[Vwdiesel] Metrics for beginners ---- ( The Mixups and disasters )

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

Those diesel enthusiasts who are also interested in non-metric units of 
measure will appreciate the ultimate irony of what follows. Read the web 
pointers for details. Personal note: I happen to be a fraternity brother of 
Oliver Smoot.

http://alumweb.mit.edu/classes/1962/ollie.html

http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/S/smoot.html

smoot: /smoot/, n.
[MIT] A unit of length equal five feet seven inches. The length of the 
Harvard Bridge in Boston is famously 364.4 smoots plus an ear (the ear is 
allegedly the width of the earhole in the side of the football helmet the 
victim was wearing when he was rolled over the bridge). This legend began 
with a fraternity prank in 1958 during which the body length of Oliver 
Smoot (class of '62) was actually used to measure out that distance. It is 
commemorated by smoot marks that MIT students repaint every few years; the 
tradition even survived the demolition and rebuilding of the bridge in the 
late 1980s. The Boston police have been known to use smoot markers to 
indicate accident locations on the bridge. Apparently Smoot's experience as 
a unit of measurement led to a life-long career; Oliver Smoot eventually 
became Chairman of the Board of the American National Standards Institute, 
and later President of the International Organization for Standardization.
 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Some writings of Oliver Smoot:

http://www.house.gov/science/ets/jun28/smoot.htm
 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Doyt Echelberger



 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
At 12:36 AM 7/1/2005, you wrote:
>Loren  ask NASA   how many millions and millions of your tax dollars they
>lost due directly to a Metric mix-up ?
>......snip.............................
>And hows about a foot in the door ----NO ? ah ok.
>
>
>Hagar.