Do you think in metric?
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OriginalGriff wrote:
Burma, Liberia and the United States
Is that for real? I mean, just three?
If you truly believe you need to pick a mobile phone that "says something" about your personality, don't bother. You don't have a personality. A mental illness, maybe, but not a personality. [Charlie Brooker] ScrewTurn Wiki, Software Localization Tools & Services and My Blog
Yep! http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~jharlow/metricworld.html[^], also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication#Exceptions[^] Just because it the is formal system, doesn't mean everybody uses it though! Quite a lot of countries have "extra" units which just happen to be a very close match to the now-outdated traditional units :-D
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
One thing the French did right was devising the metric system. I studied at Imperial College in London which doesn't sound right if it had been called Metric College instead. I recommend the book "The Measure Of All Things" by Ken Allder if you want to read about the tortuous survey that was done to define the meter. I recall seeing a preserved meter bar bolted to a wall near a marketplace in an old village in France. It still had some of the remains of the prefecture's seal etched on it. The locals looked puzzled when I was explaining what it was to my wife.
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Um. There are only three countries in the world who have not officially adopted the metric system: Burma, Liberia and the United States
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
see, as long as you don't use them you could also live in Burma - or the US. Kind of all the same :laugh:
regards Torsten When I'm not working
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Metric, powers of ten, is a result of having ten fingers to count on. Great idea . . . until the computer age. Why you ask? And rightly so. I must needs give you an example: Let's start with the humble ounce.
4 ounces = gill = 22 [00000100] 8 ounces = cup = 23 [00001000] 16 ounces = pint* = 24 [00010000] 32 ounces = quart = 25 [00100000] 128 ounces = gallon = 27 [10000000] Similarly, quarts, pecks, and bushels are powers of 2.
Clearly a perfect match for computer logic, using int's instead of floats, and thereby exact (& faster) calculations. Obviously, it's long past overdue that we change back. * A beloved Unit to many, particularly after a long day's work.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
W∴ Balboos wrote:
* A beloved Unit to many, particularly after a long day's work.
That particular unit is, I'm obliged to advise you is in fact 20oz. Liquids are measured in Fluid Ounces[^] in the Imperial system. And since the Pint is an Imperial unit, that is what you should use. Unfortunately this makes all of your other units incorrect too. :-D
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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And how many Pounds are there to a Stone?
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
Rods, Poles and Perches?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
No. All of my scopes are sighted in using yards instead of meters. For instance, I know one click up on the elevation knob lets me shoot across my neighbor's yard, to hit a target in the next yard over. How I know this isn't germain to the discussion, so let's just say that I know it to be fact.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
Rods, Poles and Perches?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Henry Minute wrote:
Rods
I have just the one, in perfect working order thank you.
Henry Minute wrote:
Poles
They live just down the road.
Henry Minute wrote:
Perches
No, we don't have a budgie - Dij the Cat would consider them "Flying Chicken McNuggets".
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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Even if you factor in the cost of losing a Mars probe?
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Maximilien wrote:
Pool water temperature in F, air temperature in C.
It is said the English use Fahrenheit for warm temperatures and Celsius / Centigrade for cold ones. "It's 97 degrees today". "It's -2 out there". That sort of thing. I think I am exclusively on the C scale.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
Even the BBC weather forecasters quote Celsius and often (as an afterthought) quote it in Fahrenheit as well. Imperial is a horrible system. Why the UK still retains it is a mystery.
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Even if you factor in the cost of losing a Mars probe?
That is a good argument. U.S. had an atempt to change to metrics in the past but failed. Canada was successful. However, there were some accidents related to the changes during that period of time. There was a fact-based movie talking about the crash landing of a commercial airline due to insufficient fuel when filled out in liters intead of gallons.
TOMZ_KV
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Even the BBC weather forecasters quote Celsius and often (as an afterthought) quote it in Fahrenheit as well. Imperial is a horrible system. Why the UK still retains it is a mystery.
