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Everything Else Bonaire: Metricating Americans?
Bonaire Talk: Everything Else Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999 - 2004: Archives - 2003-04-30 to 2004-02-25: Metricating Americans?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Keely (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #664) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 10:52 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

A question from Cynde yesterday, along the lines of "Do European dive computers display in metres or do you have to convert the feet that are shown there yourselves". After I'd got over the indignation of it all, it got me thinking ....

Now, I know that this will cause a few horrified gasps & cries of "Never!" but isn't it time that all the diving equipment manufacturers finally abandoned their archaeic imperially calibrated products destined for the American market & converted to metrication for all?

I'm sure you all know that resistance is futile (sorry, a stolen Borg quote crept in there) & you are already finding yourselves using metric measurements in your daily diving lives, such as millimetres to describe wet suit thickness, hey? So why not grasp the nettle & embrace the concept wholeheartedly?

Well?

Is Bonaire destined to become the first "metric" caribbean island?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #349) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 11:11 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy,

I am not sure I understand your issues. Should we make chinese or spanish the universal language so that everybody could embrace all the world concepts...After all, isn't chinese the most spoken language?

Measuring systems are just units...As a scientist, I am fairly fluent in metric as well as english...I fail to see a distinct advantage in either system...especially in the electronics age.

With regard to Cynde's question, most of the high end dive computers can be programmed either way to satisfy the consumer. Lower end computers come both ways...if you need metric, buy the metric. If you prefer english, buy the english. In the end, the consumers will dictate their preference. If dive equipment companies switched all their units to metric, there would be a new company formed to produce in english units. I think your statement was right on the mark "destined for the american market" Those manufacturers aren't stupid. The american markets are affluent. Isn't commercial business grand?
BTW, I respect your opinion.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin de Weger (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2849) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 11:18 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy, why is it you guys are still driving on the wrong side of the road?? :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dean Botsford (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #276) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 11:28 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Pushy, pushy, pushy, give the metric masters an inch and they will take 1.60934 Kilometers. We must stop this now, after all, an ounce of prevention is worth 0.453592 Kilograms of cure.

Methinks, Master Keely is tweeking our American noses, lol.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8898) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 1:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy...Fancypants...Mr. Keely...there you go misquoting me...guess I will have to go back and see exactly what I wrote, I believe I started with "Gee Golly" and I guess I should have added a "wink" to my comment as I was surely being a smarten arse, my friend. I thought you would have read that into it knowing my sarcastic sense of humor....I remember in college there was a big push to change our current system over to the metric/celcius system. In the end, I guess it was just too big a task to try to convert 300,000,000,000 people into learning a new system overnight.... Just too big of a task I suppose...now, I need to go re-adjust my nose [WINK]

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By joe brannan (BonaireTalker - Post #45) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 3:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Don't make me get in the back seat and separate you guys!!!!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1508) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 6:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Or is Andy just stirring the waters for a little excitement, not to be taken seriously????

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8905) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 6:24 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Glen, yes, I think you are correct sir:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Keely (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #665) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 6:31 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

You're right, of course, Dean ... if a nose is there to be tweaked, then I'll do my utmost to oblige.

Gregg ... just how many Chinese divers do you know? (just to spite myself, I have to confess to knowing a couple who live in Hong Kong). But we're talking here about the interface between the worlds divers & their equipment & it doesn't have much to do with thew worlds most populous nation.
I reckon that in the diving world, although it's probably a close run thing, the metric users have the balance.
BTW,no need for the "BTW, I respect your opinion" comment.... I haven't shared it with you yet, but only asked questions.

Like Martin says, Joe ... we drive on the wrong side, but if you want to separate us then you're going to have to join us in the front. Even we don't drive the thing sitting in the back.

Cynde, well ... have you checked what you wrote yet? BTW, I hope you're feeling better now honeybunch? I promise not to tweak your nose, at least not whilst you've got a cold!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8906) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 7:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy:-) I checked what I wrote and I got my numbers all in a bunch and reversed...must be the the throat losenges...er...suppositories I had yesterday...now I'm off to make a nice hot tottee (oj, whiskey and honey to hopefully soothe this dang sore throat):-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #350) on Sunday, October 5, 2003 - 7:53 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy,

I'll let commerce speak for itself...if the world were predominantly metric in diving, the equipment would be metric...Businesses worldwide will continue to cater to the american markets...good or bad.. because the americans are great consumers and demand certain aspects from the product they buy. The quantity and quality of the american diver market in conjunction with the high level of discretionary income allows us to make those demands.

