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US going metric?



 
 
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  #181  
Old January 13th, 2004, 07:15 AM
Miguel Cruz
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Default US going metric?

Hatunen wrote:
Since US companies have already switched when it makes a difference, no
calcs are needed.


The market (here I'm talking about the equities market) doesn't necessarily
encourage rational behavior in that it places an unnaturally high premium on
short-term returns. Things like metrification that might take many years
to pay back high up-front costs are disincentivized.

miguel
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Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/
  #182  
Old January 13th, 2004, 11:00 AM
Pat Norton
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Default US going metric?

alohacyberian wrote
There are plenty of examples of authorities that
force particular units on citizens and businesses.


no authority has forced them to do so.


Just one example: the Federal Aviation Authority forced a change from
Fahrenheit to Celsius.
  #183  
Old January 13th, 2004, 06:50 PM
Frank F. Matthews
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Default US going metric?

One problem is that industries where there are significant cost savings
have already switched. For the public consumption who cares what the
local temperatures are given as? FFM

Miguel Cruz wrote:

Hatunen wrote:

Since US companies have already switched when it makes a difference, no
calcs are needed.



The market (here I'm talking about the equities market) doesn't necessarily
encourage rational behavior in that it places an unnaturally high premium on
short-term returns. Things like metrification that might take many years
to pay back high up-front costs are disincentivized.

miguel


  #184  
Old January 13th, 2004, 07:35 PM
Miguel Cruz
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Default US going metric?

Frank F. Matthews wrote:
One problem is that industries where there are significant cost savings
have already switched. For the public consumption who cares what the
local temperatures are given as?


My uninformed guess is that the savings remaining to be had are in all sorts
of parts and manufacturing processes where, in the long run, use of metric
would allow more competitive sourcing.

Unfortunately, in the short run, a switchover would be expensive and
disruptive, so there's no great time to actually do it.

miguel
--
Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/
  #186  
Old January 13th, 2004, 11:18 PM
alohacyberian
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Default US going metric?

"Pat Norton" wrote in message
. ..
alohacyberian wrote
There are plenty of examples of authorities that
force particular units on citizens and businesses.


no authority has forced them to do so.


Just one example: the Federal Aviation Authority forced a change from
Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Hardly. The Federal Aviation Administration can't force me to remove the
Fahrenheit thermometers from my house and cars or prevent me from expressing
the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit in the portion of my life that isn't
pertinent to flying or the FAA. KM
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  #187  
Old January 14th, 2004, 11:08 AM
Jo Stoller
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Default US going metric?

alohacyberian wrote
no authority has forced them to do so.


Just one example: the Federal Aviation Authority forced a
change from Fahrenheit to Celsius.


The Federal Aviation Administration can't force me to
remove the Fahrenheit thermometers from my house


Indeed. Some business and private activity is not regulated or
distorted by government spending. But your assertion is that there is
*no* control. The example disproves that.
  #188  
Old January 16th, 2004, 10:28 AM
Mark Hewitt
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Default US going metric?


"Mike Groves" Mike@com wrote in message
...

What about paper sizes?

Are A4, A3 etc. catching on?

So much easier than US Letter size. A3 is half of A2, A4 is half of
A3, A5 is half of A4 etc., etc.


Well it certainly must be catching on in the UK. I know all about A4, A3
etc.. but I've never heard of a "US letter size". Wonder if there was ever a
UK Letter size




  #189  
Old January 16th, 2004, 10:35 AM
Mark Hewitt
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Default US going metric?


"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
...
alohacyberian wrote:
It isn't just America that has that mentality. Many countries have
declined to go along with world standards that have supposedly been set.
Way back when it was determined that automobiles should drive on the

right
hand side of the road, much of the British Empire declined to go along

and
to this day the U.K., India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. decline
to drive on the right side of the road. What do you suppose that costs

the
automotive industry?


I wonder if there will ever be another switchover like Sweden in 1967?


In some of the island nations with a small population or some of the lesser
developed countries who don't have much of a road system, then a changeover
to right side driving might just be possible.. at a push.

Countries with more extensive road systems, e.g. UK, Australia then a
changeover is all but impossible. In the UK for example so much work would
need to be done to so much of the road that we would probably need to shut
down the entire road network for a year and spend billions of pounds just to
get the job done. Not to mention the amount of people killed due to the
confusion.

The ongoing cost of the difference is less than the cost of making the
change.


  #190  
Old January 16th, 2004, 10:48 AM
Mark Hewitt
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Default US going metric?


"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
...
me wrote:
In European supermarkets, things are quite often priced per 100g - which

is
about a quarter pound. So you're not alone.


Pick'n'Mix sweets in the UK used to be priced per quarter, which is about
113g. Following the changeover they are now priced per 100g. However the
price didn't go down to compensate! They counted on people not actually
knowing that one quarter was 113g and actually put the price up!

It's amazing how many people can't just buy 100g of sweets tho. Even when
you explain to them, 1 quarter equals 113g so your getting 100g. They
dismiss it immediately and ask for a quarter!

That's part of the problem is that many are not even prepared to *try* to
understand. They say straight away "oh I don't understand all this metric
stuff", when if they just gave even 5 minutes of their life to find out how
it all works, things would be a lot easier.


 




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