Actually, if “degrees east” was correct, I think maybe the next line should also change:
“An astrolabe displays the universe’s location relative to itself. Luna set the latitude dials to −34.277 degrees and the longitude dials to 108.945 degrees.” → −108.945 degrees (Assuming the first sentence implies that one has to negate both coordinates, as happened with the north coordinate.)
I don’t see how “An astrolabe displays the universe’s location relative to itself” implies that the values should be negated. If you negate coordinates you are only defining a different point, but I might be confused here. I am used to using lat and long to define my position relative to the planet, not the planet’s position relative to me. Though really, I fail to see the difference. Either way, North and East are positive, South and West are negative.
Also: The modern standard way to denote lat and long (at least among seafarers) is in degrees and decimal minutes, making the above position look like so: 34° 16.62′ N, 108° 56.7′ E. This is the format I use daily as a skipper.
The traditional way is with degrees, minutes and seconds, like so: 34° 16′ 37.2“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E. Decimal seconds were rarely used, as seconds already gives us accuracy down to ~30 meters, which is better than any practical method of navigation at the time. Seconds without decimals is what I would have predicted an old artifact like that to use, given it’s implied age.
The use of decimal degrees and negitive numbers is a modern thing, to cater to digital devices and google maps and the like. This is a minor nit-pick, but I would find 34° 16′ 37“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E more harmonious with the rest of the story.
I had originally intended for the numbers to be negated. After reading the discussion and thinking about it, I changed them to not be negated. Negating one of them but not the other, as I did by mistake, is completely wrong. This story is not intended to explore chirality.
Your traditional nautical coordinates are much better. I have changed it to degrees, minutes and seconds.
I feel honoured :) But it appears that I made a mistake: I believe it was supposed to be 34° North, not 32° as I wrote. Just a typo. I’m not really sure what position is actually intended though. Note that Google Maps seems to be confused in the area, and the streetgrid is offset from the satellite image. This seems very appropriate :)
Further nitpick: you dropped one ” in the new text above.
Also, the position 34° 16′ 37“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E is usually read outloud as: 34 degrees, 16 minutes and 37 seconds North, 108 degrees, 57 minutes and 42 seconds East, including the “and”. Oxford comma entirely optional.
Typos:
She passed a self-woking food stall → self-working?
Hollar if you need anything. → Holler
Luna tuned her astrolabe back into to causal time. → turned (maybe); back to causal time?
“34.277 degrees north,” said Lady Yue, “108.945 degrees west.” → the latter should be “degrees east”: Google Maps
The photos of Xi’an comes from China Daily. → come from
I think “woking” refers to this.
had slayed → had slain
Fixed. Thanks.
Same thing still in two places in part 9.
I’m leaving those as-is.
Fixed. Thanks.
Actually, if “degrees east” was correct, I think maybe the next line should also change:
“An astrolabe displays the universe’s location relative to itself. Luna set the latitude dials to −34.277 degrees and the longitude dials to 108.945 degrees.” → −108.945 degrees (Assuming the first sentence implies that one has to negate both coordinates, as happened with the north coordinate.)
I don’t see how “An astrolabe displays the universe’s location relative to itself” implies that the values should be negated. If you negate coordinates you are only defining a different point, but I might be confused here. I am used to using lat and long to define my position relative to the planet, not the planet’s position relative to me. Though really, I fail to see the difference. Either way, North and East are positive, South and West are negative.
Also: The modern standard way to denote lat and long (at least among seafarers) is in degrees and decimal minutes, making the above position look like so: 34° 16.62′ N, 108° 56.7′ E. This is the format I use daily as a skipper. The traditional way is with degrees, minutes and seconds, like so: 34° 16′ 37.2“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E. Decimal seconds were rarely used, as seconds already gives us accuracy down to ~30 meters, which is better than any practical method of navigation at the time. Seconds without decimals is what I would have predicted an old artifact like that to use, given it’s implied age.
The use of decimal degrees and negitive numbers is a modern thing, to cater to digital devices and google maps and the like. This is a minor nit-pick, but I would find 34° 16′ 37“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E more harmonious with the rest of the story.
Thank you for writing this :)
I had originally intended for the numbers to be negated. After reading the discussion and thinking about it, I changed them to not be negated. Negating one of them but not the other, as I did by mistake, is completely wrong. This story is not intended to explore chirality.
Your traditional nautical coordinates are much better. I have changed it to degrees, minutes and seconds.
I feel honoured :) But it appears that I made a mistake: I believe it was supposed to be 34° North, not 32° as I wrote. Just a typo. I’m not really sure what position is actually intended though. Note that Google Maps seems to be confused in the area, and the streetgrid is offset from the satellite image. This seems very appropriate :)
Further nitpick: you dropped one ” in the new text above.
Also, the position 34° 16′ 37“ N, 108° 57′ 42” E is usually read outloud as: 34 degrees, 16 minutes and 37 seconds North, 108 degrees, 57 minutes and 42 seconds East, including the “and”. Oxford comma entirely optional.
Re: Google Maps being offset in China. See this for explanations:
The muggles are finding very elaborate ways to justify the confusion to themselves!
Fixed. Thanks again.
Cool! But you only corrected my mistake in the second instance, not the first.
Fixed. Thanks.