 22 Apr 08Since when is perpendicular an advanced word?
Read a book
Drew McLellan
on 22 Apr 08I think the concept of intersection is probably a more complex one to grasp.
That said, there’s a fairly standard protocol for giving directions to strangers – the ‘crime’ here is not following that protocol. The correct response should have been to follow the path, and then take the (1st, 2nd, 3rd..) (road, path, donkey ride) on the (right, left).
That, or to shrug and shake your head.
PrinceLightfoot
on 22 Apr 08Heh, Jess Martin, my first thought when I read this was to remember the time I overheard one Stanford Ultimate player tell another to watch for sunburn on the tops of his sandaled feet, “because, dude, they’re normal to the sun.”
Nick
on 23 Apr 08The 37Signals “we don’t like anything from the bay area” series continues. Yawn.
greedft
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Josh A.
on 25 Apr 08There’s a link to the Wikipedia article for perpendicular? Why? As Elliot has said, don’t people know this word?
tom
on 28 Apr 08Do you guys have some sort of post per day quota that you need to reach? I usually agree with you guys, but this is just silly.
GED Teacher
on 28 Apr 08It sounds like there are more than a few pretentious pricks here. To use the word perpendicular while giving directions is incredibly obtuse and obnoxious. The joke is fine; many of the comments below the joke are not.
I coordinate GED programs for adults learning English or for adults whose lives were too complicated to finish school. Not all of them know the word perpendicular. If a person doesn’t know the word, they are not stupid or otherwise disabled.
This was truly disappointing to read.
This discussion is closed.