Jim_Cobb wrote: > Fernando wrote: > > > Now, I hate when I see something like "2 yards, 2 feet, 5 inches and > > (the stroke of mercy) 1/8" -- It takes me several seconds to figure out > > how tall that person is! > > Now that's a tall specimen (2.57 meters)! >
That "person" is a gorilla! Or maybe a giraffe (which can reach a height of 5 meters (16 !/2 feet)) This only shows how ignorant a person like me can be. I didn't do any calculations. After using the different units I just though I could relate that to a "person". a very, very tall person, I mean. :-) > > By the way: does "stroke of mercy" make sense in English? > > > - fernando > > No, I'm not sure of your meaning for that phrase in the context > (though I have some guesses). English (at least in the U.S., I'm not > sure about other locales) does have the phrase "stroke of luck," but > that's the only 'stroke' idiom that comes to mind. That's interesting because "stroke of luck" and "stroke of mercy" (if it existed) would be translated in the same way into Portuguese: "golpe de sorte" e "golpe de misericórdia"! > It also occurs to me to mention that being an anglophone is not at > issue here. In the U.K. most units are metric. I know, I know. You are 100% right. Especially after the Iron Lady's epoch (mandatory reference to sundial). > I think other > commonwealth countries make primary use of the metric system. It is > we in the U.S. who hold onto this 'English' system, which is ironic > when one considers that the early U.S. pioneered using the decimal > system in its monetary system, which I believed inspired the French > after their revolution to make other measurements decimally based. In 1968, when I was 17 and much more ignorant than I am now, I visited both the UK and the US. I gave up learning how the English system worked. In the United States I had no problems understand currency. Theorethically. When it came to understanding coins that didn't have an engraved number and didn't have any relationship between size and value... - fernando > > > Jim > ------------------- ---------------------- -------------------- > | Jim Cobb | 540 Arapeen Dr. #100 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | > | Parametric | Salt Lake City, UT | (801)-588-4632 | > | Technology Corp. | 84108-1202 | Fax (801)-588-4650 | > ------------------- ---------------------- -------------------- > Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance. > -- Samuel Johnson -- Fernando Cabral Padrao iX Sistemas Abertos mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pix.com.br mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Fone: +55 61 321-2433 Fax: +55 61 225-3082 15º 45' 04.9" S 47º 49' 58.6" W 19º 37' 57.0" S 45º 17' 13.6" W
