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[–] Chronibus 3 points 16 points (+19|-3) ago 

Yes.

[–] [deleted] 3 points 9 points (+12|-3) ago 

[Deleted]

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[–] OneTrueCube 0 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago 

Eh, not exactly.

The conversions don't have rhyme or reason yes, but the imperial system is based on ease of use for laymen.

Look at temperature - in C, 0 degrees is fairly cold and 100 degrees is extremely hot. But weather temperatures in most places only fluctuate between like 5C and 30c, so you're barely using any of the scale. In F, weather temperatures usually go between 0 and 100ish , making it a lot easier to say how relatively hot or cold it is.

Same for feet and inches. Most things humans deal with on a daily basis are still smaller than a meter long, and it's harder to think about 30 centimeters than it is to use 1 foot, and nobody uses decimeters.

I'll give benefit of the doubt on miles vs kilometers though - the only reason we use them in the States is that our country is so freaking big that a larger unit of measure is more convenient.

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[–] voat-ist 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

Also, feet divide so nicely.

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[–] voat-ist 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

You realize every system of measurement is completely arbitrary right?

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[–] antiplebbitor 7 points 0 points (+7|-7) ago 

No. Metric is just as asinine and arbitrary as English imperial but even less flexible due to being in base-10. Metric is very fucking stupid. Uniformly stupid.

Celsius for instance. Fahrenheit uses arbitrary standards for arbitrary bases of gradations (freezing point/boiling point of water; 32/212 - asinine) - but at least it's more precise. Celsius has only 100 gradations in the same span that Fahrenheit utilizes 180 gradations.

English imperial is messy and not easily convertible, but generally vastly superior to metric.

All metric has going for it is that it's in base-10.

Whee! Big fucking deal!

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[–] LetsBeNakedOutside 1 point 2 points (+3|-1) ago 

Upvoat for the rant about Celsius!

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[–] tippyc 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

base 10 isnt even that great. taking half of something is easy but most other fractions suck.

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[–] TheHalfstache 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

The whole point of Imperial units was that you could do rough measurements without any special equipment. For temperature, you've got the freezing point of fresh water at 32 and the freezing point of brine at 0. The distance between those two points can be used to mark 64 and also 96 degrees, 96 being body temperature, giving you a thermometer that's not perfect but good enough in most respects.

[–] [deleted] 4 points 2 points (+6|-4) ago 

[Deleted]

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[–] OneTrueCube 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Dvorak keyboards are also limited by the advent of hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts. Even though typing is more efficient, you'll also have to relearn the muscle memory for a lot of different applications

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[–] goatboy 1 point 7 points (+8|-1) ago  (edited ago)

No. I'm pissed that we haven't adopted a new base 2 binary system, or a base e system, or a base pi system, or a base i (as in the sqrt of -1) based system, or a polar coordinate based system, or a system based on the average daily growth of beard hair. We could use whatever system we want, but are stuck using only the US Customary or the Metric system. The problem is the model of measurement we use informs the modes of thinking we restrict ourselves to. The base 12 system of the Babylonians probably arose from counting time at night using one's knuckles when looking at constellation's rising. This made them interested in dividing circles evenly, and were fascinated by stars and the zodiac. The British were obsessed with land ownership and inheritances and their measurement system reflected the size of a king's foot to stake out the sovereign's claims to title. American cowboys were interested in the power of their horses and measured things by their hands and understood power in terms of horsepower.

The way we measure things shows what is important to our culture, but also our culture informs the way we evolve measuring things. The US customary units show intrinsic American stubbornness and rigor. The metric system shows the Austrian fascination with absolute precision, infinitely growing, infinitely dividing systems, efficiency, and ultimately- to uncertainty itself. Both systems have value, use, and elevate human consciousness in different and meaningful ways. However, they are not the only ways of understanding or biasing our views about the universe.

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[–] kayjewlers 1 point 6 points (+7|-1) ago 

Metric is for math. Customary is for Humans

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[–] watch_listed 2 points 4 points (+6|-2) ago 

Nope. I'll use metric when millimeters make more sense than 16ths of an inch or grams are easier than fractions of an ounce, but aside from that, I prefer imperial to metric.

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[–] ClitoralCommander 3 points 0 points (+3|-3) ago 

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