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  • solarflaresolarflare Posts: 3,710

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    kyf_100 said:

    A beautiful example of the old eec in action.

    Nobody forced us to switch from mph to.kmh and indeed we're on the same standard now. Back when Europe was about trading with each other rather than "harmonising" everything.
    A bunch of km signs were actually installed in a small corner of Gloucestershire, and many are still there today.
    I could be wrong, but I think it is actually illegal in the UK to have signs in kms, metres, etc

    Certainly official road signage including distance markers (I suppose for the obvious reason that it should be all or nothing to avoid confusion). Pretty sure that it is okay for non-highways stuff though. So I think a local council signpost with distances to local landmarks for tourists would be absolutely fine.
    Yes, a bit of Googling says I am right. It is illegal to have traffic/road signs giving distance in metric units. However, you CAN use metric when indicating width (of tunnels etc). Brilliantly absurd.

    Local authorities apparently need special dispensation to use metres and kms on ANY distance signs, and some have been successfully prosecuted and forced to replace metres with yards.

    Hooray for YARDS. Bring back the furlong, rod and pole.
    On the railway distances are measured in miles and chains, apart from HS1 which is in kilometers.
    And HS2's primary unit being the billion.
  • Foxy said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    CANZUK will be metric.

    Catch up with the modern world.
    Canada allows imperial units to be shown alongside metric units.

    Full metrification wasn’t popular there, and imperial units only for weighing loose fruit and veg are tolerated.
  • Ishmael_Z said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    kyf_100 said:

    A beautiful example of the old eec in action.

    Nobody forced us to switch from mph to.kmh and indeed we're on the same standard now. Back when Europe was about trading with each other rather than "harmonising" everything.
    A bunch of km signs were actually installed in a small corner of Gloucestershire, and many are still there today.
    I could be wrong, but I think it is actually illegal in the UK to have signs in kms, metres, etc

    Certainly official road signage including distance markers (I suppose for the obvious reason that it should be all or nothing to avoid confusion). Pretty sure that it is okay for non-highways stuff though. So I think a local council signpost with distances to local landmarks for tourists would be absolutely fine.
    Yes, a bit of Googling says I am right. It is illegal to have traffic/road signs giving distance in metric units. However, you CAN use metric when indicating width (of tunnels etc). Brilliantly absurd.

    Local authorities apparently need special dispensation to use metres and kms on ANY distance signs, and some have been successfully prosecuted and forced to replace metres with yards.

    Hooray for YARDS. Bring back the furlong, rod and pole.
    They are much more interesting, diverse, historic and characterful. Slightly more human, good for estimating and rather evocative. Not so good for scientific calculations, and that’s where you use SI, but it’s horses for courses, isn’t it? I think we have the best of both worlds.

    And, I mildly enjoy confusing my wife with them.
    Yes, but wasn't there some evidence that the Space Shuttle explosion was because of US scientists and engineers mixing SI with Imperial and fitting a wrongly-sized widget? So the confusion isn't always charming and benign.

    Kilometres do seem very foreign though. I am always startled by the use of them in Ireland and Oz.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

    So no loss of life, but expensive.
    Strange units used in science today (and with a reference to that incident).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsEB65Q4kHI

  • It is, at present, but under the old European Communities Act 1972 if the EU had agreed a directive for metrification in that area under the auspices of completing the single market then the UK would have been obligated to follow.

    I suspect the UK quietly shelved it and convinced the EU it wasn’t a big deal and not to push for it.

    They should make metrication a requirement when Britain tries to rejoin the EU. Obviously practically better, and requires an unambiguous commitment to stop pandering to nostalgic old people.
    You see, it’s comments like that from globalist fundamentalists like you, that make me realise I’m 100% right.

    Thank you.
  • _Anazina_ said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    kyf_100 said:

    A beautiful example of the old eec in action.

