What's all this km's lark ?

pigman

pneumatic wrote:

I did once shut down 68 computer workstations all over Europe by failing to log out of mine with the correct sequence of keystrokes.

brilliant ... power to your finger.

dare you to do it again ... go on, you know you want to ... go on, just do it

Hotblack Desiato

I prefer using parsecs (pc).

Today I cycled 1,042941109e-18 pc

nickcuk

As a student at Yorkshire Water in the early 80's, we used deci-minutes for our flexitime and it was amazing how quickly the '36 second deci-minute' became part of our internal clocks, and how a deci-minute dragged on just as much as 5 o'clock approached

I'd hate it if my kids or somebody who worked for me didn't know miles, mph, inches, gallons or feet. But then I use metric tonnes and not imperial tons, litres and not fluid ounces, kg and not lbs and stones, and mm for technical stuff instead of inches.

Let's just hope that a 36D will always be a 36D

nicklouse

nickcuk wrote:

Let's just hope that a 36D will always be a 36D

still not worked out what it is out here

Cunobelin

Hotblack Desiato wrote:

I prefer using parsecs (pc).

Today I cycled 1,042941109e-18 pc

Couldn't find parsecs on memory map - so they are out then!

will37

PhilofCas wrote:

For those people who were born in this country (and still live here), i want to ask why km's are so often used to describe speeds and distances on this forum (and elsewhere), don't we live in a country that still uses good old Miles ??.
:?

When is the UK going to get with the program and convert to metric? It is a f*cking joke. I cant believe you just voted to keep imperial. Who the f*ck still uses imperial anyway?

When does the UK have to switch to the Euro, thats another f*ucked up situation. You are in the EU, why do you still have friggin good old pounds ?

Tourist Tony

Ah. A trollpost.....
"Imperial" loosely covers a couple of related systems, including that used by our biggest single trading partner, the USA.
Switch to the Euro? Why? You seem to be suggesting that the UK signs away all its economic decision-making ability to join a currency whose organisers can't even get their annual accounts certified as true and accurate. I suggest you check to see how many other countries don't use the Euro.
And the way you refer to "you"....are we perhaps from forn parts?

Anonymous

Tourist Tony wrote:

Ah. A trollpost.....
"Imperial" loosely covers a couple of related systems, including that used by our biggest single trading partner, the USA.
Switch to the Euro? Why? You seem to be suggesting that the UK signs away all its economic decision-making ability to join a currency whose organisers can't even get their annual accounts certified as true and accurate. I suggest you check to see how many other countries don't use the Euro.
And the way you refer to "you"....are we perhaps from forn parts?

Where's that then?
Wales? :roll:

Tourist Tony

Perhaps some young colonial Bonj--I mean, boy

ricadus

will37 wrote:

When does the UK have to switch to the Euro, thats another f*ucked up situation. You are in the EU, why do you still have friggin good old pounds ?

It's too profitable for the UK banking industry being outside the Euro – think of all those fees they charge businesses and individuals for money transfers.

Hotblack Desiato

will37 wrote:

When is the UK going to get with the program and convert to metric? It is a f*cking joke. I cant believe you just voted to keep imperial. Who the f*ck still uses imperial anyway?

When does the UK have to switch to the Euro, thats another f*ucked up situation. You are in the EU, why do you still have friggin good old pounds ?

.

thebikeliker

When is the UK going to get with the program

Now is that 'program' as in a computer program or should it be programme as in a sequence of steps?

pneumatic

Pro-ounce, perhaps?

will37

thebikeliker wrote:

When is the UK going to get with the program

Now is that 'program' as in a computer program or should it be programme as in a sequence of steps?

You can actually spell it both ways but I guess you prefer the British spelling.

Tourist Tony

Yup. A foreign troll.

Brains

Anyone born after 1960 is unlikely to have ever learnt imperial measurements at school. I'm just old enough to remember the day all schools switched, I'd guess it was 1966.

Frankly I'm amazed the EU has let the UK off the hook on this one. How can you have a major European country, that officially went metric before the majority of the population was born, still using some archaic measuring system that has no relevance in the real world. It is a recipe for continuing problems that happen every day. Just agree a change over day and that will be that. OK some old biddies may have a minor issue for a while, but like decimal currency they will soon get used to it. (At the same time change the TV times to 24hr clock as well)

Tourist Tony

Our single biggest trading partner (some 40% of our trade) is the USA. They don't use metric. They require markings ro be in feet, pounds etc. "No relevance in the real world"?
What is it about people like you that you want to control everything for everyone else? I loved the phrase about the EU letting the UK off the hook. Democracy is such a foreign concept to the Commissars....

Alex_Simmons/RST

Tourist Tony wrote:

Yup. A foreign troll.

Is this not a world wide site? How insular :roll:

for the record, for speed on a bike I think in metres per second and kph. for a car it's kph & mph.
For distance km or miles (which I'll convert to km)
track racing is all in metres.
temp celcius
height (people) feet and inches
weight kg
power watts

Tourist Tony

"Hiw insular"?
"You people over there, why don't you do what I am safely distant from?"
Now THAT'S insular...

Alex_Simmons/RST

Tourist Tony wrote:

"Hiw insular"?
"You people over there, why don't you do what I am safely distant from?"
Now THAT'S insular...

