... it's a lovely metaphor.


I seem to remember reading, a long time ago, that in the middle ages someone with a doctorate in mathematics was expected to have mastered addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The methods used to calculate the results of these basic mathematical activities were complicated and clumsy, primarily because Roman Numerals don't facilitate easy calculations, and thus the best that could be hoped for from the brightest mathematicians was proficient calculations. (I've tried to find some verification of this via the web, but the closest I've come is a fascinating page on Roman Numerals that describes the calculating process.)

But that fact that I have no proof as to the accuracy of this claim, doesn't mean that I can't use it as a metaphor. Integrating Hebrew into the web is similar to being an expert in Roman Numerals. What can be done in English (Arabic numerals) by any twelve year old demands someone with advanced training when attempted in Hebrew (Roman numerals). Admittedly, this was much closer to the truth a few years back than it is today, but there's still more than a grain of truth in the statement.
 


Go to: Fetch me a child of five