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Message no. 1
From: Mick Rissling mrissling@*******.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 16:01:16 PDT
One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the metric
system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of you that
live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you rather see
the Imperial system?


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Message no. 2
From: Paul J. Adam Paul@********.demon.co.uk
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 00:12:28 +0100
In article <19990723230116.7328.qmail@*******.com>, Mick Rissling
<mrissling@*******.com> writes
> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the metric
>system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of you that
>live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you rather see
>the Imperial system?

I'm trained for metric and tend to stick with it. I can _do_ Ancient to an
extent, but I really don't like wading into poundals and slugs :)

Especially because I use GDW's "Fire Fusion and Steel" to design gear...

The main Imperial measures I still use in reality are miles (on the road)
and pints (for beer). Otherwise, metric.




--
Paul J. Adam
Message no. 3
From: Stefan casanova@***.passagen.se
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 01:29:53 +0000
> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the metric
> system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of you that
> live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you rather see
> the Imperial system?

Didn't they change that in the uk from whatever weirdo format they
used before to the metric system to or was that just in my
imagination ?

-stefan


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Message no. 4
From: Da Twink Daddy datwinkdaddy@*********.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 20:32:30 -0500
----- Original Message -----
From: Mick Rissling <mrissling@*******.com>


> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the
metric
> system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of
you that
> live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you
rather see
> the Imperial system?

I like seeing the metric system. I don't understand why we don't use
it in the US. I have an okay feel for what a meter and a centimeter is
but, the way I describe a kilometer shows my Imperial roots (I say
'5/8 of a mile'.)

I think anything that is going to hit any shelves but the US should
definitely use the metric system.

Da Twink Daddy
bss03@*******.uark.edu
ICQ# 514984
Message no. 5
From: Jean-Francois Audet axter@*****.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 03:22:58 -0400 (EDT)
--- Mick Rissling <mrissling@*******.com> wrote:
> One of the (many) things that I like about SR
> is the use of the metric
> system. How do you guys feel about its use
> (particularly those of you that
> live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well
> or would you rather see
> the Imperial system?


I'm used to the metric system from being a Canadian but we (me and my
player and the rest of Quebec) ain't used with describing weight and
length of a person so we find it a little harder for those purpose
only. It just isn't really impressive saying the guy measure 1m84 when
I could say 6'2''.

On another thing, I founded weird that FASA used "miles" in the 3rd
Companion (p.91 DocWagon Response Time Table), it must have slipped through.
==Jeff
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Message no. 6
From: Josh Munn barnack2@*****.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 03:22:56 -0400 (EDT)
--- Mick Rissling <mrissling@*******.com> wrote:
> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the
> metric
> system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of
> you that
> live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you
> rather see
> the Imperial system?

Speaking as one who knows metric but uses Imperial for every day use, I
like the use of the metric system in shadowrun. For one thing it gives
it more of an air of realism since most countries are now using the
metric system and the U.S. is move towards it. It also allows me the
easily ignore blatent physics problems in the games since I have to
convert metric to imperial in order to get an mental image of the size
of things.
==
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Message no. 7
From: Gurth gurth@******.nl
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 11:50:17 +0200
According to Mick Rissling, at 16:01 on 23 Jul 99, the word on
the street was...

> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the metric
> system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of you that
> live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you rather see
> the Imperial system?

It works perfectly, I think -- but then, I may be biased because I live in
that part of the world that was sensible enough to adopt the metric system
when Napoleon took over the country :)

What I don't like about SR is the way the Imperial system (if you can call
it that...) has crept into books in the last four or five years or so.
Before then, there was no imperial measurement anywhere, even going so far
as to alter sayings -- "the whole nine meters" instead of "yards," for

example -- but then a few characters in the sourcebooks started using
pounds and inches again :(

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Cooking with the devil, frying down in hell.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 8
From: Mist Warrior themistwarrior@********.com.au
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 21:21:55 +1000
And Mick Wrote....

> One of the (many) things that I like about SR is the use of the
metric
>system. How do you guys feel about its use (particularly those of
you that
>live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well or would you
rather see
>the Imperial system?

I like it, prefer it, I am old enough to remember the change....I had
to learn both at school and it was a real hassle........

And Paul Wrote...

> I'm trained for metric and tend to stick with it. I can _do_ Ancient
to an
> extent, but I really don't like wading into poundals and slugs :)
>
> Especially because I use GDW's "Fire Fusion and Steel" to design
gear...
>
> The main Imperial measures I still use in reality are miles (on the
road)
> and pints (for beer). Otherwise, metric.

Here I must agree with Paul though...when drinking beer I use Ye Olde
Pints :-)
I also refer to someone as being "6' something instead" of the "1m
something" But other than that it hurts my head to try and work with
the imperial. :-)
Message no. 9
From: David Hinkley dhinkley@***.org
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 14:31:11 -0700
Date sent: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 03:22:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jean-Francois Audet <axter@*****.com>
Subject: Re: The metric system
To: shadowrn@*********.org
Send reply to: shadowrn@*********.org

> --- Mick Rissling <mrissling@*******.com> wrote:
> > One of the (many) things that I like about SR
> > is the use of the metric
> > system. How do you guys feel about its use
> > (particularly those of you that
> > live in the US and UK)? Do you think it works well
> > or would you rather see
> > the Imperial system?
>
>
> I'm used to the metric system from being a Canadian but we (me and my
> player and the rest of Quebec) ain't used with describing weight and
> length of a person so we find it a little harder for those purpose
> only. It just isn't really impressive saying the guy measure 1m84 when
> I could say 6'2''.
>
> On another thing, I founded weird that FASA used "miles" in the 3rd
> Companion (p.91 DocWagon Response Time Table), it must have slipped through.

