0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000

Monetary sub divisions, we are these days, quite familiar with. However, mathematically simple and consistent measurements certainly have not always been the case. The units and ratios we have used in the past had their benefits, and also their complications.

Lsd ( ell-ess-DEE)

This was the popular name for the once common pre-decimal currencies throughout Europe. Spread by the Romans, it was the king of the Franks that standardised the non-decimal ratios between them. Librae, solidi and denarii were introduced into Britain in the late 8th century by King Offa. The British coins became £sd or pounds, shillings and pence.  Money like many of the other measurements, such as length, mass and volume had evolved from various systems used locally and built upon when exchange or trade became necessary.

Europe switched to decimal relationships in the 18th and 19th centuries. The UK held out until the 20th before swapping. Fifty years ago on February the 15th the UK switched to the decimal system. There was now a simple decimal relationship between the pound and it’s sub divided part the penny, of  1:100, rather than 240. Out went Shillings, Thropences, Florins and Crowns.  However, whist all major transactions and banking rounded to the penny, for small value items there was a need for another sub division. It was decided 0.1p was too small to be of use in the conversion between old and new so the ½p or half penny at 200th’s of a £ was part of the mix. It remained so until 1984!

Switching

The switch took around 18 months to complete. Shop keepers often showed dual prices using the agreed conversion tables, to make it easier for shoppers to make the switch. This swap was remarkably quick compared to the change to the metric system. Hundreds of different measures were localised, and it took the French revolution to kick-start the change to decimally divided measurements based on natural physical constants. From 1799 it was around 50 years before various decrees and the spreading of standards really took hold. Seeing no reason to change, the UK other than those in the scientific communities who needed to share data remained with the non-decimal  non-metric measures until the mid 20th century. 

Units

There is an importance to uniform measure and units to make sure everyone uses the definition. In Cradle labelling the column of the View or the element in the Form can make it more clear to the reader what the value represents. A description can be added to the category itself which will be displayed as a tool-tip. Additionally you may want an additional category with a set of units that the user can choose from. This will also make for easy querying and sorting (for example search for all components specified in feet)

Cradle Release

At the beginning of February we released Cradle 7.6. Details of the new features (Risk Management and Test Execution and Recording) and updates to existing functionality can be found in our Release announcement. Keep an eye on the upcoming blog articles detailing their use. Full details of all the changes are included in the release notes included with the download.

For those with maintenance, if you have not downloaded the software and requested a new security code, contact 3SL support so you can upgrade for free.

If you have a single user version, because this is a minor version release (as opposed to a patch) you will need to buy the latest version to take advantage of some of the feature updates.
Please note that some features, such as the new Test and Risk module, are not available in the single user versions and you must check their suitability on our products comparison page.

Training Courses

Don’t forget to check and book onto the Cradle Public training courses.  The full calendar, and any updates, are available here. If you want a consultation, or tailored training just for your team contact salesdetails@threesl.com

Cyber Essentials

We were pleased to announce, earlier this month,  another successful assessment under the Cyber Essentials scheme.

We think this scheme helps instil confidence when dealing with online companies and would encourage all our customers to consider using it or similar.

Social Media

Twitter

We looked at the advances made in nuclear fuels by Framatome

We highlighted how 3SL provide a set of Q&A for anyone writing a tool evaluation. 3SL also wished well all those celebrating the new lunar year bringing in the Chinese new year of the Ox.

Happy New Year, I promise to…..

Whatever promises and resolutions you make we hope you manage to keep some of them. However, rather than some grand gesture of promising to give up chocolate bars and to do more exercise, we should also look at process habits that need to change. We’ve all got into the good habit of hand sanitising every time we enter a shop. The problem is when this habit / muscle memory becomes so engrained, we do it without thinking, a bit of disaster when you realise you are still wearing your winter mittens.

The same is true for business processes. It’s great when they become second nature, endemic, without having to refer to the policy again and again, but this can also be a hazard. If the situation, requirement or supply chain alters in some way, indoctrinated processes and solutions can be implemented without sufficient thought or review. So this new year make a note to ensure you check the mitigation still matches the hazard, the process is still suitable for the new requirements. If necessary plan and record exceptions and variations. Of course, use Cradle to record and track.

Training Courses

We are offering a number of public training courses. These are ideal for companies who don’t need a tailored course or have only one or two staff members requiring instruction. They are run on-line with a member of 3SL instructing. This year we will cover Requirements Management, Document Publisher and System Administration. The full calendar, and any updates,  are available here.

Brexit

Cradle Release

Now in the final testing stages the new release (7.6) will be out soon – Watch for news. Those under maintenance will receive general updates and features for free. Those without maintenance or using single user products will need to purchase an upgrade to 7.6 from earlier point releases. We are also adding two new modules. You’ll be able to download an evaluation copy if you want to look at the  Risk Management and Test Execution and Recording features before purchasing a licence.

Social Media

Twitter

We liked the way researchers were overcoming difficulties to monitor underwater impact of renewable energy sources.

We reminded readers to think holistically, where your bubble boundary ends is your context. However, there are often other or greater systems in the whole scheme.
That’s all for the January 2021 Newsletter, but if there are any topics you would like to see discussed drop us a line at social-customer@threesl.com