yeah, there would be enough foreigners to teach true americans SI :-D ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nat Hager III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 10:35 PM Subject: [USMA:20777] Re: Optimism vs. Pessimism [was RE: Re: Reciprocal quantities (was: L/100 km)]
> John, > > I know he should have said SI, rather than "metrics". And he should have > educated readers on thinking in Celsius, rather than just converting to > Fahren-whatever. And he shouldn't have made the comment about the Swedish > person being metric-obsesssd, when metric usage there is the norm. > > But that's not the point. The point is he seemed to indicate a growing > acceptance of metric in NYC. His comment about increasing use of metrric in > people's "civilian life", acceptance of metric among speakers, the "lack of > complaints" about metric, and that "everyone on the street understands > metrics", etc, etc. > > Frankly I don't care how they mispronounce it - for now - so long as they > start using it! > > 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. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
