[WikiEN-l] Re: Consistency

Thu Mar 25 06:22:33 UTC 2004

----- Original Message -----
From: Jimmy Wales <jwales at bomis.com>
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 1:08 pm
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Re: Consistency

> Not until my generation is dead and buried, at least.  Back when I was
> in grade school in the 70s, they tried to teach us the metric system
> (which is clearly inferior and incomprehensible, by the way!) but it
> didn't take.  Being an educated person, I can do the conversions, but
> I have no intuitive grasp of Celcius temperatures, nor do most
> Americans.

   Same with mine, in the early 90s. It's more common, however, to see metric/SI required even in junior high science courses. Was at my school, anyhow. But no, it doesn't go anywhere for day-to-day tasks. I dunno what it'll take, besides force, to get Americans to abandon imperial units.

> Seriously, though, at the present time there is no significant
> movement afooot to change our measurement system, nor does anyone seem
> to particularly care.

   Very true.