    Nobody forced us to switch from mph to.kmh and indeed we're on the same standard now. Back when Europe was about trading with each other rather than "harmonising" everything.
    A bunch of km signs were actually installed in a small corner of Gloucestershire, and many are still there today.
    I could be wrong, but I think it is actually illegal in the UK to have signs in kms, metres, etc

    Certainly official road signage including distance markers (I suppose for the obvious reason that it should be all or nothing to avoid confusion). Pretty sure that it is okay for non-highways stuff though. So I think a local council signpost with distances to local landmarks for tourists would be absolutely fine.
    Yes, a bit of Googling says I am right. It is illegal to have traffic/road signs giving distance in metric units. However, you CAN use metric when indicating width (of tunnels etc). Brilliantly absurd.

    Local authorities apparently need special dispensation to use metres and kms on ANY distance signs, and some have been successfully prosecuted and forced to replace metres with yards.

    Hooray for YARDS. Bring back the furlong, rod and pole.
    They are much more interesting, diverse, historic and characterful. Slightly more human, good for estimating and rather evocative. Not so good for scientific calculations, and that’s where you use SI, but it’s horses for courses, isn’t it? I think we have the best of both worlds.

    And, I mildly enjoy confusing my wife with them.
    Snip
    You should never mix any units in a project. That’s retarded. They should all be SI for calculating something like that.

    It’s happened elsewhere as well. Planes have crashed because the fuellers got confused and only filled up the number in pounds when it should have been in kilos.

    I’ve found kilometres equally weird in Canada. On the plus side, the pint is still going strong as a concept internationally, even if you usually do get cheated of the extra 68ml.
    I note that the Irish and Australians have standardised a pint at 570ml. A bonus 2ml on ours!
    Ooh, now that’s different!
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742
    dixiedean said:

    It seems metrication was a UK idea. Pre-dating our EEC entry by some years. It ended as an official policy quango in 1981.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_Board

    C'mon get with the Imperial nostalgia.

    3 grains of laudanam squire!
  • SeanT said:

    kyf_100 said:

    A beautiful example of the old eec in action.

    Nobody forced us to switch from mph to.kmh and indeed we're on the same standard now. Back when Europe was about trading with each other rather than "harmonising" everything.
    A bunch of km signs were actually installed in a small corner of Gloucestershire, and many are still there today.
    I could be wrong, but I think it is actually illegal in the UK to have signs in kms, metres, etc

    And bars are only allowed to sell beer in pint and half pint measures.

    There have been cases when Austrian and Polish themed restaurants in the UK have been prosecuted by the authorities for not so doing.

    With the restaurant owners being supported by the 'metric martyrs'.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,537
    edited February 2019


    The WTO issue is not that it could instruct us to create a border in Northern Ireland.

    It is that if we deliberately go out of our way not to collect tariffs, then we will have cases brought against us by (for example) Argentinian beef farmers who would claim that we allowed beef from Ireland in tariff free despite the absence of an FTA, and therefore its farmers should get the same treatment.

    Minor point of order - WTO complaints can only be brought by governments, not e.g. Argentinian beef farmers. Not disagreeing with your general points, and welcome to pb.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,732


    It is, at present, but under the old European Communities Act 1972 if the EU had agreed a directive for metrification in that area under the auspices of completing the single market then the UK would have been obligated to follow.

    I suspect the UK quietly shelved it and convinced the EU it wasn’t a big deal and not to push for it.

    They should make metrication a requirement when Britain tries to rejoin the EU. Obviously practically better, and requires an unambiguous commitment to stop pandering to nostalgic old people.
    You see, it’s comments like that from globalist fundamentalists like you, that make me realise I’m 100% right.

    Thank you.
    Sounds like we have to rely on globalist fundamentalists to uphold the British sense of humour.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    kjohnw said:

    rpjs said:

    I’m 26, UK born and raised, and I measure nothing in imperial units apart from alcoholic drinks, speed and penis size (heh). I can hardly comprehend what a stone or a yard is to be honest.

    I grew up in the 70s and in some ways failed to properly learn both systems. Higher ambient temperatures make more sense to me in Fahrenheit - "in the 70s" sounds warm - but lower ambient temps make more sense to me in Celsius. Despite living in the US for eight years now, 32F just doesn't mean freezing to me!
    Most of us still speak about our weight in stones and pounds, our height in feet and inches, our fuel economy in miles to the gallon, distance in miles, drinks in pints, engine power in horsepower, Land in acres, thread count in fabric threads per square inch. We still very much think in imperial measurements. Mind you I’m 50 so can’t speak for the younger generation
    My teenage kids...weight kg, height in feet, fuel mpg, but priced in litres, distance in miles and metres, area in square metres.
  • _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    One practical area where I think metrication has been counter productive has been in housebuilding/renovation. You can't retrofit houses to be metric nor can you make new products which are incompatible with pre metric housing. So we end up with everything be the old imperial standards but just converted to metric measurements. Which means you get some really strange mm measurements for stuff.

