Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:15 PM

raccoon (21,419 posts)

Will the Empire ever change to the metric system, do you think?

They were talking about it when I was in school....jeez........

49 replies, 2913 views

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49 replies	Author	Time	Post
Will the Empire ever change to the metric system, do you think? (Original post)	raccoon	Jun 2012	OP
But numburz iz hard and stuffs.	Systematic Chaos	Jun 2012	#1
It's all arbitrary ain't it? Sure powers of 10 is somewhat simplyfying	HereSince1628	Jun 2012	#2
It's the furlongs to fortnight conversion I'm worried about.	HopeHoops	Jun 2012	#4
How many	kentauros	Jun 2012	#43
Depends on the mode and harmonic mean.	HopeHoops	Jun 2012	#47
Hey, soda and booze are already sold in metric units - handwriting's on the wall!!!	HopeHoops	Jun 2012	#3
Who cares if Alderaan is 40 billion metric tonnes or 40 brazillian pounds	OriginalGeek	Jun 2012	#5
Huh?? How much is a brazilian??	madinmaryland	Jun 2012	#12
At least minimum wage	OriginalGeek	Jun 2012	#17
map	pokerfan	Jun 2012	#6
That's not really accurate.	harmonicon	Jun 2012	#10
Japan is not fully metric, either	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#20
That's wild, but great.	harmonicon	Jun 2012	#21
This message was self-deleted by its author	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#23
Japan isn't so bad	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#24
It seems like a great place, in many ways...	harmonicon	Jun 2012	#25
I had often thought I would end up in Europe	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#27
Do you think you'll stay there?	harmonicon	Jun 2012	#29
To tell you the truth, I don't know	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#30
Same in China	geardaddy	Jun 2012	#32
That just goes to show, people will retain odd systems of measurements	Art_from_Ark	Jun 2012	#39
Very good points.	geardaddy	Jun 2012	#40
Great post. nt	raccoon	Jun 2012	#46
I think the map indicates predominately	JonLP24	Jun 2012	#31
Well, I would say that in the UK, people don't think of themselves as using metric. (nt)	harmonicon	Jun 2012	#34
Granted it's an uphill battle	4th law of robotics	Jun 2012	#33
In '67, Pres. Johnson signed the first law converting the US to the metric system.	Bucky	Jun 2012	#7
I'll let you know when I've finished the Pepsi in my 2-liter bottle...	backscatter712	Jun 2012	#8
I'm finishing my pint of beer!!	madinmaryland	Jun 2012	#11
Is it flavourful?	El Supremo	Jun 2012	#14
It tis my friend. It tis also verily colourful!!	madinmaryland	Jun 2012	#18
How many kilowatts have you used up this month?	kentauros	Jun 2012	#44
Not as long as this group is in charge:	Initech	Jun 2012	#9
give 'em an inch....they'll take a mile	IcyPeas	Jun 2012	#13
About as well as a 305mm hot dog	Ptah	Jun 2012	#16
How many kilos is that sausage?	El Supremo	Jun 2012	#19
I'm Australian and we went metric back in the 60s and 70s	SwissTony	Jun 2012	#28
In my (metric) country, it goes "give 'em an inch, they'll take a mile." (nt)	Posteritatis	Jun 2012	#35
Reagan stopped our conversion.	El Supremo	Jun 2012	#15
Was that before or after the "smartest President in the World" took the	A Simple Game	Jun 2012	#22
It we hold out long enough they'll all come crawling back.	jp11	Jun 2012	#26
No! No foreign rulers in America!	Ron Obvious	Jun 2012	#36
We in Canada changed to metric when I was about 7. I do temperatures in metric. Height and	applegrove	Jun 2012	#37
If feets 'n' inchez wuz good enuf fer Jesus, ther good enuf fer Murika!	Arugula Latte	Jun 2012	#38
What's the metric system?	Ter	Jun 2012	#41
We're inching our way to it... On the last mile...	Xipe Totec	Jun 2012	#42
Don't you remember the 70s? Augh!	ashling	Jun 2012	#45
I hope not	Rochester	Jun 2012	#48
yes, right before the Apocalypse	Enrique	Jun 2012	#49

Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:24 PM

Systematic Chaos (8,087 posts)

1. But numburz iz hard and stuffs.

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:34 PM

HereSince1628 (26,736 posts)

2. It's all arbitrary ain't it? Sure powers of 10 is somewhat simplyfying

but who wants simple when it means losing the knowledge of the weight of a stone or the number of feet in an acre???????????????

