Observant readers might have noticed white pillars with blue bands and red reflector strips along the edges of motorways and on certain dual carriageway A-roads. These are called location marker posts. Some might have also noticed blue signs with the road number and other information along England’s (but not Scotland’s, Wales’s or Northern Ireland’s) roads. These are called driver location signs. They are to the road engineers what postcodes are to the postal service.
Continue reading “Government ideology compromises Emergency Services”Author: Martin Vlietstra
Proposal for a British Technical Keyboard
Martin Vlietstra proposes a new British technical keyboard that includes non-breaking spaces and some common characters used for metric symbols. In his proposal, he considered various categories of user and using the restriction of inline Unicode characters, has proposed a keyboard that will not only handle all the characters needed by SI, but will also handle many of the characters needed for chemical formulae, and includes Greek characters such as ‘π’, ‘θ’ and other commonly used symbols from mathematics and physics including ‘×’, ‘÷’ and ‘±’. He uses the standard British keyboard as the basis for his proposal and explains how a lot of new characters can be supported using key combinations with the Alt Gr key. It covers a lot more than the extra characters for the correct display of metric symbols.
Continue reading “Proposal for a British Technical Keyboard”Why count in tens rather than twelves?
Martin Vlietstra looks at our counting system and explains why we count in tens and not in twelves. Our counting system and the metric system are both decimal based (i.e. they use base 10). The entire metric system is based on tens and powers or ten, which fits in neatly with our counting system and makes calculations easy.
Continue reading “Why count in tens rather than twelves?”Government Imperial Units consultation bedevilled by inaccuracy, bias, bodges and computer blunders
The Government consultation into the choice of units of measure in the retail sector [ref 1] has been bedevilled by inaccuracies, bias, bodges and probably computer blunders. The Foreword of the document (unsigned) is not only riddled with inaccuracies and half-truths, but the explanation of the law relating to units of measure in the retail trade bypasses the fundamental principles behind the display of prices.
Continue reading “Government Imperial Units consultation bedevilled by inaccuracy, bias, bodges and computer blunders”Decolonising science
Martin Vlietstra, an occasional contributor to Metric Views, considers Britain’s policy of retaining, for as long as it could, the use of imperial measurements in its Empire. He notes that the consequences continue to this day.
Continue reading “Decolonising science”Light measurements
Martin Vlietstra, one of our frequent contributors, has written an article which he says deals with the metric system in use rather that looking at metrication per se.
Continue reading “Light measurements”Covid-19, weight and your bathroom scales
Reports of a possible link between obesity and morbidity have prompted one of our occasional contributors, Martin Vlietstra, to look at issues around measuring body weight in the home.
Continue reading “Covid-19, weight and your bathroom scales”
Experts weigh in
Following our article on the new definition of the kilogram, Martin Vlietstra, one of our occasional contributors, provides some insight into how, in the 21st century, this standard is passed down to us, the general public.
Leading us to the 18th century
Martin Vlietstra, one of our regular contributors, offers his thoughts on an early pronouncement by the newly-appointed Leader of the House of Commons.
The kilogram weight
The redefinition of the kilogram takes effect in two weeks time. To mark the event, Martin Vlietstra, one of our frequent contributors, looks at the “old” and “new” versions of this international standard.
Metric Views 