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Here is a really great video that goes over the history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRGvMgieEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRGvMgieEU Sometimes we thi

by rinron 3y ago

Here is a really great video that goes over the history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRGvMgieEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRGvMgieEU Sometimes we think about the technical reasons and forget of the human and the developmental process that can sometimes have an effect on how things are today. spoiler for the video - its because too many 110v light bulbs were already in place by the time 220v ones were made and it was too expensive/difficult to change. kind of reminds me of why the US never switched to metric.

rootusrootus 3y ago
> why the US never switched to metric Pretty much exactly why the UK didn't. What, you say? The UK uses metric, right? Yes, in much the same way as the US does. Officially, the US gov't stance is metric. And in technical areas as well as much of the consumer space, metric is everywhere. What isn't really changing is layperson preference for units. People are comfortable with feet, yards, miles, Fahrenheit, etc. Just like the UK still using miles, and many normal people measuring weight in stones. Inertia is a pretty important consideration, and not invalid. Imagine trying to convince the UK to drive on the correct side of the road at this point. ;-)