>
> What _is_ duct tape ? I suppose it's the stuff you tape air
>
> In the UK we have stuff called "gaffer" tape which is a couple of
> inches wide, usually silver, made of woven fabric with a very sticky
> adhesive. Much used by rock band roadies for fixing mic stands. Is
> this the same stuff ?
Yup, that's the stuff. We use it on our ducks. Never understood why
it's spelled so funny, though.
> The quart seems to be common usage in the US, whilst it is hardly ever
> used in the UK. Petrol and oil are now sold exclusively in litres in
> the UK, as are most other liquids. Most people still measure fuel
> consumption in miles per gallon though. We still buy pints of milk and
> beer (thank goodness) but even a measure of spirits is changing from
> 1/6 gill to 25ml (you get 5.5% more). All part of European integration
After the energy crisis in the '70s I recall there being some sort of
Federal mandate about the US going metric within a certain period.
The conversion form "English" to metric was supposed to be phased in.
After a year or two about half of the service stations in this area had
their pumps calibrated in litres. Needless to say this caused a great
deal of confusion and probably a bit of price gouging. Don't know what
happen to the mandate but I haven't seen a gas pump calibrated in
litres for years.
Roland
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