============================================================ THE DSA NEWSCAST http://www.dozenal.org ============================================================ The Dozenal Society of America Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Official Newsletter 3 February 11EE ============================================================ ============================================================ = CONTENTS = ============================================================ 1. Donations 2. For Sale 3. Dozenal News -Dozenal Android Apps Now Available -Assistance Needed for iOS Apps -Spanish-language Dozenal Materials 4. Society Business -Proposed Numeral Change 5. Poetical Diversion 6. Backmatter ============================================================ = DONATIONS = ============================================================ Members, please remember that while dues are no longer required for membership, we still rely on the generosity of members to keep the DSA going. Donations of any amount, large or small, are welcome and needed. A donation of $10; ($12.) will procure Subscription membership, and entitles the payer to receive both a digital and a paper copy of the _Bulletin_ if requested. Other members will receive only a digital copy. To invoke this privilege, please notify the Editor of the Bulletin, Mike deVlieger, at mdevlieger@dozenal.org As members know, we are a volunteer organization which pays no salaries. As such, every penny you donate goes toward furthering the DSA's goals. It may be worth considering a monthly donation; say, $3, or $6, or whatever seems reasonable to you. This can be set up quite easily with Paypal or WePay, both of which are available at our web site. Of course, if you prefer to donate by check, you may send them to our worthy Treasurer, Jay Schiffman, payable to the Dozenal Society of America, at: Jay Schiffman 604-36 South Washington Square, #815 Philadelphia, PA 19106-4115 Remember, too, that as of last month, the DSA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, so your contributions may be tax deductible under applicable law. ----------------------Member Benefits----------------------- Chief among the benefits of membership, aside from the knowledge of supporting the DSA's mission, is receipt of _The Duodecimal Bulletin_. In addition, however, members also receive (digitally) a membership card containing their vital member information and a monthly calendar with dozenal numbers, containing suitable and educational dozenal quotations and graphics, laid out for wall display. To receive these, please notify us that you'd like to receive them: Contact@dozenal.org ============================================================ = FOR SALE = ============================================================ The DSA is pleased to offer the following for sale. These are all either at cost, or the proceeds go to the Society. Wall Calendar for 11EE, coiled binding $10.05 Weekly Planner for 11EE $8.29 TGM: A Coherent Dozenal Metrology $8.00 Prices are, unfortunately but by necessity, in decimal. To find these works, simply go to: http://www.lulu.com/shop/shop.ep and enter the appropriate terms. E.g., searching for "11EE" will turn up these calendars and the planner; searching for "TGM dozenal" will turn up the TGM book. We hope to offer other titles, and even some other items (such as dozenal clocks and the like), in the near future. ============================================================ = DOZENAL NEWS = ============================================================ ------------Dozenal Android Apps Now Available-------------- As announced last month, the DSA has released three apps for the Android mobile operating system. These apps make it even easier to work with dozenal on a daily basis. The released apps are: -DozclockWidget: A dozenal clock, which provides a dozenalized version of our current time, each hour divided into 100; units. This app also shows the date in dozenal. Best of all, it can be used as a *widget*, meaning that it can reside comfortably on your screen at all times, so that you never have to open it and can have the dozenal time at your fingertips whenever you want it. -dozbc: A dozenal calculator, capable of the usual four functions, roots, powers, grouping via parentheses, and rudimentary memory functions. -TGMDroid: A metric converter, working entirely in dozenal; this converts from SI, English/customary, and the dozenal system known as TGM. Also forthcoming is a dozenal calendar app, which will keep appointments by date and time in dozenal. This is still in alpha stages and will be released at a later time. ---------------Assistance Needed for iOS Apps--------------- If you are able to program or learn to program for the iOS operating system used on Apple mobile products, please contact us if you'd be willing to create apps similar to those above, or additional apps which might be useful and interesting to members of the DSA, for iOS. -------------Spanish-Language Dozenal Materials------------- The DSA is pleased to announce the availability of some Spanish-language dozenal material on its website; and what's more, that material is even historical. Originally published in 