Internet Time

[Patbretagne]

A quicky, have you heard of Internet time measured in 1.2something minutes chunks
Have a look here, I can only assume it's serious,
http://www.timeanddate.com/time/internettime.html
pat

[George Willer]

Pat,

They may be as serious as those were who proposed changing the whole world over to the metric system. Next thing they will propose is converting the calendar over to 500 or 1000 days/year, the circle over to some easily computed number of degrees, horsepower to ergs or somesuch, eggs to 10 to the dozen, and music over to 10 notes to the octave. After that all happens we can stop thinking altogether.

[Lurker Carl]

Teddy Roosevelt attempted to simplify written American English to conform with phonetic pronunciation, albeit unsuccessfully, during his presidency. He mandated government documents use his new process, which explains why government proclaimations are unintelligable. Change is difficult to establish on such widely used systems. But not impossible.

Here's the exception. Commercial adaptations, including such things like the 12 ounce "pound" of coffee and "half gallon" of ice cream that's only 50 fluid ounces, have been established without much hoopla or fanfare.

[Jack fowler]

Lurker Carl wrote:
Here's the exception. Commercial adaptations, including such things like the 12 ounce "pound" of coffee and "half gallon" of ice cream that's only 50 fluid ounces, have been established without much hoopla or fanfare.

In Missouri the Commercial adaptations, are including such things like “a six pack”. I’m sure Teddy had nothing to do with that…. Maybe… Harry Truman

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

Teddy Roosevelt attempted to simplify written American English to conform with phonetic pronunciation, albeit unsuccessfully, during his presidency. He mandated government documents use his new process, which explains why government proclaimations are unintelligable. Change is difficult to establish on such widely used systems. But not impossible.

The biggest metric change in my life was the switch from half gallon glass soda bottles to two litre plastic. The soda companies used the new, cheaper bottles to make a lower pricepoint for the two litre bottle, which contained more volume than the half gallon, hence insuring it's continued success.

I think most people under the age of 50 in the US can deal with metric linear measurements quite well, as to say, they can estimate a millimeter, centimeter, or meter just as well as they can an inch, foot, or yard. There are also some handy measuring tools in metric just as there are in english measure...for example. a pack of 100's length cigarettes is approximately 100 millimeters, or 4 inches...quite convenient when you haven't a rule with you. 35mm cameras were sold in the US with 2-inch lenses until WWII, and then, briefly, they were called 5cm lenses, before the familiar 50mm.

The english measure system is complex enough that metric "estimated conversions" when you're not doing anything scientific, fit right in with everything else. BTW...9 drops of distilled water at 72 degrees F is a milliliter....LOL now there's a perversion, if ever you wanted one. A dime is about a millimeter in thickness, but it loses accuracy when you stack them. I'm only 200Kgsonacubseatspring, etc....

The bastardization of English in America began with Daniel Webster, whose plan it was to create a "New American Dictionary", and alter all the spellings. He widely succeeded, by the way, as many of our modern spellings are not the same as used in the UK. Certain areas in the US, that used British textbooks, and King James Bibles, through the 19th century, however, kept the old spellings, and hence, there are people like me, who were taught one way in school, and another by their grandparents at home.

The motivation in the early part of the century towards "Phoneticizing" the language was mostly for the benefit of the newly acquired, formerly spanish colonies, who were expected to learn english overnight. This was largely a failure.

[Patbretagne]

whilst talking of bastardising a language, we should look at the "Text Message" and it's new and almost inteligible language. Yes Even Even the French do it, and the Acadamie Farnçaise is so very wary of anything "foreign".
Look at the word that all the world uses, that is except France, COMPUTER, as the machine was first designed by Faraday or someone French to, and wait for it, COMPUTE.
Now the word compute comes to the English language from Latin and of course the French word for count is COMPTER which comes from, you have guessed? Latin! So the three languages all agree in the end that compute, computer Compter all come from the same root, Latin.
But now we come to the French Acadamie, they aparently didn't like to use the english word for compute/count/compter so they called it an Ordinateur or organiser!!:?
It's a strange world of change and non change,
Oh by the way about 12 y ago France introduced a law that "Foreign" words were not allowed to be used in public places, TV Adverts etc and that French radio could not have more than 50% of foreign music played.
So we have Toyota adverts that say something like "Today and Tomorrow" and in small letters at the side it says "aujourd'hui et demain"
But in the dictionery we have "weekend" "camping" (camp site) "parking" (parking lot), do I need to go on?
Pat on his high horse.

[Jack fowler]

I know Pat. I just got done writing letters to friends in your country and I’m having a hard time.

My oldest son tries to help, but he speaks German. His girlfriend speaks French, but she’s not present this morning, sooo… I’m winging it.

I hear in the St.Lo area, there was a lot of snow. That’s really unusual.

Jack Fowler

[Rudi]

cest la vie...

here in Canada, in la belle province du Quebec, they enacted a law back in the mid 80's. It is called Bill 101 le Loi de langue.. it is meant to preserve pure French.. but they have gotten carried away with it.. ordinateur is just one of many inconsistencies etc., that come out of the Ministry of Language..

In Quebec it has gotten so bad that words from other languages must also be translated into a French word or a word created to replace that word if that word is used at all in the English language..... it is getting kind of weird. The person that thought up that rule is probably a cranially challenged person -- ( I live in trepidation of using that 5 letter word that begins with an M and ends with an N and has the Spanish word for Gold in the middle -- Oro... )

It has gotten so bad, that they even insist that German words -- proper nouns which have also come to indicate ground beef - you know the word HAMBURG and HAMBURGER, well, they have made sure that there is now a mot prope dans la belle langue.... Mickey D's must now advertise in Quebec that their Big Mac is now a Gros Mac and is une hambourgoise

The disbelief that occured when that word appeared was palpable... we here in Canada LIVE for the entrance of new words into the French language, much like much of the world anxiously awaits Mr. Blackburn's (is that the right name?) Worst Dressed List yearly

These ridiculous laws ensure that many of us although extremely proud of our heritage, wince no albeit, cringe when we have to discuss or explain this strange behaviour to visitors....but does afford us a modicum of jocularity on a semi-regular basis...

I am waiting for somebody in the Minstre to figure out a way to make Microsoft translate Windows.... .. that should be interesting... La Fenetre XP PRO maybe

[Jim Becker]

I am waiting for somebody in the Minstre to figure out a way to make Microsoft translate Windows.... .. that should be interesting... La Fenetre XP PRO maybe

Probably make them spell out "PRO": La Fenetre XP PROFESSIONNEL