I don't know any chinese divers...but I did stay at the holiday inn express last nite... :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3507) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 1:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

What's metric?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1012) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 2:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The start of Metrical, a popular diet drink of the sixties.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Keely (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #666) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 5:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Aaaah, at last a bite ... Nice one Meryl!

Dontcha just miss those good old days when the likes of Barry, Jason & Kelly were poised ready to jump on any topic that they considered threatened their own inflexible slant on life?

Anyway, here in the UK, we're not really all that far ahead of you folks in the "submission to metrication" stakes .... I still buy my bananas by the pound, measure distances by the mile & mentally convert the displayed cost of gas per litre back into gallons. Oh, & I have no idea what my 5ft 11 & a half inches height is in centimetres, BUT .... diving with tanks measured in litres & depths measured in metres, sits comfortably with me.
I hoped that Walt might have been looking in & been unable to resist adding his two penn'orth, because I'm pretty sure that I remember a drunken conversation I had with him a couple of years ago when he reluctantly confessed that metric measurements were his preference when it came to technical diving.

There Gregg ... you've got my opinion at last. Now it's your turn to spill the beans on what happened at the Holiday Inn Express.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8913) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 8:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy, you are quite right my friend...I thought for sure this was going to be another "deep diving" thread...you should feel good, Jake didn't move this over to CC, however, if I throw a few gifs in he might:-)

Oh, and is metriculate anything like masticate?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By gregg brewer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #353) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 8:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

metriculate, metricate, masticate

you guys are too much :-)

lets go drink a beer(s) and watch MOnday nite football...(american football)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3508) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 10:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks Seb...I was thinking Metrix, tropical punch please.

Andy you know I can't shy away from a good long thread...I can't remember what year it was that they tried to "convert" us..being U.S. to the metric system. Our teachers did not seem thrilled with the whole mess, and I guess just gave up! We were told to put our shoes back on and go back to trying to figure out where the pie was..or what it was...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3509) on Monday, October 6, 2003 - 11:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Andy...you devil you...you finally made it to your 666th post. I love these milestones!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By seb schulherr (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1014) on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - 7:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Metrical is mentioned in the show "Hairspray" I sometimes work on,and once I figured out what the line was it amused me greatly to remember it. Mom drank Metrical.
I do not believe it is available in Bonaire (had to bring it back around topic SOMEHOW)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8916) on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - 10:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good catch Meryl, Fancypants and his 666th post...what happens next?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3512) on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - 6:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

"And the oceans parted"...gosh Cynde...I'm not sure...It's usually his story!
Seb...ahh now I remember...just takes alittle time..

So to keep on topic...if the UK is not really that far ahead of the US in changing to the metric system ..Then who started the whole mess....Please don't make me look it up....:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dean Botsford (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #277) on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - 8:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Meryl...the French (gasp)started it. July of 1779. "The unit of length as well as basis of the metric system was defined a meter, which counterbalances with one-tenth millionth quadrant of length of meridian that it goes through from Paris." What ever the heck that means.

Not to cause trouble for the metric world, but that was based on measurements made back in 1799. So obviously with beter measurement we found that a meter was not the exact length as described in 1799. so now it is defined as the length of path travelled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of 1 / 299,792,458 of a second. Get out your stop watches metric mavens!

However this definition depends on the fact that the speed of light is defined (not measured) as exactly 299,792,458 meters per second.

Key word here DEFINED, not MEASURED.

Now where did the phrase "the whole nine yards come from'? ;)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob revel (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - 11:16 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The whole nine yards
Check this out:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/nineyards.htm

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Keely (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #669) on Thursday, October 9, 2003 - 4:53 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

All plausible but highly unlikely explanations Bob.
I'm pretty sure that the saying originates from the last words of a BBC news correspondent who was reporting on an earthquake in southern Turkey back in spring 1973. He was at the scene of the devastation shortly after the initial tremour & said to the camera "There's a gaping hole nine yards from where I'm ...." before it opened some more & swallowed him up!

Yep Cynde, when I began the thread it worried me that it might get tossed into CC. That's why I finished my opening post rather pathetically with "Is Bonaire destined to become the first metric Caribbean island?" Seems to have worked so far though, eh?

But more importantly .... Gregg, we're still waiting to hear about your night in the Holiday Inn Express?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3516) on Thursday, October 9, 2003 - 6:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

That was the Holiday Inn Express in Bonarie...right Andy? or Gregg?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dean Botsford (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #278) on Friday, October 10, 2003 - 6:59 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

yes, Holiday Inn, no loooooooooong tales of holes and explosions, earthquakes, fancy pants, narrow escapes and a thread that stretches from a smoldering crater in the Hato area of Bonaire to somewhere outside the orbit of Mars. :-)

 


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