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Old 05-08-2009, 01:00 PM
 
36 posts, read 99,131 times
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We visited Tucson all the way from Florida . . . never have I used so much lip balm in my life! Beautiful area, enjoyed 'A' mountain and went to Kitt Peak for night viewing. Sedona and the Grand Canyon were all so incredible! Although we were not able to get a glimpse of a chupecabre . . .

The area is so fantastic, but direction and signage were extremely vague. Why are the distances in km but the posted speed limit is mph???

We were lost a total of 273 times . . . at least it felt that way.
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Old 05-08-2009, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Baja Arizona
2,916 posts, read 8,333,607 times
Reputation: 1141
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slowcala View Post
We visited Tucson all the way from Florida . . . never have I used so much lip balm in my life! Beautiful area, enjoyed 'A' mountain and went to Kitt Peak for night viewing. Sedona and the Grand Canyon were all so incredible! Although we were not able to get a glimpse of a chupecabre . . .

The area is so fantastic, but direction and signage were extremely vague. Why are the distances in km but the posted speed limit is mph???

We were lost a total of 273 times . . . at least it felt that way.
True Americans prefer MPH, but non-Americans keep pushing km's on us.
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Old 05-08-2009, 10:41 PM
 
4,235 posts, read 14,032,006 times
Reputation: 4252
it's not that non-Americans push the metric on us at all...I hope you were joking...

it's that I-19, which it sounds like you were evidently driving, was built in the mid-70s when Congress mandated a changeover to metric nationwide....signage was, thus, installed using what was supposed to be the new standard....

Americans, lazy and fearful about change, revolted and Congress revoked the plan.....too bad as metric is entirely logical and easy to use....I understand, though, the fact that learning new lengths, sizes, distances would be a pain....we'd always be converting metric back to what we know
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Old 05-09-2009, 08:37 AM
 
Location: Baja Arizona
2,916 posts, read 8,333,607 times
Reputation: 1141
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdr0710 View Post
it's not that non-Americans push the metric on us at all...I hope you were joking...

it's that I-19, which it sounds like you were evidently driving, was built in the mid-70s when Congress mandated a changeover to metric nationwide....signage was, thus, installed using what was supposed to be the new standard....

Americans, lazy and fearful about change, revolted and Congress revoked the plan.....too bad as metric is entirely logical and easy to use....I understand, though, the fact that learning new lengths, sizes, distances would be a pain....we'd always be converting metric back to what we know
Sorry - no joke. Since when has the metric system ever been a serious subject in this country to Americans? It never has been, and never will be, regardless of how "logical and easy" it is to some (yes, mostly non-Americans). If Americans are lazy and fearful about change, how did it become the most powerful country in the world? I'm surprised you would make a statement like that! Remember, the metric system was all ready in place worldwide back before the revolution, and it certainly didn't happen then. Obviously, Americans don't have much use for anyone else's weights-and-measures system. America created its own system, and gets along just fine.
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Old 05-10-2009, 09:37 AM
 
2,842 posts, read 2,322,827 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZonyPony View Post
Sorry - no joke. Since when has the metric system ever been a serious subject in this country to Americans? It never has been, and never will be, regardless of how "logical and easy" it is to some (yes, mostly non-Americans). If Americans are lazy and fearful about change, how did it become the most powerful country in the world? I'm surprised you would make a statement like that! Remember, the metric system was all ready in place worldwide back before the revolution, and it certainly didn't happen then. Obviously, Americans don't have much use for anyone else's weights-and-measures system. America created its own system, and gets along just fine.
America adopted the English system when we started out. England eventually changed over to the metric system because, well... it's better. In fact, every country in the world except the US, Liberia and Burma uses the metric system because, well... it's better. Did I mention that those are all three former British colonies? Any american that uses math or science in their daily work is intimately familiar with the metric system because, well... it's better.

Imperial units or the imperial system is a system of units, first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 is what we use in the United States. It's not our system. It's a holdover from the British imperialists. There is nothing creative about it. The fact is that the primary reason we don't change over is because Americans are too lazy to learn something new and it would be enormously expensive to convert all the signage.

By the way, the US military uses the metric system because, well... it's better.
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Old 05-10-2009, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Southern Arizona
9,595 posts, read 31,624,525 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slowcala View Post
The area is so fantastic, but direction and signage were extremely vague. Why are the distances in km but the posted speed limit is mph???

We were lost a total of 273 times . . . at least it felt that way.
That's funny, Slowcala . . . sometimes LOST is more fun!
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Old 05-10-2009, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix, AZ USA
17,915 posts, read 43,311,267 times
Reputation: 10724
I know a singer who wrote a song (and she has bumper stickers to match) -- "I'm not lost, I'm exploring!"
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:54 AM
 
4,235 posts, read 14,032,006 times
Reputation: 4252
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZonyPony View Post
If Americans are lazy and fearful about change, how did it become the most powerful country in the world? I'm surprised you would make a statement like that!
I apologize, zony, for how my post sounded....I certainly am not accusing us of being lazy....

should've said that Americans weren't/aren't ready to go to metric, despite it being incredibly easier to use....we are used to our system, know it, are familiar with it, and don't want to change...it's human nature to resist change, generally....we'd have to get used to different measures and would always be saying, "now what's that the old way?"
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Old 05-10-2009, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Baja Arizona
2,916 posts, read 8,333,607 times
Reputation: 1141
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdr0710 View Post
I apologize, zony, for how my post sounded....I certainly am not accusing us of being lazy....

should've said that Americans weren't/aren't ready to go to metric, despite it being incredibly easier to use....we are used to our system, know it, are familiar with it, and don't want to change...it's human nature to resist change, generally....we'd have to get used to different measures and would always be saying, "now what's that the old way?"
Hey, azdr, I wasn't asking for an apology! Its cool. I get a bit too passionate about some things at times. My bad.

I understand that people hate change - its our nature, I know. I just happen to believe that the metric system (easy or not) would need to be forced on America in order for it to happen. Let's just say that Americans are like anyone else: a people who receive some types of change easily - without a fight. Other types of change we will just absolutely not embrace. Apparently we don't happen to believe that the metric system is necessary nationwide.

Perhaps metric will happen when European and other non-American (one-world-order) thinking totally envelopes this country... We are already drinking inordinate amounts of wine... we have much of our store-bought goods being labeled in french and spanish as well as english... etc...
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Old 05-10-2009, 04:22 PM
 
Location: Mesa, Az
21,144 posts, read 42,061,062 times
Reputation: 3861
I prefer the Metric System as well................although; maybe us keeping the Imperial system helps keep out some of the riffraff.

The USA is a crazy nation..............and, I loove it
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