• BigMoe@lemmy.zip
    ·
    3 months ago

    I’m terrified of driving the day they move the US from miles to kilometers. People go well over the speed limit as it is. I can only imagine how many people would read the kilometer per hour speed limit as miles.

  • stillwater@lemmy.ml
    ·
    3 months ago

    There are (huge) costs to retooling production to move from imperial to metric. Even if a company wanted to make that move they'd have to transition in phases and will likely end up with additional equipment to maintain. There's also significant training for workers (who will likely commit errors in the beginning) which will impact production. And what happens to the old equipment? I'd guess a significant portion of that would end up getting scrapped and landfilled.

  • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
    ·
    3 months ago

    It's easier for handling real things.

    Try doing woodwork in feet and inches for a day. Try it in metric for a day. You'll see what I mean.

    It was crafted for the human-scale, whereas metric was worked out on paper by French philosophers.

    • Zerush@lemmy.ml
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Human scale? Not yours or mines, measures of the ffoot, thumbs and random desires of a dead British King in the far past. No problem in metrics, at least if I don't build a hut in the wood with an axe, then maybe using parts of the body for measures are usefull. Not the first furniture I made, also working in metal. Also in mathematic and physic the metric system is way better (Even NASA now uses the metric system since 2 probes crashed on Marte due to calculation errors in the imperial system)

      *removed externally hosted image*

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
        ·
        edit-2
        3 months ago

        I doubt it had much to do with kings, as they didn't do handicrafts or have to measure things like grocers/traders do.

        That image is really stupid, too much wrong with it to go thru.

    • radio_free_asgarthr [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      3 months ago

      Dude, WTF are you talking about? When I was a machinist it was so much easier to deal with metric. 1 inch ~ 25 mm, from there it is just way easier to deal with measurements such as 27.5 mm instead of 1 5/64 inches and all of these inverse powers of 2. I was always jealous of the French machinist I worked with talking about how the only units you should ever have to work with is meters and millimeters. If you are concerned about "Human Scale" then intuitively a meter and a yard are close enough for estimates and you don't have to deal with "wait, what is 5/8 + 3/16 + 1 7/64?"

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
        ·
        edit-2
        3 months ago

        “wait, what is 5/8 + 3/16 + 1 7/64?”

        Those are so easily commensurable! It's 1 and 59/64 obv.

        It's set up to make this easy.

        Let me ask: do you think people have usedit for hundreds of years for no reason?

        • MeowZedong@lemmygrad.ml
          cake
          ·
          3 months ago

          Let me ask you something in return: do you think you can't use fractions with metric? If you prefer fractions, that's fine, but you haven't justified why it's better to use a system of measurement based on vibes.

          1/4" = 0.25" 1/4mm = 0.25mm

    • silliewous@feddit.nl
      ·
      3 months ago

      Are you telling us that you are actually making, say a box, by measuring it with your hands and feet? That’s barbaric! I’m guessing you actually use a tape measure like the rest of us.

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
        ·
        3 months ago

        You and @Zerush both resorted to this fake idea that [not using the metric convention] = [measuring things with your body-parts]

        Very weird lie. I'll take it as an admission you're out of sensible points.

        • silliewous@feddit.nl
          ·
          3 months ago

          That is what you’re implying by saying that imperial is more intuitive. But if you’re measuring with normal measurement equipment that argument is moot. At that point using imperial is easier for you just because you’re used to it. When normal people have to use imperial for things, all intuition is out the door and it will be hell.

          You’re failing to externalise your own experience from the situation. Maybe you should practice that a bit more.

  • wuphysics87@lemmy.ml
    ·
    3 months ago

    Perhaps I'm biased, but sometimes it's easier to work in fractions. Also, setting room temp is objectively better in F. I can tell the difference between 74 and 75. That said, I'm also a scientist so I'm permitted these opinions.

    • ReakDuck@lemmy.ml
      ·
      3 months ago

      No, you are not permitted these decisions because you are something.

      Its still bias