From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,38fc011071df5a27 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-06-03 08:44:53 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!headwall.stanford.edu!newshub.sdsu.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!hammer.uoregon.edu!skates!not-for-mail From: Stephen Leake Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Word origins Date: 03 Jun 2003 11:40:36 -0400 Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (skates.gsfc.nasa.gov) Message-ID: References: <6a90b886.0305262344.1d558079@posting.google.com> <3ED41344.7090105@spam.com> <3ED46D81.FF62C34F@0.0> <3ED46E07.4340CABC@0.0> <3ED4F3FD.A0EF7079@alfred-hilscher.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: anarres.gsfc.nasa.gov Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: skates.gsfc.nasa.gov 1054655806 7852 128.183.235.92 (3 Jun 2003 15:56:46 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.gsfc.nasa.gov NNTP-Posting-Date: 3 Jun 2003 15:56:46 GMT User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:38505 Date: 2003-06-03T15:56:46+00:00 List-Id: Vinzent Hoefler writes: > Stephen Leake wrote: > > >Vinzent Hoefler writes: > > > >> Stephen Leake wrote: > >> > [42 microns] > >> >(Extra points for identifying the > >> >cultural origions of that number :). > >> > >> This one is easy. :-) > >> > >> The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and > >> Everything. "Hitchhiker's Guide through the Galaxy" from Douglas Adams > >> (1952-2001). > > > >Yes, but that's just the "42". Where did "micron" come to mean "some > >imaginary unit of measure"? > > Mmh, to my knowledge micron is originated from the Greek word "micros" > for little, small, tiny. Used to mean one out of a thousand > [millimeter] since I am able to speak. Ok, probably it was used > earlier already... ;-) > > So you have a different story? Back in 1978 or so, there was a bad Science Fiction TV show "Battle Star Galactica". Every time they measured something, it was expressed in "microns"; distance to the nearest star, time till the bomb blew up, size of a molecule, anything. So now, whenever I'm not sure of the right units or scale, I just say "microns" :). -- -- Stephe