3 ms·

Let's hope Mike finally gets the country to convert to the metric system -- but maybe don't mention that plan until after the election.

by slyrus 10y ago

wmeredith 10y ago
Congress already tried. No one cared. > Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 "to coordinate and plan the increasing use of the metric system in the United States". Voluntary conversion was initiated, and the United States Metric Board (USMB) was established for planning, coordination, and public education. The public education component led to public awareness of the metric system, but the public response included resistance, apathy, and sometimes ridicule.[8] In 1981, the USMB reported to Congress that it lacked the clear Congressional mandate necessary to bring about national conversion. Because of this ineffectiveness and an effort of the Reagan administration — particularly from Lyn Nofziger's efforts[9] as a White House advisor to the Reagan administration, to reduce federal spending — the USMB was disbanded in the autumn of 1982. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States#20th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Stat...
- Apocryphon 10y ago
  Maybe the way to get the mainstream to adopt a niche system is to find a use case that widens it to us. Witness the triumph of Linux through Android, for instance. What would get laypeople to use metric? Measuring alcohol?
  - epistasis 10y ago
    As in those 750mL bottles of alcohol or wine?
DrScump 10y ago
As an American, I'm puzzled by the persistence of SAE measurement references in everyday U.K parlance. One striking recent example: in "Sherlock", the warning message outside Eurus' cell said to "Stay back 3 feet" (as opposed to "1 Meter"). In everyday conversation, people seem to refer to bodyweight most frequently in stone. Etc.

3 ms·

Let's hope Mike finally gets the country to convert to the metric system -- but maybe don't mention that plan until after the election.

by slyrus 10y ago

Let's hope Mike finally gets the country to convert to the metric system -- but maybe don't mention that plan until after the election.

wmeredith 10y ago
Congress already tried. No one cared. > Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 "to coordinate and plan the increasing use of the metric system in the United States". Voluntary conversion was initiated, and the United States Metric Board (USMB) was established for planning, coordination, and public education. The public education component led to public awareness of the metric system, but the public response included resistance, apathy, and sometimes ridicule.[8] In 1981, the USMB reported to Congress that it lacked the clear Congressional mandate necessary to bring about national conversion. Because of this ineffectiveness and an effort of the Reagan administration — particularly from Lyn Nofziger's efforts[9] as a White House advisor to the Reagan administration, to reduce federal spending — the USMB was disbanded in the autumn of 1982. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States#20th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Stat...
- Apocryphon 10y ago
  Maybe the way to get the mainstream to adopt a niche system is to find a use case that widens it to us. Witness the triumph of Linux through Android, for instance. What would get laypeople to use metric? Measuring alcohol?
  - epistasis 10y ago
    As in those 750mL bottles of alcohol or wine?
DrScump 10y ago
As an American, I'm puzzled by the persistence of SAE measurement references in everyday U.K parlance. One striking recent example: in "Sherlock", the warning message outside Eurus' cell said to "Stay back 3 feet" (as opposed to "1 Meter"). In everyday conversation, people seem to refer to bodyweight most frequently in stone. Etc.