This post derives its inspiration from Cheerful Monk’s post Fahrenheit.
26 thoughts on “Go Metric!”
LOL! 😀 but then of course English being English… the yard can be a grassy area with flowers front or back … or a solid concrete area for exercising incarcerated inmates.
Way back in the early 70s of the last century, we went Metric in India and had quite a time convincing our customers to understand and accept the change from yards to meters and dozens and grosses to units. It took almost three years to get the change totally accepted. During that time, all of us in the company wore badges that simply said GO METRIC.
I wish that metric had been adopted here. Once you have it, it makes more sense than our system. The problem is trying to relate metric to what you are used to. If we had switched, metric is what we would be accustomed to.
I’m more comfortable than most with metric, but still have to use a conversion app to relate a measurement to what I’m used to. Yesterday, though, I bought a large bottled drink and, for some reason, thought that it must be a liter bottle and, when I checked, sure enough, it was. Most bottle beverages here have both metric and a US unit of measure.
Very funny—Thanks CM and Ramana! Canada has used metric for several decades. I was teaching at the time of the changeover, and witnessed how easily children adapted, and how hard it was for adults (teachers included). We are not completely used to it though, since many of us olders still translate everything mentally . What a waste of time for us!
There was a serious push for metrics in the U.S. in the 1970s. I was among a fairly large group of U.S. Forest Service people called into Washington where we were told to get ready for the change because there was “no doubt” it would come soon. We were ordered to start using metrics in news releases and other media, although most of us ignored that command.
The big change never happened, partly because of strong opposition from the construction industry. Changing our traditional “2 by 4” lumber and four foot by eight foot sheets of plywood to metric units was a formidable challenge. After lots of smoke from the administration in Washington, there was to be no metric fire in the final analysis.
Not being familiar with lumber I don’t understand that terminology but here when we have to buy say plywood boards for any work at home, we use meters and centimeters. Anyway, we have been on the metric system now for more than half a century though our currency went metric over seventy years ago.
LOL! 😀
but then of course English being English… the yard can be a grassy area with flowers front or back … or a solid concrete area for exercising incarcerated inmates.
Way back in the early 70s of the last century, we went Metric in India and had quite a time convincing our customers to understand and accept the change from yards to meters and dozens and grosses to units. It took almost three years to get the change totally accepted. During that time, all of us in the company wore badges that simply said GO METRIC.
I wish that metric had been adopted here. Once you have it, it makes more sense than our system. The problem is trying to relate metric to what you are used to. If we had switched, metric is what we would be accustomed to.
We changed over in the sixties of the last century and I still find it difficult to relate to height in CMs but am comfortable with Kgs for weight!
I’m more comfortable than most with metric, but still have to use a conversion app to relate a measurement to what I’m used to. Yesterday, though, I bought a large bottled drink and, for some reason, thought that it must be a liter bottle and, when I checked, sure enough, it was. Most bottle beverages here have both metric and a US unit of measure.
I am not surprised that you are quite comfortable with metric measures, coming as you do from a background of the energy industry.
Us American is a bit slow on switching to Metric.
Coffee is on
I doubt very much that the USA will change in my life time.
In 7th grade we were being prepared to make the switch – I am surprised it never happened.
That is news to me. I did not know that the USA even contemplated changing over.
That was in 1962 I believe – I still remember the teacher – Rex Pinegar and the work he was doing with us
Rex Pinegar was ahead of his time!
Because of my science background I would be comfortable with metric. I am even starting to post temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Yes, I have observed that you use both systems in your blog posts.
That is funny.
I found it hilarious and that is why I shared it on my blog. It was serendipity that I came across it immediately after Monk’s post.
Very funny—Thanks CM and Ramana! Canada has used metric for several decades. I was teaching at the time of the changeover, and witnessed how easily children adapted, and how hard it was for adults (teachers included). We are not completely used to it though, since many of us olders still translate everything mentally . What a waste of time for us!
I have problems with only height of people where I have to convert Cms to feet and inches to get the right mental image.
There was a serious push for metrics in the U.S. in the 1970s. I was among a fairly large group of U.S. Forest Service people called into Washington where we were told to get ready for the change because there was “no doubt” it would come soon. We were ordered to start using metrics in news releases and other media, although most of us ignored that command.
The big change never happened, partly because of strong opposition from the construction industry. Changing our traditional “2 by 4” lumber and four foot by eight foot sheets of plywood to metric units was a formidable challenge. After lots of smoke from the administration in Washington, there was to be no metric fire in the final analysis.
Not being familiar with lumber I don’t understand that terminology but here when we have to buy say plywood boards for any work at home, we use meters and centimeters. Anyway, we have been on the metric system now for more than half a century though our currency went metric over seventy years ago.