Hatunen wrote:

> In fact, the US is metric where it counts, including in
> international trade.

Where it counts would be in science and engineering but it's
still not happening, AIUI.

--
"Checking identity papers is a complete waste of time. If anyone can
be counted on to have valid papers, it will be the terrorists".

On Thu, 10 May 2007 12:21:00 GMT, Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 10:05:38 +0100, The Reid
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>>Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or quarter litre of
>>>beer.
>>
>>Yes, but i'm contrasting the key quantity and its relevance (of course
>>we can cope). I have drunk a litre glass of beer, but its hardly
>>convenient!
>
>I found half-litres in Munich on a Saturday morning in the
>square very convenient. No queue when the queue for litres
>was 100 deep.

Which queues? Where exactly were you?


> For a very logical people that particular bit
>of logic escaped me. Until I realised that there was a sort
>of macho thing - it wasn't done to be seen drinking such a
>wimp size.

All those bloody Australian back packing Sheilas buying rounds?
>
>So I was a wimp - and got served much more quickly:-)

I don't recall seeing lots of people drinking litres in Munich, except in beer
halls, beer gardens and beer festivals.
--

Martin

The Reid wrote:
> On Wed, 09 May 2007 23:05:17 -0400, "Frank F. Matthews"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>>their case will probably be about ability to compare prices.
>>
>>I can see that as needing to limit the range of product sizes but that
>>appears to be a silly reason.
>
>
> dont follow you at all. I'm talking about showing price per K
> everywhere so buyer can compare easily. I understand that to be the
> reason trading standards insist on a K price. Its been a few market
> traders IIRC who were against it. Silly really as its easy to get a
> pounds weight from a K scale by putting in 2.2 (or whatever it is) as
> the price. A chap I know who has a sausage stall did complain about
> the cost of a K scale, a fair point for a small business.
>

Such a requirement would be equally effective if you required a price
per pound posting.


>
>>You might do well to require product
>>listings in Imperial on all items entering Britain. That would simplify
>>product comparisons.
>
>
> insisting on imperial for good entering Britain? Why? We have gone
> metric.

From the point of view of folks who prefer Imperial it might be better.

Mary Pegg wrote:

> Hatunen wrote:
>
>
>>In fact, the US is metric where it counts, including in
>>international trade.
>
>
> Where it counts would be in science and engineering but it's
> still not happening, AIUI.
>

I'm not sure of Engineering but pretty much all US science has been done
in metric units for 50 years.

David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) wrote:

> The Reid <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>On Thu, 10 May 2007 09:54:33 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
>>_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
>>
>>
>>>There's
>>>surely no more relevance to us of a mile than a kilometer, even a pound
>>>to a kilogramme?
>>
>>I find a pound much nearer to what I'm likely to buy, seafood in Ks
>>looks absurdly expensive and how often do you want a kilo?
>
>
> half a kilo isn't a problem, but it depends what you're buying. I don't
> think much about weight when I'm buying seafood anyway- I'll say, one of
> those, a dozen of those and so on.
>

It is interesting how rarely a weight measurement is used in purchasing
food.

>
>>>>The metric system is of a scientific basis. It gives the great
>>>>advantage of easy to use subdivisions which you certainly don't get in
>>>>imperial! But you do get a name for a glass of beer about the size you
>>>>want
>>>
>>>Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or quarter litre of
>>>beer.
>>
>>Yes, but i'm contrasting the key quantity and its relevance (of course
>>we can cope). I have drunk a litre glass of beer, but its hardly
>>convenient!
>
>
> But a half-litre isn't any more difficult to order than a half pint!
>