Reply to this post

Response to HereSince1628 (Reply #2)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:45 PM

HopeHoops (47,675 posts)

4. It's the furlongs to fortnight conversion I'm worried about.

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Response to HopeHoops (Reply #4)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 12:18 AM

kentauros (22,206 posts)

43. How many

rods and chains in that?

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Response to kentauros (Reply #43)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 10:54 AM

HopeHoops (47,675 posts)

47. Depends on the mode and harmonic mean.

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:44 PM

HopeHoops (47,675 posts)

3. Hey, soda and booze are already sold in metric units - handwriting's on the wall!!!

Last edited Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:46 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

On Edit: Besides. Switching to measuring gas by the liter will drastically lower the price!

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:47 PM

OriginalGeek (5,671 posts)

5. Who cares if Alderaan is 40 billion metric tonnes or 40 brazillian pounds

Blowed up is blowed up.

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Response to OriginalGeek (Reply #5)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:35 PM

madinmaryland (53,188 posts)

12. Huh?? How much is a brazilian??

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Response to madinmaryland (Reply #12)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 09:46 PM

OriginalGeek (5,671 posts)

17. At least minimum wage

and only if they have a work visa! More if it's a skilled position....

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 02:58 PM

pokerfan (25,630 posts)

6. map

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Response to pokerfan (Reply #6)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:30 PM

harmonicon (11,996 posts)

10. That's not really accurate.

Many things in the UK are Imperial, not metric. Distances are always given in miles, but gasoline is sold in liters. Beer is sold in Imperial pints and half pints, while wine is sold in measurements of milliliters. Weight is generally given in pounds and stones, though some things are sold buy the kilogram.

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Response to harmonicon (Reply #10)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 05:59 AM

Art_from_Ark (17,100 posts)

20. Japan is not fully metric, either

Last edited Wed Jun 20, 2012, 05:59 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

For example, the official unit used when buying a house or land is the tsubo, which is about 3.2 square meters. Also, the floorspace in a room is determined by the number of tamami mats it can hold, rather than by the number of square meters. And the old shakukan system is still used for agricultural measurements. For example, one koku of rice weighs 150kg.

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #20)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 06:38 AM

harmonicon (11,996 posts)

21. That's wild, but great.

I think traditions like these should be held on to, so long as they aren't causing harm. It's like preserving uncommon languages; keeping these things around gives us an understanding of the world that wouldn't exist otherwise.

That said, I'm now even more frightened by the prospect of ever moving to Japan.

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Response to harmonicon (Reply #21)

Art_from_Ark This message was self-deleted by its author.

Response to harmonicon (Reply #21)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 10:18 AM

Art_from_Ark (17,100 posts)

24. Japan isn't so bad

I've lived in Japan for years and years. It's got its disadvantages, to be sure, but it's definitely one of the better countries in the world-- extremely high literacy rate, universal health insurance, the world's highest life expectancy rate, the world's highest infant survival rate, one of the world's lowest crime rates, very little gun-related crime, no hate radio, well-developed public transportation system, relatively low GINI index, fairly decent educational system...

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #24)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 01:24 PM

harmonicon (11,996 posts)

25. It seems like a great place, in many ways...

but I get the impression that the culture is significantly different to what I'm used to. I always say that I'd go anywhere for the right work, but if it were somewhere in Asia, I'm not sure I'd be able to cope - Europe is easy.

