Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

oceanservice.noaa.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

491–500 of 636 posts

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#491

Post by qwertox »

adql wrote: post #435
qwertox wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> in medical school is that left/right always refer to the patient's perspective. What if the patient lies on his back vs on his stomach? Theoretically this should then revert left and right in addition to how the doctors are facing the patient, from their point of view.

Your left hand doesn't turn into your right hand if you lie on the bed different way

I am aware of this. But oftentimes patients are completely covered by a green blanked with the exception of a small space of skin. I just thought that this could cause some confusion.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#492

Post by bee_rider »

aae42 wrote: post #432
ekianjo wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mexican spanish should not be the reference for what is said in spanish

Why not? https://www.statista.com/statistics/991020/number-native-spa...

Mexico & USA, language taking over buddies. We just need to grow Quebec, so we can get the full set over here. Long way to go, though…

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#493

Post by nickt »

ethbr0 wrote: post #453
TeMPOraL wrote: post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose it has to do with how many frames of reference you're juggling in a task/profession. With boats, others mentioned that wind provides its own frame, and there are separate words still for "left" and "right" in that frame. Then there's space, where it gets even more fun, as the relevant frames - the ship, the orbit (or the "centre of gravity" of everything pulling on you) - are completely independent. That is…

> With boats, others mentioned that wind provides its own frame, and there are separate words still for "left" and "right" in that frame. There's windward (towards/upwind) and leeward (away/downwind). Are there left and right too? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windward_and_leeward

And the wind itself backs (anti-clockwise) and veers (clockwise) with height.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#494

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

jdmichal wrote: post #461
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #424

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this the story of how someone ended up with one less appendix than they should have?

People only have one appendix to start with. Did you mean appendage?

No, that's what I meant, but said in a facetious way. If someone is complaining about lower right abdominal pain that could be the appendix, when lower left would not be.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#495

Post by runlaszlorun »

jdmichal wrote: post #461
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #424

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this the story of how someone ended up with one less appendix than they should have?

People only have one appendix to start with. Did you mean appendage?

Perhaps they have -1 now.

Either that or my recent C excursions have me thinking in buffer overruns and index errors.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#496

Post by beardyw »

HPsquared wrote: post #410
philo23 wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess some could argue that we do have some special vocabulary for cars too. E.g. you don't call it the front/back door, you call it the bonnet/boot (or maybe hood/trunk depending where you're from) though that probably is stretching the definition of a door a little bit... but then you also have nearside and offside for passengers/drivers side, though that's probably a bit more of a technical term.

I always get confused by nearside and offside. Is it "near to the driver" or "near to the roadside"?

Near the roadside.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#497

Post by hnbad »

denton-scratch wrote: post #470
yobbo wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The name of Thor's hammer "mjolnir" (as english speakers would see it) did not come through latin though, so the version of the word in germanic languages was inherited independently. "Mjolnir" means something like "crusher" and the noun "mjol" (flour) means "having been ground up". For example, it can be combined as vetemjöl (wheat flour) or stenmjöl (ground stone or stone powder).

> the noun "mjol" (flour) means "having been ground up" Ah - "mjol" as flour must be cognate with "meal". I hadn't previously associated meal with mills, but it makes sense.

As another data point: meal/flour is "Mehl" in German. Mehl/meal is milled in a Mühle/mill.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#498

Post by BuyMyBitcoins »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #448
antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

I suppose it has to do with how many frames of reference you're juggling in a task/profession. With boats, others mentioned that wind provides its own frame, and there are separate words still for "left" and "right" in that frame. Then there's space, where it gets even more fun, as the relevant frames - the ship, the orbit (or the "centre of gravity" of everything pulling on you) - are completely independent. That is…

I’m curious, have you ever played Kerbal Space Program? Or, are you familiar with orbital mechanics for a different reason? KSP taught me about those terms and familiarized me with the concept.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#499

Post by garaetjjte »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #442
philo23 wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess some could argue that we do have some special vocabulary for cars too. E.g. you don't call it the front/back door, you call it the bonnet/boot (or maybe hood/trunk depending where you're from) though that probably is stretching the definition of a door a little bit... but then you also have nearside and offside for passengers/drivers side, though that's probably a bit more of a technical term.

> though that probably is stretching the definition of a door a little bit... It is, but then so is the stupid "3-door" / "5-door" / etc. car classification, which is really 2-door / 4-door / etc. with the trunk being counted as additional door for some reason.

I think it makes sense for hatchbacks, where there's no real trunk/passenger cabin separation.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#500

Post by CWuestefeld »

antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical school is that left/right always refer to the patient's perspective.

In an effort to avoid ambiguity, I always talk to my doctor in terms of "driver's side" and "passenger side" - thus adopting the maritime approach, but in more common terms.

Post reply on HN