The grumpy thread

[adw1977]

One thing I've never understood is how metric has been used in the UK to describe engine capacities for years before metric became common in everyday use.

We had BMC using it as a model name back in 1962 for the Morris 1100.

50+ years later, we still talk about fuel consumption in mpg, even though fuel has been sold in litres for over 20 years.

[Dirk Diggler]

Cos it's a fooking mouthful. I don't see why the scientific community has to pander to coffin dodgers oldies who won't move with the times.A GIRUY brought to you by the

[sidenote: I found my (Scottish) hospital birthcard from the 1970s and it has my birth weight IN KILOS on it.]

  

Because imperial measurements just don't make sense. We've got to ditch the silly system completely at some point. Irritating that the Americans still hold on out on the damn thing.

I understand both systems because Irish; but measuring people's height (feet and inches) weight (stone and pounds) distance (miles) and fuel economy (emmpeegees) make far more sense to me than the alternative; I use metres, kilos, Kms for most things but I've a better sense of the former in my own head; born in 1980 so no excuse

[The Moog]

Nah... Use double decker buses, elephants, Olympic swimming pools, hairs width and bags of sugar..

 

Job jobbed

[CortinaDave]

annoying me tonight... when you're flicking through gumtree looking at £200 shitters and you have to wade through pages of traders who've listed their £3500 motors at £150 to get folk to sign up to a finance deal.

[alcyonecorporation]

hhhhhhhh

[320touring]

annoying me tonight... when you're flicking through gumtree looking at £200 shitters and you have to wade through pages of traders who've listed their £3500 motors at £150 to get folk to sign up to a finance deal.

If only there was a 'min price' field..

 

Anyway, is £200 not extortionate for a ROVAH 75?

[bramz7]

annoying me tonight... when you're flicking through gumtree looking at £200 shitters and you have to wade through pages of traders who've listed their £3500 motors at £150 to get folk to sign up to a finance deal.

If you set the age limit to say '10 years and older' you'll avoid all that dross.

[Des]

English units of measurement do seem complex compared to the continentals follies, this is to deter imbeciles from meddling where they shouldn't.

Spitfires were crafted from timber in imperial, Messerschmitts were metric metal, how did that work out for the Jerry fuckers?

[artdjones]

Problem with metric is there's nothing between a centimetre and a metre.Inches and feet correspond more to sizes people actually use and they became customary because of that,not because they are a certain fraction of a measurement of the distance between the North Pole and the equator.

[wuvvum]

My eldest son brought his car for me to have a look at yesterday afternoon with a noisy exhaust, its a Peugeot 206 1.4, and sure enough its blowing where the pipe enters the rear box, its broken completely. We have a look on the ECP website to see if he can get one before closing and they have 2 variations listed - for cars with a manivertor or cars without (yeah I had to google it as well). We decide his car has one and ECP have one of each in stock so he goes along to buy one ( a reasonable £36 with discount) but to make sure he has the correct one.

He goes down and he spends about 20 mins there with the staff cross check car year chassis number and make a phone call and send him away with a tailpipe and rear silencer for a .........Toyota Yaris.

I went around to fit it last night (easy job) and took one look at it and could see straight away it was wrong, my lad didn't have a clue even with a sticker on it saying Yaris and a part number not matching the invoice

Bloke goes to ECP, gets given wrong part.  Hold the front page...

[robinmasters]

The glass fucking ceiling. Bollocks. Men get paid more for two reasons:

 

1. They're in the top jobs

2. They're less likely to have career breaks for having children

 

1. should be addressed; why do more men have top jobs? Is there's a reason for it, if not, why does it happen?

2. Perhaps we should be looking at why women are more likely to have career breaks; it's the system geared towards women taking the leave to look after kids? Er, yes. On the other hand, if I had two years of to look after a child I'd chosen to have, I wouldn't expect to walk back in as if I'd never left.

[eddyramrod]

The glass fucking ceiling. Bollocks. Men get paid more for two reasons:

 

1. They're in the top jobs

 

Am I?????  First I've heard of that!

 

(But, in general I do agree with your points.)

[AlabamaShrimp]

Nah... Use double decker buses, elephants, Olympic swimming pools, hairs width and bags of sugar..

 

Job jobbed

Come on you forgot Nelson's column! (always hated that as 99% or people aren't from sodding London) and just what is an Olympic size swimming pool? What's wrong with a normal pool?

[somewhatfoolish]

Problem with metric is there's nothing between a centimetre and a metre.Inches and feet correspond more to sizes people actually use and they became customary because of that,not because they are a certain fraction of a measurement of the distance between the North Pole and the equator.

Some continental types are quite keen on decimetres for just this reason.

[Talbot]

From a pure Mechanical engineering point of view, Metric, or more specifically, a decimal based system is just so much better to use. No conversion factors, units are defined from three basics, and it makes the Mathematics behind the engineering much more achievable and straightforward.

 

Imperial is based more on the human body and physical things that are human scale. A foot is about a foot. An acre is an area you can plough in a day. A pint is a decent amount to hold and to drink, etc.etc.etc.

