DOH! Is that inches or centimeters?

Riaan Jutte · Nov 5, 2002

If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30 or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the minority of people who still cling to the old British system of inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

Ken Phillips · Nov 5, 2002

... and there are 270 million of us. Yeah, I would prefer metric myself, being a motorcycle mechanic in a former life ... where everything is metric.
KP

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

--

No 1D, very few lenses, no camera bag or teleconverters thanks to some thief. Also, NO Canon 1200mm f/5.6.

mark lutz · Nov 5, 2002

The problem is that we (Americans) are ignorant for the most part when it comes to the metric system. It was something they talked about in school but never really taught us. It would make more sense to use metric IMHO as it mathematically makes more sense.

Ken Phillips said:
Riaan Jutte said:

If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

Click to expand...

--
No 1D, very few lenses, no camera bag or teleconverters thanks to
some thief. Also, NO Canon 1200mm f/5.6.

--
Mark Lutz
http://www.visionsphotography.us

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

Working in English units is no more difficult for me than using metric.

How should somebody "teach you" the metric system? It's pretty straight-forward. I certainly think I was taught it well enough. The problem isn't in learning it, it's that the system is only used for certain things in the US. Paper has been sized for years a 8.5" x 11". A "standard print" has always been 8x10. (Though the smaller prints seem to have changed from 4x5 to 4x6). Why fix what isn't broken? The "problem" is in converting from English to metric and back. Even that's not difficult to master.

Heck, I can even convert from pounds per gallon to psi/ft easily enough. (Multiply by .052). If you use a conversion frequently enough, you'll remember it.

mark lutz said:
The problem is that we (Americans) are ignorant for the most part
when it comes to the metric system. It was something they talked
about in school but never really taught us. It would make more
sense to use metric IMHO as it mathematically makes more sense.

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

RichW · Nov 5, 2002

and most of them use inches and feet.

)

http://www.dpreview.com/misc/advertising.asp#stats

Rich

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

JimK74361 · Nov 5, 2002

After I found the following app, I don't loose any sleep over metric/english conversions anymore... http://www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/ =)

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

Chris Maddock · Nov 5, 2002

mark lutz said:
The problem is that we (Americans) are ignorant for the most part
when it comes to the metric system. It was something they talked
about in school but never really taught us. It would make more
sense to use metric IMHO as it mathematically makes more sense.

I'm from the UK and was educated in metric.

However, I spent about 15 years shortly afterwards as a volunteer on a preserved steam railway, so then had to make extensive use of imperial (feet, inches and thousandths of an inch)

We basically used whichever scale on the rule fitted what we were after making - some jobs were done in metric, some in imperial. Most of us got the hang of it with no trouble at all.

I say "most of us" since one guy will never live down his statment;
"14 inches, oh yes that's one foot four" ;-)

KRs
Chris

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

At least we say 8x10, 11x14, 13x19.

And not A3, A4, A5. LOL.

Those aren't "metric" sizes.

That'd be like us saying we printed a "letter", or "legal", or "tabloid" print.

I know that A3, A4, A5, etc. are the standard paper sizes in Europe. But what are the standard PRINT sizes?

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

aevoegels · Nov 5, 2002

Only the english would create such a pathetic measuring system. And only us in the US are stupid enough to be using it when even its creater already realized ita a bad system...

God save the metric system!

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

Come pay to re-tool all of our machinery. And remark all of our highway markers. And replace all our tool sets. And redo all our land documents and surveys. Not to mention things like Section, Township, and Range.

We know that a section is one square mile which is 640 acres. Why the heck would we now want to remember how to express that in metric?

Or would it make you happy if we just called a 5/8" wrench a 158.75 mm wrench ?

aevoegels said:
Only the english would create such a pathetic measuring system. And
only us in the US are stupid enough to be using it when even its
creater already realized ita a bad system...

God save the metric system!

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

Steven Noyes · Nov 5, 2002

Just got back from there and while they would like to think they are metric, they are still based in Stones, Oz, Gallons (except for Gas), Miles, feet and inches.

They are further along the US on changing to a more sane method of measuring, however.

Steven

Ken Phillips said:
... and there are 270 million of us. Yeah, I would prefer metric
myself, being a motorcycle mechanic in a former life ... where
everything is metric.
KP

Riaan Jutte wrote:

--
---
My really bad Fall Adventures:
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/fall_adventures_2002

Steven Noyes · Nov 5, 2002

The biggest problem is that the people that are in-charge of teaching
it refuse to learn it them selves. Most don't even know the english
system. They understand Inch, foot, mile (but not hoe many feet/mile),
degrees F (In that 40 is cold, 90 is hot and 73 is Juusst right),
pound, gallon (put not pounds Water/Gallon). If you start
talking sections, acres, pecks, or many other standard units, they still
don't understand it.

