Member Since: 30 Oct 2011
Location: plymouth
Posts: 6525
didnt the hubol telescope have an issue re imperial /metric
17th Sep 2021 11:09 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
Hubble's problem was a calibration issue, not a confusion in units.
The metric/US Customary unit confusion caused a Mars probe to fail. Lockheed used US Customary units even though NASA (who they built the probe for) had been using metric for years.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
20th Sep 2021 9:25 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
Hardware wrote:
SN wrote:
We don't with money, do we?
Got close to losing 1 flavour once, didn't we ? (waiting for Brexiteer to pounce)
Two actually
And the same goes for language by the way - those pesky Frenchies, Germans, Italians and Spaniards will insist on not using English wherever possible - especially the French!
Though I did hear many years ago that in 200 years time (so probably 180 now) there will only be three languages spoken around the world... English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese!Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
20th Sep 2021 10:17 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
SN wrote:
Compare inch/feet, ounce and pound versus centimetre/metre, milligrams and grams
That would be comparing inch/feet/yard to millimetres or metres. The metric being interchangeable just by moving the decimal point as the latter is just 1000 of the former. The imperial being a unit of 12 and a unit of 3 to get to 1.
Ounces and pounds compared to grams or kilograms. The metric being interchangeable just by moving the decimal point as the latter is just 1000 of the former. The imperial being units of 16. Unless it's fluid ounces in a pint when it's 20 (just to add a bit of variety).
Metric money is easy too unlike the old 240 pennies in a pound - based on a weight system using one pound of silver split in to smaller units devised by the good old Romans.
There are now only two countries with non-metric money - Mauritania and Madagascar. Everyone else has followed the move to metric first started by the Russians in 1704 (not the French some 90 or so years later as many believe).
So metric really has taken over even though many of us are comfortable in both to a greater or lesser extent.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
And then there's the "how many musket balls to one pound weight" measure for fire-arm gauges.
"Darling! A Burglar! Fetch the 18.5 m!"
Mind you, if the hypothetical burglar didn't know it was a shotgun that'd sound quite scary.
2015 Volvo V40
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21st Sep 2021 7:17 am
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14414
SN wrote:
Hardware wrote:
SN wrote:
We don't with money, do we?
Got close to losing 1 flavour once, didn't we ? (waiting for Brexiteer to pounce)
Two actually
And the same goes for language by the way - those pesky Frenchies, Germans, Italians and Spaniards will insist on not using English wherever possible - especially the French!
Though I did hear many years ago that in 200 years time (so probably 180 now) there will only be three languages spoken around the world... English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese!
I spend my life travelling and speak no languages. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world. Someone will speak English, even the French. D4 HSE EU6 (Known as Jeeves)
New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!) Sold
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
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21st Sep 2021 7:19 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
HWN wrote:
And then there's the "how many musket balls to one pound weight" measure for fire-arm gauges.
"Darling! A Burglar! Fetch the 18.5 m!"
Mind you, if the hypothetical burglar didn't know it was a shotgun that'd sound quite scary.
18.5 m is a huge gun! I assume sir meant 18.5mm...
It's not much better in Imperial - a 12 bore is 0.729 inches - whatever that is in 32nds or 64ths or whatever fraction of an inch one wants to use (but it's not a whole number of either).
Of course the old way of doing shotgun gauges still works in metric. How many balls can 453g of lead be divided in to to fit the barrel? Still works because it's just dividing a given size lump of lead. How you define the mass of the lead isn't really important so long as it's the same physical amount. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Sep 2021 7:39 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
Moo wrote:
I spend my life travelling and speak no languages. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world. Someone will speak English, even the French.
One tactic I've used is to learn how to say hello in the local lingo. Then say, for example, "Bonjour. Hello how are you?". It seems to work quite well, even in France.
