-----Original Message----- From: Robert Somerville <rafp_at_interlog.com> To: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>; PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: June 7, 1999 1:37 PM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Pro's and Con's of the "Swede Form" >Are you sure you are really adding to knowledge or are you merely >quantifying :-). Hmmmm. Depends upon who uses the quantifications I guess. :-) >How does the measurement of art add to the knowledge base. >Can you quantify the subjective feel of a boat in a paddlers "hands." Can a >boat be fast, turn well and have good stability numbers and feel like a dog? >I have had the experience of paddling in a Hida canoe on flat water and >being very uncomfortable, but when the water got rougher the canoe became a >thing of beauty and was solid and comfortable. At what point do the numbers >stop adding to useful knowledge? I would think the questions should be "What information do we need to produce useful knowledge." If we can determine the quantifiable aspects of the parameters that interest us then we can compare those quantities with individual perception and in this way learn more about how much a what will produce a given preception. This topic prompted me to study the field of psychokinetics (the study of how humans perceive effort) and I find it fascinating if not conclusive at this point. I don't know where the numbers cease providing useful information at this point. Can anyone say that they do or that that point has arrived? > > >On a separate note Speedo is mass producing bathing suits with a feature >that supposedly creates a vortex that is meant to reduce friction and >therefore, increase speed. When will you be incorporating features of this >sort into your boats. I understand the patent that Speedo is using is owned >by an engineer in Ottawa. > Love to hear more about this. Unfortunately the "Longer, faster, higher, larger bribes" people have outlawed any surface treatments that will improve performance of canoes and kayaks in world competitions. Still, doesn't mean we can't do it recreationally. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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