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Re: Car numbers at Nationals

To: David Hawkins <otgrouch@twosrus.com>
Subject: Re: Car numbers at Nationals
From: Mark Sirota <msirota@isc.upenn.edu>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 17:14:24 -0400
David Hawkins wrote:
> As someone who runs a silver car with white numbers, I'd have to
> question this post.  Is the intent to really have numbers that can be
> seen on the other side of the course?

Yes.  Frequently, the question is, "What's the next car to finish?"
And the easiest way to answer the question SHOULD be to look up at the
course and see what car is about to finish.

Frequently, a car hits a cone, and by the time it's reset, the person
with the clipboard needs to look up and confirm what car just hit it.
By now, the car is on the other side of the course.  If the numbers are
readable from far away, this is an awful lot easier.

It's no harder to have numbers readable from far away than it is to
have unreadable numbers.  So why not make them readable?  What possible
reason is there to do anything but the best possible thing?

> I guess I take exception most to the 'get a clue' aspect of the post.
> I've never had a complaint about my numbers, and to have someone
> tell me to get a clue (which is essentially what was just done since I
> run the same combination) is not the most diplomatic way to handle
> something like this.

No, it's not diplomatic, but I won't apologize.  The rulebook clearly
says that the numbers should be in a color that contrasts with the
background.  White and silver don't contrast.

Mark

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