Stuck in the middle of the ocean!

[indiscriminate_hater]

Originally Posted by rgostic [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Thinking about /loc in terms of a cartesian coordinate system makes the system seem backwards because in one of these systems the first number is typically a measure along the X-axis, or your "numbers at the top". Here the first number measures the "numbers on the side", or your location along the Y-axis. Additional confusion results from the fact that moving to the right of the Y-axis causes the X coordinate to decrease, a direction that is conventionally positive.

If your experience with grids manages to transcend high school algebra; however, you will know that the /loc system is not backwards because it is imitating a latitude-longitude coordinate system in which the North-South component comes before the East-West component. This is the way people read real life maps. Pilots, military personnel, and geoscientists will find this exceedingly obvious.

TL;DR: If you think /loc is backwards, you probably have a boring job.

ped·ant
ˈpednt/Submit
noun
a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.
synonyms: dogmatist, purist, literalist, formalist, doctrinaire, perfectionist;