I sent this to bill via the address han posted. I BCC'd it to the USMA list server, but since I sent it from my CHIMPSARECUTE@HOTMAIL .COM it did not post here. I am not trying to convert him, just rub it in that metric is growing and here to stay. John 2001-05-05 Can you PROVE any of your statements (in posting copied at end of this e-mail) with facts? Show me links to websites or documentation that BACKS-UP what you say. I see very slow progress towards metric where I live, and nothing yet that has "reverted". In the trade journals that I receive at work, they are all mixed when it comes to units. There is no pattern. But, I have seen a significant increase in metric usage over the last 10 or so years. I can even recognise hidden metric now. That is where something is described as 1.97 inches when 50 mm is meant. I do see an increase in the unit "yards" used in the news media. That is because they are taking the unit metre and changing the name, without changing the value. Thus 500 m is reported as 500 yards instead of 547 yards. Also, square metres are reported as square yards. Again, 500 m^2 is reported as 500 square yards, instead of 598 square yards. I really don't care, as long as the metres are correct to the reality and the yards are corrupted. As for INTEL, a visit to their website reveals a strong use of metric. They are not going to switch media reports to metric if they don't use metric internally. I just visited the main Intel web site (http://intel.com) and did an all-site search on wafer fab. The first Intel article/press release to show up was typical of all of them. Here's the title line and first paragraph: Intel Hits Key Milestone -- Yields First Silicon From Industry's Most Advanced 0.13 Micron, 300 MM Wafer Fab HILLSBORO, Ore. - March 28, 2001 - Intel Corporation has completed production of its first silicon chips from its 0.13 micron technology, 300 millimeter (mm) wafer development fab located here. Named D1C, this factory is the first in the industry to reduce fully functional computer chips built using advanced 0.13 micron process technology on the new, larger 300 mm wafers. Further down is the following statement: The larger wafers provide more than twice the surface area of 200 mm wafers (about eight inches in diameter) commonly used in the semiconductor manufacturing plants today. This statement clearly supports the fact that metric sizes are the norm and inches are just an after thought. If they were designed to be eight inches in diameter, Intel would of course have said "8 inch wafers" and might or might not have added, parenthetically, "about 200 mm in diameter." The real TRUTH is the design of wafers went to metric with the 100 mm version. Like diskettes, they had previously been hard-imperial. I think 2.5" was the last in this series and so the new sizes still got referred to in old terms. This extended for many years and included the 200 mm (so-called 8") wafer. Though the 300 mm wafer was often referred to (particularly in the press) as 12", it seemed about this time that the metric descriptions entered common currency. The spacing of pins on chips is a JEDEC standard. The 2.54 mm spacing is one of the firsts. Since then the spacing has shrunk to 1.27 mm and smaller. In the early '90s, JEDEC changed the rules for what the chip spacing must be. Now, all spacing must be in millimetres, to a maximum of two decimal places, in which the second decimal place can be only a zero or a five. In other words, spacing MUST BE in increments of 50 �m. When 1.27 mm was halved to 0.0635 mm, this did not follow the JEDEC rules, so the size became 0.65 mm. This was in the early 90's. Now, chips are being made with 0.5 mm spacing. This rule only reflects new designs. Legacy designs still being produced will still carry the inch stigma, but when they become obsolete then metric only will become the norm. It's all a matter of time. The Floppy Disk: The Floppy Disk is commonly called 3.5 inch. But, none of its dimensions reflects this size. 3.5 inches is about 89 mm. The actual dimensions are per ISO/IEC 9529-1 spec. And that spec states the dimension as 94 (L) x 90 (W) and 3.3 (H) mm. The media inside is 86 mm. The mass of the disks are 24 g. None of these dimensions equals 3.5 inches. If you want to refer this to inches can you can take the 90 mm and convert it to 3.5433071 inches. Even CD-ROM's are metric. Their diameter is 120 mm. some smaller ones are 80 mm. As far as I'm concerned, that is pure metric. Reversion to or use of non-metric is namely an anti-metric myth, representing wishful thinking on the part of the BWMA and others. Eventually the floppy will die out and be replaced by something equivalent to the LS-120 and the 3.5 inch name will go with it. NASA uses both USCU and metric. Everything NEW is