Why Not Convert to Metric?

[Wayne Lomman]

Right on the money there Pat. Keep it on topic. Ron, please quote your sources for this list of predictions for our future Utopia/Hades. Cheers

[Tom Stenzel]

Years ago I belonged to a Saturn forum. One person that lived in Europe posted that he had bought one (how or why I don't know) and had purchased Imperial wrenches to work on it. Luckily I wasn't the one to tell him that the S series Saturns, introduced in 1991, were entirely metric and Torx fasteners. I'm not sure of Torx. Are they Imperial, Metric or belong to some alternative universe?

When Dennis Archer was mayor of Detroit, he issued a directive (printed on 81/2" x 11" paper) that all future contracts were to be in Metric. The directive was ignored. Years later I dug in the cabinets to find my copy of it, never did. I doubt if anyone remembers it.

As far as landing on the Moon, the moon is 2159.2 miles in diameter but only 3474 kilometers in diameter. Since it's so much smaller in Metric it'll be harder to hit with a spaceship.

I'll get my coat now.

;-)

-Tom

[Art Mann]

. . . Ron, please quote your sources for this list of predictions for our future Utopia/Hades. Cheers

My characterization of the outcomes predicted by Ron tend more toward "Hades" rather than "Utopia".

[Tony Zona]

Copy the first sentence in Ron's prediction post.

Paste it into a search engine.

If you can determine the original author, you're doing better than me.

I'm afraid it has been widely stolen, so I will assume Ron is the original author since he posted here. In which case I would like to see some source citations.

And what does it have to do with metric conversion, anyhow?

[Jim Koepke]

As this thread grows on forever, I keep asking myself, what benefit is there in converting to metric?

It will not put another penny in my pocket. It will not put any more food on my table.

Currently if something I purchase is metric, no big deal to me.

If something I need is in inches, it isn't a bother.

If something I used to buy in feet is now sold in meters, I can likely convert it in my head. It likely would be folly to expect the average store's clerks of being capable of such a task.

jtk

[Wayne Lomman]

I think you are right there Jim. As an overseas observer, it has been interesting learning how this is evolving in USA. How Australia converted worked with our political system. Our federal government can legislate binding law for all the states and territories uniformly and we are ok with that. It appears that it is more an evolutionary process in the USA. 95 years from now we will have forgotten all about it... Cheers

[Curt Harms]

As this thread grows on forever, I keep asking myself, what benefit is there in converting to metric?

It will not put another penny in my pocket. It will not put any more food on my table.

Currently if something I purchase is metric, no big deal to me.

If something I need is in inches, it isn't a bother.

If something I used to buy in feet is now sold in meters, I can likely convert it in my head. It likely would be folly to expect the average store's clerks of being capable of such a task.

jtk

It might if being willing & able to produce products in metric sizes gives you an advantage selling to markets that use metric measurements, e.g. most of the world.

[James White]

I do not argue that there is not a need to continue our move toward the metric system and joining the rest of the world. But I cant help but wonder if it is just one more step removed from our roots and sense of being human for the sake of production efficiency. After all our current system is based on the foot! Post #148 above by Art. Makes me feel like I want no part of that world.

I am only part way through By Hand and Eye. For those that are on the fence about it. I say jump!

The authors are promoting a style of design based on human proportion. Such as so many hands deep by so many hands high etc... Here is a small excerpt.

Christopher Wren, one
of the giants of British architecture in the 17th and early 18th centuries, was also an
accomplished scientist in the fields of astronomy and medicine. As an influential
member of Britain’s fledgling scientific society he embraced the new mathematics
of the Age of Reason. Yet he left perhaps the largest body of design work from
his era, all based on the older language of simple geometry – simple shapes and
whole-number proportions.
Ultimately it wasn’t science,
but the relentless pressure
to mass-produce driven by
the Industrial Revolution,
that caused the language to
fade from use as small artisan
shops disappeared from the
landscape.

James

[Jim Koepke]

It might if being willing & able to produce products in metric sizes gives you an advantage selling to markets that use metric measurements, e.g. most of the world.

The closest I come to making anything that has a relationship to size is when I have turned a wooden scoop on my lathe. Most of the time they are purchased by Civil War re-enactors. Mostly mine are made to be the size of a cup or a fraction of a cup.

Maybe 'metric' birdhouses would be scooped up by visitors from Canada.

jtk

[Curt Harms]

The closest I come to making anything that has a relationship to size is when I have turned a wooden scoop on my lathe. Most of the time they are purchased by Civil War re-enactors. Mostly mine are made to be the size of a cup or a fraction of a cup.

Maybe 'metric' birdhouses would be scooped up by visitors from Canada.

jtk

In cases like those, does it matter what system of measure was used? Or if a system of measure was used at all? Measuring units only matter when one thing has to fit with another or quantity for sale. How many people can tell by eye the difference between 3/4" ply and 18 mm ply? Or between unlabelled 2 liter bottles and 2 quart bottles?

[Jim Koepke]

In cases like those, does it matter what system of measure was used? Or if a system of measure was used at all? Measuring units only matter when one thing has to fit with another or quantity for sale. How many people can tell by eye the difference between 3/4" ply and 18 mm ply? Or between unlabelled 2 liter bottles and 2 quart bottles?

What does it matter was sort of the theme of one of my earlier posts in this thread.

As far as a lathe turned wooden scoop, it seems to impress folks a bit that it is actually made to a known size instead of a random sized scoop."

At the farmers market where my wares are sold, the people are quite comfortable with measurements in inches. Most of the time measurements are not even an issue.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

There is now a NEW system! Just heard a tech reporter on TV describe the new Samsung phone as "1.3 Pop Tarts long".

[Curt Harms]

I read this post on a UK site and thought of this thread

Gary mis-heard the address and instead went to the bank's branch in the town of Otley, about 15 kilometres away and a half-hour's drive when the traffic is kind.

I'm from around here and I can promise you no-one travels anywhere using one of those fancy modern fangled kilometre things. (Especially now we've left Europe), infact I'm not even sure most folk know what one is.

We travel to our underground places of gainful excavation in Gods own miles.

And nowt else.

[Barry McFadden]

As I'm sure you all know, Canada switched to the metric system years ago...the thing that really bugs me is that you get the grocery flyers in the daily paper and you'll see the specials listed as $3.99 per pound or $4.25 per pound (chicken for example)and when you go to the store to find it, all the prices are listed in Kg's. So you have to try to figure out what chicken is actually the one that is on sale.

[Art Mann]

I doubt if that is an accident.

As I'm sure you all know, Canada switched to the metric system years ago...the thing that really bugs me is that you get the grocery flyers in the daily paper and you'll see the specials listed as $3.99 per pound or $4.25 per pound (chicken for example)and when you go to the store to find it, all the prices are listed in Kg's. So you have to try to figure out what chicken is actually the one that is on sale.