I hate metric system.

[mugsy27]

this switch would completely throw off sports (in general) and their records.

how many meters would a football field be? how would you guage stats under the metric system and compare them to the old system to determin who goes to the hall of fame?!?

thats the REAL reason why we havent converted!! ;-)

 

[The Z]

I guess they'd just have to have double entries in Sports Almanacs... Metric and pre-Metric records. Or use asterisks or something.

All pre-Metric records that related to distance (yards rushing, yards passing) would stand forever. Others could continue into the Metric era (pass completion percentage, number of fumbles or interceptions).

It could be done. (and I think most stadiums could find a way to accommodate an additional 9.3613298 yards onto the playing surface to make it 100 meters)

 

[Georgeco]

Now there is a travesty indeed. Which chemicaly enhanced "athelete" gets into the hall of fame. To change the football field by just over 8 yards total would be a terrible thing, don't college teams already play on a different field?

If it were not for the use of two systems one of the mars probes wouldn't have taken a header into the surface of mars nor would a KAL airline been shot down after straying into Russian airspace and another airline run out of fuel on a trans oceanic flight.

Being inconvenient isn't a valid reason for not adopting a universally more concise system especially when it is used almost universally elsewhere in the world.

Cell phones that only work in Canada and the US while not a metric issue is indicative of the same mindset, works ok for me so "what? me worry?"

 

[Claire]

Georgeco, you've said a lot. Hubby quit watching sports ages ago because he says the standards that applied years ago don't now. So why not change to metric? They had different food, different equipment, even different size. Think of the height of basketball players now as compared to 30 years ago. Since everything else is different in sports -- the standards, the behavior, etc., why not the measurement? I watch little in sports these days, but have thought for years that they should raise a basket in that sport about 30 mm!!!

 

[Ishbel]

When American field and track athletes compete in Europe, Australia etc... they compete in metres.... so most of them know the metric system.

 

[Robo410]

As a power lifting coach I can tell you: half the meets in this country are metric. Look at the weights in the gyms today...kilos on one side, pounds on the other. Some gyms have two complete sets. Hello, what is wrong with this picture?? And anyone who competes internationally, certainly uses metric.

I wonder what with nafta and the euro union etc etc, how much longer it will be?
(In Delaware, when they began building a new highway in the 90s with Federal money, the signs (except speed limit) were all in kilometers. But when that law expired near the end of the century, they were quickly replaced with miles! So much for progress.)

 

[mugsy27]

guys..i was JOKING about the whole sports thing!! switch to metric, dont witch to metric...i could honestly care less.

as long as steak is still steak, and beer is still beer...im happy!

 

[Georgeco]

You can come up with scores of reasons for not doing something but until a government or an administration has the cojones to simply get behind it and mandate the change, the over all change to a totally metric system is going to be put off and put off.

A wholesale change now for the largest consumer economy on the earth is going to be very painful and extremely expensive in the early stages so which government or administration is going to put their collective necks on the line to impliment a fundamental change who's positive results won't be significantly felt until after the governing administration is well into their pensions? It can be done quite successfully, the EU and the Euro is a perfect example but it is expensive and difficult to get people to accept short term pain for long term gain.

When the metric system was adopted in Europe many years ago, the ecconomies were far more agrarian than they are now and therefor the transition was achieved within a short time and with far less trauma than such a change would be achieved now in N.A.

The EU has shown that with enough push, you can affect the desired change but there really has to be a short term and almost immediate benefit to the people making the sacrifices to affect that change. I just don't see the peoples of N.A. accepting the trauma that such a forced change would cause.

For my little part, I realized years ago that I liked the multitude of positive results that came about when I adopted the "weight vs. volume method of cooking and baking so I have made a concerted effort to facilitate this adjustment. I have compiled a relatively comprehensive set of conversion charts for the volume/weight of the ingredients I use. When ever I adopt a new ingredient, I take the short time needed and weigh the ingredient in all the common volumes. I do this about 5 or so times and average the results and then I am done with that ingredient conversion for ever.

So, a little work initially and it's done for ever.

