Kenneth Chang, of the NYTimes, had an interesting "Ideas & Treands" piece yesterday.  He was writing about the evolution of standards and precision in measurement.  Just how long is a meter -- a REAL meter?  There can be measurement of physical things, of course, like distance or weight.  But perhaps journalists should be talking about the standard defintion of concepts such as "urban sprawl" or a "landslide victory."
"October 16, 2005

Measuring the World: From Material to Ethereal

By KENNETH CHANG

LOCKED in a vault in Paris is a cylinder about the size of a plum. Its mass is ...   more »

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