XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.books   
   From: tmcd@panix.com   
      
   In article ,   
   Gene Wirchenko   wrote:   
   >On Fri, 23 Aug 2013 17:08:15 GMT, throopw@sheol.org (Wayne Throop)   
   >wrote:   
   >   
   >[snip]   
   >   
   >>After all, *most* mixed-radix systems still write/communicate things   
   >>in bigendian fashion.  Three pounds seven ounces.  Five hours and   
   >>34 minutes.  Eight months and ten days.  Folks don't normally go about   
   >>doing things in littlendian order (or worse, like the US date formats,   
   >>chaotic-endian order), unless it's to express an archaism like "four   
   >>and twenty blackbirds".  And even that's limited, since, eg,   
   >>"four score and seven years".   
   >   
   >     Exception: addresses:   
   >          123 456 W. 7th St.   
   >          Someplace, Here  CODE   
   >          Country   
   >Some even get into middle-endian:   
   >          456 W. 7th St., #123   
   >          Someplace, Here  CODE   
   >          Country   
      
   A US address is not entirely middle-endian.  In US Postal Service   
   addressing information, if an apartment number / suite / unit /   
   whatever will not fit on the street address line, it is supposed to be   
   wrapped UPWARD.  (A much misunderstood point, even in   
   business-addressed mail.)   
      
   But the US ZIP code wraps down.   
      
   So   
       Attn: John Doe   
       Microbial Department   
       Sterilizitall Corp.   
       Suite 120   
       1760 Dilute Solution of Bleach Blvd   
       Minnetonka, MN 55305   
       United States of America   
      
   THat last is the only thing that's never little-endian.  But of   
   course, it's the most important key (in the database sense)   
   so it needs to be prominent.  But it could have been more prominent   
   at the start of the line, as in some countries.   
      
   --   
   Tim McDaniel, tmcd@panix.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)