English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room - 2012-10-29 (page 6 of 6)

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11:00 PM

Hm, I think we had best have signed latitudes. That way you can add up somebody in the north and south hemispheres without having to substract or divide, just add a negative latitude to a positive one. Which of course is much easier.

I figure we might as well convert to metric coordinates when we convert to metric time. It would not suit to have 60 seconds in one kind of minute and 100 seconds in the proper kind.

That would be really dumb.

100 metric seconds per metric minute, and 100 metric minutes per metric degree — or hour, your choice!

Shweet.

Now, what about the stupid old moon? How do we fix that?

We should not have quarters: we should have deciles.

And the old imperial new moon is merely in its first decile.

History shall thank me.

…wow.

It’s staggeringly simple once you realize that 10 is the magic number.

Nothing else but 10 should ever be used.

It makes everything better.

You're right, of course.

You realize the bakers are behind all this stupid imperial crap.

They don’t realize that they will make more money with imperial dozens banished for metric dozens.

Since eggs are $3/dozen, they will stay such once we switch to metric dozens.

But six metric dozens are equivalent to five imperial dozens.

So the farmers will be happy, too.

And the chickens.

So a metric dozen is just ten then? Genius!

11:08 PM

Nobody ever thinks of the chickens.

I think of the chickens. I used to work at KFC.

@Mahnax Yes, of course. All non-ten numbers are forbidden.

@tchrist Of course.

user image

MCCLXXVI isn't ten.

11:13 PM

No, it is zero. That is the beauty of it.

Imperial Rome has got to go.

Just wait till you see what I have in store for the calendar.

There shall of course be only ten months. They will be named One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten. Now we don’t have to learn those stupid things like Janvier and Enero and such.

I can’t believe the European Union hasn’t done this already.

Any system that can replace MDCLXXVI with 0 is clearly the mathematically correct solution.

Quick, how many months ago was four score and seven years ago?

See the problem?

Under the metric calendar, it becomes forty score and seventy months ago.

Sheer beauty.

I calculate that we will be able get children into the workforce at least three years younger under the new system, because it will be so much easier.

That way they can start paying taxes earlier, and everyone will benefit.

Hey Max, whadya wanna do tonight?

@tchrist Imperial? It's universal!

Everybody uses 360° for angles.

I have never even heard of this other system you suggest exists.

@Cerberus Yes, but there are two ways to do that, and it's bothersome.

Are there?

One system declares that north is 0˚, and the other declares "north" to be 90˚.

Do you mean with angles in general, or coördinates?

@Mahnax Oh...well, then just pick one system?

11:28 PM

@Cerberus The second way is better.

It's the mathematical way.

@tchrist No, 8 is much better. We should never have had these 10 stupid fingers.

@Mahnax Hmm is it?

@Cerberus Yeah.

Because of where quadrants are located and stuff.

You pick a plane instead of an axis as your frame of reference?

No, it uses axes…?

If north is 90°, then what are the points on the equator?

11:30 PM

Well, I'm just trying to connect the two systems.

All 0°, or only one point on the equator is 0°?

One of them is used in navigation, the other in maths.

I must admit I don't know how either of them works.

I'm not sure what you're asking.

If the north is 90, then what is 0?

11:31 PM

@Cerberus 90 is wrong. It is not 10 or 100.

So out it goes.

@Cerberus East.

And where is east?

North is a point.

0˚.

East is a curve.

No no no, I'm not talking about things like that.

11:32 PM

And a relative one at that!

Then where on the map is 0?

Consider hyperbolic geometry.

Never mind.

I'm sorry, I really don't understand.

You're talking about the curvature of the earth [?] and I'm talking about a flat graph.

@tchrist Don't you agree that 8 is better than 10?

11:33 PM

But on a compass, for example, north is at 0˚.

@Mahnax A flat graph? So then your system does not apply to earth?

Whereas on a graph with north as the y-axis, north would be 90˚.

I have to go set the table.

Goodbye.

All right, I still have no clue...bye!

@Cerberus No, it doesn't.

We can chat later though. OK, bye now.

Adieu.

11:56 PM

@Cerberus That’s why there are 8 pints to a gallon, you know. No dumb liters needed.

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