Imperial versus metric

[Bobbejans]

On 7/7/2024 at 5:46 PM, Deddly said:

The Swedish mile ("mil") is 10km. Swedish people are reeeeealy tall. 

they are also 10km in norway btw

[Nuke]

i want a new unit of measure where 0= the plank length, and 1 = the size of the observable universe. even the metric system uses human-arbitrary definitions like the size of the earth. this is a terrible system for communicating death star plans to other aliens.

Edited Thursday at 06:33 PM by Nuke

[Deddly]

1 hour ago, Bobbejans said:

they are also 10km in norway btw

Gøy!

1 minute ago, Nuke said:

i want a new unit of measure where 0= the plank length, and 1 = the size of the observable universe.

Shall we call that the Nuke scale? I can see it now:

Quote

[Radio crackles to life inside an underground concrete bunker]
"As the radioactive clouds rise from the ashes of our civilisation, our leaders stress the importance of positivity: 'On a scale of 0-1, our planet is almost entirely zero Nuked.' "

 

[kerbiloid]

1 hour ago, Nuke said:

i want a new unit of measure where 0= the plank length, and 1 = the size of the observable universe. even the metric system uses human-arbitrary definitions like the size of the earth. this is a terrible system for communicating death star plans to other aliens.

0x10c made it really needed in its time.

[Bobbejans]

1 hour ago, Deddly said:

Gøy!

så bra at det kan

jeg kjøner egentklig ikke hvorfor man bruker mil istedet for kilometer

[Deddly]

1 hour ago, Bobbejans said:

så bra at det kan

jeg kjøner egentklig ikke hvorfor man bruker mil istedet for kilometer

I don't know why we use "mil" instead of km either. But at least it's metric, ish 

[kerbiloid]

Now I'm not sure, what is millimeter in Scandinavian...

[Kermann Nolandung]

Why leagues are so short in France ?

Spoiler

Now Pantagruel in his journey seeing that the leagues of that little territory about Paris called France were very short in regard of those of other countries, demanded the cause and reason of it from Panurge, who told him a story which Marotus of the Lac, monachus, set down in the Acts of the Kings of Canarre, saying that in old times countries were not distinguished into leagues, miles, furlongs, nor parasangs, until that King Pharamond divided them, which was done in manner as followeth. The said king chose at Paris a hundred fair, gallant, lusty, brisk young men, all resolute and bold adventurers in Cupid's duels, together with a hundred comely, pretty, handsome, lovely and well-complexioned wenches of Picardy, all which he caused to be well entertained and highly fed for the space of eight days. Then having called for them, he delivered to every one of the young men his wench, with store of money to defray their charges, and this injunction besides, to go unto divers places here and there. And wheresoever they should biscot and thrum their wenches, that, they setting a stone there, it should be accounted for a league. Thus went away those brave fellows and sprightly blades most merrily, and because they were fresh and had been at rest, they very often jummed and fanfreluched almost at every field's end, and this is the cause why the leagues about Paris are so short. But when they had gone a great way, and were now as weary as poor devils, all the oil in their lamps being almost spent, they did not chink and duffle so often, but contented themselves (I mean for the men's part) with one scurvy paltry bout in a day, and this is that which makes the leagues in Brittany, Delanes, Germany, and other more remote countries so long. Other men give other reasons for it, but this seems to me of all other the best. To which Pantagruel willingly adhered.
Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II.