Parts of Tucson have changed. It is odd to see the highway signs in Metric

Steven

DavidP said:
We know that a section is one square mile which is 640 acres. Why
the heck would we now want to remember how to express that in
metric?

Or would it make you happy if we just called a 5/8" wrench a 158.75
mm wrench ?

aevoegels said:

Only the english would create such a pathetic measuring system. And
only us in the US are stupid enough to be using it when even its
creater already realized ita a bad system...

God save the metric system!

Click to expand...

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
---
My really bad Fall Adventures:
http://www.pbase.com/snoyes/fall_adventures_2002

EricF · Nov 5, 2002

Riaan Jutte said:
If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

aevoegels · Nov 5, 2002

I pay US taxes and would gladly pay for that. Actually if our current goverment had not increased military spending by 10% (largest in history), we could do that and would have plenty of money for other important issues...

It would cost some in the beginning, but it would save a lot in the long run...

DavidP said:
We know that a section is one square mile which is 640 acres. Why
the heck would we now want to remember how to express that in
metric?

Or would it make you happy if we just called a 5/8" wrench a 158.75
mm wrench ?

aevoegels said:

Only the english would create such a pathetic measuring system. And
only us in the US are stupid enough to be using it when even its
creater already realized ita a bad system...

God save the metric system!

Click to expand...

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

aevoegels · Nov 5, 2002

EricF said:
Riaan Jutte said:

If somebody claims he gets spectacular 20 x 30 prints from his D30
or D1, I'm not impressed at all. Why? I, like 95% of the rest of
humanity, use the metrical system (centimeters), and 20 x 30 is
just A4 or legal size. It would be of considerable help if the
minority of people who still cling to the old British system of
inches would add a " to indicate it is inches.

End of rant. (For today)

Click to expand...

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

I doubt it would save much.

If you had to convince business to pay for the changes, in the form of expected future profits from the benefits, I doubt you'd get many takers.

aevoegels said:
It would cost some in the beginning, but it would save a lot in the
long run...

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

Henrik Abelsson · Nov 5, 2002

DavidP said:
Working in English units is no more difficult for me than using
metric.

Of course it is, you just accept the limitations of the system and don't try to do "hard" things.

Or can you quickly tell me how many inches there are to a mile without using any aids?

The metric equivalent (centimetres to kilometres) is just a matter of counting the zeroes.

All humans can count in base 10 much quicker and easier than any other base, which is why the metric system is so superior to all other systems of measurment.

I'm always amazed that the worlds only superpower still sticks to an antiquated measuring system. Then of course, it may be a classic case of the NIH-syndrome.

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

This is the 2000's. Just WHEN would you need to do such a thing, when you wouldn't have aids available?

PS -- no aids:

5,280 feet to the mile

12 inches to the foot

10 x 5280 = 52,800

10% of that is 5,280

20% would then be 10,560

So the answer is the sum, or 63,360 inches to a mile.

Henrik Abelsson said:
Or can you quickly tell me how many inches there are to a mile
without using any aids?

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

DavidP #28649 · Nov 5, 2002

What do you poor "metric-slaves" DO when you have to figure out the speed of an object that traverses 1327 meters in 342.5 seconds?

DavidP said:
PS -- no aids:

5,280 feet to the mile

12 inches to the foot

10 x 5280 = 52,800

10% of that is 5,280

20% would then be 10,560

So the answer is the sum, or 63,360 inches to a mile.

Henrik Abelsson said:

Or can you quickly tell me how many inches there are to a mile
without using any aids?

Click to expand...

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

Tom Crowning · Nov 5, 2002

DavidP said:
PS -- no aids:

5,280 feet to the mile

12 inches to the foot

10 x 5280 = 52,800

10% of that is 5,280

20% would then be 10,560

So the answer is the sum, or 63,360 inches to a mile.

Henrik Abelsson said:

Or can you quickly tell me how many inches there are to a mile
without using any aids?

Click to expand...

--
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons
http://thewilkinsons.crosswinds.net
Photography -- just another word for compromise

--
http://www.photosig.com/userphotos.php?portfolioId=44436

DOH! Is that inches or centimeters?

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