Ten times better
Sun Jul 27, 2008 20:46 (UTC -5)In October 2003, I “suddenly became obsessed with the metric system,” as I put it at the time. I mentioned plans for writing an article called “The Metric System: Ten Times Better or Inching Toward a Metric America.” Well, that didn’t happen. A fragmentary draft exists on my computer, last modified on October 19, 2003:
In America, we measure so that 12 inches make a foot, but 16 ounces are a pound. Both the avoirdupois ounce and the troy ounce, which is slightly larger, are used today. (Don’t forget about the fluid ounce when measuring liquids!) There are 2000 pounds in a short ton — not to be confused with the long ton, which is 2240 pounds. There are 5280 feet (or 1760 yards) in a statute mile, our standard mile. But the survey mile, used by the government in surveying land, is about an eighth of an inch longer than a statute mile. The nautical mile, used at sea and in the air, is longer than either of the two. A gallon is four liquid quarts (as opposed to the larger dry quart), a liquid quart is two liquid pints (again, there are dry pints), a liquid pint is two cups, and a cup is eight fluid ounces. That means there are 128 fluid ounces in a gallon.
I’m sure you know about the metric system, so there’s no need for me to introduce it.
You may think you don’t know the metric system, but you actually use it more than you think. Consider the following examples:
| Floppy disks | Exactly 90 mm (rounded off to 3½ in. in the US) |
| Wine/spirits | Measured only in mL and L |
| Soft drinks | Most bottles are measured in mL and L (cans still use Imperial sizes) |
| Time | Hours, minutes, and seconds are metric units |
| Radio stations | Kilohertz (AM) and megahertz (FM) are metric units |
| Olympics | Most Olympic events rely on metric units |
| Film | Measured in mm |
| Light bulbs | Volts, watts, and lumens are all metric units |
| Medicine | Measured in mg |
Convincing, ain’t it?
As I may have mentioned, my parents have had our house for sale for almost a year now. On Saturday, we had a small garage sale. This is kind of a big deal because the only other garage sale we’ve ever had (as long as I’ve been around) was before we moved into our current house. It’s a way of having less stuff to move. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to sell, mainly because I threw/gave away a lot of my stuff before heading off to college last year. The stuff I have left I want to keep, give away, or sell for a reasonable amount of money. I can’t think of anything that I’d want to unload for a token price. Here are some things I actually have in my room:
- A metal detector
- Records
- 400+ issues of National Geographic Magazine
- A sledgehammer
- A lava lamp
- An inflatable pool raft
- World War II ration stamps
- An old lady wig
- A snapshot of an old Irish man playing the accordion (thanks, Luke)
- An uncut sheet of $1 bills
- A large stuffed penguin wearing a Santa Claus hat
…and much more. Man, I have a lot of stuff. But the garage sale didn’t do very well, from what I hear. (I was asleep during much of it.)
Here in the United States, we’re lucky to have some freedom. The same can’t be said of the Top Five Most Censored Countries in the World. (Disclaimer: I am friends with the author.)
This is actually interesting, with nice pictures: 10 Very Rare Clouds.
One Post Wonder is a blog that features old blogs that have only one post. It would be funny if it were itself a one-post wonder, but it’s not.
Filed under Blogging, Family, Internet, Musings and Observations, Science, Stuff, Weird
1 comment
#1 by Luke: Sun Jul 27, 2008 21:19 (UTC -5)
This one-post blag wouldn’t be funny without irony!