YOU HAD ONE JOB
May. 25th, 2019 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustI've started reading the Ring of Fire books, a shared universe series by Eric Flint and various other authors. It's about an American small town in the year 2000, suddenly transported back into time to Europe in 1632 - right in the middle of the Thirty Years' War.
The concept is fantastic. The execution is - mixed? (For many reasons.) I like the bits that explore the issues with bringing modern science, technology, and values to the past. But this.
"I have been learning your system of measurement," he reassured the American.
"You have?" Simpson looked down at the shorter German.
"Oh, of course!" Schwanhausser chuckled. "Many of our 'honest merchants' are screaming to the very heavens over the thought of adopting a truly universal standard set of measures, but the Emperor has made it quite clear that the entire Confederated Principalities will adopt your system. And it will be such a relief to deal in feet and yards which are the same from one end of the land to the other, instead of dealing with 'paces' which may be one length in Saxony and another in, say, Westphalia!"
I facepalmed.
The concept is fantastic. The execution is - mixed? (For many reasons.) I like the bits that explore the issues with bringing modern science, technology, and values to the past. But this.
"I have been learning your system of measurement," he reassured the American.
"You have?" Simpson looked down at the shorter German.
"Oh, of course!" Schwanhausser chuckled. "Many of our 'honest merchants' are screaming to the very heavens over the thought of adopting a truly universal standard set of measures, but the Emperor has made it quite clear that the entire Confederated Principalities will adopt your system. And it will be such a relief to deal in feet and yards which are the same from one end of the land to the other, instead of dealing with 'paces' which may be one length in Saxony and another in, say, Westphalia!"
I facepalmed.