    But I like both Imperial and metric and am comfortable switching back and forth. And at work - in one of the most advanced technological industries in the world - everything is done in API which is a kind of American Imperial.
  • justin124 said:

    Time does play its tricks on the memory as we get older . I find it incredible to have to accept the reality that the clip shown relates to events closer to 1938 - the Anschluss and later Chamberlain returning from Munich - than to the present day! Yet it seems a mere few years ago - but in 1978 the late 1930s felt like a different age.

    Its the colour TV which does it.

    Which makes 1970 the big dividing line.
  • _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    Indeed. PSI for tyre pressures. MPG for fuel efficiency. Similar for pushbikes too.

    It goes on and on. And so what? It works, it’s understood and it’s fun.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,537

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Not really bothered, but I've no idea what an acre is, and always measure my weight in kilos. Just a matter of what one's used to.

    But I do think it's insane to sell petrol in litres but have cars rated by miles per gallon.
  • ralphmalphralphmalph Posts: 2,201
    If you are a UK manufacturing business selling into the US you have to be able to manfacture to imperial specs.

    Same for EU firms, look at a spec sheet for a EU car sold in the US all in imperial.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

  • It is, at present, but under the old European Communities Act 1972 if the EU had agreed a directive for metrification in that area under the auspices of completing the single market then the UK would have been obligated to follow.

    I suspect the UK quietly shelved it and convinced the EU it wasn’t a big deal and not to push for it.

    They should make metrication a requirement when Britain tries to rejoin the EU. Obviously practically better, and requires an unambiguous commitment to stop pandering to nostalgic old people.
    You see, it’s comments like that from globalist fundamentalists like you, that make me realise I’m 100% right.

    Thank you.
    Sounds like we have to rely on globalist fundamentalists to uphold the British sense of humour.
    Right. Yes. Sorry, of course.. I missed a real corker there.

    My bad.
  • I’m 26, UK born and raised, and I measure nothing in imperial units apart from alcoholic drinks, speed and penis size (heh). I can hardly comprehend what a stone or a yard is to be honest.

    What size shirts and trousers do you wear ?
  • Jonathan said:

    The standard Imperial units of area are

    Tennis court
    Football pitch
    Isle of Wight
    Wales

    I thought journalists had an additional measure which is 'The Belgium'. Most commonly used in phrases like 'an area of Rain Forest the size of Belgium has been destroyed in the last 10 minutes'.
  • kjohnwkjohnw Posts: 1,456

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Not really bothered, but I've no idea what an acre is, and always measure my weight in kilos. Just a matter of what one's used to.

    But I do think it's insane to sell petrol in litres but have cars rated by miles per gallon.
    Slightly worrying that a former MP doesn’t know what an acre is, no offence
  • Foxy said:

    dixiedean said:

    It seems metrication was a UK idea. Pre-dating our EEC entry by some years. It ended as an official policy quango in 1981.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_Board

    C'mon get with the Imperial nostalgia.

    3 grains of laudanam squire!
    I like the cut of your jib, Sir.

    Hooray for quarts, gills, rods and slugs!
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,537
    dixiedean said:


    I'm sure I heard Geoffrey Howe once say they abandoned actively promoting metrication under Thatcher, as they believed it had largely been completed.
    Although I may have hallucinated.

    IIRC Geoffrey Howe was chair of the all-party metrication group when I was its secretary. We were neither very zealous nor, as you see, very effective.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 21,676
    Imperial units are for nuttters. How many furlongs are there in a peckle?
  • Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Not really bothered, but I've no idea what an acre is, and always measure my weight in kilos. Just a matter of what one's used to.

    But I do think it's insane to sell petrol in litres but have cars rated by miles per gallon.
    An acre is a big garden.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810

    _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    Indeed. PSI for tyre pressures. MPG for fuel efficiency. Similar for pushbikes too.