Make credence recognised that on Thu, 10 May 2007 16:24:07 +0200,
Martin <[email protected]> has scripted:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 14:38:43 +0200, Deeply Filled Mortician
><deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>
>>Make credence recognised that on 10 May 2007 02:20:17 -0700,
>>[email protected] has scripted:
>>
>>>On 10 mei, 11:23, Deeply Filled Mortician
>>><deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>>>> Make credence recognised that on Thu, 10 May 2007 09:36:08 +0100, The
>>>> Reid <[email protected]> has scripted:
>>>>
>>>> >On Thu, 10 May 2007 09:18:13 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
>>>> >_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >>> same anywhere. I have no idea how tall I am in metric.
>>>>
>>>> >>I don't think it's about ability.
>>>>
>>>> >not at all. I assume the OP was a troll.
>>>>
>>>> Mr Newport a troll? How dare you!
>>>>
>>>> >>I was brought up with the metric
>>>> >>system at school. I understand it perfectly well, but even for me, I
>>>> >>still 'feel' certain imperial measurements more. My height and weight in
>>>> >>imperial,
>>>>
>>>> >my weight is UK stones, when I hear x lbs it means nothing without a
>>>> >mental calculation.
>>>>
>>>> My weight is easy in kgs - 100.
>>>>
>>>> (who's a big boy then?)
>>>
>>>Fat bastard :-)
>>
>>It's all in my mind!
>
>Fat head :-)

Better that ****head I guess. How do you think my little scooter feels
when I mount it?

Yeah, all jokes aside, I am mostly muscle, which I attribute to good
genes and heavy beer glasses. Certainly little effort is made on my
part!
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

Make credence recognised that on Thu, 10 May 2007 10:05:38 +0100, The
Reid <[email protected]> has scripted:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 09:54:33 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne,
>_the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:
>
>> There's
>>surely no more relevance to us of a mile than a kilometer, even a pound
>>to a kilogramme?
>
>I find a pound much nearer to what I'm likely to buy, seafood in Ks
>looks absurdly expensive and how often do you want a kilo?

It's all in your mind of course. Going to Turkey makes (made?)
everything look expensive too.

Oddly, the Italians measure many things in "etti", by the 100 grams.
I'd love to see the babelfish translation for that!

>>> The metric system is of a scientific basis. It gives the great
>>> advantage of easy to use subdivisions which you certainly don't get in
>>> imperial! But you do get a name for a glass of beer about the size you
>>> want
>>
>>Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or quarter litre of
>>beer.
>
>Yes, but i'm contrasting the key quantity and its relevance (of course
>we can cope). I have drunk a litre glass of beer, but its hardly
>convenient!

If the queue to the bar is long, it's very convenient. Of course if
it's red hot weather (as it often is in Oz), small servings are much
better.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

Make credence recognised that on Thu, 10 May 2007 16:48:28 +0200,
Martin <[email protected]> has scripted:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 12:21:00 GMT, Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:

>> For a very logical people that particular bit
>>of logic escaped me. Until I realised that there was a sort
>>of macho thing - it wasn't done to be seen drinking such a
>>wimp size.
>
>All those bloody Australian back packing Sheilas buying rounds?

*shiver*

Oz producing a hell of a lot of angry, bitter, and very masculine
women.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

On Thu, 10 May 2007 15:05:54 -0400, "Frank F. Matthews"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>Mary Pegg wrote:
>
>> Hatunen wrote:
>>
>>
>>>In fact, the US is metric where it counts, including in
>>>international trade.
>>
>>
>> Where it counts would be in science and engineering but it's
>> still not happening, AIUI.
>>
>
>I'm not sure of Engineering but pretty much all US science has been done
>in metric units for 50 years.

Yep.

As to engineering, unless something is being engineered to sell
in a foreign country, what does it matter? And if it is being
engineered for a foreign country it will be engineered metric.

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Thu, 10 May 2007 07:33:54 +0100, The Reid
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Wed, 09 May 2007 20:28:22 -0700, VainGlorious
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>This aversion to full immersion was partly because older Americans
>>displayed an inability to grasp metric
>
>same anywhere. I have no idea how tall I am in metric.

About ten years ago we were vsiting some friends in England. The
wife wanted to know what I weighed, and I replied, "about 210
pounds." She turned to her husband and asked, "How much is that
in stone?"

