FYI - Bones is shown on Sky One in the UK in an evening prime spot. Reference to imperial and metric usage has happened a lot in the series.
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [USMA:41813] Re: Mystery writer plugs CGPM > Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 09:45:22 -0500 > > Tempe Brennan? Does this take place in Arizona? > > Does the reference to the inch mean that the book's audience is limited to > the U.S.? > > I think the author neutralizes her respect for the CGPM by giving primacy to > the inch in her narrative. She is still saying that inch-pound should be the > standard of measurement. > > And, why the "Intergalactic" council? Is this a futuristic story? If so, > gosh, hasn't the U.S. gone metric by, let's say, 2200? > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "James Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Sent: 08 October, 2008 08:38 > Subject: [USMA:41812] Mystery writer plugs CGPM > > > >I just finished the novel _Devil Bones_ written by Kathy Reichs. She's a > >board-certified forensic anthropologist and a co-producer of the TV show > >"Bones" (runs on USA and Fox). She is also past Vice President of the > >American Academy of Forensic Scientists. > > > > At one point her main character, Tempe Brennan, describes the thin section > > she is going to slice from a femur. > > > > "Using a very sharp diamond blade, you cut cross-sectional slices of bone > > measuring one hundred microns in thickness. Or, at least they used to. The > > micron was officially abolished in 1967 by the CGPM, the intergalactic > > council on weights and measures. The micron is now the micrometer. No > > matter. The little bugger is still .00004 of an inch. That's why the > > slices are called thin sections." [page 118] > > > > Now, I could fault Reichs for not putting a leading zero before the > > decimal point. And, in an ideal world, she would not have felt obliged to > > give an equivalent in inches. But she did a good thing and a great thing. > > She recognized that the unit name should be micrometer. I wish that > > Science magazine (AAAS) was up to speed on that issue. Amazingly, though, > > she not only knows about the CGPM and this particular ruling, she also > > cited it in the novel! > > > > In the novel Reichs also spells out "degrees Celsius" at one point. > > Recently I chided another author of novels in this genre, Patricia > > Cornwell, for using "degrees centigrade". > > > > What a bonanza in a great mystery novel -- micrometers instead of microns. > > And a plug for CGPM to boot! > > > > Jim > > > > -- > > James R. Frysinger > > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > > > (H) 931.657.3107 > > (C) 931.212.0267 > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Make a mini you and download it into Windows Live Messenger http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354029/direct/01/
