So Australia has relatively recently cranked up digital tv. This is not an unwelcome move – more channels, better reception of existing channels. Then there is all the fun stuff with twin-tuners and integrated hard drive recorders. Not complaining about any of that.
But Australian haematologists will find life more difficult.
When I was in first year medicine (2006) learning about haematology, the vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors were also referred to as the tv channel factors – II, VII, IX, X, corresponding to the four main tv channels. SBS was not included in the vitamin K factors list, but this was not really a major drama, for me at least, because we’d never had reception of SBS. Or the community channel (28?). Although there were the beginnings of digital tv at this time, it was not big enough to affect the lecture on vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors.
But now? Hmm well there are about 13 channels as far as I can tell. There are also high definition channels and some information ones. And have coagulation factors changed to reflect this? No! They have not!
I suppose that if you tried to tell an examiner that coagulation factors 72 and 99 were vitamin K-dependent you would obviously be a muppet because there are no such factors. But SBS is now on channel 3, whereas it used to be 31 I think (I wouldn’t know, having no reception). And there is definitely a coagulation factor III.
I hope someone has noticed this problem.
04/01/2010 at 6:11 pm Permalink
SBS has always been on 28, and the community channel on 31.
However, the names of the numbered stations have not changed (except for the difficulties of ABC1 being on 2 and ABC2 being on 22). Thus, we still have seven, nine, and ten; we also have one, however, and two is mostly gone.