    It goes on and on. And so what? It works, it’s understood and it’s fun.
    I’m minded to agree. I also agree with you about SI and building work / engineering etc. If only schools would teach it!

    The cm is a pony primary school measurement - nobody doing much important uses it. The millimetre is probably France’s finest invention, a perfect unit of precision used in engineering worldwide.

    Why then do I still meet adults who don’t seem to know how many mm in a metre, and who use cm when working on a project where (like most) precision is paramount?
  • Jonathan said:

    At the height of Imperial units the most you could expect to live was three score and ten years. Today, after metrification a lifespan of 100 years is possible.

    LOL. I like that.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    dixiedean said:

    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

    I have always wondered why that is! Did rugger change it’s pitch markings to metric at some stage? True about football - 12 yard box, 18 yard box etc.
  • _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    Indeed. PSI for tyre pressures. MPG for fuel efficiency. Similar for pushbikes too.

    It goes on and on. And so what? It works, it’s understood and it’s fun.
    But engine size is measure in cc or l.

    Does anyone know how long that has been the case in the UK ?
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Not really bothered, but I've no idea what an acre is, and always measure my weight in kilos. Just a matter of what one's used to.

    But I do think it's insane to sell petrol in litres but have cars rated by miles per gallon.
    Yes, that is one genuinely stupid outcome of our mixed system.
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    Jonathan said:

    The standard Imperial units of area are

    Tennis court
    Football pitch
    Isle of Wight
    Wales

    Nebraska.

    From PB's favourite movie

    "Bishop: Ripley, in nineteen minutes this area is going to be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska."

  • It’s happened elsewhere as well. Planes have crashed because the fuellers got confused and only filled up the number in pounds when it should have been in kilos.

    I'm happy to be corrected, but to my knowledge there is only one case of anything like this and the conversion involved was from pounds to litres to kilograms, so it wasn't just a straightforward imperial to metric conversion.

    The aircraft didn't actually crash, it executed a fairly hairy emergency landing and was flying again a few days later after some minor repairs.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,537


    An acre is a big garden.

    OK, that helps, thanks. Just never really needed to know, but perhaps one day.
  • Jonathan said:

    Imperial units are for nuttters. How many furlongs are there in a peckle?

    Without looking it up, how many yoctometres are there in a zettametre?

  • The WTO issue is not that it could instruct us to create a border in Northern Ireland.

    It is that if we deliberately go out of our way not to collect tariffs, then we will have cases brought against us by (for example) Argentinian beef farmers who would claim that we allowed beef from Ireland in tariff free despite the absence of an FTA, and therefore its farmers should get the same treatment.

    Minor point of order - WTO complaints can only be brought by governments, not e.g. Argentinian beef farmers. Not disagreeing with your general points, and welcome to pb.
    I'm sorry, I've messed up the blockquote.
    What you have replied to was part of the comment by rcs1000 which I have replied to.
  • _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

    I have always wondered why that is! Did rugger change it’s pitch markings to metric at some stage? True about football - 12 yard box, 18 yard box etc.
    Rugby changed in the mid 1970s - so on old films you hear references to the '25'.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810

    _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    One practical area where I think metrication has been counter productive has been in housebuilding/renovation. You can't retrofit houses to be metric nor can you make new products which are incompatible with pre metric housing. So we end up with everything be the old imperial standards but just converted to metric measurements. Which means you get some really strange mm measurements for stuff.

    But I like both Imperial and metric and am comfortable switching back and forth. And at work - in one of the most advanced technological industries in the world - everything is done in API which is a kind of American Imperial.
    That is a very good point about housing. As someone who has spent the last six years renovating an Edwardian terrace, it is something I have noted.

    I didn’t know that about the oil industry - interesting. Thanks.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,732
    edited February 2019
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Jonathan said:

    The standard Imperial units of area are

    Tennis court
    Football pitch
    Isle of Wight
    Wales

    Nebraska.

    From PB's favourite movie

    "Bishop: Ripley, in nineteen minutes this area is going to be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska."
    Nebraska is pretty big. Much more than a Belgium.