PHS241 wrote:
Why the UK still retains it is a mystery.
We grew up with it; we are familiar with it; most of us are happy with it and don't want to use metric exclusively in our daily lives. Why should we be forced to change?
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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W∴ Balboos wrote:
* A beloved Unit to many, particularly after a long day's work.
That particular unit is, I'm obliged to advise you is in fact 20oz. Liquids are measured in Fluid Ounces[^] in the Imperial system. And since the Pint is an Imperial unit, that is what you should use. Unfortunately this makes all of your other units incorrect too. :-D
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Henry Minute wrote:
That particular unit is, I'm obliged to advise you is in fact 20oz.
An (Atlantic) ocean of misunderstanding. US customary fluid ounce are referred to here (USA) as English Units. Bars (a/k/a Pubs) server pints, which are apparently 25% smaller, but we generally drink right from the pitcher - especially in times of austerity. Just think of it as a rather large mug. I didn't, by the way, say Imperial units. Up in Canada they sell (or used to) gasoline (petrol) in Imperial Gallons, and once I satisfied myself that my fuel tank hadn't shrunk, understood the difference.
Henry Minute wrote:
Unfortunately this makes all of your other units incorrect too.
So, although your information was, well, informative, it was really not an incorrect statement, but rather a nuance lost in the translation. Clearly Imperial Units can be relegated to the same archive as the metric system.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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And how many Pounds are there to a Stone?
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
It depends on how many pounds the victim is carrying when you threaten to bash in his head with your stone if he doesn't hand over his cash.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
PHS241 wrote:
Why the UK still retains it is a mystery.
We grew up with it; we are familiar with it; most of us are happy with it and don't want to use metric exclusively in our daily lives. Why should we be forced to change?
I hear that the world is apparently round. I shall miss the Flat Earth reunions. Hey-ho, such is the price to be paid for progress, it seems. :)
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In the VMS OS, the unit of measurement for the TimePromptWait parameter is microfortnight. :cool:
Schenectady? What am I doing in Schenectady?
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Henry Minute wrote:
Do you think in metric?
My neurons tend to fire at their eigenfrequency, so my ideas are pretty rhythmic, yes. :)
Luc Pattyn [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum
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BBC News story[^]. I'm a bit of a mixed bag on this, like so much of my life (e.g. In cricket I bowl left-handed but bat right-handed). I tend to purchase in imperial but when cooking something such as a cake I work in metric units. I suspect that younger members, at least, would be mostly, if not entirely, metric. Except, of course, for the good old Pint of Pig's.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
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Even the BBC weather forecasters quote Celsius and often (as an afterthought) quote it in Fahrenheit as well. Imperial is a horrible system. Why the UK still retains it is a mystery.
(UK-centric answer) When they were introducing Decimalisation (for money) back in 1971, many elderly people were complaining and saying that they ought to wait until the old ones have died out. There is a slight flaw in that argument; and it is not that the decimalisation of GB was started in the reign of Queen Victoria (she introduced the florin (2 shillings) which was 1/10th of a pound). There was a ad campaign (again in the 1970s) to prepare us for decimalisation, but 4.0 decades (metric) / 0.4 centuries (metric) / 40 years (imperial) later, we are still waiting. The only slogan from that period that I can recall is " A litre of water's a pint and three quarters". I still think in Imperial for virtually everything except distance, where Astronomical Units, parsecs and light years are better units (except that the AU is changing over the years and the parsec is based on it). Even the speed of light is somehow easier to remember in Imperial (186282 miles per second / ~ 6 million million miles per year / 1 foot per nanosecond) than in metric (~300000 km per sec (if I've got the correct no of zeros)). I noticed that wood now tends to be sold in 1.80m lengths (metric 6 foot) and you can still buy milk in 568ml cartons (metric 1 pint). And don't get us into the 'what is a billion' debate.
