Odd Hedberg writes:
>and as You know it's virtually only the US that still haven't
>jumped on this very effective train...
Don't forget Brunei! Its the the U.S. AND Brunei that have not
adopted the metric system! How dare you single us out like that!
Just kidding. Your point is well taken. Although the metric system
is 200 years old it is far more modern and logical than the old "English"
system (which isn't necessarily "English" in origin) which is based on
the length of somebody's FOOT! And how many rods are in a furlong?
I read an editorial by a woman railing against the metric system because
when one converts a recipe to metric and the recipe calls for which
calls for one cup of milk the the metric equivilant is 236.6 cc and
where are you going to find a container with 236.6 cc? Of course this
is what they call the "Straw man defense". The quantities recipes are
called out in recipes are "rounded out to convienent measurements. Ever
notice that recipes always call out an integral amount of eggs? 1 egg
or 3 eggs. Never 0.8 eggs or 2.3 eggs. And when converting to metric
one cup could be 225 cc or 250 cc with equivivent results.
I know that a lot of the people on the list don't like the metric system.
Actually what they don't like is converting to the metric system.
Converting to a different system is like changing to a different
language. Why learn something new when the old works perfectly well?
Well these are geo-political issues and I am a technical person so I
will not try to change the world here. As for myself, I have no problem
with the metric system. I am quite comfortable with it and could change
over in a month or so. As for my fellow Americans, they will have to
get with the program when the EC finally congeals and dominates world
economics.
Dave (1.78 m tall) Massey
St. Louis, MO United States of Americus Vespucci
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