    Nebraska compared to the UK
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    edited February 2019
    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

    I have always wondered why that is! Did rugger change it’s pitch markings to metric at some stage? True about football - 12 yard box, 18 yard box etc.
    I remember the change from a 25 yard dropout to a 22metre one. Some time around the early 80s.
    Edit 1976 for Union https://www.reddit.com/r/Metric/comments/4h2m7i/the_metrication_of_rugby/
  • SeanT said:

    kyf_100 said:

    A beautiful example of the old eec in action.

    Nobody forced us to switch from mph to.kmh and indeed we're on the same standard now. Back when Europe was about trading with each other rather than "harmonising" everything.
    A bunch of km signs were actually installed in a small corner of Gloucestershire, and many are still there today.
    I could be wrong, but I think it is actually illegal in the UK to have signs in kms, metres, etc

    And bars are only allowed to sell beer in pint and half pint measures.

    There have been cases when Austrian and Polish themed restaurants in the UK have been prosecuted by the authorities for not so doing.

    With the restaurant owners being supported by the 'metric martyrs'.
    Beer can be also be sold in one-third and two-third pint measures.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810

    dixiedean said:


    I'm sure I heard Geoffrey Howe once say they abandoned actively promoting metrication under Thatcher, as they believed it had largely been completed.
    Although I may have hallucinated.

    IIRC Geoffrey Howe was chair of the all-party metrication group when I was its secretary. We were neither very zealous nor, as you see, very effective.
    :smiley:
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742

    Foxy said:

    dixiedean said:

    It seems metrication was a UK idea. Pre-dating our EEC entry by some years. It ended as an official policy quango in 1981.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_Board

    C'mon get with the Imperial nostalgia.

    3 grains of laudanam squire!
    I like the cut of your jib, Sir.

    Hooray for quarts, gills, rods and slugs!
    It is some while since pub measures were 1/6 Gill.
  • Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Not really bothered, but I've no idea what an acre is, and always measure my weight in kilos. Just a matter of what one's used to.

    But I do think it's insane to sell petrol in litres but have cars rated by miles per gallon.
    An acre is a big garden.
    An acre is 2 cricket pitches by 5 cricket pitches.
  • Jonathan said:

    Imperial units are for nuttters. How many furlongs are there in a peckle?

    There are at least six inches in my peckle.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 32,580
    edited February 2019
    _Anazina_ said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    One practical area where I think metrication has been counter productive has been in housebuilding/renovation. You can't retrofit houses to be metric nor can you make new products which are incompatible with pre metric housing. So we end up with everything be the old imperial standards but just converted to metric measurements. Which means you get some really strange mm measurements for stuff.

    But I like both Imperial and metric and am comfortable switching back and forth. And at work - in one of the most advanced technological industries in the world - everything is done in API which is a kind of American Imperial.
    That is a very good point about housing. As someone who has spent the last six years renovating an Edwardian terrace, it is something I have noted.

    I didn’t know that about the oil industry - interesting. Thanks.
    It can give you nightmares when dealing with volumes particularly, which are a crucial feature of safety management in drilling, but it does make you ace at mental arithmetic. The conversion factor for annular volumes in barrels (1029.42) is scarred into my brain for life.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    dixiedean said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

    I have always wondered why that is! Did rugger change it’s pitch markings to metric at some stage? True about football - 12 yard box, 18 yard box etc.
    I remember the change from a 25 yard dropout to a 22metre one. Some time around the early 80s.
    I was too young to remember that change - thanks - that’s interesting. It has always been the 22 since I have been watching rugby.
  • Ramtop said:


    It’s happened elsewhere as well. Planes have crashed because the fuellers got confused and only filled up the number in pounds when it should have been in kilos.

    I'm happy to be corrected, but to my knowledge there is only one case of anything like this and the conversion involved was from pounds to litres to kilograms, so it wasn't just a straightforward imperial to metric conversion.

    The aircraft didn't actually crash, it executed a fairly hairy emergency landing and was flying again a few days later after some minor repairs.
    Yes, the Gimli Glider: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    SeanT said:


    Kilometres do seem very foreign though. I am always startled by the use of them in Ireland and Oz.

