Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/08/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Rubbish. Tell me, quickly, how many inches to 1.25 miles? Nathan Wajsman Alicante, Spain http://www.frozenlight.eu http://www.greatpix.eu http://www.nathanfoto.com PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog YNWA On Aug 9, 2010, at 10:49 PM, Rei Shinozuka wrote: > This metric debate led me to find this intriguing site from some Brits (of > all people). It's an eloquent and cogent expression of why we yahoos > cling to our inches and pounds. > > http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/estatopia/inch.htm > > Quotes: > > "Metric is a (scientific) way of measuring the world as if we were not in > it, not a part of it. But we are in the world, we are a part of it and we > need a measurement system which takes account of our existence and which > allows us to know our place in relation to nature. If we understand that > we are part of nature then we will be less inclined to destroy it." > > "Those who know their history will know that the metre was invented in > France in 1790 and is, allegedly, one ten-millionth of the distance from > the North Pole to the Equator. The invention of the metre was part of the > Revolutionaries' rational and scientific response to what they regarded as > the superstitions of the past. By contrast, the British Imperial system > (as used by the Greeks and the Romans as well as in pre-revolutionary > France) is anthropometric which means it is based on the human frame. From > time immemorial units of measure have been derived from the human figure: > palm, hand, foot, cubit etc. Some fall out of use and become archaic but > those which remain do so for the very good reason that they are > convenient, practical, easy to understand and, above all, easy to > visualise which is a necessary part of translating working drawings into a > built structure. This was clearly demonstrated to me when I recently had a > garage built. The workmen, all of whom were under 30 years of age were > thinking and working in feet and inches - 18" deep foundations, 4" step > etc. When any change such as that wrought in 1965 is mooted, nobody ever > consults the real experts, the people who actually do the work. Where > theory and practice do not coincide then theory is wrong and practice is > right. " > > "The reasons put forward in support of metric are far from compelling. > They range from the feeble (everyone else uses it) to the dimwitted (we > have ten fingers for counting on). There has never been, to my knowledge, > a logical demonstration of its superiority /in use/ over traditional > measurement. One of the most famous architects of the Modern Movement, Le > Corbusier, used feet and inches to calculate his twin modular system of > design after struggling and failing to work it out in metres and > centimetres." > > "We have now all been thoroughly brainwashed into accepting the weatherman > on TV and radio telling us the temperatures in Centigrade (or Celsius or > whatever it's called this week). But there is a curious thing happens > during the summer months. When it gets hot outside, the newspapers and > radio and TV start telling us the temperatures in Fahrenheit with phrases > such as "..in the nineties". This is understandable because talking about > temperatures "..in the high thirties" doesn't quite have the same impact. > Nor does talking in Centigrade give any indication of the /relative/ > temperature, i.e. how it feels to us. Is it hot or cold today? Will I need > a coat if I go out?" > > -rei > > > On 08/09/2010 11:39 AM, Aram Langhans wrote: >> Ah, to be metric. I sure remember the ill-fated attempt in this country >> to "Go Metric". I had just started teaching in this little town in >> Washington, Odessa. I was teaching 6-8th grade science. The law gave >> all kinds of money and materials to schools to teach the kids metric. >> The school looked around at the staff and classes they had and asked, >> "Hmm. Who should we give this task to. I know. Science teachers. They >> use metric anyway." So the task was mine. But they also looked at all >> the materials that were send and saw that there was a "lot" of math >> involved, so the said the math teachers could assist the science >> teachers. Let the fun begin. The materials, or at least the ones that I >> got, were all conversion based. Lets teach our kids how to convert from >> the English system to the Metric (or should I say SI) system. I looked >> at that and said, forget that. They will never learn it that way. So, >> the math teacher and I devised an immersion curriculum. For 15 minutes >> each day (at the start. It expanded as time went on), we started talking >> in just "metric". We would hold up objects and ask what length, volume, >> mass, etc. they were. Just "Think Metric". We went on metric field >> trips around town, walking about and asking how far that was, sizes, >> masses, etc. The kids were really learning the metric system. Of >> course, after they left our classes, they were back in the English world >> again. It didn't take many years and the school district said stop. Too >> bad. I felt we were really making progress and the students were >> bilingual in measurement. >> This country has always been afraid of change. From things as benign as >> metric to civil rights. If I remember correctly, when Canada changed, >> they just said this is the way it will be and did not teach how to >> convert. As Nike says, Just Do It. Change all the signs, order forms, >> product labels, etc. Just Do It. Mass confusion for a bit, but if you >> have to, you will. Of course, any politician who votes for something like >> that would not be reelected. >> So, as a scientist and science teacher, I just plug along an in my class, >> we Just Do It until it is second nature. >> >> Aram >> >> Aram Langhans >> Semi-retired (retarded?) Science Teacher >> & Unemployed photographer >> >> "The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin >> himself would ever have dared dream." James D. Watson >> >>> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:07:57 -0400 >>> From: Rei Shinozuka <shino at panix.com> >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Today is 8/9/10 >>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Message-ID: <4C5FEF9D.40406 at panix.com> >>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed >>> >>> On 08/09/2010 03:34 AM, Jeff Moore wrote: >>>> While I don't want the world to be boringly culturally homogeneous, >>>> there are some things we should all just get with the program on: >>>> >>>> >>>> - Use the metric system, dammit. >>>> >>>> >>> Metric? We might as well dissolve the NFL and watch guys in shorts >>> maneuvering black and white Archimedean Buckyballs using only their feet. >>> >>> :-) >>> >>> But any American born in the 1960s should remember this: >>> >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Metric_Marvels >>> >>> The article closes: >>> >>> "Ultimately, /The Metric Marvels/ failed to convince Americans to >>> convert to the metric system. ... Americans largely ignored governmental >>> attempts to push them in the direction of metrication, and the USMB [ >>> (U.S. Metric Board <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Metric_Board>) ] >>> was eventually disbanded in 1982 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982>." >>> >>> -rei >>> (the ugly american, whose favorite lens is the 1.97 inch noctilux) >>> >>> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >