OT. The futures Bright, the Futures Brexit!!!

[Trickytreesreds]

[QUOTE=ramAnag;39843286]

Thanks for such a dignified and well mannered response.

I wasn’t actually trying to be a ‘smart arse’ as you put it, but ‘still an ongoing process’...really?

You’re right of course about speedometers and clothing sizes, they are produced with dual methods of measurement but honestly, when was the last time you saw a metric road sign in this country and when was the last time you used the metric part of your speedo over here or actually bought your clothes measured in centimetres rather than inches?

I’ve never taught maths, for which the world should be eternally grateful, but as long ago as 1975, when I completed my final teaching practice, those who did were warned to expect to fail if they referred to imperial forms of measurement.

So almost half a century ago the educational directives from government and educationalists were clear as regards transfer to the more logical and precise metric system, but your ‘real world’ resisted it leading to a generation of numerically confused school leavers. All in all then it’s rather more complex than you make out, and as for ‘nothing is a straight switch for the better/worse overnight’...you possibly won’t remember it...but decimalisation certainly was.

Nope don't remember decimalisation.
But I certainly do use continental units in clothing, if and when I have to. Shoe sizing in particular, as my last pair of Timberland boots acquired in Munich can testify.

[MadAmster]

Certainly 20 years ago, on building sites in both Holland and Germany, for some reason, windows were still in feet and inches. Don't know if they still are.

[MadAmster]

Here in the EU, jeans are sold in inches for both inside leg and waist measurements. Same in the UK and USA isn't it?

One weird one is I put a 38"/40" chest waist length sheepskin up for sale. There is no size label in it. I mentioned the size in both inches and concerted to cm to avoid confusion. I got half a dozen replies asking what size it was. I replied in inches and cm. Next response was, yeah, but what size is it? S/M/L? I replied that it doesn't have that notation. I've told you how big it is and most people know how big they are... I got no further replies.

I advertised it a 2nd time, this time adding in that it is not foreseen of S/M/L size notations and the size is 38/40 or however many cm that is. I still got a couple of responses of "yeah, but what size....." No pleasing some folk

[ramAnag]

Here in the EU, jeans are sold in inches for both inside leg and waist measurements. Same in the UK and USA isn't it?

One weird one is I put a 38"/40" chest waist length sheepskin up for sale. There is no size label in it. I mentioned the size in both inches and concerted to cm to avoid confusion. I got half a dozen replies asking what size it was. I replied in inches and cm. Next response was, yeah, but what size is it? S/M/L? I replied that it doesn't have that notation. I've told you how big it is and most people know how big they are... I got no further replies.

I advertised it a 2nd time, this time adding in that it is not foreseen of S/M/L size notations and the size is 38/40 or however many cm that is. I still got a couple of responses of "yeah, but what size....." No pleasing some folk

Further confused by U.S. pints and gallons being significantly smaller than their UK equivalent, MA.

There’s also a tiny difference between the US and UK inch although I don’t think it’s responsible for the fact that over here I’m a 34 inch waist and over there I’m always a 33’’. More to do with flattering the invariably overweight US consumer I suspect.

[MadAmster]

Further confused by U.S. pints and gallons being significantly smaller than their UK equivalent, MA.

Not wanting to be too greedy they decided that pints and gallons would be the only things they have that weren't bigger and better

[Geoff Parkstone]

Further confused by U.S. pints and gallons being significantly smaller than their UK equivalent, MA.

There’s also a tiny difference between the US and UK inch although I don’t think it’s responsible for the fact that over here I’m a 34 inch waist and over there I’m always a 33’’. More to do with flattering the invariably overweight US consumer I suspect.

I thought they regularised the minor differences in US and Imperial inches back in the 1950's: or do you just have some very old trousers?

[ramAnag]

I thought they regularised the minor differences in US and Imperial inches back in the 1950's: or do you just have some very old trousers?

Something against 20’’ inch flares, GP?

I believe there’s still a microscopic difference for some reason, but where gallons and pints are concerned it remains significant.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Personally I still use imperial measures today. In a butchers I will order meat in pounds, in the deli meat or cheese in ounces / quarters. Would be the same for sweets if I could still find a sweet shop with the big glass jars on the back shelf to buy chocolate limes from.

Usually the person serving has a converter, and will ask me if I mean XXX grams, to which I shrug my shoulders as I have no clue what the equivalent is. If pressed I will just order by size, or number of slices.

Call me outmoded, but I also still think temperature in Farenheit, distances in feet / yards / miles, liquids in pints / gallons etc. In fact the only thing that I do use metric for is money. Just never bothered to learn the "new measures" in the 70's

[ramAnag]

Personally I still use imperial measures today. In a butchers I will order meat in pounds, in the deli meat or cheese in ounces / quarters. Would be the same for sweets if I could still find a sweet shop with the big glass jars on the back shelf to buy chocolate limes from.

Usually the person serving has a converter, and will ask me if I mean XXX grams, to which I shrug my shoulders as I have no clue what the equivalent is. If pressed I will just order by size, or number of slices.

Call me outmoded, but I also still think temperature in Farenheit, distances in feet / yards / miles, liquids in pints / gallons etc. In fact the only thing that I do use metric for is money. Just never bothered to learn the "new measures" in the 70's

Why am I not surprised?

Seriously though...I rest my case. Decimalisation was done overnight, probably with the support of a few TV/newspaper adverts, and everyone got on with it. I remember some elderly people being temporarily confused but nothing more than that. We’ve dillied and dallied with the rest, hence the confusion, although I guess the expense involved in changing every road sign in the country would be prohibitively massive.

[MadAmster]

Indeed, not seen him since he admitted he'd been wrong to slate our opening day gate once he realised gates were down everywhere.