What cheeses me off

[JessicaTam]

Americans have the world by the balls in quite a few arenas of technology.

That's why if you want your red text to appear in the middle of the screen - web page or GUI - you'll be forced to write  color and  center.

(Yes, the original WCMO post has now taken a new turn off....)

"Add to dictionary" works for me.

 

[Gladstone Tim]

I was in Year 3 in 1968 in NSW and it was solely metric being taught. Whenever a baby weight (mass) is given in imperial, it means nothing to me. Tell me the baby is 4.44kg and I know they’ll probably be a front rower in rugby!

 

[OZDUCK]

I was in Year 3 in 1968 in NSW and it was solely metric being taught. Whenever a baby weight (mass) is given in imperial, it means nothing to me. Tell me the baby is 4.44kg and I know they’ll probably be a front rower in rugby!

In W.A I was taught in metric in the late 1960's/early 1970's whilein high school.

For a bit of esoteric knowledge the importation of measuring devices using non-metric units was prohibited in 1978. There were exemptions for various specified types of items but a basic school ruler marked in inches was not allowed to be commercially imported. From memory, I was checking for prohibited goods in those days, the prohibition was to ensure that the metric conversion was as quick and succesful as possible. That prohibition was repealed in 2013.

 

[Gladstone Tim]

Yes, and it puzzles and annoys me to have students at school nowadays with rulers marked in inches and centimetres.

 

[straitman]

But wait, there's more!

Using a screen & resolution - dots per inch
Buying a screen (TV or other) - screen size in inches
Aviation - height in feet

Distances and speed in Aviation and Maritime is in Nautical Miles and Knots.
One statute mile = 5280 ft
One Nautical mile = 6080 ft
One Nautical mile = 1 minute of latitude on the earths surface
One Nautical mile per hour = 1 Knot
One Nautical mile = 1.851999999962 km

 

[VPS]

Alfred Hospital Melbourne 1973, we were given a cheat sheet for Imperial to Metric and told that is what we had to use and learn. I found cheat sheet 10 years ago when moving house and donated it to The Nursing Archives.

Interestingly, Flyfrequently offspring born in 1980 was 6 lb 8 oz and 51 inches long

That’s a very long baby

 

[Flyfrequently]

That’s a very long baby

Ha ha, my bad @VPS
She was 51  cm
(Imperial weight and Metric length)

 

[serfty]

One Nautical mile = 1 minute of latitude on the earths surface

Where?

Spoiler: Answer

A nautical mile​

The ‘standard’ nautical mile is taken as 6080 feet (1.151 statute miles or 1853 metres) and is the unit of length used in sea and air navigation.

A mile on land is equal to 5280 feet (1609.3 metres), while a sea or nautical mile is one-sixtieth of a degree of latitude, and varies from 6046 feet on the Equator, to 6092 feet at a latitude of 60°. This difference is due to the Earth not being a perfect sphere, but slightly flattened at the poles – an oblate spheroid. To avoid confusion, the standard nautical mile is accepted as 6080 feet.

Speed at sea is measured in knots, a knot being one nautical mile per hour.

 

[blackcat20]

Quilting is all done in inches, it makes it universal. However we measure our fabric in metres while the Americans do yards. It can make it a bit tricky when you buy fat quarter bundles as there's are based on the yard and ours the metre, so there is some variation.

 

[Lynda2475]

WCMO is having to wait on hold for ages solely because a company website doesn't have basic information.

 

[MARTINE]

WCMO is having to wait on hold for ages solely because a company website doesn't have basic information.

… and for extra cheese… on hold constantly plays message ‘Did you know the answer to most queries can be found on our website?.. but hold on … your call is important to us.. let me put you through to our call centre in (anywhere but) Australia…’

 

[NM]

I have, on several occasions, enjoyed telling Americans how their country-men often get very confused when visiting Australia because we use the metric system of measurements. Metric length, weight and volume are normally pretty straight forward for Americans so understand, but the one that really confuses them is our use of metric time, where we have 100 seconds in a minute, 100 minutes in an hour, and 10 hours in a half-day.

Then I show them my watch that has both analogue (imperial time) and digital (metric time) displays.

I was once having this conversation with a shoe salesman in an up-market department store. My wife and daughter had to walk away before they burst out laughing. The poor salesman took the bait. I wonder if he is still chronologically challenged?

I also told that story to an work colleague in the USA who was an ex-USAF F15 pilot, who was excitedly telling me how he always wanted to visit "down under", and nearly had an opportunity when based at Guam. But unfortunately he has not completed his training in the particular weapon system they are going to be using in the join exercise in Australia so he did not go. About 4 hours after taking the bait, he came back and found me. He was angry that he had spent 4 hours googling about metric time and was still not sure if I was telling the truth or "pulling his leg".

 

[Pushka]

… and for extra cheese… on hold constantly plays message ‘Did you know the answer to most queries can be found on our website?.. but hold on … your call is important to us.. let me put you through to our call centre in (anywhere but) Australia…’

I swear so much when they say that.

 

[Dr Bob]

Distances and speed in Aviation and Maritime is in Nautical Miles and Knots.
One statute mile = 5280 ft
One Nautical mile = 6080 ft
One Nautical mile = 1 minute of latitude on the earths surface
One Nautical mile per hour = 1 Knot
One Nautical mile = 1.851999999962 km

Has anyone measured a horse's height lately?
How many HANDS is that?

 

[Quickstatus]

10 pics per month to the Hobart City Council

"Snap send solve" that one of my LGA uses is a complete waste of time.

 

[Quickstatus]

The ECQ says that only a very limited number of places were affected.

Interesting to see if it affects the outcome

No excuse really as data from the electoral roll and previous elections will indicate possible turnouts.

The important question though is: did the sausage sizzle also run out

 

[TheRealTMA]

"Snap send solve" that one of my LGA uses is a complete waste of time.

FWIW: Works ok for me for Brisbane City Council issues.

 

[RooFlyer]

"Snap send solve" that one of my LGA uses is a complete waste of time.

FWIW: Works ok for me for Brisbane City Council issues.

The green-controlled Hobart City Council love the 'enviro-scooters', so they are here to stay. Notwithstanding the damage they cause. When I was briefly in Emergency last year, two others were admitted with scooter-caused injuries - one a horribly smashed leg.

 

[Pushka]

The green-controlled Hobart City Council love the 'enviro-scooters', so they are here to stay. Notwithstanding the damage they cause. When I was briefly in Emergency last year, two others were admitted with scooter-caused injuries - one a horribly smashed leg.

And no insurance available for the victims.

 

[Lynda2475]

Very happy no escooters in Sydney