Counting for synchronization

[brooksmoses]

I just overheard a snippet of a TV show where someone was doing the thing of counting to synchronize actions, and it sounded wrong to me. So, a quick poll to see if it's just me:

Poll #19197

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 23

View Respondents

When someone says "On my three. One, two...," what happens next?

View Answers

They say "three," and you go when they say "three".
20 (87.0%)

They say "three, go," and you go when they say "go".
3 (13.0%)

Beyond this one thing, I've been thinking about this a fair bit recently, because Morgan has been wanting to synchronize me turning off her bedroom light with her turning on her reading light, when I'm putting her to bed. And for a while she was mashing things together like "One, two, three, ready, set, go;" but now she's settled on a sort of four-line children's rhyme that ends with "Who's your girlfriend, I forgot; is it A, B, C, D, or E?" with the action synchronized with "E".

Comments

[snippy]

I think counting down is better anyway; most people have a habitual response to "3, 2, 1, GO."

[keshwyn]

Indeed. When I'm calling the end of an archery round, it's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HOLD!

[brooksmoses]

Yup, I'd definitely agree with that. It's less ambiguous, at the least!

[ckd]

Agreed. I consider counting down to be the equivalent of ISO 8601 date format: a little weird if you're not used to it, but much better than "local standard practice" which generally isn't as standard as people think.

[ritaxis]

I didn't vote because I have done both. I think body language is supposed to indicate whether's go on three or go on go. I believe I've had mixups in that area though.

Please give us the rest of the verse: it's new to me.

[brooksmoses]

Indeed, for the counting by itself for me too. In this case, I didn't see the body language (and from voice cues I think this may have been over a radio), and I interpreted "On my three" as being a clarification meaning "At the moment I say three".

I'll post the rest of the verse as soon as I can find Morgan in a quiet enough moment for me to ask her what it is -- I've forgotten. (And right now there are other kids visiting and she's running around in distinct excitement, so asking is unlikely to work!) It was new to me too.

[brooksmoses]

Ah, I just remembered to follow up!

It's either "Ice cream sundae, cherry on top, who's your girlfriend, I forgot;" or "Ice cream, soda, cherry on top." Although I'd guess it was originally the first of those, she usually sing-says it with the second one.

[ritaxis]

thank you!

[artan]

I tend to fall toward the middle? On-three is too fast, but on completion of the sounding of 3 is valid to start, so if someone says "go" then you should already be initiating if the statement was "go on 3".

"Who's your girlfriend, I forgot; is it A, B, C, D, or E?" with the action synchronized with "E".

What, we have to chose just one? I would have expected broader variety.

[brooksmoses]

I know!

[batrachian]

I wish to express my disappointment at the lack of a 'ticky' or 'other' option.

>.>

[brooksmoses]

And also lack of cats, who ignore you and go whenever they want.

I thought about that just a moment after I had created the poll and it was too late.

[keshwyn]

I should note that I am thoroughly influenced by LARP, where we play RPS and have to throw on the choice. And one of the most prolific writers was of the one-two-three-shoot school of RPS, so that was enforced at game briefing at the start of every LARP.

[xiphias]

"On three" means on three. "Three-count then go" means you do a three count and then go.

[brooksmoses]

Yup, that's what I thought! So I was rather baffled at overhearing the person in the TV show say "go" after saying "three".