Inventors and/or manufacturers I want to Kill

[hallerb]

ssometimes plastic gears are there intentially to protect something else.

so the $2 plastic gear strips protecting the 100 dollar motor.

[Harry K]

I agree. I spent many tours overseas and had a complete set of metric measureing tools plust the usual household maintainance items. Hated it when I retired and had to go back to this abortion we call a system.

One of the dumbest arguements against the metric tool system was from a mechanic.

"I wouldn't be able to tell what wrench to grab". I pointed out that he doesn't know now in that when he needs a 9/16 he doesn't grab a "9/16" he grabs one "that size" and it would be the same in metric except simpler as there are fewer choices.

Sorta OT. When did Great Britain do away with the Whitworth bolt/nut sizes? Back in the 60s IIRC a mechanic had to have all 3 sizes of wrenches.

Harry K

[hallerb]

I love my plastic snow shovels, so nice orange easy to find, and slippery so snow doesnt stick.

[hallerb]

I love my plastic snow shovels, so nice orange easy to find, and slippery so snow doesnt stick.

[hallerb]

I love my plastic snow shovels, so nice orange easy to find, and slippery so snow doesnt stick.

[Ed Stevens]

Exactly. I've never understood the fuss. After all, just how long

*is* a meter? Answer: It's the distance between two marks on a stick calibrated for such. Same answer as "How long is a foot?"

How much is a liter? How much is a quart? Same answer for both: The amount of liquid to fill up a properly calibrated measuring container to a specific mark.

Who gives a fig about conversion? When working in metric, you use measuring devices calibrated in metric. You measure to the marks indicated. Just like when working with "British" ("American").

[Ed Stevens]

Well, in cooking, most measurments and portions would be adjusted slightly to the nearest round metric number. Thus, the 'standard' drinking glass would probably grow slightly to become the 'standard 25 ml. glass'.

The unit of measure for eggs would probably remain what it is under the current system: the egg, 1 each.

Sports fields could be adjusted (making a football field 100 meters) but would require two sets of record books. I believe track and field has pretty much already made this adjustment, with most tracks being built to 400 meteres instead of 400 yards, but it is much more an international sport than American football. Probably better to leave football and baseballs fields alone, with the use of yards, feet, and inches being considered a 'quaint' historic relic. How far is it from pitchers mound to home plate in thoroughly metric Japan?

[opinionated]

Yeah, I just love it when I have to keep two sets of wrenches and my car has both types of bolts so all I do is fight to figure out which wrench fits properly and which one is a sloppy fit. And even if I hse a 17MM socket, my ratchet is still a 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch drive, which means I have to constantly use two different standards of measurements. Now, they still sell gasoline in gallons, but sell soda in liters. America did just fine for centuries using the SAE standards. It's obvious that foreign cars will come with metric bolts, and in that case, the owner buys metric tools. But American cars should have SAE bolts, because they were made in America. There is no reason we need to kiss butt to other countries, and all we have done trying to convert is confuse people, such as my car having both type of bolts. Just to adjust the alternator belt I have to use both SAE and Metric wrenches. That is just assenine. The REAL reason they wanted to change was just to sell more tools, sell more of everything else that is not metric, and make life complicated.

I cant wait till they convert gasoline to sell in some metric amount, and stop using the dollar and convert to the pound. That way when I take a 7 pound bag of dog food to the counter, and the store also sells a 10 pound bag, the clerk can ask me if I have a 7 pound or a 10 pound bag, and I will think that is the price they are charging me because the pound is also a term for an amount of money.

All this amounts to is the government making things as complicated as possible, the same way they do it with income tax forms and pretty much anything else they touch.

[opinionated]

Well, I hate all plastic snow shovels, and what really pisses me off is that you cant buy metal ones anymore unless they are second hand at a garage sale.

By the way, why does every one of your posts come thru 3 times? You need to fix your software. (You probably used metric when you set it up).

[Michael Daly]

A study done years ago found that rates of reading dyslexia were higher in countries with languages like English and French, where spelling and pronounciation were not necessarily consistent, and lower in countries like Russia, Italy, Spain etc where the spelling is essentially phonetic. The difference was pretty significant.

Mike

[RicodJour]

Where the hell do you live? Can't buy a metal snow shovel - yeah right. Maybe you should stop shopping at Toys R Us and try a reasonable hardware store, Home Depot, etc. They all sell metal shovels, and you'll most likely have a choice of aluminum or steel as well.

