dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

Séamas posted:

dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

why is it easier? i've always used metric and it's easy peasy

TOS posted:

Séamas posted:

dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

why is it easier? i've always used metric and it's easy peasy

I've always use Freedom units and they're easier. Plus they come with extra freedom.

Come to think of it, base 10 is completely arbitrary and just a matter of convention. All our time units still use the duodecimal (base 12) system. Can you imagine a decimal time system? I guess it is technically once you get into microseconds and less. The duodecimal system has ancient and obscure roots but was globally common.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal

Despite duodecimal being literally the base 12 numerical system akin to octal or hexadecimal, I know of know society that ever wrote it this way, i.e. all the measurements were figured in multiples of 12, but still written in whatever base 10 or primitive (i.e. Roman e.g.) symbolic system they used.

i don't think any of that answers my question

why not just know both and don't worry about it.
i get someone saying use XXXX metric, i say OK, xxxx ounces.
more fun when they want to argue I don't have it right.

The Bad Astronomer about the year-long series on Mars by Damian Peach:



showing how much Mars changes in size starting at almost the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth, then grows until the Earth catches up with Mars at opposition, then shrinks again.

There are many more pictures--including some individual shots in this sequence--at the Chilescope gallery in the Solar System Objects branch.

Heh. I have a new source for astro pics!

TOS posted:

Séamas posted:

dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

why is it easier? i've always used metric and it's easy peasy

What ever you are most used to is the easiest. In printing one works with both scales and I can do imperial to metric conversion and the math for imperial fractions in my head.

blue sand dunes on mars

That looks like a sheet.

University of Pennsylvania researchers trying to create artificial wood.

user posted:

University of Pennsylvania researchers trying to create artificial wood.

Viagra did that already

That pic delivers on thread title.

that's pretty wild

maurvir posted:

I'd really like to know why the lava didn't melt the camera though.

dv posted:

maurvir posted:

I'd really like to know why the lava didn't melt the camera though.

I dunno, but apparently this is the footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOIw62TXYkg

Neat!

plus the terracotta soldiers were painted:

In a similar vein, all those white alabaster Greek and Roman statues would have been brightly painted:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-rea-5616498

Séamas posted:

dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

I've done a fair bit of hands on work with equipment designed from the ground up in both the metric and imperial systems, and done a lot of technical drawings in metric and imperial. Any fine work in the imperial system is in decimal inches anyways, and overall the metric system is easier to use. It just feels annoying because north America is built in imperial.

jkahless posted:

Séamas posted:

dv posted:

Séamas posted:

Kirk posted:

No, give me the metric system. Engineering conversions are MUCH simpler.

For engineering.
No argument. It's human waste for carpentry.

That's because all the equipment and patters are standardized to SAE. If things were clean-slate, and people stuck with round numbers in metric, it would make just as much sense, but everything would be a slightly different shape.

It isn't because of standards and patterns.
It is because decimals are simply NOT inherently superior.
Imperial is far from ideal, but units roughly the size of inches and feet, plus measures in base 12 and fractions are much easier to work with.

I've done a fair bit of hands on work with equipment designed from the ground up in both the metric and imperial systems, and done a lot of technical drawings in metric and imperial. Any fine work in the imperial system is in decimal inches anyways, and overall the metric system is easier to use. It just feels annoying because north America is built in imperial.

Yeah, decimal is much more rational. Much more sense then trying to calculate the diameter of a bushing to match a bore that was supposed to be 3/4" but is now 1/64" oversized, far exceeding the 1/512" tolerance and requires a matching +1/2048" press fit.

Fractions are okay when you can squint and say "meh, close enough"

Quote:

During its routine yearly monitoring of the weather on our solar system's outer planets, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new mysterious dark storm on Neptune (right) and provided a fresh look at a long-lived storm circling around the north polar region on Uranus (left).

I still love the Hubble, but...

Cassini and New Horizons and Juno have spoiled me. I want all my planet pics to be super sharp and crystal clear now.

I’m too busy giggling at the “long-lived storm on Uranus” phrase

Come for the photos. Stay for the pointless debate about metric v imperial.

chimps attempt to escape from zoo

https://gizmodo.com/chimps-use-branch-a ... 1832514444