DXL is smarter than Christopher Columbus

[gryphon]

I like DXL and shop there sometimes.  Here is a tl;dr version of what happened a few minutes ago:

DXL: "Columbus Was Not Great at Math. We Are."

gryphon: Are you kidding me?  Do you actually think you are smarter than Columbus because you can do simple third grade math or use Excel at a primitive level?  You actually have the unmitigated gall to say that you are smarter than Columbus was back in the 1400's?  Over 600 years ago he underestimated the size of the planet by 25% and you are ridiculing him for that?  What have you done to further mankind except selling large clothes to people like me?

[CitizensHaveRights]

This is from trying to measure how far away a ship's mast becomes visible, and calculating the radius of the surface that's blocking your view?

Was it his math or his data that was off by a fourth?

[gryphon]

I think the batteries on his HP48GX were low.

[gryphon]

DXL replied to me and said they were sorry I was offended, they were just trying to promote a sale.  Here's my reply.

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No, you don’t get it.  Can you even comprehend what estimations took back then?  Measuring the height of your mast against the horizon, etc.  If you are off ¼” that equates to thousands of miles of earth.  Never mind the non-steady sea, even in a still harbor.  Yet you make fun of what he did.

Do you similarly make fun of Madam Curie or Isaac Newton?

And you will still not admit that you were wrong.  Shame on you.

+++++

Although they have abandoned the Christopher Columbus math error sale, so who knows, maybe I did some good.  Now they are just promoting it as a Columbus Day sale.  The previous campaign is not to be seen, anywhere.

[Pond Scum]

I should stop by more often.    I never knew about his diameter calculation!