End of ADS-L Digest - 26 Sep 1995 to 27 Sep 1995

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There are 43 messages totalling 1235 lines in this issue.



Topics of the day:



 1. going metric

 2. ? Phrase: "Johnny at the rathole" (fwd)

 3. Masters programs and beyond (9)

 4. candy bars and measurements -Reply (2)

 5. Going Decimal (3)

 6. Phrase (3)

 7. Metric? Bah! Humbug!

 8. candy bar (3)

 9. from Lynne re candy (3)

 10. jobs and pragmatism

 11. candy bars and measurements (2)

 12. reese's cups

 13. Query about Language Concentrations in English Depts. (5)

 14. X-Post from LINGUIST: Varieties of English

 15. What Can You Do with a Degree in X (2)

 16. metrification

 17. Language in the Judicial Process: Issue 2 will be online shortly

 18. from Lynne re candy -Reply

 19. What Can You Do with a Degree in X -Reply

 20. metrification -Reply



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Date:  Thu, 28 Sep 1995 01:12:58 -0400

From:  ALICE FABER <faber[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]HASKINS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: Re: going metric



Dennis Baron asks:

 |

 | Is going metric like going postal, only more so? When I spent a year in

 | France we went metric in a big way. Distance, liquid measure, even the

 | 24-hour clock and decimal currency were no problem. The only problem I had

 | with metric was the temperature. I know there's an easy formula, and I was

 | always perfectly comfortable doing centigrade in science labs. But somehow

 | it was all meaningless when it came to the weather (or sick children, tho

 | we did bring along a fahrenheit oral thermometer). So every time I

 | listened to the meteo on the radio, I would have to stick my head out the

 | window to really know how to dress the family.



This is getting off topic, but...when I studied in Israel, the way I coped

with metric temperatures was simply to memorize a few points:

    0 freezing

    21 room temperature

    38 body temperature

    40 stinking hot

Everything else was proportions (halfway between room temp and body temp is 84

F). This was kind of an operational calibration (ie, 21C is slightly cooler

than 72F), but it was the only practical way to do things.



Now distance/speed limits I could do conversions for on the fly...Go figure.



Alice Faber