USA and UK, y u no go metric?

[Fero]

So I spent the weekend in the south east of England, as a surprise for my girlfriends birthday. Parked my 14-year old Volkswagen on the ferry and sailed over there. Weekend was pleasant, but driving on the left and the speed signs in mile annoyed me. Why are you guys still using a weird system of measurement?

I mean, just take a look at this:
1 foot is 12 inches
1 yard is 3 feet
1 chain (never even heard of that before) is 22 yards
1 furlong is 10 chains
1 mile is 8 furlongs

Where's the logic Anglosaxons?

10 millimeter is 1 centimeter
10 centimeter is a decimeter
10 decimeter is a meter
10 meter is a decameter
10 decameter is a hectometer
10 hectometer is a kilometer

Why are you still insisting on using such complex units while there's a far better system that'a being used internationally? I can imagine the conversion costs are quite high, but still, ameribros...

 

[chalupa]

Oh my goodness! We had no idea about any of this!

What is this met-ric sys-tem you speak of?

 

[Fero]

It's a serious question. Has it never been an issue in the US?

 

[Stu Pidasole]

It's a serious question. Has it never been an issue in the US?

In a few areas it has. but mostly with inches and fractions versus Cm and Mm.

 

[Fero]

What's the main argument against it? I don't really see a valid reason to keep on using such a complex system.

 

[Stu Pidasole]

What's the main argument against it? I don't really see a valid reason to keep on using such a complex system.

That question was asked when I was working on a metric program in the aircraft industry. It boils down to the over all cost of converting and re-tooling.

There is no real clean conversion between the 2.

edit/ the closest I know is 13mm = 9/16...........lol

 

[Fero]

Most british commonwealth countries made the conversion decades ago, though. Why would't it work in the US?

 

[Stu Pidasole]

It's never going to happen, one just has to learn to work with the 3 major systems, fractional, decimal and metric.

 

[Fero]

It happened all over the world, though.

 

[Devastation the Almighty]

They tried to convert back in the early 90s. It didn't go over well. You have to understand also that our system isn't confusing for us, because we've used it all our lives.

 

[chalupa]

It happened all over the world, though.

Yes. Americans are insanely stubborn and fear change of all stripes because it isn't in the Bible. I'm not actually joking.

I'd make the change to metric tomorrow; except that the rest of the world has to admit that they do dates incorrectly (also). It should be year, month, day, hour, minute, second. Fucking euros put the day in front of the month like retards.

 

[Brian]

It should be year, month, day

'hey hold on what's today's date?'

'it's two thousand thirteen, octo-'

'nigga hurry yo ass up I got some place to be. what's today's date?'

'hold on sir, let me finish. it's two thousand thir-'

and that's how people get shot.

 

[chalupa]

and that's how people get shot.

Lulz^

It's 13 10 7 today. Done and done.

 

[Frood]

Because we're entrenched in the current system. Is the metric system objectively better? Yes. Is the imperial system functional? Also yes. No need to switch over. Science and physics classes still use the metric system, but for things like road signs, miles work just fine. It's not worth the hassle of switching over.

Also, Fahrenheit is better than Celcius because it's more precise.

 

[chalupa]

Because we're entrenched in the current system. Is the metric system objectively better? Yes. Is the imperial system functional? Also yes. No need to switch over. Science and physics classes still use the metric system, but for things like road signs, miles work just fine. It's not worth the hassle of switching over.

Also, Fahrenheit is better than Celcius because it's more precise.

I disagree wholeheartedly. Cars have both, roadsigns can be changed. Fuck, that is a WAY better boost to our economy (shovel ready) than bailing out banks or failing companies. METRIC SYSTEM TO THE RESCUE!!!

 

[BigMattTheHobo]

Shovel? Where?!

 

[Frood]

I disagree wholeheartedly. Cars have both, roadsigns can be changed. Fuck, that is a WAY better boost to our economy (shovel ready) than bailing out banks or failing companies. METRIC SYSTEM TO THE RESCUE!!!

Break more windows.

 

[Stu Pidasole]

Shovel? Where?!

Exactly, where is this shovel ready dream at?

I know exactly where it is, but refuse to tell all my secretes..............

 

[Devastation the Almighty]

I disagree wholeheartedly. Cars have both, roadsigns can be changed. Fuck, that is a WAY better boost to our economy (shovel ready) than bailing out banks or failing companies. METRIC SYSTEM TO THE RESCUE!!!

At the very least we could have both metric and normal on the signs:

Distance to Mianus
15 miles
(INSERTVALUE) km

 

[chalupa]

Break more windows.

Except it isn't wanton destruction for the sake of rebuilding. There's couple billion in updates, if not more, that will benefit us in the long term.