    I think the current situation is that kilometers are still foreign but meters are becoming acceptably british
    Meters? NEVER!

    Metres, however, have a pleasant British timbre to them
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,732
    Apparently "negations" have not been reopened.

    https://twitter.com/andreajenkyns/status/1092389885795844097
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,176
    Klopp cracking up...
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742
    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
  • _Anazina_ said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    Indeed. PSI for tyre pressures. MPG for fuel efficiency. Similar for pushbikes too.

    It goes on and on. And so what? It works, it’s understood and it’s fun.
    I’m minded to agree. I also agree with you about SI and building work / engineering etc. If only schools would teach it!

    The cm is a pony primary school measurement - nobody doing much important uses it. The millimetre is probably France’s finest invention, a perfect unit of precision used in engineering worldwide.

    Why then do I still meet adults who don’t seem to know how many mm in a metre, and who use cm when working on a project where (like most) precision is paramount?
    Glad we agree. I find millimetres and millilitres are useful for precision.

    I think it comes back to the inhumanness of it. It’s similar for millions, billions and trillions. Tens, hundreds, thousands.. people get confused.

    If you’re using it professionally, you’re paid to get it right, but on some building projects when you’re digging the pits and cutting the wood on site cm can be accurate enough.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    Interestingly, rugby of both codes is metric, despite being mostly an ex-empire game.
    Football, thoroughly worldwide remains imperial.

    I have always wondered why that is! Did rugger change it’s pitch markings to metric at some stage? True about football - 12 yard box, 18 yard box etc.
    I remember the change from a 25 yard dropout to a 22metre one. Some time around the early 80s.
    I was too young to remember that change - thanks - that’s interesting. It has always been the 22 since I have been watching rugby.
    1976 for rugby union apparently.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    Liverpool looking fairly strong bets to choke.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810

    _Anazina_ said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Jonathan said:

    Miles and pints are the only Imperial measure worth keeping and that’s only for sentimental reasons.

    The rest are insane anachronisms best consigned to the bin.

    They’re certainly not “insane” and nor are they best confined to the bin.

    Height measured in feet and inches makes sense, aeroplanes use feet and knots, and we measure our weight in stones and pounds, and babies in pounds and ounces. Acres are still widely used too.

    Chill. It’s all good.
    Square feet for property

    Inches for clothing sizes and TV screens

    Furlongs for horse races

    Imperial remains the standard in many areas — that is simply a fact.
    Indeed. PSI for tyre pressures. MPG for fuel efficiency. Similar for pushbikes too.

    It goes on and on. And so what? It works, it’s understood and it’s fun.
    I’m minded to agree. I also agree with you about SI and building work / engineering etc. If only schools would teach it!

    The cm is a pony primary school measurement - nobody doing much important uses it. The millimetre is probably France’s finest invention, a perfect unit of precision used in engineering worldwide.

    Why then do I still meet adults who don’t seem to know how many mm in a metre, and who use cm when working on a project where (like most) precision is paramount?
    Glad we agree. I find millimetres and millilitres are useful for precision.

    I think it comes back to the inhumanness of it. It’s similar for millions, billions and trillions. Tens, hundreds, thousands.. people get confused.

    If you’re using it professionally, you’re paid to get it right, but on some building projects when you’re digging the pits and cutting the wood on site cm can be accurate enough.
    For very rough work, I guess. But I’ve yet to encounter a single proper woodwork project where that’s the case. I also like how mm quotes - to me, saying “cut that to 576” is easier and less ambiguous than describing the same length in cm or inches.
  • tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876
    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    What's slightly concerning from United's point of view is that Spurs excellent run has essentially made it 1 from 3 for that last CL place as opposed to 2 from 4. We were so far behind that even 22/24 has barely got us in contention.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
    Klopp is impossible to dislike, even by a United fan.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...

