re: #58 Slumbering Behemoth

Good, he should be. To quote P.J. O’Rourke:

“We’re the baddest-assed sons of bitches that ever jogged in Reeboks. We’re three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car wreck and descended from a stock market crash on our mother’s side. You take your Germany, France and Spain, roll them all together and it won’t give us room to park our cars. We’re the big boys, Jack, the original, giant, economy-sized, new and improved butt kickers of all time. When we snort coke in Houston, people lose their hats in Cap d’Antibes. And we’ve got an American Express card credit limit higher than your piss-ant metric numbers go.”

I’ve gotten into many arguments about metric vs. imperial. I take the side of imperial and explain:

“Imperial has such ‘odd units’, as you put it, because they’re derived from units people have handy as they build things. The inch derives from the thumb, the foot, well, is self-explanatory. Almost every unit is based on some handy unit of measurement that allows easy access on the spot, with some adjustments being made for the frequently used divisions of 3rds, 6ths, 8ths and so on.

“In short, the imperial system is for people who constantly build, construct and create. The metric system is made for people who can count to 10.”