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Response to harmonicon (Reply #25)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 12:16 AM

Art_from_Ark (17,100 posts)

27. I had often thought I would end up in Europe

In high school and early college, I had thought my future was in Europe, and I started preparing for that. I had never even considered Asia, because like you, I thought I would not be able to cope in any Asian culture. But I ended up heading in the other direction after an amazing experience that I had many years ago.

It helps if you have someone to guide you through the new culture.

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #27)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 07:23 AM

harmonicon (11,996 posts)

29. Do you think you'll stay there?

I've been in the UK for nearly five years now, and I have leave soon (though there's a chance I could get a new visa later this year, I don't have a job lined up). I really don't want to go - this seems more like "home" to me now, whatever that is. I've lived in my town here for longer than anywhere since I was 18. I've got a gig in Switzerland for the first half of next year, and maybe I'll feel the same way about that place, but I don't know, having only visited before. Who knows....

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Response to harmonicon (Reply #29)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 08:36 AM

Art_from_Ark (17,100 posts)

30. To tell you the truth, I don't know

how much longer I'll stay in Japan. I have been here a lonnnnnng time, and I have the right to stay here indefinitely, but at the same time, I do get homesick, especially when I go back to the States for a visit. But my hometown has changed drastically from the time I was growing up there, and I'm not sure I could live there as an adult. I'm sure I would get reverse culture shock if I did go back for good.

By the way, Switzerland and the UK were the two countries I was particularly interested in when I was in high school. One of my former classmates actually ended up in Switzerland, and he seems to like it there.

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #20)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 12:20 PM

geardaddy (14,329 posts)

32. Same in China

At least 20 years ago it was. Food was sold by the jin which is 1.1 pounds or half a kilo or liang which is .10 of a jin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement#Mass

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Response to geardaddy (Reply #32)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 08:53 PM

Art_from_Ark (17,100 posts)

39. That just goes to show, people will retain odd systems of measurements

Last edited Thu Jun 21, 2012, 08:53 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

if they are comfortable with them.

Americans are comfortable buying gas by the gallon, weighing things by the pound, measuring distance with miles, judging home size by square feet. Having lived long periods in both English and metric systems, I cannot think of one single instance where dealing with a metric measurement made my life any more convenient than dealing with an English measurement. Even today, in fact, I still subconsciously convert kilometers to miles to determine how fast and how far I am "really" going. LOL.

Of course, the metric system is superior for science and engineering because those fields involve a lot of calculations, but for the average American who doesn't need to make a lot of calculations, metric doesn't really have any special benefit in daily living unless it's for small units without an English equivalent, like grams and millimeters.

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #39)

Fri Jun 22, 2012, 10:44 AM

geardaddy (14,329 posts)

40. Very good points.

I agree that if you're comfortable with the system for everyday things, then what's the harm? I used to convert Chinese pounds into Imperial pounds (it wasn't that hard, only .10 of a pound difference).

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Response to Art_from_Ark (Reply #39)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 08:00 AM

raccoon (21,419 posts)

46. Great post. nt

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Response to harmonicon (Reply #10)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 12:11 PM

JonLP24 (14,022 posts)

31. I think the map indicates predominately

There are things in the US that are metric but mostly non-metric.

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Response to JonLP24 (Reply #31)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 03:01 PM

harmonicon (11,996 posts)

34. Well, I would say that in the UK, people don't think of themselves as using metric. (nt)

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Response to pokerfan (Reply #6)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 12:29 PM

4th law of robotics (6,801 posts)

33. Granted it's an uphill battle

but I am confident that with our Liberian and Burmese allies we'll eventually be able to win the rest over.

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 05:17 PM

Bucky (41,687 posts)

7. In '67, Pres. Johnson signed the first law converting the US to the metric system.

That's Andrew Johnson in 1867 ==> http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=014/llsl014.db&recNum=0370

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 05:51 PM

backscatter712 (20,394 posts)

8. I'll let you know when I've finished the Pepsi in my 2-liter bottle...

We actually use metric measurements more than you think.

