The World
Standards site aims to raise awareness of the global differences that exist with regards to standards,
and calls for increased efforts to streamline standardization. The author of the site, Conrad H. McGregor,
appears to be based in the UK. Portions of the site express McGregor’s personal opinions about the lack of
standardization around the world, which I’m sure has been frustrating or challenging to almost all world travelers at
some point.
Regardless of your opinion on the topic, you might find the background sections of this site interesting for the
historical context they provide. And certain pages also serve as handy reference for an overseas trip, especially if
you plan to drive or use electrical devices. My favorite page is
why some countries drive on the right
and others on the left. Other sections include:
World scripts and
alphabets, International paper sizes (who knew there
was so much to learn here?!), and an explanation of the history of the
Metric vs. Imperial Measuring System.
There are tons of official ISO-related sites out there. You can start
here, but you might get lost. I like McGregor’s site because it is
simple and not as heavy on techy terms as the professional organization sites.