 

[DampCharcoal]

NO, NO, NO! The Metric System is the Mark of the Beast! EVIL! I'm going to start hoarding speedometers measured in MPH and 300' tape measure reels! The underground bunker is currently being built and I've amassed an aresenal of .45 ACPs. No 9mms allowed!

 

[Alix]

Damp, you have been sniffing the gas tanks of the golf carts again haven't you?

 

[Paint]

Britain changed to the metric system when I was in my teens - so I understand both of them. I still much prefer to cook in 'pounds and ounces', and love being able to pop a teaspoon/cup of an ingredient into something rather than weighing every little thing out. I prefer to measure short distances in millimetres/centimetres but definately prefer to measure fabric in yards and long distances in miles - I would have no idea if I'd walked a kilometre or not (btw, you Americans have to know how to spell LITRE and METRE correctly before you can use it LOL!). I prefer to weigh myself in STONES: pounds and kilograms are way too scary.

As a nurse and former scientist I agree that the metric system is vastly superior for that purpose....we still get doctors who write prescriptions in GRAINS for goodness sake, then us poor nurses have to convert to metric because the actual medication comes in metric doses...

As for darn Europe forcing us Brits to sell everything only in metric measurements....well I won't comment on that!

Paint.

 

[Robo410]

well as I'm 6'5" and have a nice big hand...I'll just buy handfulls bulk @ .79 a handfull! forget weights and measures...

 

[Ishbel]

It's also interesting to note that until the early 1970s (I think!) - the UK used Pounds, shillings and pence as its units of currency.... some of the coinage went back to medieval times - I think the penny was introduced by the Saxons.

There were 20 shillings to one pound, 12 pence to one shillings, oh and the highly eccentric 'guinea' - which was one pound one shilling. We had thruppenny (3 penny) 'bits', 'tanners' (sixpences), a bob (shilling), half a crown (2 shillings and sixpence) pound notes, ten bob notes, five pound notes etc....

Then we were forced, overnight, to adapt to a new metric money system. The sky did not fall! We STILL have pounds (only just though, as Bliar is determined at some stage to take us into the Euro!) - 100 pence to a pound.... Now, hey..... lemmmeeee think..... which OTHER large, English-speaking country uses 100 cents to a dollar type of METRIC/DECIMAL system of currency.... Hmmmmmm it'll come to me, I'm sure... just give me time.....

 

[DampCharcoal]

Damp, you have been sniffing the gas tanks of the golf carts again haven't you?

ALIX! SHHHHH!!! Ixnay on the etricmay alktay! *they can hear us and are watching us! meet me in the cart bart at 0800 Zulu!*

 

[Alix]

ALIX! SHHHHH!!! Ixnay on the etricmay alktay! *they can hear us and are watching us! meet me in the cart bart at 0800 Zulu!*

Roger that big daddy! *can I wear my spy goggles too?*

 

[DampCharcoal]

Roger that big daddy! *can I wear my spy goggles too?*

Yeah, you're in Special Ops! Remember when we robbed the casino? You get to drop down from the chopper and force your way into the building with your weapon drawn!

 

[Alix]

Bum bum ba da bum bum (theme from Mission Impossible) doo de le dooo....dooo de le dooo....


Wheres the chopper?? Oh wait, who needs a chopper? We hijacked this thread pretty good Damp!

OK everyone, back to the metric debates. Let me get you started...I LOVE the metric system because I am lazy. It is way easier to do conversions this way than in any other. GO!

 

[Georgeco]

ALIX! SHHHHH!!! Ixnay on the etricmay alktay! *they can hear us and are watching us! meet me in the cart bart at 0800 Zulu!*

0800Z ? What is Johnstown Ohio, Z+6 or +7? A clandestine meeting at 1 or 2 in Johnstown, wouldn't that be a bit conspictuous?

 

[Alix]

Georgeco, are you being a killjoy?

Damp and I don't care if we are conspicuous, and on his golf course, no one would think twice about seeing us.

 

[naz]

Being in Australia we use metric but my mum taught me to cook and she uses pounds and ounces so I got to learn both. But most recipes have cups, tablespoons etc. However if I get a recipe online I have to watch that the cup is the same size as ours lol. One day I am going to put a touch screen in the kitchen which has the internet so I can just bring up conversion tools while I am cooking instead of running in and out of my office.