Tar pressures

[JHertzman@xxxxxxx]

I was delighted to read Dr.Ir. Jaap H. Bouma's succinct essay on the pressures
subset in the expanding universe of measurement systems. It filled me both
with admiration and with gladness that my PhuD is in the humanities - -

One or two defensive quibbles- his characterization of the conversion chart I
had given could be read as their being my numbers, when in fact (as I think I
said) they were values given in various Alfa Romeo Owner's Manuals, including
1600 roundtail, Milano, and 164. Also, where I had suspected that "the dyne is
a unit introduced in the recent past", Dr. Bouma pointed out that the dyne is
part of a system introduced in 1874. From my mediaevalist position, that is
indeed  the very recent past. All things are relative, but some are more
relative than others- at least for the humanist.

Since the Owner's Manual for the 164, built in this very decade, lists both
psi and kg/sq.cm (but no bar) I couldn't help wondering whether Fiat is
peculiarly retrograde, whether they have conformed to Eurostandard since
leaving these shores, and whether other makes' Owner's Manuals now shun the
redundant listing in psi. Still curious, I looked for tire gauges in various
European (or Eurocentric) accessory catalogs. I was pleased to find my old
Draeger gauges, once highly regarded here as a paradigm of Teutonic accuracy,
are still available, though with cosmetic changes. Mine came in leather cases,
where it now has a foam-lined plastic case; mine were in a sober black wrinkle
finish, now polished chrome; mine cost $8.95 each, against $69.95 now. The
needle, the gradations of the face, the graphic style of the numbers are all
the same. The old ones went up to 57 psi and 4 kg/sq.cm, while the new one
goes up to 57 psi and 4 bar, with all the markings and the numbers unchanged.
Evidently close enough for the Germans. Some Germans, anyhow.

Anyhow, shan't we be proud that not a one of us - not Antonio, not John, not
Karl, not Jack, not Paul, not Ken, not Jak, not Willo, especially not Jaap,
said "Shoot, don't need no gauge t'tell when a tar has 'nuf air-" 

In proper awe, 

John H. 

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