    Swimming pools are a well known standard measure of liquid volume.
  • DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    What's slightly concerning from United's point of view is that Spurs excellent run has essentially made it 1 from 3 for that last CL place as opposed to 2 from 4. We were so far behind that even 22/24 has barely got us in contention.
    Win v Fulham on Saturday and City beat Chelsea at the Eithad on Sunday, United go 4th on their own
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    DavidL said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
    Klopp is impossible to dislike, even by a United fan.
    Yes, he’s a nice bloke. I would like to see him win the title. But, I think Liverpool might crack under the huge pressure of their fan base.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    DavidL said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
    Klopp is impossible to dislike, even by a United fan.
    I manage it. He laughs and jokes with the Press, but never fails to have a whinge when they don't win.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,176
    dixiedean said:

    DavidL said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
    Klopp is impossible to dislike, even by a United fan.
    I manage it. He laughs and jokes with the Press, but never fails to have a whinge when they don't win.
    +1
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    What's slightly concerning from United's point of view is that Spurs excellent run has essentially made it 1 from 3 for that last CL place as opposed to 2 from 4. We were so far behind that even 22/24 has barely got us in contention.
    Win v Fulham on Saturday and City beat Chelsea at the Eithad on Sunday, United go 4th on their own
    True but a lot of hard games to come.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742
    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
    And Puel's mighty Leicester away form next Sunday.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,279

    Ramtop said:


    It’s happened elsewhere as well. Planes have crashed because the fuellers got confused and only filled up the number in pounds when it should have been in kilos.

    I'm happy to be corrected, but to my knowledge there is only one case of anything like this and the conversion involved was from pounds to litres to kilograms, so it wasn't just a straightforward imperial to metric conversion.

    The aircraft didn't actually crash, it executed a fairly hairy emergency landing and was flying again a few days later after some minor repairs.
    Yes, the Gimli Glider: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
    And a Mars orbiter .
    https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qkvzb5/the-time-nasa-lost-a-mars-orbiter-because-of-a-metric-system-mixup
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    By rights, I should be quids in now. Liverpool’s goal was miles (kms) offside.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,155
    edited February 2019
    _Anazina_ said:

    DavidL said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    Yay West Ham!!!

    I actually really like Klopp and would love to see him win the title this season but not over West Ham getting points.
    Klopp is impossible to dislike, even by a United fan.
    Yes, he’s a nice bloke. I would like to see him win the title. But, I think Liverpool might crack under the huge pressure of their fan base.
    And winning it for the first time after 29 years

    I remember that United's first premiership title was the most nerve wracking during the last few weeks

    As Fergie said 'squeaky bum time ' and looks as if Klopp may experience it first hand
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876
    _Anazina_ said:

    By rights, I should be quids in now. Liverpool’s goal was miles (kms) offside.

    Very poor decision and as for that chance in the last minute. Jeesh.
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    I wonder how motivated Everton will be on Wednesday when they meet City? If City beat them, they go top.
  • DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    What's slightly concerning from United's point of view is that Spurs excellent run has essentially made it 1 from 3 for that last CL place as opposed to 2 from 4. We were so far behind that even 22/24 has barely got us in contention.
    Win v Fulham on Saturday and City beat Chelsea at the Eithad on Sunday, United go 4th on their own
    True but a lot of hard games to come.
    Indeed
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742
    _Anazina_ said:

    By rights, I should be quids in now. Liverpool’s goal was miles (kms) offside.

    Foxy's tip on laying Liverpool was the good 'un for a change.

    Liverpool look most likely to leave the CL and "concentrate on the League" .
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
    And Puel's mighty Leicester away form next Sunday.
    If Spurs could have kept their first team fit they might have had a chance. But their lack of decent replacements up top means they are not realistic contenders.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    _Anazina_ said:

    I wonder how motivated Everton will be on Wednesday when they meet City? If City beat them, they go top.

    Given our form, how motivated we are is a matter of only marginal importance. Might make the difference between six or seven I guess.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
    But I thought 1 Wales = 1 Soul

    (Pat of the back for first to figute it out)
  • _Anazina_ said:

    By rights, I should be quids in now. Liverpool’s goal was miles (kms) offside.

    And if they had scored in the last minute that would have been offside as well

    VAR next season and therefore Liverpool would have lost
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742
    dixiedean said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    I wonder how motivated Everton will be on Wednesday when they meet City? If City beat them, they go top.

