Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] New to PSUB (measurement units)

[Steven Mills <cirtemoeg@juno.com>]

John,

You hit the nail on the head.

Well stated.

--Steve


On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 09:45:44 -0700 (MST) John Brownlee
<jonnie@scarymonsters.net> writes:
> Hello 'subbers,
> 
> 	I was involved in the science part of this mission. Anyone 
> who
> thinks that unit conversion would be abolished by converting to SI 
> is
> fooling themselves. As a physicist, I find the English system 
> riddled with
> vertiginous wretching horror. However, I can tell you we've had 
> 'oops' with
> space telescopes for example because someone forgot to convert 
> Jansky's to
> micro-joule angstroms or some such. Both of those are SI units, but
> depending on your field (i.e. infra-red astronomer vs. 
> photo-electric
> engineer) you have a preference. Conversions are necessary in any 
> complex
> system at some point, what's key is the processes that manage those
> conversions.
> 	Bottom line: the problem isn't the measurement, it's the 
> management
> processes that use and check them. Pick a standard and determine how 
> to
> make it STANDARD!  Like the CMM from Carnegie Melon says, "A product 
> can
> only be of as high a quality as the processes that manage it."
> 
> 						Best,
> 
> -- 
> 							John
> 
> John Brownlee
> Chief Systems Administrator
> Scary Monsters Network
> jonnie at scarymonsters dot net
> 
>