We need a bit of Christmas lunacy!

[Stuart Cyphus]

 In response to how imperial fractions should be written in the 13 Ligier thread, and because its high time we had a bit of pottyness back on this forum; here's a poll to see us into Yuletide. Cast your opinions (the spellchecker just offered me "onions" for this!) now folks....   

[richard]

I have never seen a poll before on the forum . On a point of order m'lud your have asked now about 1/5ths but they were never in the original so that's not fair !! ( change of subject entirely but .... When I checked into my Glasgow travelodge on Monday evening a group of SIX Poles were "disappointed " to find their boss had booked them only TWO rooms ! That is two great big burly builders sharing a bed - and one watching . I wonder how they undercut us ? )

[Stuart Cyphus]

That is two great big burly builders sharing a bed - and one watching

 Anything I might go into on that might get me thrown off the forum! Except to say;....

 

[DaveMiller]

In day-to-day, DIY etc, work I'll nearly always use mm (not cm, as they went west a long time ago!), because it's all so much easier.  If, for example, I measured a length at 4 ft 7 1/16 in, and wanted to have 5 equidistant fixings along it, I'd get there, but slowly and doubtfully.

If I measured it at 1398.6 though (no unit mentioned, 'cos it's mm), I'd quickly be able to mark positions every 233.1 and get on with it!

If I measure three lengths and want to add them, then 23 3/16, plus 17 3/4, plus 15 3/10 is unnecessarily difficult.  And my old steel rules tend to have 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 markings at one end, and 1/10 inch at the other ...

I recently had to work in inches, to make a fleecy wrap for my great niece for Christmas ... because my cutting board and roller-cutter guide are American. It was horrible, until I redesigned it to have all parts in whole inches, all hems at 1/2 inch - and screw the finer aesthetics!

Only where the item has been designed in specific inches is there any advantage - or joy - in using them.

[richard]

Ah dont we all I expect just use mm's but I still won't be doing .5 of an inch call me old fashioned  anyway the whole thing was entirely light hearted but my aren't we bored . My excuse stuck in another boring hotel on my own for the third time this week ho ho ho!! 

[Jim Janecek]

...just use mm's but I still won't be doing .5 of an inch call me old fashioned...

so how many M&Ms in 1/2" then?

[AndrewG]

In day-to-day, DIY etc, work I'll nearly always use mm (not cm, as they went west a long time ago!), because it's all so much easier.

When I first started work in a recently-metricated shipyard, cm were referred to disparagingly as 'dressmaking units'.  Sadly in measuring properties in my current job, I find cm very useful, though naturally I don't advertise that in public.

(no unit mentioned, 'cos it's mm),...

Seconded - real men automatically assume mm are used to measure the diameter of a quiche.

[Big Al]

Depends what your measuring. By eye and skill, imperial every-time as you carry the measurement fastened to your body. Old cottages, fruit cakes, good books and the like are imperial. If you need to calculate and adapt a design then metric is easier. If proof is needed the home of the metric system, France, still use imperial measures and thinking everyday. You buy a stair of wood, not a sq m. Their metric cars have imperial fittings and gadgets to give them style. That is why they are French. Wheels on the other hand are all imperial, except in France. Well they would not be French otherwise, would they? Of course we banned imperial measures for engineering and lost our car industry as a result. Burks.

[richard]

Well I have heard many reasons for the demise of the British car industry , but never that one  by the way rant alert

[Bob Purton]

I would say the demise of the British car industry can be laid squarely at the feet of a devilish duo, Big Al and Jeremy Clarkson.    Plus a few thousand Brummy workers that took no pride.

Its often forgotten that the uk still has a reasonable sized car industry, its just not British owned.

[plas man]

measurement - like a classic owner friend who's A40 Farina failed it's MOT , "why" , was the owners question , "look I'll show yer' " the tester said , then took the mike and placed it over the brake pipe across the bulkhead and took measurement , then measured a pipe lower down next the master cylinder - "you see , you've polished the copper pipe so thin its as dangerous as a corroded steel pipe !"

[Big Al]

I would say the demise of the British car industry can be laid squarely at the feet of a devilish duo, Big Al and Jeremy Clarkson.    Plus a few thousand Brummy workers that took no pride.

Its often forgotten that the uk still has a reasonable sized car industry, its just not British owned.

Is that 1/2 as good, or only .5 as good? This was a partly political comment of a fractious nature, and decimally, pointless.

Is Santa metric now? I live in an old imperial house. Oh, b@*@*r.