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Joined 10 months ago
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Cake day: September 20th, 2023

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  • bluewing@lemm.eeto196@lemmy.blahaj.zone📄 rule
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    1 month ago

    The gallon of milk makes it incredibly easy to divide it into quarters. That makes it easy to simply double things - 2 pints = 1 quart. 2 quarts = 1/2 gallon. Two 1/2 gallons makes 1 gallon. This dates back to the days when you went to the market and told the seller that you want 1/2 or 1/4 of that container of whatever was in that container. Simple math for simple needs.

    Your 1/4 of a pound of butter or one stick, (again simple divisions for a simple use), is marked with rough marks of tablespoons for cooking if you are using such measurements. But you are quite free to ignore them if you are using a scale. Not really any issue.

    Yes, in the US travel distances are measured in miles. But that slowly becoming meaningless also. People, (no matter the units used to measure the psychical distance), care more about “how long does it take to get there” rather than the actual distance traveled. But, you are free to push a button and switch to kilometers if you choose.

    Measuring height and weight in feet and inches and pounds is pretty much the only thing the medical system uses US Customary for. And I can’t imagine the sheer number of man hours and cost it would take to go back and convert all those medical records to centimeters and kilos. Somethings are just not worth the effort and cost for a minor data point that only matters only as a long term trend. (just like a single blood pressure is a meaningless data point but over a year may reveal a trend or not)

    Each measurement system, US Customary or Metric, has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. To think one is better than the other is a chauvinism based on what you are most familiar with and nothing more.


  • bluewing@lemm.eeto196@lemmy.blahaj.zone📄 rule
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    1 month ago

    That was just ONE aspect of the adoption of the metric system. And that was done to make backwards compatibility easier because of long lasting legacy systems. Because some systems, like say plumbing in a home or city, last for a very long time before they get replaced or repaired. New plumbing installations often use Tubing like PEX which is metric. I designed and fabricated a dozen brackets for a US customer over the weekend for delivery today. They were made using millimeters as specified.

    And if you actually pay attention to how the metric systems compares to the US customary, you would see just how closely they are related from the start. Which makes sense since what we call Imperial measurements predate the metric system by several hundred years.


  • bluewing@lemm.eeto196@lemmy.blahaj.zone📄 rule
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    1 month ago

    Yes, yes we DO use the metric system officially. In the early 1970’s the metric system was made the official standard for weights and measures.

    What we didn’t do was force everyone to use it at 3:11AM 11/21/1974. It was decided to take a longer approach and let the change happen naturally and it has happened.

    Everything in the grocery store is marked with metric weights and volumes. We buy butter by the gram, soda pop by the liter and whisk(e)y buy the milliliter. And everyone is looking for that same missing 10mm socket/wrench. (Where does do those things go anyway?)

    How much more metric do we really need to adopt?


  • Someone wasn’t listening when they were supposed to learn the Golden Rules of EMS -

    ‘You are there to be a part of the solution. Don’t become part of the problem.’

    And for those that are wondering about the rest of the rules:

    ‘If you think you understand what is going on, you haven’t been paying attention’

    ‘PPE! All the time, every time!’

    And finally - ‘…into the recovery position - Always roll the patient towards you partner so you don’t get puked on.’



  • bluewing@lemm.eetoProgrammer Humor@lemmy.mlUsers
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    2 months ago

    I ain’t no programmer, but I was a toolmaker and ME that designed machines to be used in factories. I learned to not be surprised at how operators could find new and interesting ways, (sometimes dangerous), run the machines I designed and built. They did things I never would have dreamed possible or meant with them.

    This triggers me to my very core.








  • JFC, walk through ANY grocery store in the US today and pick up an item and look at the label - it’s dual labeled. Look at your speedometer in your vehicle, push a button and get metric. Very few people need to own both SAE and Metric tools anymore. I own 2 JD tractors and a JD skidsteer, a JD Gator ute and 2 Chrysler vehicles, all metric. The ONLY time I reach for the SAE set anymore is when I need to work on my 1941 “H” Farmall tractor or some other farm implement that was built before 2015.

    And with all the digital displays on everything today, the metric system is a mere button push away. Push the damn button if you want metric OR US Customary - I do and then get the units I want for the task at hand. Ain’t no one going to care about it. G20/G21, the machines don’t care anymore, why should you.

    The dual speed limit signs were a bad idea - they were confusing and hard to read. It was a bad design that caused issues for drivers. But, while it could be done a lot easier today, no one really cares about the miles vs kilometers. All anyone really cares about is “how long will it take to get there”.

    The metrication of the US is here and has been for a good while. It’s become common enough you don’t notice it anymore.


  • I think GM tried with the Chevy Bolt. It was the cheapest EV with good range, (265 miles/426km), with a base model available for under $30,000US. Despite the early battery issues that DID get fixed, No one bought it. Chevy does kind of say they would be willing to bring it back with their new Ultium battery. But I’m not holding my breath.

    The biggest problem with EVs is the purchase price. They cost far too much to buy. And there is not much of a market for used ones.