Posted on 08/22/2013 6:49:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
I’ve met a lot of people and learned a lot while traveling Europe the past several weeks. Of all the things I have had to explain to fellow travels as not only an American – but a Texan – by far the most frustrating thing is our stubborn refusal to embrace the metric system. I can confidently argue the finer points of how the use of y’all and the plural form all y’all are descriptive and have a place in the American lexicon. I take pleasure in explaining the intricacies of chicken fried foods.
But the metric system is another matter. “I don’t understand why y’all don’t use the metric system” is something I’ve heard too often. I don’t argue with them because there is no technical argument for why we haven’t adopted the Système Internationale – our refusal is based on emotion and familiarity.
Our choice of unit system is perhaps more important now than in recent years. Science is conducted using the language of SI units. If we want to have a scientifically literate populace, we should make sure that scientists and non-scientists speak the same language. In terms of national competitiveness, Americans are competing on a global market of information now more than ever. We are at a disadvantage by not speaking the international language of science at a time when we are struggling with truly global issues like climate change and resource depletion.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the government arm that sets standards and measurements to support American competitiveness, concludes that “the current effort toward national metrification is based on the conclusion that industrial and commercial productivity, mathematics and science education, and the competitiveness of American products and services in world markets, will be enhanced by completing the change to the metric system of units. Failure to complete the change will increasingly handicap the Nation’s industry and economy.”
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REST...
Ditto for National Geographic.
Nerds run the world. You’re welcome.
i love that we haven’t gone metric... in your face, metric world... i remember back in the 70s, being in grade school, being told that we would be going metric... i was against it then and i am against it now... just because we are Americans!
***”The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that’s the way I likes it.” ***
1st salesman: Cash for the merchandise, cash for the button hooks
3rd salesman: Cash for the cotton goods, csh for the hard goods
1st Salesman: Cash for the fancy goods
2nd salesman: cash for the noggins and the piggins and the frikins
3rd Salesman: Cash for the hogdhead, cask and demijohn. Cash for the crackers and the pickels and the flypaper
4th Salesman: Look whatayatalk. whatayatalk, whatayatalk, whatayataalk, whatayatalk?
5th Salesman: Weredayagitit?
4th Salesman: Whatayatalk?
1st Salesman: Ya can talk, ya can talk, ya can bicker ya can talk, ya can bicker, bicker bicker ya can talk all ya want
But is different than it was.
Charlie: No it ain’t, no it ain’t, but ya gotta know the territory.
Rail car: Shh shh shh shh shh shh shh
3rd Salesman: Why it’s the Model T Ford made the trouble, made the prople wanna go, wanna get, wanna get up and go
Seven eight , nine, ten, twelve, fourteen, twent-two, twenty-three milew to the county seat
1st Salesman: Yes sir, yes sir
3rd Salesman: Who’s gonna patronize a little bitty two by four kinda store anymore?
4th Salesman: Whaddaya talk, whaddaya talk.
5th Salesman: Where do you get it?
3rd Salesman: Gone, gone
Gone with the hogshead cask and demijohn, gone with the sugar barrel, pickel barrel, milk pan, gone with the tub and
The pail and the fierce.
That might have worked back then...but it seems usage and time won, didn’t it. Why screw it up with an even longer history of usage and time? Doesn’t make sense...it won’t change anything tangible in the end - only interpretations of commodity amounts.
America would be even greater if so many Americans weren’t so stupid.
Just because you don’t get it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense.
Generally, cars have one rod per cylinder.
Farva: Give me a double bacon cheeseburger.
Dimpus Burger Guy: [into mic] Double baco cheeseburger. It's for a cop.
Farva: What the hell's that all about? You gonna spit in it now?
Dimpus Burger Guy: No, I just told him that so he makes it good.
[into mic] Dimpus Burger Guy: Don't spit in that cop's burger.
Farva: Yeah, thanks.
Second Dimpus Guy: Roger, holding the spit.
Farva: Gimme a pie... apple.
Dimpus Burger Guy: Want me to hold the spit? Hah, just kidding officer Farva.
[pause]
Dimpus Burger Guy: Want me to dimpa-size your meal for 25 cents?
Farva: Want me to punch-a-size your face, for free?
Dimpus Burger Guy: It's only 25 cents, and look how much more you get.
Thorny: Look, kid, he doesn't want it.
Farva: I can handle this, Thorn. I don't want it!
Dimpus Burger Guy: Uhh, right. Beverage?
Farva: Gimme a litre o' cola.
Dimpus Burger Guy: What?
Farva: [Annoyed] A litre o' cola.
Dimpus Burger Guy: [into mic] Litrecola? Do we sell litrecola?
Thorny: Will you just order a large, Farva?
Farva: I don't want a large farva. I want a xxxxxxx litre o' cola!
Dimpus Burger Guy: [to Farva] I don't know what that is!
Farva: [slowly starts shouting] Litre is French for...
[grabs burger kid by shirt] ... give me my xxxxxx' cola before I break VOUS xxxxxx' LIP!
I kinda agree, but I’d rather not have to order a Royale with Cheese.
In engineering the metric system is the better of the two...Electrical components data sheets are 95% measured in millimeters and not in thousandths. Each and every mil or thousandth measurement from 0.000 all the way to 0.999 can be converted EXACTLY to 4 decimals in millimeters. Not so the other way...For example: 0.036th is exactly 0.9144mm,
but 0.12mm is 0.004724409449th. This would be rounded off in the inch (thousandths) world to 0.005 which is close but NOT accurate. This procedure can have a cumlative effect over increments and cause a part to be way off in ccuracy.
And it won't be a half-penny nail, but a 0.005 Euro nail.
Again, you apply application based measurements of the English system against uses that are/were entirely uncommon. What’s the point? You can think up crappy examples?
Familiar with both systems.
That’s just one of the reasons America is (was) great. The ancient English invention of individual liberty is another.
Not in the context DmanA was talking about.
"His stupid measurements" are very practical. The metric system is flawed in that it has no equivalent of such practical measurements as ounce, pound, inch, gallon, foot, fathom, furlong, etc.
Well, you're certainly doing a bang-up job with that converting America to the metric system thing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.