Isn't it time we just went metric?

[cstreit]

Just read an interesting article that talks about how we just missed going metric early.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/22/retro_metric_imperial/

Isn't it time we just went metric? All our cars and most hardware is now metric. I'm sick of converting back and forth constantly. Why shouldn't we just do it?

[KFC911]

"Give 'em an inch and they'll take a kilometer"

[Scott Douglas]

And obsolete most of my old wrenches, not on your life!

[slow&rusty]

Short answer "Yes"

Even the damn Brits responsible for the Imperial system are all now Metric

[slow&rusty]

Short answer "Yes"

Even the damn Brits responsible for the Imperial system are all now Metric

[Sooner or later]

Big Tool won't let it happen!

[KFC911]

If I can't have my pint of beer ... then y'all can all just go straight to Britain

[masraum]

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

Short answer "Yes"

Even the damn Brits responsible for the Imperial system are all now Metric

I thought they still used miles and pounds.

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

And obsolete most of my old wrenches, not on your life!

They still have a place - but no new vehicle uses std anymore anyway. Your vintage tools are for your vintage equipment. Simple and elegant.

[cstreit]

THere are only 3 countries in the world not on metric

Liberia, Myanmar, and the USA.

[island911]

Originally Posted by cstreit

THere are only 3 countries in the world not on metric

Liberia, Myanmar, and the USA.

And none of those metric countries went to the moon, and back, a few times.

The imperial system weeds out the weak engineers.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by KC911

If I can't have my pint of beer ... then y'all can all just go straight to Britain

When my family moved to Japan in the late 70s, and again in the mid 80s, the fact that beer came in mostly 1L bottles was a shock to us.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by island911

And none of those metric countries went to the moon, and back, a few times.

The imperial system weeds out the weak engineers.

Like when they crashed that Mars probe due to a conversion error ? ;-)

[jyl]

Yes, because then I wouldn't have all these pointless inch sockets and wrenches. We could have extra 10mm sockets instead.

[LWJ]

Yes. And, all households get a bonus pack of 10mm sockets.

[911 Rod]

Next thing would be Mericans using Robertson screws. Never gonna happen!

[stevej37]

Wasn't there an airliner crash a number of years back that was due to the wrong conversion of needed fuel? (litres to gals?)

I would like it if distance measurements were all Metric. I dont' like it when someone tells me "It's 15 kilometers away" If it was all metric, it would be learned fast.

[ZOO]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Wasn't there an airliner crash a number of years back that was due to the wrong conversion of needed fuel? (litres to gals?)

Sounds a bit like the Gimli Glider -- which had an emergency landing during an autocross event:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

[stevej37]

^^^ Yes...that's it. I think I saw it on youtube 'flight disasters'

I forgot that they barely made a landing....thankfully.

[jcommin]

It has been a slow changeover since the late 70s/80s to go metric since the idea was first floated.

Many industries have since gone metric. Drug dealers have no issue with the metric system I'm in manufacturing and constantly use metric measuring especially when dealing with companies outside of the USA. I have a metric tape measure because I got tired of converting inches to mm.