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'Master' and 'slave': Tech terms face scrutiny amid anti-racism efforts

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SkyMaster:

--- Quote from: james_s on July 14, 2020, 11:24:21 pm ---
--- Quote from: TimFox on July 14, 2020, 11:01:49 pm ---I always wondered why those colors were chosen (white for neutral and black for line).  I asked a professional electrician, and he replied "black means death", but I think that is just what he was taught as a safety mnemonic when an apprentice. 
As I understand the US code, white (rarely grey) is reserved for neutral, green and green/yellow are reserved for protective ground, and any other color (typically black, red, and blue) can be used for line (especially in three-phase power).  The normal European code has blue for neutral and brown for line, with green/yellow for protective earth.
Could be worse:  in some European countries years ago, the color for protective earth (ground) was red--go figure.

--- End quote ---

The precise reasons may well be lost to time. Perhaps looking back to the original materials used for wire insulation will provide clues? Natural rubber for example is black, so maybe they first insulated live wires with rubber? I really don't know, but either way they had to choose colors at some point and no matter what they chose somebody is eventually going to wonder why.

--- End quote ---

I was still in liquid form at the time, but I think that way back in time, there was wire used that were not even insulated (in houses). Later, the insulation used was somekind of fabic. Then PVC replaced the fabric.

 :)

themadhippy:

--- Quote ---When a boat also had shore-power AC wiring then we had a potential problem where a black wire could either be DC ground or AC hot.
--- End quote ---
Here in  the uk pre 2004 the fixed wiring colour code was    black  neutral and the 3 phases were red yellow and blue .Post 2004 the phase colours changed to  brown grey and black with neutral becoming blue.Makes for interesting times when working on older installations with mixed colours.

pardo-bsso:
While I catch up with the newer posts I leave here this very apropos quote of Nietzsche:


--- Quote ---"this has caused me the greatest trouble, and still causes me the greatest trouble: to realize that what things are called is unspeakably more important than what they are"
--- End quote ---


Has anybody yet made the suggestion to start using rot13-ed English as an universal engineering language?

SilverSolder:

--- Quote from: pardo-bsso on July 15, 2020, 01:08:57 am ---While I catch up with the newer posts I leave here this very apropos quote of Nietzsche:


--- Quote ---"this has caused me the greatest trouble, and still causes me the greatest trouble: to realize that what things are called is unspeakably more important than what they are"
--- End quote ---


Has anybody yet made the suggestion to start using rot13-ed English as an universal engineering language?

--- End quote ---

Nietzsche - the favourite philosopher of the Nazis - maybe not a good example in general!  :D

Nominal Animal:

--- Quote from: SilverSolder on July 15, 2020, 01:32:08 am ---Nietzsche - the favourite philosopher of the Nazis - maybe not a good example in general!  :D
--- End quote ---
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?

Nietzche died in 1900.  He was a philosopher, asking questions, not telling others what to do.  He correctly predicted what the "death of God", people shifting away from religion as the central structure of their lives, would cause.  He is aemong the dozen or so western philosophers in the last two hundred years or so who have had major impact on our societies.

But no, because there have been people who cherry-picked some of his ideas to bolster their own murderous ideology, you claim that Nietzche himself is suspect: guilty by association.

At the same time, actual Marxists walk around killing people, and nobody bats an eye.

I expected a lot more from you, SilverSolder.  That was an idiotic statement I would not have expected from you.

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