On 2008/08/08, at 8:17 PM, Nat Hager III wrote:
I don’t want to get into the partisan debate <off-topic> but the
stupidity debate has a lot to do with slow metrication…..
Nat
What I mean, instead, is that know-nothingism — the insistence that
there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to
every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about
anyone who suggests otherwise…………de facto slogan has become: “Real
men don’t think things through.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/opinion/08krugman.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Dear Nat and All,
You don't have to have slow metrication. Metrication can be fast,
smooth, and so economical that you make additional profits following
the metrication process.
The methods to use for fast metrication have been demonstrated time
and time again in many places in the world. I have described the
various paths to metrication in the article 'Approaches to
metrication' that you will find at http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/ApproachesToMetrication.pdf
Essentially, the techniques you need to go so slowly toward
metrication can be summarised as:
1 Encourage the idea and practice of metric conversion.
2 Use a mix of fractions (both common or vulgar and decimal fractions)
rather than using the metric prefixes to favor whole numbers.
3 Don't establish a metrication policy for your self, your family,
your work group, your company, your industry. or your nation.
4 Where possible build a choice into your metrication policy such as
baby mass can be either grams or kilograms or human height can be in
millimetres, centimetres, or metres. The argument 'but don't they know
they just have to move the decimal point' doesn't cut it in a world
where many people are essentially innumerate.
5 Encourage the idea that the metric system is foreign (deny that the
metric system was invented in England and that the decimal nature of
the metric system was in large part driven by Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington)
6 Encourage the use of centimetres -- although these are a legal part
of the initial (1790s) metric system, these have always been shown to
slow metrication processes dramatically.
7 Encourage the use of 'hidden metric'. Develop processes to lie about
when you actually use the metric system because of it ease of use and
accuracy. Don't tell anyone. Develop a veneer of untruths to
communicate with the public. Use the motor industry, the computer
industry, and NASA as your examples.
8 Dumb down metric measures whenever and wherever you can. If someone
asks, 'What's that in pounds?' do the calculation and then tell them
the dumbed down conversion so that they can maintain their silly mind-
set for another generation (or two if they pass on this silliness to
their children).
9 Don't give rules of thumb such as 'your little finger is about 10
millimetres across if you are female and the fingernail is about 10
millimetres across if you are male'.
10 Don't ever let anyone know that most companies, industries, and
nations save money from the metrication process. Maintain the lie that
metrication costs money.
These are not in any order, they are just the first 10 that came to
mind when I thought about your comment on stupidity and slow
metrication. You will find supporting articles on most of these issues
at http://www.metricationmatters.com/articles/ where probably the most
important are:
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/MetricConversion.pdf
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/centimetresORmillimetres.pdf
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/CostOfNonMetrication.pdf
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/WholeNumberRule.pdf
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/
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