    Given our form, how motivated we are is a matter of only marginal importance. Might make the difference between six or seven I guess.
    Silva next in the sack race?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876
    edited February 2019
    Charles said:

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
    But I thought 1 Wales = 1 Soul

    (Pat of the back for first to figute it out)
    A man for all seasons

    It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world ... but for Wales?
  • Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
    And Puel's mighty Leicester away form next Sunday.
    Leicester were good yesterday and tested United all the way
  • _Anazina__Anazina_ Posts: 1,810
    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    By rights, I should be quids in now. Liverpool’s goal was miles (kms) offside.

    Foxy's tip on laying Liverpool was the good 'un for a change.

    Liverpool look most likely to leave the CL and "concentrate on the League" .
    Yes, was a class tip. Sadly I was already on the nose by then :neutral:
  • _Anazina_ said:

    I wonder how motivated Everton will be on Wednesday when they meet City? If City beat them, they go top.

    Does anything motivate Everton this season ?
  • notme2notme2 Posts: 1,006
    _Anazina_ said:
    Yup. About 10x more leavey than me.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,626

    Jonathan said:

    The standard Imperial units of area are

    Tennis court
    Football pitch
    Isle of Wight
    Wales

    Can I have fall out radius from Faslane?
    Yep, everything within it is yours.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    DavidL said:

    Charles said:

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
    But I thought 1 Wales = 1 Soul

    (Pat of the back for first to figute it out)
    A man for all seasons

    It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world ... but for Wales?
    2 mins... give yourself a pat on the back
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,742

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
    And Puel's mighty Leicester away form next Sunday.
    Leicester were good yesterday and tested United all the way
    Yes, apart from giving all teams a sporting headstart by conceeding an early goal, Leicester are a decent team!
  • Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    dixiedean said:

    tlg86 said:

    Klopp cracking up...

    3 way title race on now. Looked unlikely some weeks ago.
    I can’t see Spurs mounting a serious challenge - they still have several games before Alli and Kane return, and no strength in depth.

    I think City might edge it.
    And Puel's mighty Leicester away form next Sunday.
    Leicester were good yesterday and tested United all the way
    Yes, apart from giving all teams a sporting headstart by conceeding an early goal, Leicester are a decent team!
    Seems so
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 29,414
    Foxy said:

    dixiedean said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    I wonder how motivated Everton will be on Wednesday when they meet City? If City beat them, they go top.

    Given our form, how motivated we are is a matter of only marginal importance. Might make the difference between six or seven I guess.
    Silva next in the sack race?
    Possibly. However, we have been through some managers recently. At least he tries to play good football, and we have gone away to the big 6 at least prepared to have a go at them for the first time in ages.
    Some want him sacked, but the prevailing anger is at the players at least for now. They are the common denominator.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,992
    Double decker buses let's not forget them.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876
    Charles said:

    DavidL said:

    Charles said:

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
    But I thought 1 Wales = 1 Soul

    (Pat of the back for first to figute it out)
    A man for all seasons

    It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world ... but for Wales?
    2 mins... give yourself a pat on the back
    It was my favourite play at school. Indeed this was what me think about doing law for the first time:

    ...And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you--where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast--man's laws, not God's--and if you cut them down...d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.”
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,537



    I'm sorry, I've messed up the blockquote.
    What you have replied to was part of the comment by rcs1000 which I have replied to.

    Easily done. I did think you were putting both sides of the argument!
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 53,876
    TOPPING said:

    Double decker buses let's not forget them.

    What is it about remainers on this site and buses? They don't come all at once, they come all the time.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited February 2019
    DavidL said:

    Charles said:

    DavidL said:

    Charles said:

    Foxy said:

    _Anazina_ said:

    Wiltshires are a fairly standard unit of land area.

    Smaller than a Wales though...
    But I thought 1 Wales = 1 Soul

    (Pat of the back for first to figute it out)
    A man for all seasons

    It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world ... but for Wales?
    2 mins... give yourself a pat on the back
    It was my favourite play at school. Indeed this was what me think about doing law for the first time:

    ...And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you--where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast--man's laws, not God's--and if you cut them down...d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.”
    That was my grandfather’s favourite quote
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,293
    Liam Neeson - Oh dear...
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936
    GIN1138 said:

    Liam Neeson - Oh dear...

    Wow, what a tw*t.
This discussion has been closed.