Are you still imperial?

[Kim]

Marek.....therapy might help!

 

[Marek K]

Marek.....therapy might help!

Sorry... no, it wouldn't... I'm living in Eastern Europe now...

 

[Kim]

Sorry... no, it wouldn't... I'm living in Eastern Europe now...

Oh yeah....it can be a bit strange there! :11:

Maybe meditating on a manta?

Something like........."Metric will not get me..."
"Metric will not get me..."
"Metric will not get me..."

You know the sort of thing!

 

[Rick Murchison]

Oh yeah....it can be a bit strange there! :11:

Maybe meditating on a manta?

Something like........."Metric will not get me..."
"Metric will not get me..."
"Metric will not get me..."

You know the sort of thing!

Just fly...
The entire system worldwide is in feet (for altitude and runway length), inches of mercury (for altimeter settings), knots, and English.
Not likely to change anytime soon, either.
Rick

 

[Jamdiver]

OK. There used to be 240 pennies in a pound or 20 shillings or 10 two bobs or 8 half crowns! A pound was paper money but there was originally a gold coin of the same value called a sovereign (and a half sovereign as well)
3 pennies in a thrupence, 2 thrupences in a sixpence, 2 sixpences in a shilling, 4 sixpences (or 2 shillings) in a two bob, 5 sixpences in a half crown, 4 half crowns in a ten bob note.
Of couse there was also 2 farthings in a half-pence, and two halfpence in a penny.

Before my time there was also the crown (2 half crowns.)

Last but not least there were 21 shillings in a Guinea!

Of course we got ripped big time when they converted to decimal!.

You can find a history lesson here:
http://www.businessballs.com/moneyslanghistory.htm

Headache.... headache... :11:
That is complex to say the least.
God bless decimals.

 

[asaara]

Never was imperial. Have a plastic card with 200/150/100/50 bar conversions written on it on a keyring to attach to my BCD if I end up with an imperial-only pressure gauge. Metric is easier. Much harder to lose count of fingers when telling your buddy how much air you've got.

 

[PhotoTJ]

On the other hand, (no pun intended), you can show your buddy your gauge.

 

[SmokingMirror]

Oh, yes, there are two other countries still using the Imperial system: Liberia and Burma, two countries with a stellar record regarding human rights, but that's a whole different debate...

...as opposed to America's gleaming record of upholding human rights? Hmmm...not too sure about that one...


...however, back on topic, I'm slightly curious as to one element of this difference, which I'll put to those board members living in the States in the form of a question:

Do you - assuming you dive/have dived abroad - find it difficult to use metric over imperial, to the point where your unfamiliarity with the former presents a potential hazard?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Do you - assuming you dive/have dived abroad - find it difficult to use metric over imperial

no.
Rick

 

[RonDawg]

Do you - assuming you dive/have dived abroad - find it difficult to use metric over imperial

Depends on the particular type of measurement.

Distances and speeds, no problem. I remember 1 metre is a bit over a yard, that 10 miles = 16 km. I've pretty much memorized the metric equivalents on my MPH speedometer, and vice versa.

Diving also wasn't a problem. During the dive briefings, I made sure to tell the DM's that my SPG was in PSI and not bar. I told them that would let them know when I was down to 1500, and especially at 1000, and that I needed to be back on the boat with a minimum of 500. And when I asked for 15 lbs weightbelt, they knew exactly what I meant.

There's a few metric measurements, particularly in terms of cubic measurements, that I'm not familiar with. I know 3.8 litres = 1 gallon, but that's about it.

In terms of the US being "behind the times" with the metric system, the old Imperial system has not been fully disbanded even in countries that have adopted the metric system. Fly to the UK, rent a car for a driving holiday, and you'll find the speedo is still MPH and distances are still in miles. While in Australia recently, I heard on the radio someone being described in feet-inches and pounds rather than cm and kg.