You know that I will disagree with you because I prefer dual measures -
but
you miss out my key point.
I was talking about the US. and that *at least* move to dual notation
*then*
campaing to get the imperial bit abolished.
as i said I cannot agree with that point of view but I can make an
observation.
It's interesting that I would like to see Americans see metric as well as
imperial, whereas you want me to be unable to see imperial alongside
metric.
I've never got my head around that.
>From: "Philip S Hall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>Subject: [USMA:35018] Re: The pitfalls of double conversion.
>Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 12:34:22 +0100
>
>But it is because of dual measures that this sort of muddle arises in
>the
>first place.
>
>There is no virtue in campaigning to keep it that way.
>
>Phil Hall
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Humphreys"
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 10:01 AM
>Subject: [USMA:35017] Re: The pitfalls of double conversion.
>
>
>>Make your mind up Daniel. You've been going on about the UK being
>>totally
>>metric and the BBC being the same but recently that's all changed (a
>>few
>>times actually).
>>
>>Also, it's worth pointing out that Daniel believes that the BBC vets
>>people phoning in on live radio debates to make sure that the caller
>>speaks in imperial only and not metric. I won't enclose a link to the
>>page that says this unless anyone wants to take this offline.
>>
>>The simple fact is - without conspiracy - the info was most probably
>>originally in metric. It was then converted to imperial - then, on
>>this
>>"history news" item, the imperial figures were used and the BBC
>>"bi-lingualled" it back again. At the end of the day the accuracy is
>>such
>>that I suspect it matters very little either way. I would suggest
>>that
>>a move forward here (for metric) would be to suggest that US news
>>sources
>>use both notations rather than just convert to imperial all the time.
>>
>>
>>>From: "Daniel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>>>Subject: [USMA:35013] Re: The pitfalls of double conversion.
>>>Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:16:35 -0400
>>>
>>>300,000 miles (483,000 km)
>>>
>>>185 miles (298 km)
>>>
>>> 60 miles (96.5 km)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>What you are saying is that the use of imperial caused a corruption
in
>>>the metric values from 480 000, or possibly 500 000 to 483 000, from
>>>300
>>>km to 298 km, and from 100 km to 96.5 km. I
>>>
>>>This was obviously done on purpose to give the impression that the
>>>Russians, and everyone else for that matter thought in imperial, thus
>>>the
>>>use of rounded imperial numbers, and metric was just added to show
how >>>it
>>>produces silly, un-rounded numbers. Thus if anyone ever tries to
tell >>>us
>>>that going metric would make numbers simpler, then all we need do is
>>>show
>>>them something like this to prove it is imperial that is simpler and
>>>metric is difficult.
>>>
>>>The BBC needs to re-edit the article, remove the corrupted units, and
>>>replace the metric values with the original.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Dan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>
>>> From: Remek Kocz
>>> To: U.S. Metric Association
>>> Sent: Wednesday, 2005-10-26 17:27
>>> Subject: [USMA:35012] The pitfalls of double conversion.
>>>
>>>
>>> The BBC website has a neat feature where they post news items from
>>>decades past. Today, the article
>>> on the Soviet probe seding back the first pictures of the dark
side >>> of
>>>the moon. The article cites
>>> imperial dimensions followed by metric ones in parentheses. From
>>> the
>>>metric equivalents given, it's pretty clear that BBC just
>>> converted the measurements from the original news story to metric
>>>without realizing that they were metric in the first place,
>>> the data coming from metric Soviets and all.
>>>
>>> I'm enclosing the link, just to show how inetesting the results
can >>> be
>>>when a double conversion takes place. From metric to
>>> imperial and then back to metric again. It's like that game kids
>>> play
>>>in school where a phrase is whispered from child to child, to see
>>> how the phrase will change by the time it reaches the last child.
>>>
>>>
>>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/26/newsid_4045000/4045913.stm
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>> Version: 7.1.361 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/149 - Release Date:
>>>2005-10-25
>>
>>
>
