Dear Euric, I agree with what you say, here, but I think that there is another element to this.
Many (most) people have never had direct Knowing experience of 'standards' and their associated 'definitions' before they encountered SI units and SI symbols. The nearest most people came to any sort of 'standard' was probably a dictionary 'definition' that is not really a true 'definition' but rather a 'description' of how a word has been used in the past. For people not used to 'standards' such as those embodied in SI, it must be quite confusing when they are confronted with fixed 'standards' and strict 'definitions' when their only experiences in this area are with dictionary writers who offer them 'descriptions' based (as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it on its from cover) 'On Historical Principles'. Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia -- on 2004-05-30 04.28, MightyChimp at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Even the most technologically advanced companies have ignorants, illiterates > and innumerates working for them. > > If someone wrote a report full of spelling and grammar errors, there would > be a lot of noise made. But no one seems to bat an eye if symbol errors are > made. One always gets the droll "whatever", or "so who really gives an > f---?", etc., when these types of errors are pointed out. > > The source of the problem is that unit symbol correctness is not taught in > school, so it isn't seen as important. > > Euric > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "m. f. moon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, 2004-05-29 12:28 > Subject: [USMA:30000] Re: R]EADIN > > > I few years ago, when I was using Glide tooth floss, their package used 50M > as > the size. I > wrote them an email saying that a company that was technologically advanced > should be > using proper terms -- specifically 50 m as the size. I received a somewhat > "snotty" reply > that yes but that is the was it is. They said that when they created new > packaging, they > would consider changing their usage. Some 3 or so years later, they did, on > some of their > packages, change the usage. > > Marion Moon > > "MightyChimp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > What might help send a message to the American companies that do that would > be for someone like you to contact them. You could say you are a service > technician and want to know what those terms mean and ask them for labels > showing only metric units so you can cover up the present label with > understandable information. > > If anything, it will force the American who would encounter your message > that FFU is not understood or accepted in the world. I think too many > Americans think FFU is preferred over metric or even understood even in > metric countries. So the belief is that there is no need to include metric > or use metric exclusively even in metric countries. That belief must be > challenged > > Euric > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, 2004-05-24 15:39 > Subject: [USMA:29997] Re: R]EADIN > > >> These coke machines are American ones, and they have always non metric > units >> like psi and oz on them. Any food machine manufactured in metric countries >> carries metric units. I have seen these American coke machines with psi > and >> oz on them in The Netherlands. >> Too bad for such companies that there are no ifp units for current and >> tension. >> And the BWMA..... enough said. >> >> Han >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Bill Hooper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Tuesday, 2004-05-18 1:28 >> Subject: [USMA:29827] Re: R]EADIN >> >> >>> >>> On 2004 May 17 , at 6:38 PM, MightyChimp sent us this reply from a BWMA >> member about what kinds of units are used in his experience in the UK: >>> >> Also, was looking at the coke machine at work, and saw the following >> measures' abbreviations printed on the side: psi, oz, amp, volt. So there > we >> are. >>> >>> Taken in context, that seems to say "See, I told you so -- they're all >> Imperial units." >>> >>> It appears that the poor writer may really not know that "amp"* and > "volt" >> are SI metric. >>> >>> Regards, >>> Bill Hooper >>> Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA >>> >>> * The correct term, of course, is "ampere", not "amp", but I wouldn't >> expect anything better from a BWMA member. >> >> > >