Maybe not. A change in measurement systems takes 3 generations. For the
most part he generation that starts the change never really learns the new
system. They learn how to convert. But they think in the old system. The next
generation is taught both systems. There are too many things that would still
exist that were in the old system. But they would think in the new system and
convert to the old. By the third generation, they only need to learn the new
system. The old one is only useful to historians and museum curators.
Miles is some thing that Americans have a mental picture of, it may not
be accurate, but they have one. Giving the response time in terms of miles
means some thing, kilometers has to be converted. As the largest market for
FASA's products is the United States. The use of miles makes some sense.
What does not make sense is why the United States is not trying to
convert faster. They have been at it for three generations and we are yet to
get far enough for the "second" generation effect to kick in.
So much for the real world, as to Shadowrun, given the speed that the
United States is converting it is likely that by 2060 they will just be just starting
the "second" generation. Which means that both systems would be used,
with the metric system the most common(I hope). But Mechanics will still
need two complete sets of wrenches, sometimes to work on the same vehicle
[pet peave alert]. Of course, we might convince the rest of the world that a
system based on the body lengths of a long dead king is better....... :-)
David G. Hinkley
dhinkley@***.org
------------------------------------------------
"No passion in the world is equal to the passion
to alter someone else's draft"
H.G. Wells
Message no. 10
From: Mist Warrior themistwarrior@********.com.au
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 11:12:22 +1000
And David Wrote....

> Which means that both systems would be used, with the metric system
the most > common(I hope).

I am of the "Second Generation" in Oz by your definition and Metric IS
more common.

> But Mechanics will still > need two complete sets of wrenches,
sometimes to work > on the same vehicle

This is a HUGE problem here, but we have 3 different sets of
measurement for cars. US imperial is different to UK imperial as far
as the head measurements of nuts and bolts is concerned as well as
threat cutting, and on one car here you can and do have 3 different
sets of spanners used. This situation is not likely to be resolved in
the next generation because of the interest in restoring motor
vehicles.

> [pet peave alert]. Of course, we might convince the rest of the
world that a
> system based on the body lengths of a long dead king is
better....... :-)

Let's hope ,,, NOT :-)
Message no. 11
From: Gurth gurth@******.nl
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 11:16:24 +0200
According to David Hinkley, at 14:31 on 24 Jul 99, the word on
the street was...

> What does not make sense is why the United States is not trying to
> convert faster. They have been at it for three generations and we are yet to
> get far enough for the "second" generation effect to kick in.

As one American I talked to last year put it: "It's too difficult." to
which the only realistic reply I can think of is: "Yes, it is to you, but
your kids will grow up with it and find it easy." Saying it's too
difficult to convert to a new system because you're not used to it is
taking the easy way out, IMHO.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Cooking with the devil, frying down in hell.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
->The Plastic Warriors Page: http://shadowrun.html.com/plasticwarriors/<-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 12
From: Schizi@***.com Schizi@***.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 10:49:18 EDT
In a message dated 7/25/99 5:41:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time, gurth@******.nl
writes:

> Saying it's too
> difficult to convert to a new system because you're not used to it is
> taking the easy way out, IMHO.
>
in a world where the media rules (oh, and they're owned by mega-corps :-);
There has never been a large calling for it, so why bother? Myself, besides
the list and FASA games, etc. I have seen next to no mention of the metric
system AT ALL. (okay, soda industry, but they seemed to follow the trend all
their own :-)
So, I would say that it never attracted the attention in the public, never
got the backing by the politicians, never will until someone makes a push for
it.
Message no. 13
From: Twist0059@***.com Twist0059@***.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 11:39:53 EDT
In a message dated 7/25/99 11:23:31 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Schizi@***.com
writes:

> I have seen next to no mention of the metric
> system AT ALL. (okay, soda industry, but they seemed to follow the trend
all
>
> their own :-)


We all know you follow the Dark Side, Schizi. The Dark Lords of The Moutain
Dew.





-Twist
"Soylent Green is people."
Message no. 14
From: Schizi@***.com Schizi@***.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 14:55:57 EDT
In a message dated 7/25/99 12:23:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Twist0059@***.com writes:

> We all know you follow the Dark Side, Schizi. The Dark Lords of The
Moutain
> Dew.

Thaou Shalt Not Worship a False Dew
:-)
Message no. 15
From: Schizi@***.com Schizi@***.com
Subject: The metric system
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 15:06:33 EDT
on the topic of metric (well, sorta) and for my own curiousity;
do all nations use celsius except for the USA also?

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about The metric system, you may also be interested in:

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