Indeed, and WW2 was won by forces beating The Metric-only Axis Powers. never figured out how they could that, as there musty have been planes dropping all over because of ground grews mistaking US Gallons for Imperial ones.
But then there are two kinds of NASA engineers: Those who use English measurements, and those who use metric measurements, and then lose a Mars satellite because they mix them up. Poor sods, I felt sorry for them.
Working on my Harley (SAE), then on the Ariel (Whitworth) and after that on just about everything else (metric), I've had it with keeping track of the right kind of nuts & bolts with all different threads.
I'm still surprised that the world won't just adapt to one unit of everything. One common electrical system, one video system, one measurement, one universal standard for all things so around the world we can switch to one human language eventually.
I had a set of Whitworth Snap On sockets, and had to learn what in the hell that was all about http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/11/case-of-mystery-socket-set-solved-what.html
A machinist friend of mine told that during The Civil War (the US one) weapons manufacturers used about 140 types of threads and other measurements for their weapons. I guess this was in part because of a general lack of standardization, and in part to make sure spares were bought from the individual weapons manufacturer.
As for world standards of everything, the manufacturers probably have figured they are better off if they have less international competition. Consumers would be better off, though. This is where governments can intervene, to the extent they aren't bought out by industry lobbyists.
We are going in the direction of having at least one language in common, along with our native tongues. Being bilingual is easy, and most people can deal with a third and fourth one too, at least for not-too-complicated conversations.
I'm originally from Swwitzerland, which has no less than four official languages. As far as I am concerned, they could well make English the other official language here in Denmark, seeing that most people can get by with it (though few are as fluent as they think they are).
"Apollo guidance computers actually ran their computations in metric units, then converted the outputs for display to Imperial units at the insistence of the astronauts."........
Go Go Go Go Go Metric, its your birthday! Go Metric, its your birthday! Go Metric, its your birthday! Yo Yo Yo Yo
The USA used a German, Wernher von Braun to design their Apollo rocket. No German metric scientist, no man on the moon! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun
The USA had the complete fortune that Von Braun wanted nothing to do with the nazi's, and was willing to use the American unlimited govt budget to further his field of academic study. He didn't design the Apollo rockets, he designed and evolved all the rockets. If the Germans hadn't been such assholes, they wouldn't have had such an emigration of all their most brilliant scientists. Therefore, no Nazis, no Americans on the moon.
Indeed, and WW2 was won by forces beating The Metric-only Axis Powers. never figured out how they could that, as there musty have been planes dropping all over because of ground grews mistaking US Gallons for Imperial ones.
ReplyDeleteBut then there are two kinds of NASA engineers: Those who use English measurements, and those who use metric measurements, and then lose a Mars satellite because they mix them up. Poor sods, I felt sorry for them.
Working on my Harley (SAE), then on the Ariel (Whitworth) and after that on just about everything else (metric), I've had it with keeping track of the right kind of nuts & bolts with all different threads.
The future is metric.
I'm still surprised that the world won't just adapt to one unit of everything. One common electrical system, one video system, one measurement, one universal standard for all things so around the world we can switch to one human language eventually.
DeleteI had a set of Whitworth Snap On sockets, and had to learn what in the hell that was all about http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/11/case-of-mystery-socket-set-solved-what.html
A machinist friend of mine told that during The Civil War (the US one) weapons manufacturers used about 140 types of threads and other measurements for their weapons. I guess this was in part because of a general lack of standardization, and in part to make sure spares were bought from the individual weapons manufacturer.
DeleteAs for world standards of everything, the manufacturers probably have figured they are better off if they have less international competition. Consumers would be better off, though. This is where governments can intervene, to the extent they aren't bought out by industry lobbyists.
DeleteWe are going in the direction of having at least one language in common, along with our native tongues. Being bilingual is easy, and most people can deal with a third and fourth one too, at least for not-too-complicated conversations.
I'm originally from Swwitzerland, which has no less than four official languages. As far as I am concerned, they could well make English the other official language here in Denmark, seeing that most people can get by with it (though few are as fluent as they think they are).
"Apollo guidance computers actually ran their computations in metric units, then converted the outputs for display to Imperial units at the insistence of the astronauts."........
ReplyDeleteGo Go Go Go
Go Metric, its your birthday!
Go Metric, its your birthday!
Go Metric, its your birthday!
Yo Yo Yo Yo
....and so on.
The USA used a German, Wernher von Braun to design their Apollo rocket. No German metric scientist, no man on the moon! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun
DeleteThe USA had the complete fortune that Von Braun wanted nothing to do with the nazi's, and was willing to use the American unlimited govt budget to further his field of academic study.
DeleteHe didn't design the Apollo rockets, he designed and evolved all the rockets.
If the Germans hadn't been such assholes, they wouldn't have had such an emigration of all their most brilliant scientists. Therefore, no Nazis, no Americans on the moon.
And then there are the silly tires "met/met/R/English"
ReplyDeleteModern ones, yes. I still go for an N50. I'm old school that way!
Delete