The Perfectionists

How a Couple of Nitpickers Designed the Modern World Guest: Simon Winchester, author of "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World" The millions of mechanical and electrical systems we rely on to drive a car, turn on a light, look at a webpage, or cook something all require precision. Simon Winchester spotlights a new way of thinking about precision that dates to the 19th century, with the rise of steam-powered machines. The Wrong Foot Guest: Michael Dennis, NOAA and NGS geodesist For more than a century, America has been using two different measurements for the foot, but we’re finally dropping one, and the US will become 28.3 feet wider. How we got into this situation in the first place.