Scientists grinding 'perfect' spheres
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/...
Excerpt
CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- They will be the earth's roundest spheres, crafted by Australian scientists as part of an international hunt to find a new global standard kilogram.
coke?
Standardising the cocaine traffic more precisely?
Kilos of cocaine are the main inroads the metric system has made in the US.
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meetings, n.:
Where minutes are kept, and hours are lost.
No, Standardizing The World's Weights And Measures System!
Earthling
Then maybe, the United States will stop hanging on to its antiquated system. It makes no difference to me! I can work in both systems; but, everyone can't!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
Disgusted of Britain
As a Brit I am disgusted that we have had to go metric. Bring back lbs and oz, I say. But the government only dared to go so far.
Just let them try to take away the British pint of beer in the pub.
So far, they haven't dared.
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I'm fanatical about moderation (almost)
Anthony North
The Pint Of Beer, Nector Of The Gods, Is Sacred, And...
Anthony
Must be kept! I would never defile Holy Beer! But, 500ml. of Holy Beer, Nector Of The Gods, is just as sacred! So, you drink your pint, and I'll drink my 500ml.!:)
On the serious side, however, I would argue that systems based on ten or a multiple of ten are much easier to work with, and, as such, should be adopted. Please, don't take this question the wrong way; but, "Does the fact that the Metric System is a French System have anything to do with your opposition to it?" There was absolutely nothing implied in that question! But, from a historical and cultural perspective, I think that it is a legitimate question that needs to be asked. My British friends here in Japan are indifferent.
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
differentiate
The US pint compares unfavourably to the half-liter, in that this pint is only about 0.473 liters.
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meetings, n.:
Where minutes are kept, and hours are lost.
The Pint
Good morning, everyone,
Cnnek, I can see the point of standardised measurements worldwide, in an economic sense, but I feel this is only a minor concern. Much more important is the sense of loss of culture many countries are suffering through globalisation.
The British pint may seem only a minor part of this, but if every element of culture is seen as only minor, this is how it is taken away.
Have globalisation, yes, but not at the expense of local cultures. They provide identity, meaning. And as I've said before, nature/evolution only work through absolute diversity.
Do we want a world of vibrancy and diversity, or a blanket sameness?
Did you mention the French? I forget.
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The balanced adult retains an inner child
Anthony North
true words Anthony
totally agree.......is there nothing wrong with export goods haveing......metric/imperial......or vise versa.
I learnt imperial until grade 6 and then the country changed to metric....this posed a few problems for me as I hadn't completely grasped the concept of imperial and then had to start all over again with metric. Measurements are easier in metric and weights are to but when you have to start from scratch half way through your school life makes it very difficult.
We call a 10 oz beer a "pot" and even with metric we still ask for a "pot".
"Life can be whatever you want it to be, as long as you do what your told."
LRF.
beer is good
Having local measures for beer is a good concept. Actually, they should not be tied to government measurements. A silly example:
In some places in Germany, there are different measures for beers. You can have a "big one", 0.4 or 0.5 liters, You can have a small one, 0.2 or 0.3 depending on the place. These are carefully built from the tap, and it takes a little time. Longer for the big ones. You can't just dump it into the glass at high pressure.
Then there are also small beers for people in a hurry, you may get 0.2 or 0.15, but you are not looking to get wasted. Just looking to say hello to people and say hello.
So those things are nice for local cultures are just fine.
But for engineering purposes, the Imperial or US measurements are just really stupid.
What I want is a world with interesting, varying cultures. Also I want a world that works, where I can talk to everyone. And having compatible measures is an important factor in that.
Does this make any sense?
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meetings, n.:
Where minutes are kept, and hours are lost.
Good sense
Hi Earthling,
Yes, your last point makes a lot of sense. But we're human. Do we want everything to make sense? Is making sense more important than the eccentricities that make us what we are?
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Reality, like time, is relative to the observer
Anthony North
both
Like it or not, we have to do both. It is work to achieve all the engineering stuff, and to understand other people from other cultures at the same time.
