Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/08/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Funny, Did he ever try to figure out how many pounds of water go into a gallon? US or UK? Why the heck two kinds of gallons? In metric its just 1kg into 1liter. Seems trivial. But for a Dutch food technologist working with clients in the USA this is a major PITB. Body measurement? My feet is probably longer than yours and I like to use the length of my index finger. Let's just standardise to the same system all over the world. Cheers, Michiel Fokkema On 9 August 2010 22:49, Rei Shinozuka <shino at panix.com> wrote: > This metric debate led me to find this intriguing site from some Brits (of > all people). It's an eloquent and cogent expression of why we yahoos cling > to our inches and pounds. > > http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/estatopia/inch.htm > > Quotes: > > "Metric is a (scientific) way of measuring the world as if we were not in > it, not a part of it. But we are in the world, we are a part of it and we > need a measurement system which takes account of our existence and which > allows us to know our place in relation to nature. If we understand that we > are part of nature then we will be less inclined to destroy it." > > "Those who know their history will know that the metre was invented in > France in 1790 and is, allegedly, one ten-millionth of the distance from > the > North Pole to the Equator. The invention of the metre was part of the > Revolutionaries' rational and scientific response to what they regarded as > the superstitions of the past. By contrast, the British Imperial system (as > used by the Greeks and the Romans as well as in pre-revolutionary France) > is > anthropometric which means it is based on the human frame. From time > immemorial units of measure have been derived from the human figure: palm, > hand, foot, cubit etc. Some fall out of use and become archaic but those > which remain do so for the very good reason that they are convenient, > practical, easy to understand and, above all, easy to visualise which is a > necessary part of translating working drawings into a built structure. This > was clearly demonstrated to me when I recently had a garage built. The > workmen, all of whom were under 30 years of age were thinking and working > in > feet and inches - 18" deep foundations, 4" step etc. When any change such > as > that wrought in 1965 is mooted, nobody ever consults the real experts, the > people who actually do the work. Where theory and practice do not coincide > then theory is wrong and practice is right. " > > "The reasons put forward in support of metric are far from compelling. They > range from the feeble (everyone else uses it) to the dimwitted (we have ten > fingers for counting on). There has never been, to my knowledge, a logical > demonstration of its superiority /in use/ over traditional measurement. One > of the most famous architects of the Modern Movement, Le Corbusier, used > feet and inches to calculate his twin modular system of design after > struggling and failing to work it out in metres and centimetres." > > "We have now all been thoroughly brainwashed into accepting the weatherman > on TV and radio telling us the temperatures in Centigrade (or Celsius or > whatever it's called this week). But there is a curious thing happens > during > the summer months. When it gets hot outside, the newspapers and radio and > TV > start telling us the temperatures in Fahrenheit with phrases such as "..in > the nineties". This is understandable because talking about temperatures > "..in the high thirties" doesn't quite have the same impact. Nor does > talking in Centigrade give any indication of the /relative/ temperature, > i.e. how it feels to us. Is it hot or cold today? Will I need a coat if I > go > out?" > > -rei > > > On 08/09/2010 11:39 AM, Aram Langhans wrote: > >> Ah, to be metric. I sure remember the ill-fated attempt in this country >> to "Go Metric". I had just started teaching in this little town in >> Washington, Odessa. I was teaching 6-8th grade science. The law gave all >> kinds of money and materials to schools to teach the kids metric. The >> school looked around at the staff and classes they had and asked, "Hmm. >> Who >> should we give this task to. I know. Science teachers. They use metric >> anyway." So the task was mine. But they also looked at all the materials >> that were send and saw that there was a "lot" of math involved, so the >> said >> the math teachers could assist the science teachers. Let the fun begin. >> The materials, or at least the ones that I got, were all conversion >> based. >> Lets teach our kids how to convert from the English system to the Metric >> (or should I say SI) system. I looked at that and said, forget that. >> They >> will never learn it that way. So, the math teacher and I devised an >> immersion curriculum. For 15 minutes each day (at the start. It expanded >> as time went on), we started talking in just "metric". We would hold up >> objects and ask what length, volume, mass, etc. they were. Just "Think >> Metric". We went on metric field trips around town, walking about and >> asking how far that was, sizes, masses, etc. The kids were really >> learning >> the metric system. Of course, after they left our classes, they were back >> in the English world again. It didn't take many years and the school >> district said stop. Too bad. I felt we were really making progress and >> the >> students were bilingual in measurement. >> This country has always been afraid of change. From things as benign as >> metric to civil rights. If I remember correctly, when Canada changed, >> they >> just said this is the way it will be and did not teach how to convert. As >> Nike says, Just Do It. Change all the signs, order forms, product labels, >> etc. Just Do It. Mass confusion for a bit, but if you have to, you will. >> Of course, any politician who votes for something like that would not be >> reelected. >> So, as a scientist and science teacher, I just plug along an in my class, >> we Just Do It until it is second nature. >> >> Aram >> >> Aram Langhans >> Semi-retired (retarded?) Science Teacher >> & Unemployed photographer >> >> "The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin himself >> would ever have dared dream." James D. Watson >> >> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:07:57 -0400 >>> From: Rei Shinozuka <shino at panix.com> >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Today is 8/9/10 >>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Message-ID: <4C5FEF9D.40406 at panix.com> >>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed >>> >>> On 08/09/2010 03:34 AM, Jeff Moore wrote: >>> >>>> While I don't want the world to be boringly culturally homogeneous, >>>> there are some things we should all just get with the program on: >>>> >>>> >>>> - Use the metric system, dammit. >>>> >>>> >>>> Metric? We might as well dissolve the NFL and watch guys in shorts >>> maneuvering black and white Archimedean Buckyballs using only their feet. >>> >>> :-) >>> >>> But any American born in the 1960s should remember this: >>> >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Metric_Marvels >>> >>> The article closes: >>> >>> "Ultimately, /The Metric Marvels/ failed to convince Americans to >>> convert to the metric system. ... Americans largely ignored governmental >>> attempts to push them in the direction of metrication, and the USMB [ >>> (U.S. Metric Board <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Metric_Board>) ] >>> was eventually disbanded in 1982 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982>." >>> >>> -rei >>> (the ugly american, whose favorite lens is the 1.97 inch noctilux) >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- -------------------------------------------- Fokkema Fotografie www.michielfokkema.com michiel.fokkema at gmail.com GSM:+31 (0) 615569576