1098; (1844.), D. Vincente Pujals de la Bastida provided a lengthy and convincing defense of the dozen as a system of numeration in his book, Filosofia de la Numeracion: http://www.dozenal.org/drupal/content/filosofia-de-la-numeracion Completely retypeset, with a large number of compelling tables and two figures, this book provides a great introduction to number systems and dozenal. Because translating such a work is beyond the abilities of anyone in the Society currently volunteering, it is offered here only in its original language, Spanish. We have also made available an excerpt explaining why we should prefer the dozen over other bases: http://www.dozenal.org/drupal/content/de-la-numeracion-que-debe-preferirse We now have materials on our website in English, Spanish, French, and Esperanto; this work will help spread dozenal to new audiences throughout the world. ============================================================ = SOCIETY BUSINESS = ============================================================ For many years, the DSA has been employing the Dwiggins numerals (a stylized X and E) for the numbers ten and eleven in our publications. We have never *endorsed* any particular set of numerals, but we have used these as a standard in our own works. At the Annual Meeting in 11EX, the Editor of the Bulletin, Michael deVlieger, made a proposal that we cease using the Dwiggins numerals and begin using the Pitman numerals (an inverted 2 and 3). Before making such a decision, however, your board wanted to inquire into the positions of our membership. The argument against switching to the Pitman numerals is essentially one of consistency. We have used the Dwiggins numerals for most of our 6 dozen years (for around two to three dozen we used the asterisk and octothorpe, or Bell numerals), and consistency with that tradition is important. The argument for switching to the Pitman numerals is twofold: 1.) Uniformity with the practice of the Dozenal Society of Great Britain. 2.) To take advantage of the addition of the Pitman numerals to the worldwide standard known as Unicode. The Pitman numerals, described as "turned digit two" and "turned digit three", have been accepted by the International Unicode Consortium and will be included in the standard sometime next year (the year 1200). This would mean that, for the first time in our history, dozenalists would not have to constantly devise their own symbols for the transdecimal digits. These two symbols, recognized as digits and not as letters, would be part of an international standard; font designers would likely begin including glyphs for these symbols in their fonts; word processors, text editors, and the like could begin including recognition for these characters; and so forth. Are these arguments sufficient to justify departing from the DSA's long tradition? Please let us know your opinion by writing to: newscast@dozenal.org In a few days, we'll be putting a poll on the website to allow our membership to make an vote on symbols and provide some comments to explain their opinions. Please note, however, that the DSA is *not* considering endorsing any particular set of symbols; we are simply deciding on whether to retain our current consensus numerals for purposes of our publications, or to change to the Pitman numerals. We are not holding a referendum on favorite symbols, only trying to determine which of two sets should be the default in our publications. Thank you in advance for your input. ============================================================ = POETICAL DIVERSION = ============================================================ May auld decimal be forgot, and never brought to mind! May auld decimal be forgot, and dozenal come rise! For dozenal should rise, my jo, for dozenal should rise! We'll see the fall of dec'mal yet, and dozenal shall rise! And surely you'll buy your pint-cup, and surely I'll buy mine! In packs of six and twelve we'll drink, to dozenal's near rise! For dozenal should rise, my jo, for dozenal should rise! We'll see the fall of dec'mal yet, and dozenal shall rise! And there's a hand, my trusty friend, and give a hand o' thine! Five fingers, but twelve joints are there, for auld lang syne! For dozenal should rise, my jo, for dozenal should rise! We'll see the fall of dec'mal yet, and dozenal shall rise! O decimal must fall soon or late, as weak must fall to strong! For twelve is favored by ol' Fate, and it shall rise ere long! For dozenal should rise, my jo, for dozenal should rise! We'll see the fall of dec'mal yet, and dozenal shall rise! ============================================================ = BACKMATTER = ============================================================ _The DSA Newscast_ is a production of the Dozenal Society of America. If you have received this publication in error, or otherwise do not wish to receive it anymore, please unsubscribe by mailing a message containing the string "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSCAST", exactly as typed, in its body, to the Reply-To address of this message. For questions, comments, submissions, or other communication with the _Newscast_, please write to: newscast@dozenal.org EACH ONE, TEACH ONE