:?:

top_bhoy

Tourist Tony wrote:

"Hiw insular"?
"You people over there, why don't you do what I am safely distant from?"
Now THAT'S insular...

I would hardly be called a 'safely distance from' as I have assets in UK and Oz. Would I need permission to be allowed to comment on this topic without being abused and accused of being insular? I am, for the moment, intertwined in both systems.

spen666

Brains wrote:

Anyone born after 1960 is unlikely to have ever learnt imperial measurements at school. I'm just old enough to remember the day all schools switched, I'd guess it was 1966.

Frankly I'm amazed the EU has let the UK off the hook on this one. How can you have a major European country, that officially went metric before the majority of the population was born, still using some archaic measuring system that has no relevance in the real world. It is a recipe for continuing problems that happen every day. Just agree a change over day and that will be that. OK some old biddies may have a minor issue for a while, but like decimal currency they will soon get used to it. (At the same time change the TV times to 24hr clock as well)

Archaic and no relevance eh?

Consider the measure of temperature

In metric, there are only 100 units between freezing point of water and its boiling point.

In the imperial system there are 180 units between the same two points. Easier to be more accurate?

It is a recipe for continuing problems that happen every day

What problems? As far as I can see there are no problems caused by using imperial measurements.

PhilofCas

ooo eck, i've started a right old ding dong here........taxi !

ContrelaMontre

Tourist Tony wrote:

Our single biggest trading partner (some 40% of our trade) is the USA. They don't use metric. They require markings ro be in feet, pounds etc. "No relevance in the real world"?
What is it about people like you that you want to control everything for everyone else? I loved the phrase about the EU letting the UK off the hook. Democracy is such a foreign concept to the Commissars....

I don't understand this argument because (and I could be wrong on this) the Americans don't use British Imperial. So it's not even the same measurement, which seems more confusing not less.

Oh, miles when driving is the only time I use imperial. Much happier with metric for everything else. And I do not understand fahrenheit at all, when someone says, "it was 70 degrees" they might as well be talking Aramaic!

will37

Tourist Tony wrote:

Our single biggest trading partner (some 40% of our trade) is the USA. They don't use metric. They require markings ro be in feet, pounds etc. "No relevance in the real world"?
What is it about people like you that you want to control everything for everyone else? I loved the phrase about the EU letting the UK off the hook. Democracy is such a foreign concept to the Commissars....

The US may be the UK's biggest single trading partner but where does the rest of the trade come from, most likely the EU, but I am sure you will let me know Tony.

Open your eyes and live in the now mate.

redddraggon

I tend to work in miles not kilometer, but surprisingly I work in metres not yards for the shorter distances.

I find changing between units easy enough. Being only 21 I was taught only metric units, but understand imperial enough to use it when appropriate.

Imperial for:
Height
Distances traveled by vehicles (inc bike)
Alcoholic Drink
Air Pressure in tyres

Metric for everything else

SteveR_100Milers

Its easy enough to work in both: miles in UK, and Kms in Europe. I can use mm and feet, metres and inches etc without too much difficulty.
If you use a system often enough then it is easy enough to reference it to the real world. After all, how many of us knows how much we pay for unleaded in £'s per gallon?

grayo59

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

After all, how many of us knows how much we pay for unleaded in £'s per gallon?

I do ... about £4.30 - £4.40 around here.

Tourist Tony

So...
For those who seem to have failed to understand the above discussion...
We have an abusive post from someone who is telling the UK that they should change to suit them, including adopting a foreign currency. It is apparent from the troll's phrasing that they are not resident in the UK, but think we should fit in with their convenience and/or prejudices.
Alex pointed out that the forum is international. My reply was that someone who does not live in the UK should not be insisting our laws are changed at their whim.

In short, the UK is supposed to be a sovereign state. We were and are told that EU membership does not affect that. Then we get comments about being "allowed" by the EU to do something.
The USA use pounds, feet, inches etc that are exactly the same as ours. They require that all goods in the USA are labelled properly in the appropriate units. The EU tried to change that by banning all markings other than metric, and were told they would not be allowed to export to the states if they did.
That is the only reason they backed down.
As for trading partners, before the traitor Heath sold us down the river to the Commissars of Brussels, we used to have a trading group called the Commonwealth. Because of a shared culture and historical links, Commonwealth citizens had opportunities to travel here and vice versa.
All of that is now gone. Now, for the benefit of certain politicians and a few multinationals, we have to do as we are told and bugger democracy.

European citizens can't be trusted, you see. When given a vote on continuing the Great Experiment, they keep giving the wrong answer.

ContrelaMontre

Tourist Tony wrote:

So...
The USA use pounds, feet, inches etc that are exactly the same as ours. ...

1 US pint equals 473 ml

1 UK pint equals 568 ml

not exactly the same! Close I know, but I'd be a bit miffed if the barman left the last 95 ml of my pint empty!

same goes for gallons - US 3.79, UK 4.55 litres

for weight in the US a hundredweight is 100 pounds and therefore a ton is 20 hundredweight (2000 pounds) in the UK a hundredweight is 8 stone (112 pounds) so a ton is 2240 pounds (20 hundredweight) - that's an error of over 10%. You wouldn't be very happy if you order a ton of bananas from Florida only to get 2000 pounds. I guess this is why the Yanks love imperial so much. They can order a ton of produce from the UK and get 12 % absolutely free!!