Mark Holtom (aka Kingbeard)Jan 23
Americans will do anything to avoid using the metric system
Show threadPeter HenryJan 23

@MarkHoltom It's the Emperor Penguins that refuse to upgrade - they are a yard tall and 22 (a chain) were laid down by explorers for the standard length of a cricket pitch.

Little Penguins are fine with metric

Show threadArcane RoopsJan 23
@thanetric @MarkHoltom I learn something new every day. In UK (and others?) you sometimes see railway bridges that quote distance in chains. 80 chains to a mile, from memory.
Show threadColm Ó DonnchadhaJan 23
@arcaneoverflow @thanetric @MarkHoltom
A cricket pitch is a chain long
Show threadArcane RoopsJan 23
@ColmDonoghue @thanetric @MarkHoltom I know, but I was surprised to learn it from other comments in this thread.
Show threadColm Ó DonnchadhaJan 23
@arcaneoverflow @thanetric @MarkHoltom
I was surprised to see there's 10 chains in a furlong, it's a suspiciously decimal-like english measurement
Show threadGalbinus CaeliJan 23
@ColmDonoghue @arcaneoverflow @thanetric @MarkHoltom Measurement and counting systems tend to start decimal or divisible(base 12). Then get weird later.
Show threadPeter HenryJan 23
@GalbinusCaeli @ColmDonoghue @arcaneoverflow @MarkHoltom It's a pity that octal didn't catch on - still very handy for sharing and sums but would map very easily to the binary computer world
Show threadRealGene ☣️
@thanetric @GalbinusCaeli @ColmDonoghue @arcaneoverflow @MarkHoltom
DEC understood that octal was clearly superior.
Jan 24 at 2:42pmWeb
Show threadGalbinus CaeliJan 24
@RealGene @thanetric @ColmDonoghue @arcaneoverflow @MarkHoltom Octal only divides by twos and fours. Base 12 divides by twos, threes, fours, and sixes. (Base 10 only divides by twos and fives.)
Show threadArcane RoopsJan 24
@RealGene @thanetric @GalbinusCaeli @ColmDonoghue @MarkHoltom I've always been fond of base six, which Jan Misali calls "seximal" in his "Every base is base 10".