2002-07-01 Nat,
I think you need to post a few things on the news group to correct some nasty errors. First, the system is not called metrics, but just plain metric or SI. They might not understand the term SI, but it still should be introduced. It almost seems when metric is pluralised, it is a form of mockery. 2-nd, this would be the perfect opportunity to educate the readers on using and understanding degrees Celsius. Explain that there is no need to convert back to Fergentights. Explain the best way to remember degrees Celsius is that every 10 degrees above zero is a benchmark. 0 = freezing 10 = cool 20 = warm 30 = hot 40=fever 50=death Also, about 75�C, both blood and alcohol boil, and of course at 100�C water boils at sea level (STP). Some one came up with a poem that was similar to this. I don't remember its exact phrasing, but it went something like this: zero is ice, ten is cool, twenty is nice, thirty is cruel. We need benchmarks in SI that people can relate to, not equivalents in FFU. And please mention that it is also pernickety when FFU-obsessed types try to drag the rest of us back to the stone age. This is the 21-st century AD, not the 21-st century BC. If you want to live in a stone age culture, then please move to Afghanistan John . ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nat Hager III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, 2002-07-01 22:14 Subject: Optimism vs. Pessimism [was RE: [USMA:20754] Re: Reciprocal quantities (was: L/100 km)] > Recent post on Google Groups. Just to put all this in perspective.... > > Nat > > -------------------------------------------- > > From: JOHN PAZMINO ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > Subject: Re: How is a light year e > Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur > View: Complete Thread (12 articles) | Original Format > Date: 2002-06-16 13:49:12 PST > > > PS> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Paul Schlyter) > PS> Subject: Re: How is a light year exactly measured? > PS> Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 18:00:56 +0000 (UTC) > PS> Organization: Svensk Amat|rAstronomisk F|rening > > PS> >>> 186,000 mph, give or take. > PS> >> > PS> >> The speed of light is generally considered to be: > PS> >> > PS> >> 299,792,458 meters per second. > PS> > > PS> > Boy, those metric-obessed types are persnickey, aren't they?! > PS> > PS> Welcome to the real world! Some day the US too will have to become > PS> less backwards, and start using the system of units which virtually > PS> all of the non-US parts of the world already uses. > > Maybe. In the meanwhile, home astronomers in and around New York > are already versed in metrics. Oh, in their 'civilian' life they do > revert to oldstyle, but increasig they converse in metrics. At > lectures and talks given in New York we let the speaker use metrics > and most straight off do that. > That's not only for astronomy audiences. For talks before lay > audiences we are getting increased use of metrics. And, the weirdest > thing of all, we plain no longer get any aderse complaints! It seems > that just about everyone in the street understands metrics anyway! > The one grand reason for this situation in the City is the huge, > like huge, fraction of immigrants from the nonUSA parts of the world. > IIRC from the 2000 census, something like 1/2 of all people living in > New York today (well, in 2000) were born overseas! Despite this > immense foreign population, the City is the US's largest center of > native Americans! Some 100,000 native Americans live in the City, > about 1/3 of the entire NAs in the whole US. > To be fair, the metrics in the street is the household variety, > simple distances and weights. Nothing fancy, like that needed in > science formulae or equations. > The assimilation of metrics into the City makes astronomy culture > vastly easier to bring to the people! In the planeatrium and > astronomers association, for example, we no longer 'teach' metrics. I > still do the silly gig about the meter and the 'yard' but that's about > it. On the other hand, there is a thoroly incredible method for > crosswalking between Fahrenheit and Celsius I do elaborate. > Lo here the two columns of numbers > > Fah Cel > --- --- > 103 +40 > 96 +35 > 86 +30 > 77 +25 > 68 +20 > 59 +15 > 51 +10 > 42 +5 > 33 0 > 23 -5 > 14 -10 > > The right hand column is simply the Celsius temperatures; that's easy. > The left side is Fahrenheits but with subtile discrepancies. I do note > that this table is a quick refresher and not an exact conversion > table. And ONLY if you are intimately familiar with New York does this > table make sense. It DOES NOT work in Sweden, England, Australia, > Germany, Russia, Virgin Islands, and other towns in the United States. > Just New York. > Why? > > --- > � RoseReader 2.52� P005004 > > > 2002-07-01 > > > > You just don't understand the American way of doing things. Let > > me explain: > > > > First, you find out what way everyone else is doing it. > > > > Second, just to be different, you do it the exact opposite. And > > make a big > > effort to force your way on the world. > > > > When the world rejects American methods, America responds with spite and > > nastiness, insisting the world is full of anti-American ingrates who hate > > America, who hate freedom and democracy, and want to force the > > great America > > to follow their inferior practices. > > > > Americans believe that America became great because of American > > methods and > > the world is jealous of American greatness. Get the point! > > > > It is the matter of the US wanting to be different, so it can > > brag that its > > difference is the right way and everyone else is wrong. This is why the > > metric battle is being lost. > > > > John > > > > > > > > > > > > > > There seems to be a tradition in the US marketing world, to use > > > reciprocal units in order to ensure that a higher number means better. I > > > would be curious if you have any reference for where/when this practice > > > originated historically. > > > > > > > > > >
