The couldn't have made it more complicated, but they did...

[dmwalker 603]

Housing construction isn't metric, is it? They still use two by fours, two by sixes, etc.

Edited April 4, 2021 by dmwalker

[birdguy 3,943]

2 hours ago, jabloomf1230 said:

The only major items in the US that are not metric are road signage

I don't know if this is true anywhere else in the United States but the Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales had road signs in both miles and kilometers the last time I drove it.

That's probably the way to go if the US is going to go metric.  Like weaning the child from formula to solid food.

Noel 

[birdguy 3,943]

49 minutes ago, dmwalker said:

Housing construction isn't metric, is it? They still use two by fours, two by sixes, etc.

Heh, heh, heh.  I can't imagine going to Home Depot or Lowes and telling them I want a 3 meter 5x10.

Noel 

[WingZ 547]

Around here, we are fully dometricated... but you can ask for a bit of 2 x 4 and the yardsman will know what you want.

Trouble is, even the metric system has its limitations: instead of the anticipated 50mm x 100mm, you get a 40 x 90!
It's what you get out of a roughsawn 2 x 4. 

What does an American 2 x 4 actually measure?

[IanHarrison 522]

16 hours ago, Mace said:

. They also taught us d'Nealian handwriting, which was brand-new at that time (1978-79).

Interesting. My father b.1909,in the UK., used to write in a slightly more fancy version, with larger scrolls and flourishes. When I started school in the UK (1945) we were taught to write in a similar fashion but in 1948 when I moved to a Public (private to US folks) school, that was untaught and we learned what I would call "modern cursive".

[dave2013 1,130]

The British Imperial system is still used in everyday life in the U.S.  The metric system is used in the sciences, engineering, and technology.  The military actually uses both systems.  Both systems are taught in school.

By the way, the British also still informally use inches, feet, miles, and even ounces and pounds for weight, at least the older folks do.

I believe that it's time for the U.S. to begin shifting to an all metric system like most other countries.  I get tired of having to figure out whether I need to use a 13mm or 1/2 inch wrench, for example.  Then there's the hassle of having to convert the measurements for ingredients in a European recipe from grams and milliliters to cups and ounces.

Dave

[dave2013 1,130]

21 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

There’s been an identical case here in England with the wife of a US citizen with diplomatic status driving on the wrong side of the road when she exited an RAF / US base and hitting a motor cyclist killing him.  She flew back to the US before the press got the story.

Despite the many attempts to extradite her so she can face charges in a court her diplomatic status has protected her. Sad for the family who lost a 19 year-old son and the lady who just forgot what side of the road she should have been on.

Foreign diplomats generally have immunity from prosecution in most countries.  It's not fair, but it's the deal countries make with each other in order to maintain diplomatic relations.

I'm curious what charges she would face.  Was she negligent or reckless in some way, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs?  Automobile accidents happen every minute of every day.  If we had to prosecute every driver involved in an accident there would be no time for actual criminal cases.

Dave

Edited April 4, 2021 by dave2013

[Ray Proudfoot 8,954]

8 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

Foreign diplomats generally have immunity from prosecution in most countries.  It's not fair, but it's the deal countries make with each other in order to maintain diplomatic relations.

I'm curious what charges she would face.  Was she negligent or reckless in some way, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs?  Automobile accidents happen every minute of every day.  If we had to prosecute every driver involved in an accident there would be no time for actual criminal cases.

Dave

There was some speculation in the press that she was working for one of the US agencies which may affect her diplomatic status as the wife of a diplomat.

The accident happened when she exited the base and was on the wrong side of the road when her car struck the motorcyclist. Visibility of the road not known.

Causing death by dangerous driving probably wouldn’t stick. Careless driving probably would. Not a custodial sentence but she would have faced the legal process which is all the family wanted.

What caused such annoyance was her fleeing the country without the police hearing her side of the event.

[dave2013 1,130]

13 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

What caused such annoyance was her fleeing the country without the police hearing her side of the event.

Ah, I didn't realize that she fled before the police had an opportunity to speak with her.

I'm not really surprised at her behavior, though.  Our public "servants", and their family, here can pretty much do whatever they want and get away with it.

Dave

[Fielder 3,671]

Holmes always gave the 'irregulars' a half crown for a spying mission...

 

[W2DR 1,860]

On 4/4/2021 at 4:02 AM, WingZ said:

Around here, we are fully dometricated... but you can ask for a bit of 2 x 4 and the yardsman will know what you want.

Trouble is, even the metric system has its limitations: instead of the anticipated 50mm x 100mm, you get a 40 x 90!
It's what you get out of a roughsawn 2 x 4. 

What does an American 2 x 4 actually measure?

In America the 2 X 4 when finished measures  1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (38 x 89 mm).

[martin-w 3,235]

41 minutes ago, W2DR said:

In America the 2 X 4 when finished measures  1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (38 x 89 mm).

 

And we in the UK just go to B&Q and ask for 38x89. No problem. 👍

[WingZ 547]

18 hours ago, W2DR said:

In America the 2 X 4 when finished measures  1 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (38 x 89 mm).

There is a sum which I am presently too lazy to make: it involves rounding to some number.

When it doesn't really matter either way, we just round stuff to the nearest chain, or furlong, or whatever.

Rounding to a half inch creates more waste than rounding to a mm.
It is possible, that by using one or other of the available measuring systems, one is inadvertently throwing away thousands of tonnes of material unnecessarily when producing things.
Or making things too big by that fraction, and using thousands of tonnes of material unnecessarily.