Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#61

Post by masklinn » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:49 PM UTC

gerikson wrote: post #22

Metric inches or survey inches? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_(unit)#International_foot )

The units were already defined in relation to metric units (officially through the Medenhall Order in the US though the OWM had officiously been doing that for some time, officiously through the Weights and Measures Act of 1897 in the UK as while it defined the meter in terms of yard, as the precision of the meter increased the yard followed rather than led), but different countries used slightly different conversion factors.

Hence international inches, not metric inches.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#62

Post by lucidlogic » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:50 PM UTC

Minor49er wrote: post #51

lucidlogic wrote: post #49

How is this relevant?

It's something techie on America's birthday

You know there's a bunch of other countries other right? This shouldn't be number 1 on hn.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#63

Post by joshuaissac » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:52 PM UTC

wizzwizz4 wrote: post #58

serf wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>PSA, don't use old deprecated units still pushed by confused country. I understand perfectly. Everyone, stop measuring weights in stone -- England has been declared confused!

I mean… the only thing still measured in stone is babies, and even that's falling out of favour.

Most adults in the UK still measure their weight in stones and pounds, at least in my personal experience, and I have never come across anyone (except those raised in other countries) using either plain pounds or metric units for this purpose.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#64

Post by PedroBatista » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:52 PM UTC

gerikson wrote: post #22

Metric inches or survey inches? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_(unit)#International_foot )

American inches.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#65

Post by jsilence » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:53 PM UTC

8organicbits wrote: post #50

jjcon wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would aliens work in base10?

Looks like they had 3 fingers per hand, so base 6 seems a likely choice. 6 works great as its divisible by 2 and 3. I wonder what base we would use if we (somehow) had a prime number of fingers. 2, 6, 30, 60?

Only on HN...

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#66

Post by lucidlogic » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:53 PM UTC

lucidlogic wrote: post #62

Minor49er wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's something techie on America's birthday

You know there's a bunch of other countries other right? This shouldn't be number 1 on hn.

I always thought hn was impartial and scientific, this is not.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#67

Post by petepete » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:53 PM UTC

OJFord wrote: post #53

gerikson wrote: post #22

Metric inches or survey inches? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_(unit)#International_foot )

Huh, I didn't know about this, that feet and inches used to differ across the world. If only they'd done pints, fluid ounces, and cups, etc. too! (Cups are particularly annoying: there's British, US, US Legal, and metric. The best recipe-following advice is that it's never going to matter. But it's annoying.)

I thought the whole point of cups was that the actual quantity didn't matter, so long as your ratios were consistent.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#68

Post by cryptoz » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:53 PM UTC

8organicbits wrote: post #50

jjcon wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would aliens work in base10?

Looks like they had 3 fingers per hand, so base 6 seems a likely choice. 6 works great as its divisible by 2 and 3. I wonder what base we would use if we (somehow) had a prime number of fingers. 2, 6, 30, 60?

But what you call base 6 they might call base 10

every base is is base 10...from a certain perspective

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#69

Post by alexseman » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:55 PM UTC

As an European this is really cool and unlike others self-loathing Americans here in the comments I understand the idea, humor and originality. Happy 4th USA, you are great today due to the greatness of your forefathers and the men that built this nation.

Re: Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes

#70

Post by masklinn » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 7:55 PM UTC

8organicbits wrote: post #50

jjcon wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would aliens work in base10?

Looks like they had 3 fingers per hand, so base 6 seems a likely choice. 6 works great as its divisible by 2 and 3. I wonder what base we would use if we (somehow) had a prime number of fingers. 2, 6, 30, 60?

> Looks like they had 3 fingers per hand, so base 6 seems a likely choice.

Depends how they use their fingers and whether they use other body parts. There is evidence for human cultures having ranged from 4 to 10, 12, 16, and 20 (technically there are higher ones but they usually have sub-bases in that range).

You can count to 12 on a single hand (24 on two hands) by pointing phalanges with the thumb for instance. Some native cultures had base 8 using the space between the fingers rather than the fingers themselves.