Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by takyon on Saturday June 06 2015, @02:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the 2016-lbs-in-a-ton dept.

The most recent candidate under the DNC banner is Lincoln Chafee who interestingly, besides being the lone Republican (he switched parties) to vote against the Iraq war, is vehemently pro-metric system. I remember when I was a kid, the freeway signs for distance and speed were printed in both English and metric. Converting all those signs from miles to km (again) would cost money, but then, using the English measurement system costs money too, forever -- according to a random guy I googled up without putting any real effort into it because I'm not that interested in proving myself wrong (Paul Naughtin), somewhere between six billion and a trillion. There are without a doubt, critics who might call that somewhat of a wide margin but as one witty commenter noted: "It is probably impossible to give an upper bound on that, however I can give you a lower bound: 500 Million Dollars for the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter by NASA".

Now, I'm neither a firm GOP nor DNC voter... but I'm tempted.

takyon: Former Governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee joins a number of other candidates seeking a 2016 U.S. presidential nomination.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2015, @02:52PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 06 2015, @02:52PM (#192891)

    I'm just happy he put forth a real operational thing to be fixed. I wish more politicians were focused on our water, energy, food, and logic operations. I cannot say that any other candidate has actually mentioned a single thing I have heard, it's all just power word white noise "MARRIAGE, GUNS, GOD, TUUUUURRRRIZUM". Despite that fact that the metric system seems like low hanging fruit with other logic flow issues (there are many) within the government, it is at least an issue of governmental operation, and so far he is the only candidate to attempt to care about anything that I want a controller position to care about.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +2  
       Interesting=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday June 06 2015, @06:13PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Saturday June 06 2015, @06:13PM (#192967) Journal

    I wish more politicians were focused on our water, energy, food, and logic operations.

    They are. That's how you get things like the Raisin Administrative Committee [reason.com] or lending money [reuters.com] to uncompetitive renewable energy projects.

  • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Sunday June 07 2015, @11:13AM

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Sunday June 07 2015, @11:13AM (#193224)

    "I'm just happy he put forth a real operational thing to be fixed."

    I agree that issues such as pollution, government spying, police militarization.....are real things that need to be fixed, and are ignored by the vast majority of politicos, however, complete metric conversion...not. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of the systems in use today. All of them are arbitrary. Those that do international business already convert to the local system where they sell and do business. In everyday life it just doesn't matter at all. Well, except to possibly the tool makers who got to sell us all combination SAE/Metric tool sets when cars began to switch over. That must of been sweet for them.

    In science, sure, but most of it already is. And medically, the reason (IMO) that teaspoons and tablespoons are terrible units of measure for oral medications (injectables are always in metric) is that most people do not realize their eating utensils are not a standard unit at all, despite being named in a standard unit. Buy ten different sets, ten different sizes for tea and tablespoons. Pharmacies should give out medical liquid measures (these are sold, but should come with every liquid medication) and explain that your home eating utensils are not accurate for medications, but few, if any do. I personally have never had a pharmacist mention this, so I assume (from a sample size of one, over 50 years, and many pharmacies in several states.) that it is quite widespread. So it would be better in metric, just to eliminate the arbitrary size silverware makers utilize.

    Some things are like that are truly better in metric, others, like mph vs kph just really don't matter at all. Most mechanical speedometers since the 70's or so and all electronic speedometers are dual system anyway, so going to Canada, for instance, is just a flip of the switch or reading the inside calibration of the speedometer.

    And yeah, most politicians just blather the latest social issues that get people pissed so they don't notice pollution, government spying, police militarization, etc.
    Lincoln Chafee seems maybe better than average, Bernie Sanders (IMO) is a somewhat better candidate, but neither I believe has a snowballs chance in hell at the Presidency. I would love to be surprised and see either one make it.
    Unfortunately, once in office I doubt either candidate could really change much, as every other candidate with big ideas seems to lose their fire and start backpedaling after the 'Big Talk' they get when they assume office and get told 'how it's done here.'

    Not to mention we like warm 80 degree summer days, where an 80 degree day in Europe would be the end of life...(take it for the joke it is, I am well aware it is two differing systems, but someone with OCD will feel it necessary to point it out, so take your meds and chill.)

    Just some 4 a.m. ramblings....(:

    --
    Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.