I remember walking in to a hotel in France. As we approached the receptionist, she cheerfully called out bonjour!. I said to SWMBO "ooh, I can practise my French". Quick as a flash, the receptionist gave me a steely look and said "please don't, sir" in almost accent-free English. Crestfallen was I. SWMBO giggled. Typical. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Sep 2021 7:44 am
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
Moo wrote:
I spend my life travelling and speak no languages. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world. Someone will speak English, even the French.
See that's typical English arrogance - make a f**king effort man - even if its just restaurant level - despiet most 'Jonny Foreigners' wanting to practise their English, I find it is appreciated
I can just about manage in French, German and Spanish to that level - I was proper frustrated when I was in Milan a couple of years ago because I couldn't speak ANY Italian (other than Ciao and Il Bastardo - those old enough to remember the 1990 World Cup in Italy will remeber that as Italian for The Referee )Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
21st Sep 2021 8:35 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
Agreed SN - people should at least make an effort to be able to say please, thank you, hello and goodbye. The polite niceties. Just being able to say thank you in the local language - even if you've had to use pointing and nodding up to that point - shows some respect to the person you're dealing with.
I try to memorise a few useful phrases but often never get to use them as so often local people want to be helpful and try their English too.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
21st Sep 2021 8:44 am
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14414
SN wrote:
Moo wrote:
I spend my life travelling and speak no languages. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world. Someone will speak English, even the French.
See that's typical English arrogance - make a f**king effort man - even if its just restaurant level - despiet most 'Jonny Foreigners' wanting to practise their English, I find it is appreciated
I can just about manage in French, German and Spanish to that level - I was proper frustrated when I was in Milan a couple of years ago because I couldn't speak ANY Italian (other than Ciao and Il Bastardo - those old enough to remember the 1990 World Cup in Italy will remeber that as Italian for The Referee )
Chill.
No arrogance, and I find that insinuation insulting. Anyway moving on, I just deal with the reality of the situation when travelling and the fact my industry communicates in English as its primary language globally and so do most in the travel and hospitality trade in which ever country I visit. I can and do say hello, thank you and a few simple pleasantries when I can, but the reality is most countries I travel to speak English as first or second language and i've not met anyone ever who was offended by my lack of their native language.
In the last three years, last year being an anomolie, I've had multiple trips to:
Communication is never an issue, even discussing complex technology, themes, ideas, surgical procedures, histology and outcomes etc.
The reality is, we are lazy in this country when it comes to languages becuase we speak one of the three common global languages.D4 HSE EU6 (Known as Jeeves)
New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!) Sold
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
I spend my life travelling and speak no languages. I've never had a problem anywhere in the world. Someone will speak English, even the French.
One tactic I've used is to learn how to say hello in the local lingo. Then say, for example, "Bonjour. Hello how are you?". It seems to work quite well, even in France.
I remember walking in to a hotel in France. As we approached the receptionist, she cheerfully called out bonjour!. I said to SWMBO "ooh, I can practise my French". Quick as a flash, the receptionist gave me a steely look and said "please don't, sir" in almost accent-free English. Crestfallen was I. SWMBO giggled. Typical.
That's where you went wrong: "bon jour" only applies to men; when greeting a woman it is preferable to to say "voulez vous couchez avec mois, c'est soi, madam?". Works every time.
2015 Volvo V40
2014 D4 HSE
2006 RRS - C'est mort. Fin... ...It's alive! Oh no, it's not - scrapped.
2019 Suzuki Kingquad 400
2017 RamRod Taskmaster 1150
1977 John Deere 2130
21st Sep 2021 11:09 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
"ce soir"
Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
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Bodsy's remote for FBH
21st Sep 2021 11:48 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13553
You'll get nowhere with that Hugh. They'll wonder what you're talking about... Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
18.5 m is a huge gun! I assume sir meant 18.5mm...
That perfectly illustrated the immense flaw (fatal in some cases) of using metric units. No-one notices the units, just the number.A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
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| 08MY Discovery 3 (history) 
Chill.