 

There is a place for both measurement systems. I chop and change between the two on a stunningly regular basis and know a lot of the conversion factors off the top of my head. I have no doubt I will continue to use both for my entire life.

[DodgeRover]

Can we pay you in pre decimal currency?

I can currently accept silver and gold anyway, anything I can work out a value of is fine.

[SiC]

I can currently accept silver and gold anyway, anything I can work out a value of is fine.

Do you accept broken XBox?

[Cavcraft]

22 months after the monster-in-law's sad passing, we have finally sold her house. I've just got back from the auction.

My ex-mother-in-law was a mute. She only communicated through embroidery, sew to speak.

[alcyonecorporation]

My best mate was a shoe.

 

People doubted his humanity, but when he died, they agreed with me that shoes have soles.

[DodgeRover]

Do you accept broken XBox?

Only in payment for Fiestas m8, I'll value it at about a quarter of a pitbull that's good with kids if that's ok?

[xtriple]

I 'understand' both metric and imperial, but, I still convert every metric thing into imperial in my head before I properly understand it. I 'know' without effort that 12 stone for a 6 foot bloke is slim, but 36KG still doesn't equate to 'fat' dog!

[5speedracer]

 

 

I didn't say there was a problem. As far as I know schools only teach metric now anyway.

 

They only taught metric when I was at school and I started in the '60's!

 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

[tooSavvy]

Nah... Use double decker buses, elephants, Olympic swimming pools, hairs width and bags of sugar..

Job jobbed

.... But 'easing it a little bit' is still A Midgies Dick

 

TS

[tooSavvy]

The 'English' Colchester Student lathes, at college, came with a gear wheel (to install if reqd) to allow cutting Metric thread pitches.

 

Corrrr..

 

TS

[fordperv]

36KG still doesn't equate to 'fat' dog!

Depends on the breed, I wouldn't like to see a 36kg chihuahua

[Mr A Lawrence]

FUCKING EBAY AND PAYPAL CAN FUCKING DO ONE! 

[Guest Hooli]

English units of measurement do seem complex compared to the continentals follies, this is to deter imbeciles from meddling where they shouldn't.

Spitfires were crafted from timber in imperial, Messerschmitts were metric metal, how did that work out for the Jerry fuckers?

 

Spitfires are all metal, Hurricanes are part wood. Hence Spits are harder to build.

[Talbot]

Today's grump.  My cocking employers.

 

8 years I've worked for this company, and whenever I go away with work I have always minimised my costs.  Cheap hotels, not spending a fortune on dinner.  Never have lunch (usually because I've had a bloody massive cooked breakfast, but that's not the point) and always tried to do things as if it were my own money, and hence not been a twat about it.  Regularly stayed at my Parents' house and saved the dinner/bed/breakfast cost, and regularly driven home at ridiculous-o'clock in the evening to avoid another stay away.

 

Which has been appreciated.  Never have any of my expense costs been queried until today.  After the utter mess that was the RTC I described a few pages back, I was late on my journying, and hence didn't get back when I expected.  Which has now been queried and I have to justify my every move and every mile driven.

 

Piss.  Right.  Off.

 

This is just about the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to this company.  What used to be a 10-men-in-a-shed operation, selling bespoke equipment across the whole planet has been generally destroyed by being bought out by a huge multi-national that has no concept of being dynamic or flexible in any way.

 

... and I hate looking for employment.

 

:mad:

[Tamworthbay]

Today's grump.  My cocking employers.

 

8 years I've worked for this company, and whenever I go away with work I have always minimised my costs.  Cheap hotels, not spending a fortune on dinner.  Never have lunch (usually because I've had a bloody massive cooked breakfast, but that's not the point) and always tried to do things as if it were my own money, and hence not been a twat about it.  Regularly stayed at my Parents' house and saved the dinner/bed/breakfast cost, and regularly driven home at ridiculous-o'clock in the evening to avoid another stay away.

 

Which has been appreciated.  Never have any of my expense costs been queried until today.  After the utter mess that was the RTC I described a few pages back, I was late on my journying, and hence didn't get back when I expected.  Which has now been queried and I have to justify my every move and every mile driven.

 

Piss.  Right.  Off.

 

This is just about the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to this company.  What used to be a 10-men-in-a-shed operation, selling bespoke equipment across the whole planet has been generally destroyed by being bought out by a huge multi-national that has no concept of being dynamic or flexible in any way.

 

... and I hate looking for employment.

 

 

:mad:

Ah, multinationals owning everything is the way forward, the solution to all of mankind’s problems and a reason to rejoice in the streets, except for, as blackadder would say, it’s all bollocks.

[Captain Furious]

This was a bone of contention at my last place too, the two-tier expenses structure.  Directors getting a higher allowance for travel and meals.  Sorry, what are the rest of us, animals?

 

I have my own policy when it comes to expenses, staying away in hotels for the company on my own time etc - I don't live like a wandering peasant when i'm paying the bill myself, so I certainly don't when i'm doing it for your benefit.  Oh, and the absolute minimum I stay in is a Premier Inn, Travelodge can FRO.  If that's not acceptable then I'll gladly do strict 9-5.