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why is the US not Metric
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Black Phoenix:

--- Quote from: rstofer on November 03, 2019, 03:44:44 pm ---
You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?


--- End quote ---

I don't know if I should really laugh or be worried that you really believe what you said with that all certainty...
bsfeechannel:

--- Quote from: rstofer on November 03, 2019, 03:44:44 pm ---You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing. 

--- End quote ---

You can count me out. I'm not bashing the US "success", or whatever you mean by that. The fact is that imperial is obsolete. And it is odd that so wealthy and presumably so smart a nation is behind in the adoption of a standard that brings obvious benefits.


--- Quote ---Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

--- End quote ---

I could argue that the largest economy in the world is the world minus the US. Five times greater. And that the US is surrounded by 7.4 billion people. And all those people in that large economy can see benefits in the adoption of an agnostic, modern system of units.

I don't think you can afford to ignore this fact.


--- Quote ---We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect. 
--- End quote ---

You want respect? Stop connecting metric to politics or national pride. This is nothing but bullshit.


--- Quote ---I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US. 
--- End quote ---

Have in mind that people in "3rd tier countries" also have brains and if you don't use yours they can outsmart you pretty fast.
soldar:

--- Quote from: rstofer on November 03, 2019, 03:44:44 pm ---
--- Quote from: soldar on November 03, 2019, 09:09:46 am ---Not only dick waving but a very limp dick that saw better days ... maybe in 1969. Sad!

--- End quote ---

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?
--- End quote ---

rstofer, I don't want to sound confrontational and I ask you to interpret what I post in the best positive way.

I object to the gratuitous bashing of any country but I get the impression it happens regularly with China, not with America. If I see any gratuitous bashing I will denounce it.

We are discussing the metric system, not the moral standing of America in the world.  Maybe you are being too sensitive and take as America-bashing criticisms that are no such thing. An honest criticism of some American things is not bashing America and if you are taking it that way maybe you need to adjust your sensitivity and understanding.

America is not absolutely better than the rest of the world. Every country and culture have their good and their bad and a lot of what is good and what is bad is very subjective. America and Americans are not superior and many problems and reasons why America is perceived negatively are by that arrogance of feeling superior. America has many good things and has done many good things and has many bad things and has done many bad things, just like any other country. The world owes nothing to America.

The problem may be that you may be too sensitive and feel people are attacking America when they are not. Do not assign negative intentions to others without clear signs that they exist. Criticizing things about any country is very necessary to make that country better. Fanatical nationalists are not an asset to any country and sadly this is something that is growing in many countries, including America.

If you cannot take constructive criticism, if constructive praise is all you can handle, then you better restrict yourself to a very narrow group of people who think exactly like you.
Simon:
China just gets the criticism you want Americans to accept. Although I agree with you, you can't have it both ways.
mansaxel:

--- Code: ---treize:tmp mansaxel$ bc -l
bc 1.06
Copyright 1991-1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
For details type `warranty'.

/* Set something sensible, for woodworking. */
scale=4
/* Window width is 4' 11" and 1/16. We want to leave 3/8" clearance on each side.
    Let's start with making all fractions equal, and since /16 is the smallest, that's
    what we choose.  */

/* 4 feet and eleven inches and one sixteenth as sixteenths */
(((4*12) + 11 )*16) + 1
945

/* We want to deduct 3/8" twice, but let's start with the conversion into sixteenths. /*
3*2
6
8*2
16

2*6
12
/* that's 12/16 = 2 * 3/8
    We now have everything in 1/16" increments. Let's do the subtraction */

945 - 12
933

/* The result is 933/16. Let us calculate, briefly going decimal here.  */

933/16
58.3125

/* .3125 looks like it could be a sensible fraction of something. We could do what engineering
   people in USA seem to do and cheat by declaring the result 58 inches 313 thou, but since
   fractions are allegedly more natural, let's find the true beautiful fraction. 

   We can cheat another way and let the computer do some modulo: */
scale=0
933%16
5
scale=4

/* That means we've got 58 inches 5/16" but let's restore feet. Because feet are important. A natural unit. */
58/12
4.8333

/* Again, we cheat with modulo: */

scale=0
58%12
10

scale=4

/* So, now we've got something approaching the result:

4' 10 5/16"

Easy, huh? We could, of course be un-american and do something different :*/

inch=25.4

((((4*12) + 11 ) + (1/16) ) * inch ) - (2 * (3/8) * inch)
1481.1375

/* Let's  compare:

Now, if we'd been using metric from the start, we'd be starting with KNOWING that the window is:

(((4*12) + 11 ) + (1/16))  * inch = 1500.1875  mm

and the deductions are

3/8" * inch = 9.5250 mm each.

Thus, we've got ONLY this calculation to do:

*/

1500.1875 - (2 * 9.525)
1481.1375

/* Of course, if we'd started out in metric, we'd probably had rounded numbers to full centimeter, leaving us with: */

150-(2*1)
148

/* My children can do that in an instant. QED. */
--- End code ---
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