I went "out" for a few days and what do I see? I became famous! No wonder the M$ checks kept pouring in my mail.:) (I wish!)
In any case, I am glad that Pat got my point. There is no such thing as freedom to measure. As much as there is no way we can have a civilized society where we rely on the common sense of the members rather than on laws and law enforcement. (I would extend this logic to the existence of guns but I am going out of topic and I know some don't agree). There is however a freedom to advertize. And if one company/individual wants to say they are selling a gallon of paint or a gal. of paint or even a 'jadic' of paint they are free to do so. However, it should be mandatory by the lwas of the land to display in the official legal for trade W&M standard the actual amount somewhere (bottom) on the container. This part has nothing to do with individual freedom whatsoever. By the same token I consider that it is not a matter of freedom if the law of the land changes and that quantity at the bottom changes. The law may change due to multiple considerations that may have nothing to do with the manufacturer of the paint nor with it's freedom. Adrian PS I have a lot to read. Will write more. -----Original Message----- From: Pat Naughtin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Saturday, 02 February, 2002 00:38 To: Adrian Jadic; U.S. Metric Association Subject: Re: [USMA:17778] RE: Euro vs. Metrication Dear Adrian and All, on 2002/01/31 12.17, Adrian Jadic at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > How about if I sell by the jadic? I am free to do so, right? Am I opening to > fraud? > NO! because all my neighbours know what a jadic is. It's what fits in > Adrian's palm. Why not extend this idea. Jadic - A new measurement standard (I am indebted to Jeremy W. Burgeson for the original version of this piece) Introduction I would like to propose a standard of measurement for the United States that actually makes some amount of sense to the average citizen. Most people in the US are familiar with old measurements such as feet, degrees Fahrenheit, gallons and pounds. I understand a need for change to a more uniform standard. The problem is that, to most of us, SI (sometimes called metric) is as arbitrary and meaningless as what we are familiar with. If we have to change, we should not change to a standard that is no better than the one currently in place. Justification There are two big advantages to my new (proposed) standard. The first advantage is, it is based on phenomenon and objects observable by the average person, as long as they come to my house. This is unlike SI that has its length measurement based on the wavelength of a certain type of light. There is no convenient way for a person of average means to set up the proper apparatus to measure this. All the other SI standards are at least as hard to duplicate. The second advantage is, everything is a multiple of one (1). This is at least ten (10) times simpler than the current SI trend of everything being a multiple of ten (10). Length The standard measure of length I would like to see implemented is the Jadic. It is the distance between the bottom of my feet and the topmost portion of my head (excluding hair), while standing upright. Current conversion factors for the Jadic measurement of length include: 1 Jadic = 73.4 inches and 1 Jadic = 1.86 meters. Mass The standard measure of mass I would like to see implemented is the Jadic. It is equal to my mass, excluding any clothes I happen to be wearing that day. Current conversion factors for the Jadic measurement of mass include: 1 Jadic = 6.83 slugs and 1 Jadic = 99.7 kilograms. Time The standard measure of time I would like to see implemented is the Jadic. This is equal to time elapsed between my birth and death. Since I am still living (as of this writing), this is a changing standard. This changing standard is not the problem it first appears to be. In fact, it is a great advantage. The advantage of this is, if you start reckoning from the time of my birth, the time is always one (1). The current conversion for the Jadic measurement of time is: 1 Jadic = 0.965*10^9 seconds (approximate). Others The real beauty of this new system is in the units derived from others. Some examples are: One Jadic of area is Jadics^2. One Jadic of volume is Jadics^3. One Jadic of density is Jadics per Jadic^3. Speed measured in Jadics per Jadic. Acceleration is measured in Jadics per Jadic^2. One Jadic of force is the force necessary to accelerate one Jadic one Jadic per Jadic^2. One Jadic of pressure is Jadics per Jadic^2. It can also be measured by the easier method of Jadics of water or Jadics of mercury. One Jadic of energy is the work done by accelerating one Jadic one Jadic per Jadic^2 for one Jadic. Conclusion There are many measurements I have left out. Most of the other common measurements can be derived from the ones defined here. For the measurements that cannot be easily derived from the ones defined, I suggest leaving them alone, but renaming them "Jadic." I would appreciate any reactions or suggestions you might have. Cheers, Pat Naughtin CAMS - Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist - United States Metric Association ASM - Accredited Speaking Member - National Speakers Association of Australia Member, International Federation for Professional Speakers --