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A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

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Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#81

Post by graeme »

albertgoeswoof wrote: post #53
teddyh wrote: post #23

“ ‘You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.’ ‘Frequently.’ ‘How often?’ ‘Well, some hundreds of times.’ ‘Then how many are there?’ ‘How many! I don’t know.’ ‘Quite so. You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and ob…

While good fiction, this is pretty dumb. Did Sherlock count the number of tiles on the wall as well? What about the colour of the carpet or the number of cracks in the ceiling? Knowing how many steps there are is useless information and wasteful to retain.

The fun of Sherlock Holmes was that he was written to be somewhat plausible, while having a result that is far fetched. What would happen if someone built a map of London in their head? And know where all the major shops were? And studied cigar ash, and the fonts of newspapers? Etc.

The implication is that Holmes perhaps had a brain that was particularly well suited to such trivia, and a habit of observations. With practice comes skill in making and retaining such observations.

Now, the stair example is indeed a bit much. I doubt holmes would have counted the steps in every staircase he saw (though then again, if one practiced making such observations....). But Holmes did enjoy throwing people off guard, so knowing the number of steps in ones’ own home might indeed be a useful tidbit, precisely since it would offer the opportunity to throw Watson off guard.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#82

Post by khazhou »

teddyh wrote: post #23

“ ‘You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.’ ‘Frequently.’ ‘How often?’ ‘Well, some hundreds of times.’ ‘Then how many are there?’ ‘How many! I don’t know.’ ‘Quite so. You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and ob…

‘Then how many are there?’

‘How many! I don’t know.’

‘Quite so. You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed.’

'Oh, well what do you see and observe NOW, Mr. Holmes?'

'It appears you have faced away from me and dropped your trousers, revealing your exposed behind.'

'Quite right, and quite "elementary." I shall seek employment elsewhere, you pompous ass. Good day!'

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#83

Post by joewee »

gniv wrote: post #74
albertgoeswoof wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While good fiction, this is pretty dumb. Did Sherlock count the number of tiles on the wall as well? What about the colour of the carpet or the number of cracks in the ceiling? Knowing how many steps there are is useless information and wasteful to retain.

That was my thought too, but I think the point is subtler. The kind of person who notices those things is good at noticing a lot of things. I like this relevant scene: https://youtu.be/IjrWOZby8s8?t=47s

Sort of like preppers who teach themselves to identify exits in any venue they enter and how to spot someone that looks out of place. With time you can teach yourself to identify details everyone else ignores, if you have good reason to.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#84

Post by saagarjha »

alexfoo wrote: post #43
Swenrekcah wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess if you divide the standard ceiling height with a comfortable step size you get 13

The ceiling height is not the same as the floor height of the next storey up.

Generally it's pretty close, though.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#85

Post by thomastjeffery »

> Thus, you will cover five stairs in one short-long-long cycle. In addition, you should always start the first cycle on the same foot. Suppose you start on the left foot, then after two cycles you are back on the left foot, having covered ten stairs. While you are walking the stairs in this way, it is clear where you are in the cycle. By the end of the staircase, you will know the number of stairs modulo ten

Yet another example why decimal is not an ideal base for counting.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#86

Post by nazri1 »

chiph wrote: post #39

17 steps at home[0] and 17 each for two flights per floor at work, since commercial buildings have taller ceilings. [0] This applies both in North Carolina and the apartment in Texas, which had two flights of stairs (3-story townhouse)

Mine is 16 each for two flights per floor at work, 19 floors. I do it 5 days a week, only for going up, so far. I’ve yet to do the same for when going down.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#87

Post by j9461701 »

Semiapies wrote: post #75
ethbro wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The essence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories (and what makes them clever and recommended reading) is that the answer lies in plain sight. Holmes does not succeed because he is superhuman (although the stories are not without their action bits), but because he applies himself more fully than others, and prepares and experiments more thoroughly. Is the number of steps important? Well, it would be if one wer…

Yes, but Sherlock Holmes also always magically knows which trivia is important, because he's written that way. He doesn't bother with the count of stairs on every staircase he's ever walked on. And he lives in a world where the trivia he notices always reflects accurately on hidden truths, instead of being simply useless details that reveal nothing of consequence.

For example in one story Sherlock deduces that the person sending a ransom note is an educated man attempting to appear stupid, because although the note is grammatically incorrect the newspaper the letters are cut out from was The Times. And only educated men read The Times.

Except....what if that's just coincidence? I mean The Times costs the same amount at a news stand as any paper right? So what if the kidnapper, who is so barely literate he doesn't read any daily paper at all, went to a news stand to buy something to cut the letters from and happened to pick The Times?

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#88

Post by fjsolwmv »

albertgoeswoof wrote: post #53
teddyh wrote: post #23

“ ‘You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.’ ‘Frequently.’ ‘How often?’ ‘Well, some hundreds of times.’ ‘Then how many are there?’ ‘How many! I don’t know.’ ‘Quite so. You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and ob…

While good fiction, this is pretty dumb. Did Sherlock count the number of tiles on the wall as well? What about the colour of the carpet or the number of cracks in the ceiling? Knowing how many steps there are is useless information and wasteful to retain.

This may be the most beautiful "middlebrow dismissal" in HN history.

Re: A Nerd’s Way to Walk Up the Stairs (2011)

#89

Post by DoreenMichele »

A nerd mom's lesson to her toddler on how to take the stairs: Scoot down the stairs on your butt, little one. It's easier and safer at your size.

And this is why I found him at the bottom of the stairwell eyeing the fascinating cornfield next door the day he got tall enough to open the front door, instead of in a bloody heap with a cracked skull on the first landing.

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