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Author Archives: derekp
Fire hydrant signs – a successful metric conversion
Metric Views looks at a successful but unsung project that took place during the early years of the UK’s metric transition. We speculate what might have occurred had this job been the responsibility, not of local government, but of the … Continue reading
Posted in General, History, Road signs, Technical
Tagged DfT, fire hydrant signs, metric road signs
5 Comments
Just how much does not being fully metric cost the UK economy?
One of our regular readers, John Frewen-Lord, has compiled a quiz, or rather two quizzes, to illustrate the waste resulting from the UK’s measurement muddle. The editors of Metric Views are unsure why a penalty of £1 per second has … Continue reading
Prospects improve for food energy labelling using SI units
One of our readers wrote to Sainsbury’s to ask that guideline daily amounts (GDAs) of energy shown on packaging should be shown in kilojoules, the SI unit, as well as or instead of kilocalories. He has received a reply that … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer affairs, Health, Law, Science
Tagged calorie, energy, food-labelling, joule
4 Comments
Mesures usuelles. An anniversary remembered
The comment by Han Maenen on the previous article reminds us that this is the 200th anniversary of a decree which ended temporarily the use of the metric system for everyday purposes in France and elsewhere.
Posted in General, History, Technical, Views from abroad
Tagged customary, mesures-usuelles, metric, Napoleon, traditional
5 Comments
The generation gap
In his recent article “Why I …”, Ronnie Cohen looked at the present to explain why he believes the UK should complete the transition to metric units. However, some of those who commented on his article also looked back. In … Continue reading
Posted in Education, General, History, Science, Technical
Tagged construction industry, Education, metric, metrication
3 Comments
Battle of the dinosaurs
Metric Views marks the end of 2011 by drawing attention to a recent exchange of letters in the Irish Times, one looking backwards, the other with a message to take into 2012.
Heading for the exit?
Problems of sovereign debt in the eurozone have seen the UK side-tracked in EU decision making, and, say some commentators, headed for the exit. Is this situation likely to impact on the UK’s stalled metric changeover?
Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, History, Road signs
Tagged EU, Eurozone, metrication
8 Comments
Outlines of Pacific trade deal announced
On 12 November, Voice of America reported as follows: “President Barack Obama has announced that the United States and eight other Pacific nations have reached the broad outlines of an agreement to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to liberalize trade.
Christmas approaches so reach for a mail order catalogue
One of our regular contributors has submitted a comment about mail order catalogues, even though he admits there is no Metric Views article to which it relates. We are happy to respond by reproducing part of one of several articles … Continue reading
Posted in Consumer affairs, General
Tagged imperial scales, mail-order-catalogues, metric
10 Comments
Spotlight falls (again) on the high cost of construction in the UK
The magazine New Civil Engineer (NCE) reports this week on a recent conference in Barcelona which highlighted the wide difference between the cost of infrastructure in the UK and on the continent. So it seems that the inflated 2006 estimate … Continue reading
Posted in General, Road signs, Transport
Tagged construction-costs, Department for Transport, high-speed-rail, metric road signs
5 Comments