In this article, Ronnie Cohen writes about a UK publication involving measurement that is aimed at a global readership.
Continue reading “Pocket World in Figures: A common booklet for a global readership”
Category: Media
50 years on
Sunday 24th May will be the 50th anniversary of the announcement by the British Government that the UK was to “go metric” within 10 years. However, 50 years later we are still little more than half way there. Why has it taken so long? and when will it end?
Measurement units – a daily dilemma for the media
We take a look at a uniquely British problem faced by our media and in particular the BBC, namely which system of measurement units to use.
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One hundred years of metric rainfall measurement
– not that the media have noticed. John Frewen-Lord looks into this oversight, drawing our attention to a centenary that occurs on 1 May.
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Survey exposes the failure of measurement policy in the UK
The UK Metric Association has issued the following press release:
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BBC told to stop undermining the National Measurement System
In its response to a recent BBC consultation the UK Metric Association (UKMA) has called on the BBC to live up to its declared mission and hence to support – and not to undermine – the exclusively metric National Measurement System.
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Metric usage by the media in Commonwealth countries
John Frewen-Lord contrasts media attitudes towards the metric changeover in Canada and Australia with those in the UK.
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What did the royal baby really weigh?
One of the most infuriating practices of the British media is to translate the proper medical data recorded by the hospital (in kilograms, naturally) into the obsolete units that were once used by our grandparents or great-grandparents. Thus, our future head of state is described as weighing in at “8lbs 6oz”. So how much is that, and is it a lot or a little?
Supersized Earth
A new series on BBC1 shows how our planet is being “re-engineered”, and it provides pointers to the future, some of them unexpected.
UKMA launches Measurement Units Style Guide
In an attempt to bring about some improvement in the sloppy and inconsistent way in which metric units are often written, the UK Metric Association has today (5 July 2012) published a “Measurement Units Style Guide”. Aimed at anybody who uses metric units in their writing, the Guide is available in both hard copy and as a free download from the UKMA website.
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