Re: Metric Time (was Re: Why not 13 months? (Was La Systeme Metrique))

DaveHatunen (hatunen@netcom.com)
Sun, 15 Oct 1995 05:32:03 GMT

In article <5vpRAePEcsB@khms.westfalen.de>,
Kai Henningsen <kai@khms.westfalen.de> wrote:
>hatunen@netcom.com (DaveHatunen) wrote on 10.10.95 in <hatunenDG950E.L3L@netcom.com>:
>
>> You're a day late and a dollar short (must have to do with being
>> Canadian or something). As far as the rest of the world is concerned,
>> trade-wise, the US is already on the metric system. Almost all
>> manufactures these days use metric.
>
>That certainly explains why all the measures I've seen on US products
>bought over here have been metric ... NOT!
>
>In fact, I can't remember a single metric unit used except sometimes as an
>afterthought ("oh yes, these n inches are n*2.54 mm"). (Umm, except for
>products produced outside the US, even if under a US name. Like, you know,
>Coca Cola.)

And what are some of some of those products? Are they products where
tools would be required, or products where it really doesn't matter,
like beverages and foods?

>The "interesting" result of the US state of affairs is that TV sizes are
>measured in cm, while computer monitor screens are measured in inches ...
>ridiculous.

And European automobile tire rims are measured in inches. What's your
point?

>> As for what units Americans use in their personal lives, what's it to
>> you?
>
>It hampers my communication with them. It is a problem when reading books
>by US authors (which I do very often).

Hey, When literature is easy, it's not very good literature.

>In short, it has ramifications for *my* personal life.

Tough it out. And don't read any old books from before teh metric
system was adopted.

>> I am happy to see, though, that you Canadians recognize our dominance in
>> the world by telling us we're holding the rest of it up. Good to know
>> we still count for something.
>
>You count for something like 5% of the total population, if I got the
>right numbers. I've no numbers for things like GNP, but I expect the
>figure's a lot higher. Even more so with nuclear arsenal or space flight
>capability. Other aspects probably somewhere in between.

Ah, now how could only 5% "hold up the rest of the world" unless they
have dominance. You can't have it both ways.

WAtch out now...

>That's certainly enough to hold the rest of it up. Not forever, though.

Make up your mind.

-- 





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