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Hatunen <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Thu, 10 May 2007 07:33:54 +0100, The Reid
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >On Wed, 09 May 2007 20:28:22 -0700, VainGlorious
> ><[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >>This aversion to full immersion was partly because older Americans
> >>displayed an inability to grasp metric
> >
> >same anywhere. I have no idea how tall I am in metric.
>
> About ten years ago we were vsiting some friends in England. The
> wife wanted to know what I weighed, and I replied, "about 210
> pounds." She turned to her husband and asked, "How much is that
> in stone?"

That's no surprise.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

On Thu, 10 May 2007 09:54:33 +0100, [email protected] (David
Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)) wrote:


>Originally, perhaps, but I think that we deal with so many different
>sizes now that it's less important- perhaps also with the
>industrialisation and mechanisation of so many aspects of life. There's
>surely no more relevance to us of a mile than a kilometer, even a pound
>to a kilogramme?

Now if they would just internationally establish uniform clothing
and show sizes.

>
>> The metric system is of a scientific basis. It gives the great
>> advantage of easy to use subdivisions which you certainly don't get in
>> imperial! But you do get a name for a glass of beer about the size you
>> want
>
>Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or quarter litre of
>beer.

American civil engineering largely retains the foot as the
standard unit, but deals in decimals of a foot, as "301.12 feet".
There are no fractions. Some manufacturers do similarly with
inches as their stndard unit. As far back as the 1950s Ford was
using inches and 1/100 of an inch as units. Curiously, though,
the basic sizes of tires are still expressed in inches, even in
metric countries.

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Thu, 10 May 2007 12:21:00 GMT, Alan S <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Thu, 10 May 2007 10:05:38 +0100, The Reid
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>>Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or quarter litre of
>>>beer.
>>
>>Yes, but i'm contrasting the key quantity and its relevance (of course
>>we can cope). I have drunk a litre glass of beer, but its hardly
>>convenient!
>
>I found half-litres in Munich on a Saturday morning in the
>square very convenient. No queue when the queue for litres
>was 100 deep. For a very logical people that particular bit
>of logic escaped me. Until I realised that there was a sort
>of macho thing - it wasn't done to be seen drinking such a
>wimp size.
>
>So I was a wimp - and got served much more quickly:-)

But isn't a half-litre of beer more costly that half the price of
a litre?


--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Hatunen wrote on Thu, 10 May 2007 14:46:35 -0700:

??>> On Thu, 10 May 2007 10:05:38 +0100, The Reid
??>> <[email protected]> wrote:
??>>
??>>>> Not sure about that. I can easily deal with a half or
??>>>> quarter litre of beer.
??>>>
??>>> Yes, but i'm contrasting the key quantity and its
??>>> relevance (of course we can cope). I have drunk a litre
??>>> glass of beer, but its hardly convenient!
??>>
??>> I found half-litres in Munich on a Saturday morning in the
??>> square very convenient. No queue when the queue for litres
??>> was 100 deep. For a very logical people that particular
??>> bit of logic escaped me. Until I realised that there was a
??>> sort of macho thing - it wasn't done to be seen drinking
??>> such a wimp size.
??>>
??>> So I was a wimp - and got served much more quickly:-)

H> But isn't a half-litre of beer more costly that half the
H> price of a litre?

I seem to remember the terminology on my first visit to Munich
in the 60s was "ein grosses Bier" was a liter and "ein kleines
Bier" was half a liter. Anyone who wants to correct my German
grammar is welcome to do so but don't hope for much improvement!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

On Thu, 10 May 2007 22:43:18 +0100, [email protected] (David Horne, _the_
chancellor (*)) wrote:

>Hatunen <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 10 May 2007 07:33:54 +0100, The Reid
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >On Wed, 09 May 2007 20:28:22 -0700, VainGlorious
>> ><[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> >>This aversion to full immersion was partly because older Americans
>> >>displayed an inability to grasp metric
>> >
>> >same anywhere. I have no idea how tall I am in metric.
>>
>> About ten years ago we were vsiting some friends in England. The
>> wife wanted to know what I weighed, and I replied, "about 210
>> pounds." She turned to her husband and asked, "How much is that
>> in stone?"
>
>That's no surprise.

Once I had worked out that an American doesn't refer to his own wife as "the
wife"
--

Martin