I have met many people from cultures other than mine, and at least I have the luxury to know that they are different, Sometimes, I know how they are different. It is very interesting. Sometimes I can see the light in their eyes, that they understand someone like me, and they are understood by me, when they are so different from me.
Yes I want everything to make sense, and I am human at the same time.
Having said that, I will take a UK pint over a US pint, and over a half liter, assuming it is a good beer. As Yosef Stalin said, quantity has a quality all its own.
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meetings, n.:
Where minutes are kept, and hours are lost.
Agreed
Earthling, I think we just about agree - from different perspectives, of course.
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To paraphrase Earthling:
The Pub
Where pints are kept, and hours are lost.
Anthony North
Add The Metric Without Subtracting The Pint!
Anthony
If you want to keep the pint, that's fine. But, I think that a conversion to the metric equilivant on the pint container, whether bottle or can, would be a very good idea! So, if it is that important, keep your weights and measures system and simply show the equivalents in the metric system!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
Missing the point
Hi Cnnek,
Too late. Bottles and cans have had to be purely metric, without imperial alternatives, for years here. What I'm talking about is the last redoubt. The ability to have a beer on tap in a pub in a pint glass. Officialdom has never once tried to challenge this - so far.
But really you're missing the point. Beer is the symbol I'm using in this instance for the degrading of culture because of globalisation. This is the real point I'm making.
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Morality takes two. One to do and one to judge.
Anthony North
OK, I Understand Now!
Anthony
I'm not in favor of degrading culture either! I'd never heard of a public pint glass. Is it like a mug?
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
Pint glass
Most traditional British pubs have the pint glass - it's actually slightly bigger than a pint to allow for a good frothy head on the beer. Some drinkers prefer the mug, others go for the straight glass. And it gets quite political. Regulars swear the beer tastes different if the wrong glass is used. Me included.
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Reality, like time, is relative to the observer.
Anthony North
Good Point; But,...
Earthling
There is no 1 to 1 trade off here! I can buy 350ml. or 500ml., and I drink the 500ml. can.
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
My next blog
Will have to be on beer, it's such a popular subject with the guys! Thanks for all the comments and it was quite an education.
Love, Pam -----------------------------Truth is stranger than fiction.
Marvellous idea
Marvellous idea, Pam. At last, a gal who appreciates beer.
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There's an old Yorkshire tale of a wife, fed up of her husband spending all his time at the pub. She goes there to see what it's all about. She grabs his pint of beer and tastes it.
She pulls a face.
'That's horrible,' she says.
Husband adopts serious expression.
'And you thought I enjoyed it?'
Anthony North
well Pam.......
With a heading like "Aussie scientists have perfect balls".
What did you expect??????????????
"Life can be whatever you want it to be, as long as you do what your told."
LRF.
Just Beer?
Pam
Why not be bold? Why not do a blog Beer, Ale, Sake, Shochu, Whisky, and Wine of the world!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
Just beer
cnnek, Oh, that one would be a bit too all encompassing. To make it easier for me I'll just stick to beer as the one thing to search for (history, types, microbreweries, delivery systems ie bottle vs can, various brewing methods, world beers, grade of hops, and all this is before I have done the very first search as it is merely off the top of my head) as each one is really a seperate topic to persue.
Plus, I'm not a drinker. I can count the beers I have had in all my life on one hand. On a side note, my father wasn't into drinking either but would drink a beer if offered to him and was the only man I have ever seen in my entire life drink a beer with a soda straw! On that note, my friend, that takes real balls.
Love, Pam -----------------------------Truth is stranger than fiction.
You Are Right!
Pam
I'm certain that your father was a very fine man! I'm sorry that I never met him!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
On A Lighter Note!
Pam
With us around, "Aussie Scientists Have Perfect Balls" might not have been the best title for this blog!:)
On the other hand, the content is good and I, personally, am very interested in the development of the perfect kilogram! But, perfect balls are rather common. Ask any man!:)
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think!!!}
Everything about BEER
Dear Fellow TDG posters, There simply is no reason for me to do a blog on beer when wiki has done all the work. It covers everything from the history to the ingrdients to the making of it, types and locations. Love, Pam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer -----------------------------Truth is stranger than fiction.