4 ms·

Pounds is definitely not something I "regularly encounter" -- at least in the sense that I need to know more than that it is more than 100g and less than 900g.

by dagss 2y ago

Pounds is definitely not something I "regularly encounter" -- at least in the sense that I need to know more than that it is more than 100g and less than 900g. It just doesn't come up. Perhaps different European countries are different here..

Retric 2y ago
There's a big gap between needing something and benefiting from knowing something. If a book/movie/whatever describes someone carrying a 60lb backpack is that a big deal? There's a big gap between a 6kg vs a 54kg one. The cost of ignorance here isn't missing a question on a test, it's not getting the joke or similar in the moment thing.
- 6510 2y ago
  To us the 60lb is the joke. Same for 960 ounces. It stays funny pounds for pounds.
  - Retric 2y ago
    Which then ruins more serious scenes… Ignorance simply is a net loss no matter the subject. Token for example uses both furlong and league as a means of setting the settings tone, but also to convey information.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  I think you are overestimating the relevance of minor bits of American (or historic) culture. We can easily work out from the context what 60lb means. The precise figure is less relevant than the rest of the scene anyway — is a soldier carrying this backpack? An injured child? All kinds of knowledge are relevant when reading a book. Is the backpack to be carried from Warsaw to Prague? Maybe I have a greater understanding of what that entails than you, even though I'm less sure about the 60lb.
  - Retric 2y ago
    > overestimating the relevance of minor bits of American (or historic) culture. That’s a judgement you can’t make because by your own admission you’re unaware of the subtleties involved. That’s the core issue. It’s not that you can’t know what’s happening it’s that you’re assuming you do know what’s happening even when you’re missing significant elements and then in a fit of circular reasoning assuming because you don’t know it must not be important. Clues embedded in a murder mystery, signs that someone was cheating, implications of fraud, etc etc all depend on concrete details you simply gloss over.

by dagss 2y ago

Retric 2y ago

There's a big gap between needing something and benefiting from knowing something. If a book/movie/whatever describes someone carrying a 60lb backpack is that a big deal? There's a big gap between a 6kg vs a 54kg one. The cost of ignorance here isn't missing a question on a test, it's not getting the joke or similar in the moment thing.

6510 2y ago
To us the 60lb is the joke. Same for 960 ounces. It stays funny pounds for pounds.
- Retric 2y ago
  Which then ruins more serious scenes… Ignorance simply is a net loss no matter the subject. Token for example uses both furlong and league as a means of setting the settings tone, but also to convey information.
Symbiote 2y ago
I think you are overestimating the relevance of minor bits of American (or historic) culture. We can easily work out from the context what 60lb means. The precise figure is less relevant than the rest of the scene anyway — is a soldier carrying this backpack? An injured child? All kinds of knowledge are relevant when reading a book. Is the backpack to be carried from Warsaw to Prague? Maybe I have a greater understanding of what that entails than you, even though I'm less sure about the 60lb.
- Retric 2y ago
  > overestimating the relevance of minor bits of American (or historic) culture. That’s a judgement you can’t make because by your own admission you’re unaware of the subtleties involved. That’s the core issue. It’s not that you can’t know what’s happening it’s that you’re assuming you do know what’s happening even when you’re missing significant elements and then in a fit of circular reasoning assuming because you don’t know it must not be important. Clues embedded in a murder mystery, signs that someone was cheating, implications of fraud, etc etc all depend on concrete details you simply gloss over.