Philosophy Now Forum

is it still part Imperial? If still part Imperial, why is it taking so long?

PhilX

Because we can't get everyone to finish their pint at the same time.

But the bastards aren't actually giving us full pints anymore. Still charging for them tho'.

In seriousness tho' the kids are metric and most weights and measures are now but we won't be changing to km's any time soon as do you have any idea how much that'd cost us in road signs, let alone accidents and challenging speeding court cases, "but it said one hundred and twelvish yer honour!?".

Arising_uk wrote:

But the bastards aren't actually giving us full pints anymore. Still charging for them tho'.

In seriousness tho' the kids are metric and most weights and measures are now but we won't be changing to km's any time soon as do you have any idea how much that'd cost us in road signs, let alone accidents and challenging speeding court cases, "but it said one hundred and twelvish yer honour!?".

That's a myth. People just adjust. You stop thinking in miles quite quickly, although I've never got used to cms. for a person's height.

Arising_uk wrote:But the bastards aren't actually giving us full pints anymore.

Really? I wondered why I could only see one of everything.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:That's a myth. People just adjust. You stop thinking in miles quite quickly, although I've never got used to cms. for a person's height.

Er!? So not quite quickly then? But it was a joke as I know Australia and Canada did it with little hassle and it helps to have a speedo but the reality is we won't bear the cost at present, guesstimates range from £41 to £160 million odd pounds, so I can't see any govt being able to sell it at present but with the rise of the youth who think metric I'm sure it'll happen some time but with Brexit looming it won't be anytime soon.

Arising_uk wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:That's a myth. People just adjust. You stop thinking in miles quite quickly, although I've never got used to cms. for a person's height.

Er!? So not quite quickly then? But it was a joke as I know Australia and Canada did it with little hassle and it helps to have a speedo but the reality is we won't bear the cost at present, guesstimates range from £41 to £160 million odd pounds, so I can't see any govt being able to sell it at present but with the rise of the youth who think metric I'm sure it'll happen some time but with Brexit looming it won't be anytime soon.

Actually I was quite shocked to learn that the UK still uses miles. I thought it went metric decades ago. I don't know why I can't get my head around the height thing. I think it's because it's in such high numbers compared to feet and inches. Same with the American custom of only using pounds for measuring a person's weight. I always convert it to stones and pounds.

You can get used to anything if you do it long enough.

thedoc wrote:You can get used to anything if you do it long enough.

Yeah. Even masturbation is fairly mundane these days.

I always favour miles over kilometres though I reference
the speed of light in metres purely to avoid the decimal

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:Actually I was quite shocked to learn that the UK still uses miles. I thought it went metric decades ago. ...

Depends what you mean, we went decimal for the currency decades ago but it was only fairly recently that weights, measures and temperatures went completely metric in line with the EU(could be changing again) and some still have both depending upon context. Road distance and speed is about the last area, apart from Aviation that is.

I don't know why I can't get my head around the height thing. I think it's because it's in such high numbers compared to feet and inches. Same with the American custom of only using pounds for measuring a person's weight. I always convert it to stones and pounds.

6" 2' doesn't seem lower than 1.88m? I think this to do more with age and experience of the measures concerned as it's use that teaches what the measures mean I think. For example, I grew up with the experience of hot sunny days being around 80F(I know that you probably think that a warm winter ) and still can't get my head around 26C as a feeling but I think of cold in celsius nowadays. I still don't know what a kilogram weighs by instinctive feel but can still judge pounds fairly well(although this is changing due to the changes in supermarkets) and like you think in stones/lbs for human weights. I still can't judge in kilometers/metres/cms at all but miles/feet/inches are again ingrained as I've covered and measured a lot of them.

Here's another change that I can't get to grips with, our schools have moved to a system of counting school years from the first year of infant school and just continuing it through to the end of secondary school. This is different from my experience where the count used to reset at the change of school system so now I find myself embarrassed when I contact the school and they ask me what year my children are in as I have no idea off the top of my head and have to calculate.

Arising_uk wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:Actually I was quite shocked to learn that the UK still uses miles. I thought it went metric decades ago. ...

Depends what you mean, we went decimal for the currency decades ago but it was only fairly recently that weights, measures and temperatures went completely metric in line with the EU(could be changing again) and some still have both depending upon context. Road distance and speed is about the last area, apart from Aviation that is.

I don't know why I can't get my head around the height thing. I think it's because it's in such high numbers compared to feet and inches. Same with the American custom of only using pounds for measuring a person's weight. I always convert it to stones and pounds.