R

[RicodJour]

I am having a very tough time believing you are not a troll. The myopia that passes for your logic is staggering.

- Cars that are "Made in America" are assembled here but have parts from all over the world. The only reason your car has two types of bolts, is because of people like you who resist change, even if the new way is far superior. It's like that idiot that everyone knows who is married to the dragon lady but won't divorce her, saying things like, "The devil you know is better than the one you don't." You know, bullshit.

- Because of people like you, this is one of the only three third world countries still stuck in the 1800's with the Imperial system of measurement. We're not a colony anymore, get it? There is no more king, we're a country. We no longer have to stick to an archaic measuring system that the country that invented it no longer uses!

-You're right that they want to sell more tools, parts and everything else. We also want to _buy_ more tools, parts and everything else. The problem comes in when a metric country/company has to make a choice between setting up two manufacturing lines. One, their standard metric, is already in place, the other, Imperial, has a limited market

- the US (Libya and Myanmar). You're argument will undoubtably be, well, we'll make what we need right here, in the good ol' USA. Guess again. If you're willing to fork over $100K for your Chevy, that might work, but where are you getting the $100K from?

A liter is close to a quart. Four liters is close to a gallon. That's all you need to know, and you don't even need to know that.

You'll do what you do right now. You'll keep your eyes open, see a gas station which has lower prices than the rest, pull over and buy some. You'll say, give me $20 bucks or fill 'er up. You won't take out a measuring cup and calculate the conversion. Hell, right now you don't know if you're getting a gallon or not. You just trust that you are.

They'll scan the item, you'll pay for it. What do you care what units are used as long as the net cost to you is reasonable?

On that, at least, we agree.

R

[opinionated]

Well, considering you are a trolling asshole, I dont have much to say to you, but neither my local hardware store or Menards carry them, unless you include metal manure shovels, which is what I have used since my $15 plastic piece of shit broke in half after about one hours use.

[BP]

The funnier part is where he assumes that the conversion to metric system requires conversion to the British monetary system! All while the British are converting to the European monetary system.

[BP]

When your handle changes from opinionated@myshop to educated@myshop you will know better.

[BP]

And they don't scratch up my composite decking.

[mm]

Didn't the English system precede the metric system?

What about "A pint's a pound, the world around". I've heard that all my life.

What's the difference between a fluid ounce and an ounce?

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you on metric. ( it's only benefitted the socket and wrench mfgrs. )

As for the rest, I love 'em all...

One mans drink is another mans poison...

[Anonymous]

But then, they charge you a Hundred Bucks for the replacement gear......

[adrian]

Depends on which English system you're talking about. The British yard did. The gallon used the the USA is the Winchester wine gallon legalized by Queen Anne in 1707, so it predates the metric system. The British volume measures were redefined in 1824, however, so the Imperial gallon and the 20 oz pint in use there date to 1824 which is AFTER the metric system.

The foot and the pound have their roots in the system of the Roman Empire. But an old system is not necessarily a better system. The reason the British reformed their system in 1824, and the reason the metric system was introduced around 1800 because the historical measurement units were a huge confusing mess. There were lots of different pounds, feet, pints, etc, all with different sizes. The units in one town could be different from the units in another one. Makes it hard to tell if you're getting what you paid for. And makes trade hard between different regions.

The Imperial fluid ounce is actually not equal to the US fluid ounce. So many "pints" have been defined throughout history that to argue that a particular one is the "real" pint seems futile.

It's a lie. The Imperial gallon was defined to be the space occupied by 10 lbs of water. The gallon holds 8 pints. This makes the weight of an imperial pint of water equal to 1.25 lbs.

The USA gallon is defined to be 231 cubic inches and a pint of water in this system weights a bit more (4%) than a pound.

Unless, of course, you were interested in the USA dry pint which is about 33.6 cubic inches and hence is 16% larger than the liquid pint. But you wouldn't measure water in dry pints....

A fluid ounce is a measure of volume (how much space something occupies). An ounce is a measure of weight (mass). This is a common source of confusion with the USA system. Switching to the metric system would at least prevent this from being a source of confusion.

Take something like the weight of paper. When you buy 24 lb bond paper and then 96 lb card stock does that mean that the card stock was four times (96/24) the weight of the bond paper? Actually it does not because in the ridiculous system used here in the USA, card stock is measured differently than bond paper, so in fact that card stock is only 92% heavier than the bond paper. The only (reasonable) way to know what's going on is to look for a metric designation on the paper in grams per square meter.