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Response to backscatter712 (Reply #8)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:34 PM

madinmaryland (53,188 posts)

11. I'm finishing my pint of beer!!

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Response to madinmaryland (Reply #11)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:54 PM

El Supremo (13,295 posts)

14. Is it flavourful?

You can drink that whilst I have a litre of ale.

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Response to El Supremo (Reply #14)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 09:56 PM

madinmaryland (53,188 posts)

18. It tis my friend. It tis also verily colourful!!

Let me finish my pint of ale and I will get back to you.

BTW, That was a real nice hit by Bill Mazeroski a few years ago. Anytime the Skankees lose is a good time!

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Response to backscatter712 (Reply #8)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 12:22 AM

kentauros (22,206 posts)

44. How many kilowatts have you used up this month?

And how many mg of aspirin did you have to use last summer upon seeing your bill for August?

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 06:23 PM

Initech (39,573 posts)

9. Not as long as this group is in charge:

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:39 PM

IcyPeas (3,232 posts)

13. give 'em an inch....they'll take a mile

ummm, how would that go in metric?

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Response to IcyPeas (Reply #13)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 08:02 PM

Ptah (25,160 posts)

16. About as well as a 305mm hot dog

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Response to Ptah (Reply #16)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 10:11 PM

El Supremo (13,295 posts)

19. How many kilos is that sausage?

I could eat a tonne.

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Response to IcyPeas (Reply #13)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 07:20 AM

SwissTony (1,155 posts)

28. I'm Australian and we went metric back in the 60s and 70s

though we still have a few holdovers e.g. psi.

But we still use that expression and others ("do the hard yards"). We also say "It's raining cats and dogs". Idiomatic expressions.

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Response to IcyPeas (Reply #13)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 03:18 PM

Posteritatis (17,454 posts)

35. In my (metric) country, it goes "give 'em an inch, they'll take a mile." (nt)

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Tue Jun 19, 2012, 07:56 PM

El Supremo (13,295 posts)

15. Reagan stopped our conversion.

I sure wish it would happen in my lifetime.

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Response to El Supremo (Reply #15)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 09:58 AM

A Simple Game (4,937 posts)

22. Was that before or after the "smartest President in the World" took the

solar panels off the White House?

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Wed Jun 20, 2012, 01:34 PM

jp11 (2,104 posts)

26. It we hold out long enough they'll all come crawling back.

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 05:29 PM

Ron Obvious (1,690 posts)

36. No! No foreign rulers in America!

To steal an old MAD magazine classic...

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 05:33 PM

applegrove (58,775 posts)

37. We in Canada changed to metric when I was about 7. I do temperatures in metric. Height and

weight I still do the old fashioned way forty years later.

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Thu Jun 21, 2012, 05:34 PM

Arugula Latte (40,560 posts)

38. If feets 'n' inchez wuz good enuf fer Jesus, ther good enuf fer Murika!

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Fri Jun 22, 2012, 08:35 PM

Ter (4,225 posts)

41. What's the metric system?

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Fri Jun 22, 2012, 08:44 PM

Xipe Totec (29,975 posts)

42. We're inching our way to it... On the last mile...

Fighting for every yard...

One foot in front of the other...

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 02:49 AM

ashling (19,457 posts)

45. Don't you remember the 70s? Augh!

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Sat Jun 23, 2012, 10:50 PM

Rochester (680 posts)

48. I hope not

You can have my feet and inches and miles and gallons and pounds and ounces and Fahrenheit degrees when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers!

I've used the American system my whole life and it works just fine. I have no desire to try to acclimatize myself to a new system just because "it's simpler" or "the rest of the world uses it".

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Response to raccoon (Original post)

Sun Jun 24, 2012, 08:19 AM

Enrique (22,875 posts)

49. yes, right before the Apocalypse

the metric system is the Antichrist.

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