While on the one hand I agree with Marion that $129 seems a lot to pay for a copy of the standard, one should realise that ISO is a private organization - they need to get their funding somehow. On the other hand the CGPM (who oversee the metric system) is an inter-governmental organization and is funded by taxpayer's money.
[Off topic] I have toyed with the idea that maybe the registration of the internet domain .com should be done by ISO - and the profits made be used to enable the most widely used standards (particularly those connected wit the Internet) to be distributed free of charge via the net, while paper copies would cost a nominal amount to cover the administration cost of printing and distribution. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bill Potts Sent: 03 February 2009 20:15 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:42860] Re: Hot and dry Marion: Pardon my replying to your private message on the list. However, I think my response may be useful to others, too. The 2004 document is indeed $129. However, the original 1988 document was free (an exception, even then). You can retrieve it by clicking here: http://metric1.org/8601.pdf. As the fundamentals of the standard didn't really change, the 1988 document provides all the information you'll probably need. Bill ________________________________ Bill Potts WFP Consulting Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] -----Original Message----- From: m. f. moon [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 11:08 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [USMA:42858] Re: Hot and dry I realize that it costs money to produce and print standards documents. But, in the interest of having standards deployed, it seems that ISO could find a better way to distribute these standards. The internet is one very good way to day. The cost of ISO 8601 at $129 is simply outrageous. The net would be a lot cheaper in my mind. mf moon ------ Original Message ------ Received: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:00:55 AM PST From: "Bill Potts" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:42858] Re: Hot and dry Gene: I posted my correction last night. I saw your partial correction just now. Just check your Merriam-Webster (or other good American dictionary). It's meridiem. It's from the Latin, of course. Remember that, in Latin, the word endings change depending on case (as they also do in German, for example). Merriam-Webster uses "a.m." rather than "am." My own preference is for the latter. My real preference, of course, is for the ISO 8601 Standard for dates and times (i.e., I prefer the 24-hour form). You may get a cigar, but not from me. <g> Bill -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:39 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:42857] Re: Hot and dry Bill, I did post my correction *before* your correction of my error. Do I get my cigar? I'm uncertain about the spellings meridiem and meridian? Is the former Latin and Oxford English, and the latter modern American English? Gene. ---- Original message ---- >Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 09:14:21 -0800 >From: "Bill Potts" <[email protected]> >Subject: RE: [USMA:42853] Re: Hot and dry >To: <[email protected]>, "'U.S. Metric Association'" <[email protected]> > >Gene: > >Close, but no cigar: am is ante (not anti) meridiem and pm is post meridiem. > >Ante means before. Anti means against. Compare with antebellum, which is >used to identify the era prior to the Civil War, or with ante-natal, which >is the non-American-English equivalent of prenatal. > >Bill >________________________________ >Bill Potts, FBCS >WFP Consulting >1848 Hidden Hills Drive >Roseville, CA 95661-5804 >Phone: 916 773-3865 (preferred) >Cell: 916 302-7176 >Excellence matters > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >Of [email protected] >Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 08:53 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:42853] Re: Hot and dry > > >am is "anti meridian" (before crossing of overhead sun). > >pm is "post meridian" (after crossing of overhead sun). > >That is the meaning of am and pm; originating with early astronomers I >suppose. > >Gene. > >---- Original message ---- >>Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 21:24:15 -0000 >>From: "Martin Vlietstra" <[email protected]> >>Subject: [USMA:42840] Re: Hot and dry >>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> >>... >> >> BTW, how many people know how we got "am" and "pm" >> (without looking it up) >