metric, everything legacy is not. The Space Station is both. The international portions are metric, the US portions are not. The US portion was designed before the command to go metric. Anything designed before the mid-90's is USCU anything after is metric. This is per the rules. It is this carelessness to following the rules that caused the 125 M$ loss of the Mars Climate Orbitor. Why do you advocate Coca-cola to go from litres to quarts? That would be DOWNSIZING? You BWMA friends in an attempt to gain lost ground are picking at straws. And one of them is the claim of downsizing? Sounds like a bunch of hypocrisy to me. We see a lot of downsizing on American food products where metric is not involved. But, that is ok, nothing is said. But, if it was metric, there would be a lot of whining. As for metric losing ground everyday, I ask where? This morning I went shopping and noticed a good number of metric products. I see hair products, mouth-washes, hand lotions, soft drinks, some detergents and more all using rational metric sizing. I am not speaking of the fact that every label has metric in addition to USCU. I'm referring to the products that have been going metric in the past few years. We even now have a 3-litre milk bottle in our area. Nothing I've seen that has gone metric has reverted. So, you are either lying or exaggerating something minor. I'm sure there is some reversions here and there. But, for every one step back there are 2 steps forward. Slow but sure progress. But, there is something to be said about globalisation. America is being flooded with metric products from everywhere. We are buying 35 G$ monthly more then we are selling. When I visit customer facilities, I see machines and systems from Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and others. Their diagrams are all metric, and their fasteners too. What America sells to the world is mostly service. Metric is not only here to stay but is increasing and to the point where people notice. If it wasn't, people like you wouldn't be complaining. Difference in distance measurements April 28 2001 at 11:45 PM Bill Roland ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- One thing I've noticed, mainly since I began coming to this site, is that you British seem to measure and mark everything in yards, for example, 100 yards to the restroom. In America, we rarely use yards for anything. Feet is the measurement of choice, for example, Road Construction 1500FT. Just a little oddity I picked out to mention today. As a metrication report, metrication seems to lose ground here everyday. I've noticed that more products are coming marked in Imperial only. A couple of Imperial only people: Boeing Corporation, the Unites States Military (even though some gun sizes are measured in metric, they have imperial equivalents commonly used), NASA (they claim to be metric, but everything is designed and built in imperial, and flight plans are also being converted back to imperial). Also of interest, Intel Corporation, who I'm sure you've all heard of, is more imperial than is commonly known. The press loves to mention .18 micron and 300mm wafers, but Intel itself uses "mils," or 1,000 of an inch, far more commonly than any metric measurements. Liters are also nowhere to be found in the gasoline industry, all fuel is in gallons. I have suggested to Coca-Cola that they convert the liter bottle to quarts, but haven't heard back. I think it would be in Coke's best interest to do something different than Pepsi, it would certainly get them more publicity. Anyway, that's all I've got for now. If you ever have any questions for an American, send me an e-mail. Thanks. Bill Roland Respond to this message Author Reply BWMA Soft drinks downsizing May 2 2001, 5:56 PM Bill, Feet in Britain are used almost universally to describe height - for instance, a 15ft bridge. It is very unusual to use feet to describe distance. For example, a road sign may say: "15 ft bridge, 200 yds". I've noticed that the US uses a wider variety of fractions to describe parts of a mile, for instance, six-tenths of a mile. In Britain, it is usually only quarter-miles and half-miles. With reference to Coca Cola and Pepsi, you might want to look at the Great Metric Rip-Off page. There is a photograph of a US 12 floz Pepsi can alongside a metric 330ml can. Needless to say, the metric can is smaller. American consumers need to be made aware that metric conversion will lead to smaller quantities being sold for the same price as it has in Britain, so be on your guard against metric downsizing by Pepsi and Cola. John Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrt�mlich glaubt frei zu sein. There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they are free! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
