Jack ) wrote:

On 28 Mar, 15:10, "Martin Rowley"
wrote:
... indeed: however, the point was that if you are away from the
ubiquitous PC/Internet, then the conversion can be done (to a high
standard of accuracy) very quickly in the head!

Ah, but if you're really smart, you don't need conversions at all. I
can think in km/hr, mph, knots. Equally, I don't convert between
miles and kilometres. If I'm looking at an OS map, I think
kilometres. If driving, I think miles.

Mind you, I once hired a car from Norwich airport with a problem
odometer. Before I had even got as far as the southern outskirts of
Norwich (some 6 miles perhaps), the odometer was showing about 11
units. The speedometer was fine but due to a manufacturing mistake
(Friday afternoon car no doubt) the odometer obviously had been fitted
with the appropriate cogs to measure kilometres. Fortunately, the
hiring terms were by the day not by the "mile". I could imagine the
hassle of trying to persuade the hire company that the odometer was
wrong. I did tell them on returning the car but, surprise surprise,
they showed no interest whatsoever.

Jack

All this has reminded me of a taxi-driver friend who, when the Euro was
introduced, used his speedometer to convert from Euro to Sterling and vice
versa. I wouldn't be surprised to find he still does.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman, not newsboy.
"What use is happiness? It can't buy you money." [Chic Murray, 1919-85]