This method to 'win people over' will never work. The BBC are not anti-metric (and neither is the spokesperson here) and this will just come over as 'aggressive pro-metric'.
Please take that as constructive criticism and realise that most on this planet don't hold polar views on measuring things. From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [USMA:46081] Pliosaurs and sharks Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:23:40 +1100 CC: [email protected]; [email protected] Dear Richard, I am impressed. You were able in your presentation at http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8322000/8322629.stm to almost avoid the use of measurements altogether. Your exaggerated arm waving probably keeps you fit! Your only exception was your use of 'half inch' when you referred to the human jaw. This poses two questions: Do you also protect all of your students from measurements on a routine basis? Do you always encourage the exclusive use in palaeontology of only referring to old pre-metric measuring words as you do here? Maybe the article, 'Don't use metric' ( at http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/DontUseMetric.pdf ) will help you with your struggle against the post-1668 modernity of the metric system (see Who invented the English metric system in 1668? at http://www.metricationmatters.com/who-invented-the-metric-system.html ) Cheers and thanks for the story – it puts the size of our Australian sharks to shame – see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/27/shark-bites-shark-in-half_n_335346.html where you will be happy to note that the BBC has already dumbed down the metric units for you when (in their text) they describe the six metre shark as 20 feet. Pat Naughtin Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, that you can obtain from http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html 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 to subscribe. _________________________________________________________________ New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/buy/
