Recent Comments
- Richard Ational on The generation gap
- comparator on Which? sees the light – and Panorama joins in
- Ezra Steinberg on FAQs about the transition to metric signs on UK roads
- philh on FAQs about the transition to metric signs on UK roads
- John Frewen-Lord on FAQs about the transition to metric signs on UK roads
-
Subscribe comments via RSS
Meta
Categories
Monthly Archives: November 2007
Slowly but surely ….
A reader of Metric Views reports on his regular shopping for essentials, and comes to an upbeat conclusion.
Posted in Consumer affairs
4 Comments
“We oldies can manage metric OK”
This letter from an older correspondent speaks for itself:
Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Media
2 Comments
Which Council in the UK is most metric?
Philip Bladon of Redditch puts this question. He also asks which local authority is most supportive of metrication. The editors of Metric Views, however, have doubts about whether this would be a useful line of enquiry, and invite comment from … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Road signs
4 Comments
An expatriate’s perspective on metrication
This letter from an expatriate Brit in Switzerland may be of interest. It illustrates very well the frustration felt by many people (not only expatriates) at the insularity and ignorance of so many of our compatriots.
Posted in General, Views from abroad
3 Comments
How big is a hectare?
One of the least known metric units – and one which journalists and estate agents seem to struggle with – is the hectare (ha). So perhaps it will help to relate this very useful measure to the sizes of sports … Continue reading
Posted in General, Sport
21 Comments
A critic writes – and a response
UKMA’s Chairman received the following critical letter from a thoughtful correspondent (a student or teacher of physics). As it is better argued than most efforts from defenders of imperial measures, it was thought that it was worth publishing (slightly edited … Continue reading
Posted in Education, General, Technical
11 Comments
Why trundle at 186 when you can whizz along at 300?
The age of high speed rail finally reaches London on November 14th, when the final section of High Speed 1 – or HS1 to its friends – opens, to complete the link from London to Paris and Brussels. This will … Continue reading
Posted in Media, Transport
8 Comments
Would lined beer glasses solve the pint problem?
It is sometimes claimed by opponents of the metric system that any interference with “the British working man’s pint” would spell political death for any party that dared to touch it. Leaving aside the sexist assumptions behind the claim, let … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer affairs
26 Comments
Boeing’s Dreamliner – grounded by US units of measurement?
The delay in Boeing’s “787 Dreamliner project” has been widely reported. Now an article in The Seattle Times has given rise to speculation about a link between Boeing’s problems and the units of measurement used in the US.
Posted in Technical, Transport
14 Comments
Driver location signs – possibly coming to a motorway near you
Martin Vlietstra, a regular contributor to Metric Views, draws our attention to a trial of driver location signs, to be conducted by the Highways Agency. Martin notes that these signs are metric, and draws attention to the explanation for this.
Posted in Road signs, Technical, Transport
9 Comments