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[+] -18 points 3 weeks ago (15 children)

Neat. Now use metric time. Tell me, how many kiloseconds are in a day and megaseconds in a year?

In the same way people seem to be able to learn there are 60 seconds in a minute, I know there are 12 inches in a foot.

Metric is wonderful scientifically and annoying practically. I'm with Orwell, I like a pint of beer, not 500 mL or 1 L.

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  • [–] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    Metric is wonderful scientifically and annoying practically.

    It is annoying to you because you are not used to it. It is perfectly fine and very useful for the rest of us.

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  • [–] -5 points 3 weeks ago*

    I spent all but four of the first 25 years of my life in a metric country. It was the only system I was taught. I defended it as you did.

    It is perfectly fine. However, most here have never used both for extended periods in their lives to judge. I have.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    .. annoying practically

    Said no one actually familiar with the metric system, ever.

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  • [+] -7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

    How would being educated exclusively in metric in a metric country not make me familiar?

    I immigrated to a common unit nation as an adult.

    Given I am a person and better and familiar with metric (and know plenty of immigrants who agree), your point is not valid.

    How many years have you lived in a common unit nation to experience the difference?

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  • [–] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

    i'm genuinely struggling a lot to figure out what your argument is here

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  • [–] 5 points 3 weeks ago

    "The story of the metric system starts, somewhat unexpectedly, in 17th Century England, with the proposal by the natural philosopher John Wilkins for a consistently decimal system of units. The Europe of his time was divided by the use of innumerable different systems of measure, with each country using its own traditional units (and in many cases, a lack of even national standardisation meant that different regions within countries would use their own measures). To remedy this, Wilkins conceived of a single, rational standard, based on the best science of his time, which all nations could equally share. His idea for a “universal Measure” was not adopted in his era, although that very phrase would ultimately (via Greek translation) give us the name of the metre."

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  • [–] -4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 child)

    Certainly happy to expand.

    The practical use of units derives from the features of our environments and what is important to us in our lives The length of a day is one of them. The characteristics of water is not, and that is where metric is derived.

    When one asks the temperature in the morning, one is not asking how much energy went into a volume of water. One is asking how to dress, so appreciable changes in a sense of temperature are appropriate.

    When on weighs themselves on a scale, the ability to calculate the volume of water equivalent is not the goal.

    I have now evenly split my life in a metric and common country. I grew up with metric, and find common much more practical because it evolved over centuries to be so.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 weeks ago

    annoying practically.

    Strong disagree here. Maybe if you live in the US where the other units aren't frequently used yet, it's annoying. I grew up in the US but now live in Japan where most things are metric. The only big exceptions I can think of that require calculation are a couple of traditional units for property size, room size, and alcohol size (and some of those are slowly becoming less common).

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  • [–] 3 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

    Without even looking it up, 86.4ksec in a day, and 30 megaseconds in a year (525600 minutes). Easy.

    I like a 500ml beer. Good size tbh.

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  • [–] -3 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    What do your clocks and watches display?

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  • [–] 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Convenient multiples of seconds!

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