Re: Left or right? How to determine?

["Bob La Londe" <none@xxxxxxxx>]

"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6423326.721.1331329119469.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@xxxxxxxx
> On Wednesday, March 7, 2012 5:01:52 PM UTC-5, (unknown) wrote:
>> Left side? Right side? How to determine?
>>
>> Have a customer whose house is large.  On his Keypad I provided a
>> location description for two smoke detectors.  One description is "SD
>> left frnt bed" There is another detector labeled as "SD rght frnt bed"
>>
>> Due to the 16 character limitation this is the best I could do for
>> describing the left front bedroom and the right front bedroom.
>>
>> After testing these units a year or so after installation, I verified
>> the tripped location with the description on the Keypad, and was
>> immediately confused by the references to left and right, so much so
>> that I made a note to this effect on the service call sheet.
>>
>> I ran across this note today, and have begun in earnest to find an
>> answer to this puzzle:
>>
>> How do I determine, for example, which side of the house is
>> the left side of the house?  Is the left side of the house on
>> my left as I stand outside facing and looking at the front of
>>  the  house?  Or is the left side of the house on my left side
>> as I stand inside looking out the front door?
>>
>> I posed this question to my son-in-law who is a builder. I also posed
>> it to a customer who is an architect.  I did not receive an answer
>> from either of them that showed conclusively that their trades
>> followed a definitive protocol.  The three of us gave varying
>> examples, all of which were based on the location of the viewer, be it
>> a fireman, policeman, builder, architect, home owner, etc.
>>
>> This is an important matter to me, as I need to know how to identify a
>> location using the terms left and right in conjunction with front and
>> rear.  The three of us were in agreement with the use of the
>> adjectives "east and west."  However buildings are not always placed
>> on a north/south/east/west plane.  Furthermore, responding authorities
>> may not know where North is, especially when arriving at night, having
>> made a number of vehicular turns on the way to the fire.
>>
>> Here are a few examples (you may have more) of determining left from
>> right, based on usage and position of the viewer:
>>
>> If I told you to put air in the left front automobile tire,
>> you would know exactly where to go regardless of where you
>> were standing when I gave the directive.
>>
>> If you were a seaman and I told you to paint the right side of
>> the boat you would know exactly which side to paint, because
>> the right side of the boat is the starboard side, which is
>> always on the right side as you look towards the bow from
>> midship.  The right (starboard) is always in the same
>> location regardless of where you are standing, aft, forward,
>> on the pier, in another boat, etc.
>>
>> In buses, trains, planes, the left (and consequently the
>> right) is easily determined when you know where the front is,
>> or where the back is.
>>
>> I have not researched how theatrical stages are labeled; however the
>> terms "stage right" and "stage left" are in use, but I do not know if
>> it means the audiences right or left or the actors right or left when
>> facing the audience.
>>
>> Without going much further I think you all get the gist of what I am
>> looking for.
>>
>> Do buildings really have a left side and a right side?  Is the
>> viewer's position the determining factor? Buildings always appear to
>> have a front and rear, and sometimes sides.
>>
>> Should the left and right of a building always be predicated on and in
>> the same manner that is used to locate left and right on a car, plane,
>> train, boat, skies, bicycle, motorcycle, etc., that is, facing forward
>> from within or on the device?  In these examples the front is easily
>> found, and consequently we can therefore apply the labels left, right,
>> rear.  Why not with a house? From inside the house at the front door
>> facing out the door I want all to know that the left side of the house
>> is on my left.  Agree?
>>
>> So as not to add to the confusion here, please do not use the word
>> "right" for the word "correct."
>>
>> Have fun.
>>
>> Charlie
>
> I don't use keypads with only 16 characters anymore. Most newer Keypads
> have more now ( don't they ?)
>
> Anyway this is how I do it. Take from it what you can.
>
> (1st line)   Smoke Detector
>
> ( 2nd line)   2ndFl ... 1stFl ..then:   North south east and west. BdRm,
> Kit, Den, FamRm, DinRm, LivRm, MstBdRm, Bsmt.
>
> Example: SMOKE DETECTOR
>         2ndFl North BdRm

That works really nice on the two line display on the RP1CAe2 keypads.