Isn't it something like 70% of americans don't have passports?

( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 15:40, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

*waves*

( Lisette von Falcon, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 15:52, Reply)

Get a friggin passport woman.

( girlinthehole, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 15:53, Reply)

I think it's only about 55-60%
but it's still fucking terrifying.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 15:54, Reply)

it could be worse
at least they live in a massive and varied country (landscape-wise at least)
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 15:57, Reply)

Shhhh.
stop being sensible. I spent yesterday teaching first years how fucking stupid the US units system is, as it is gravimetric. Stop spoiling my anti-US fun.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:08, Reply)

I felt obliged
seeing as you are normally the voice of reason.

what's the dealio with the US units system? I feel I should know this, and I actually might, but my stoner-brain might not be letting me access it at the moment.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:14, Reply)

Without boring the absolute shit out of everyone?
SI has mass, length, time, temp as the four "fundamentals" (I'm ignoring shit like luminous intensity here) but US system has "force" as a fifth. Since force is rate of change of momentum it requires an acceleration to be definied, (Newton's second law) and the US system uses gravity. Which is fine in a system where gravity is the over-riding acceleration (like, shit falling on earth) but in anything else (say inside a centrifuge) you need to modify Newton's second law to introduce a constant equal to 1/g to even this shit out.

In short, It's a right cunt. But you fell asleep 4 lines ago, right? ;)
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:23, Reply)

nope I'm with you
pretty stupid to have a basic unit that is defined in terms of your other basic units.

those dumb fucks.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:30, Reply)

Pretty much, yeah.
They also still use BTU as a unit of energy, which is also pretty special as it's based on a definition that actually varies a little with temperature (heat capacity of water). They do need a right cunting in the murray sometimes.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:35, Reply)