I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I'm frequently on aw.org when I'm first waking up or shortly before bed. Either way I'm often not fully awake so if I'm not corrected directly, I frequently miss it. YMMV.
I've found that when I use numbers more often than not I'm 'corrected':
"We don't have 120; we have 110" or "That a/c plug is 220, not 240" etc. I imagine this is because many things are or used to be labelled "110-120v" and "220-240v"
To avoid that whole fruitless discussion I break it down to 3 things:
1. A regular plug.
2. A regular plug that has its own fuse, like your washing machine.
3. One of those special plugs like for an electric stove or electric clothes dryer.
Yes, I know it's more likely an "outlet" and a "circuit breaker" but if I use those words I lose people.
I think we here at aw.org (and I definitely include myself!!!) tend to forget that most people think the amount of electricity used corresponds to the number of items plugged in. Example: 5 lamps each with a 25 watt bulb draw way more electricity than two lamps each with a 100 watt bulb. Why? 5 > 2. Period.
I once lived in a place that had 24x24x4" hot water radiators replaced by 24" of 2" pipe...seriously. I was only able to get across the problem by asking which they thought would take more water to fill up, the radiator or the pipe. They said "the radiator, of course." I responded with "Right, before you had all that water throwing its heat off into the room and now you just have that little bit in the pipe trying to do the same job. That's why you're cold."
Don't even get me started on "radiators" vs "convectors"...
Re: #12
I agree in principle 100%, but I've found that for those things to work in real life the other person needs to be engaged in the communication. More and more often as I get older I receive what sounds like verbal tape recordings triggered by a few of the words I used in my query.... rather like in the old days of internet searching when you wanted to know the drive time from Intercourse to Blue Ball, Penn. and you got a raft Amish porn sites........
Jim