6" 2' doesn't seem lower than 1.88m? I think this to do more with age and experience of the measures concerned as it's use that teaches what the measures mean I think. For example, I grew up with the experience of hot sunny days being around 80F(I know that you probably think that a warm winter ) and still can't get my head around 26C as a feeling but I think of cold in celsius nowadays. I still don't know what a kilogram weighs by instinctive feel but can still judge pounds fairly well(although this is changing due to the changes in supermarkets) and like you think in stones/lbs for human weights. I still can't judge in kilometers/metres/cms at all but miles/feet/inches are again ingrained as I've covered and measured a lot of them.

Here's another change that I can't get to grips with, our schools have moved to a system of counting school years from the first year of infant school and just continuing it through to the end of secondary school. This is different from my experience where the count used to reset at the change of school system so now I find myself embarrassed when I contact the school and they ask me what year my children are in as I have no idea off the top of my head and have to calculate.

lol. I didn't think of it as 1.88m. I still prefer 6'2". I don't think cm in height has ever fully caught on. Everyone knows a man of 6'4'' is very tall. I remember when we used Farenheit but now can't relate to it at all (though I do remember 90 degrees as being a really hot day). 26C is quite hot. 30 is uncomfortable. As for the new school year system, I often have to count on my fingers when someone tells me they are 'year 7' or some such. Who thinks up these stupid things? Some annoying twat who wanted to make his mark on the world I suppose. Change for changes sake. At least we haven't adopted the American 'grade' system (yet).

vegetariantaxidermy wrote: At least we haven't adopted the American 'grade' system (yet).

With regards to school? We have. It's just one year out. Our year 1, is their kindergarten, our year 2 is their grade 1. We are one grade number ahead of them for children of the same age.

If you want to work out the age of a child from the UK year system (and vice versa), it's a difference of 5. A year 7 child, in the first year at secondary school, turns 12, in that year (starting the year, aged 11) and so on.

We have been influenced by the Americans more than you realise, I'm afraid.

ForCruxSake wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote: At least we haven't adopted the American 'grade' system (yet).

With regards to school? We have. It's just one year out. Our year 1, is their kindergarten, our year 2 is their grade 1. We are one grade number ahead of them for children of the same age.

If you want to work out the age of a child from the UK year system (and vice versa), it's a difference of 5. A year 7 child, in the first year at secondary school, turns 12, in that year (starting the year, aged 11) and so on.

We have been influenced by the Americans more than you realise, I'm afraid.

And it's always something negative, like 'dumbing' down, butchering the language, and 'maximising the dollar' (a counter-productive and destructive American 'buzz-concept'). Year one is their kindergarten? Kindergarten is where children go before they are old enough for school. Are you saying Americans have even got that wrong? I have a feeling the 'illiterism', 'contraryism' (like the deliberately annoying day/month swap), and anti-intellectualism are all the US' way of giving its big, fat 'middle finger' to the rest of the world. They can't really be that stupid. Who else could come up with the word 'functionable'?? The US produces many of the best teachers in the world. You have to wonder who they are teaching. Something isn't right. Remember Bush and his deliberate 'mispronouncablisms', endearing himself to the American public? 'Heck, he talks like a regular guy. Must be a decent dude'. Btw, you say you have adopted the US system, then go on to describe something completely different.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

ForCruxSake wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote: At least we haven't adopted the American 'grade' system (yet).

With regards to school? We have. It's just one year out. Our year 1, is their kindergarten, our year 2 is their grade 1. We are one grade number ahead of them for children of the same age.

If you want to work out the age of a child from the UK year system (and vice versa), it's a difference of 5. A year 7 child, in the first year at secondary school, turns 12, in that year (starting the year, aged 11) and so on.

We have been influenced by the Americans more than you realise, I'm afraid.

And it's always something negative, like 'dumbing' down, butchering the language, and 'maximising the dollar' (a counter-productive and destructive American 'buzz-concept'). Year one is their kindergarten? Kindergarten is where children go before they are old enough for school. Are you saying Americans have even got that wrong? I have a feeling the 'illiterism', 'contraryism' (like the deliberately annoying day/month swap), and anti-intellectualism are all the US' way of giving its big, fat 'middle finger' to the rest of the world. They can't really be that stupid. Who else could come up with the word 'functionable'?? The US produces many of the best teachers in the world. You have to wonder who they are teaching. Something isn't right. Remember Bush and his deliberate 'mispronouncablisms', endearing himself to the American public? 'Heck, he talks like a regular guy. Must be a decent dude'. Btw, you say you have adopted the US system, then go on to describe something completely different.

In giving us the "big fat middle finger" they even destroyed the British art of 'pointing the bony index finger of scorn and contempt'. Within two generations, I suspect, all English speaking countries will be speaking 'American' but I will cut off my internet before I ever have to write the words 'color', 'favor', 'flavor','behavior','honor, 'humor', 'labor', 'rumor', 'neighbor', 'splendor' (-present usage excepted).