Dear All, Here is a classic example of a person who decided take the "metric conversion" approach to metrication.
http://inmytrends.com/shylock-didnt-ask-for-454g-of-flesh-and-no-one-wants-to-drink-a-litre-of-wine-says-peter-hitchens.htm Anyone who chooses to use the "metric conversion" approach to their own metrication soon disappears into an intellectual swamp. It looks like this is what happened to Peter Hitchens probably in about 1965 and he has had to carry his anger about having to do constant every day "metric conversion" calculations since then. I think that his anger is misplaced. He seems to be angry at the metric system but, in truth, he is really angry at the "metric conversion" approach to the metric system that he chose for himself The transition to the metric system can be done in a day, but Peter Hitchens has chosen - probably inadvertently and in innocence of the implications for his own psyche - to extend this for 45 years (so far) with little chance that he will settle this issue anytime soon. Peter Hitchens lives in an all-metric world. He relies absolutely on the honesty of the metric system to support his metric inches, his metric ounces, and the metric miles he drives in his all-metric car. The computer Peter used to write his diatribe is an all-metric machine where the circuits are designed and made in nanometres, the chips are in micrometers, the logic board layout, the case and the screen are designed and built in millimetres. Peter Hitchens then relies on the marketers who sold him his computer as something like the 17" model. Hitchens' article is riddled with half-truths and untruths that seem to be chosen to support his ant-metric world view. When Peter Hitchens writes: "This is because a litre is a measure made up in an office, …" I think: It was a church actually. To be more specific it was probably the Church of St. Lawrence Jewry in central London as this was where Bishop John Wilkins was situated when he invented and published his idea for a "universal measure" in 1668. Within a few years Wilkins' "universal measure" was translated into the Italian "metro cattolico" and then shortened to the 'metre' that we now all use every day as part of the metric system. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/who-invented-the-metric-system.html Sadly, Peter Hitchens' article will support all the other good folk who also chose the "metric conversion" approach and are still suffering from their decision. It must be a terrible experience to have to do mental calculations every time you see any number anywhere as Peter Hitchens does. It is all so unnecessary. Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, see http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html Hear Pat speak at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lshRAPvPZY 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.
