HecubusPro
Sep 16, 12:49 PM
What's the possiblility of the new mbp being available in stores after the announcement? Is one usually required to order new products online or could I skip the wait by driving an hour to the nearest apple store?
Apple doesn't always have the product available in stores as soon as it's announced, despite that they (Steve) often says "available now." Ordering online or waiting for the store might be about the same amount of time. I know my apple store still didn't have the new ipods when I was in there yesterday, but they did have the new nano's.
Apple doesn't always have the product available in stores as soon as it's announced, despite that they (Steve) often says "available now." Ordering online or waiting for the store might be about the same amount of time. I know my apple store still didn't have the new ipods when I was in there yesterday, but they did have the new nano's.
toddybody
Mar 28, 10:34 AM
You have to consider who's making that statement.
Poor FullOfWin...he'll never know happiness:(
Poor FullOfWin...he'll never know happiness:(
samh004
May 7, 11:08 AM
I get the feeling they are not really making any money on it, so it would make sense to give it away as a benefit of "using a mac."
I can�t remember where it was mentioned, but I recall (dreamed?) that Apple had 1 million paid-up MobileMe members at one stage. If you even multiply that by the lowest amount you can purchase it for, that�s what, $69 million a year. Can�t be losing that much money.
Maybe an apple giftcard for the difference? Like apple did for the early adopters of iPhone 2G when there was a price drop :cool:
At least that�d make me buy a product I�ve had my eye on but haven�t had incentive to take the plunge ;)
The best option is to cover both ends.
I like this idea� but not the following one�
Free MobileMe as an iAd platform? That sounds about right. Paid MobileMe without the iAds? I think we're getting somewhere now...
I�d still pay in this case, but the price better not increase :(
I can�t remember where it was mentioned, but I recall (dreamed?) that Apple had 1 million paid-up MobileMe members at one stage. If you even multiply that by the lowest amount you can purchase it for, that�s what, $69 million a year. Can�t be losing that much money.
Maybe an apple giftcard for the difference? Like apple did for the early adopters of iPhone 2G when there was a price drop :cool:
At least that�d make me buy a product I�ve had my eye on but haven�t had incentive to take the plunge ;)
The best option is to cover both ends.
I like this idea� but not the following one�
Free MobileMe as an iAd platform? That sounds about right. Paid MobileMe without the iAds? I think we're getting somewhere now...
I�d still pay in this case, but the price better not increase :(
toddybody
Apr 24, 08:28 AM
Very interesting...I think we'd be better off with a res bump in the notebook line. Aside from the air...things have been stagnant there for. While.
Also, people are getting all this retina/ppi discussion muddled. PPI IS fixed
and not based on viewing distance. On the other hand, the eyes capability to perceive those pixels IS dependent on viewing distance. No, an iMac does not need to have a 7xxx Display to be retina...as it's viewing distance shouldn't be what the iP4 is. Sould be more to the tune of 24inches
Also, people are getting all this retina/ppi discussion muddled. PPI IS fixed
and not based on viewing distance. On the other hand, the eyes capability to perceive those pixels IS dependent on viewing distance. No, an iMac does not need to have a 7xxx Display to be retina...as it's viewing distance shouldn't be what the iP4 is. Sould be more to the tune of 24inches
AppleInLVX
May 4, 03:56 PM
How hard would it be for wifi/app store to be baked into every Mac going forward? That is, if you wipe the machine, turn it on, and the first thing it does (after the logo) is detect Wifi, connect and offer the app store along with basic disc utilities right on the memory chip?
Mind you, it wouldn't help existing macs... hrm.
Mind you, it wouldn't help existing macs... hrm.
mscriv
May 4, 09:38 PM
And so it begins. Heed my words and remember them. For it is only a matter of time until the rest of you suffer the same end as your friend.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQS2cKIzv51FauVm6EwA27iNLBe4TflXi_DIbFCUtLboTEftLE8MQ
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQS2cKIzv51FauVm6EwA27iNLBe4TflXi_DIbFCUtLboTEftLE8MQ
vand0576
Aug 11, 09:47 AM
I agree except I think they will put Conroe in the iMac.
It's funny, cause right after I read what I had posted, I thought, oh damnit, i forgot about Conroe, and edited what I had posted. (all these damn codenames)
It's funny, cause right after I read what I had posted, I thought, oh damnit, i forgot about Conroe, and edited what I had posted. (all these damn codenames)
lPHONE
May 6, 12:19 AM
There's no way that Apple is gonna switch to ARM for their Mac lines when it already took them a decade to make the transition from IBM to Intel processors.
I thought the transition was noteworthy. Not quite flawless, but who else has switched architecture so perfectly?
I thought the transition was noteworthy. Not quite flawless, but who else has switched architecture so perfectly?
OneMike
Mar 28, 12:08 PM
new iPhone will be hear when it's here. I don't feel the current is lacking so I can wait if needed.
GQB
Mar 28, 10:40 AM
My 2-year contract finishes next month and my 3G is almost inoperative. No way I want to buy into the antenna problems with a 4. Glad you're happy though.
You can always pick up a used 4 to hold you over.
And the 'antenna problems' were a media and hater frenzy, nothing more.
Personally, I'm glad that I won't have to churn on upgrading for a few months more. Fact is that my 4 does everything I need short of NFR, and I don't really NEED that.
As a user, I'd be glad to use my 4 for another year.
As an AAPL holder, I'd like to see a 5 come out simply to kick the Verizon sales in the butt.
You can always pick up a used 4 to hold you over.
And the 'antenna problems' were a media and hater frenzy, nothing more.
Personally, I'm glad that I won't have to churn on upgrading for a few months more. Fact is that my 4 does everything I need short of NFR, and I don't really NEED that.
As a user, I'd be glad to use my 4 for another year.
As an AAPL holder, I'd like to see a 5 come out simply to kick the Verizon sales in the butt.
treblah
Aug 3, 12:12 AM
Merom:
Twice the Battery life.
You have said this before and it is TOTALLY WRONG if you are comparing the Merom to Yonah (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2711&p=4). The first slide is directly from Intel's Spring Developer Conference. Consistent battery does not mean 2X.
Twice the Battery life.
You have said this before and it is TOTALLY WRONG if you are comparing the Merom to Yonah (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2711&p=4). The first slide is directly from Intel's Spring Developer Conference. Consistent battery does not mean 2X.
prominence
Nov 9, 12:04 PM
You better believe I promptly cancelled my order with Apple for $128.05 shipping Nov 25 (just have to send it right back to Apple once it arrives for full refund) and ordered from BTL for $89 with estimated ETA weeks before Apple's ship date.
munkery
Dec 28, 09:42 PM
Reason not to use AV software with real-time scanning with elevated privileges. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=11570070&postcount=31)
Cougarcat
May 4, 06:30 PM
But how do you boot from a disk image without a disk???
Restore it to an external (but you do not have to do this to install Lion. The installer will install some things while in SL, then restart and finish the installation).
Restore it to an external (but you do not have to do this to install Lion. The installer will install some things while in SL, then restart and finish the installation).
KnightWRX
Mar 28, 09:58 AM
Why because it doesn't have a dual core processor, 1GB of RAM ?
Yes, precisely. Android and other handsets are moving to Tegra 2/Orion based platforms with maybe quad core SoCs coming in Fall '11 from nVidia. An A5 equipped iPhone shipping around September would be outdated the minute it hits the shelves as far as hardware is concerned.
With Pocket Legends already reporting that gaming on Android is making them more money than on iOS and this delay in Apple's usual release schedule, it could mean that iOS gaming could lose out to Android and set the pace for future developments, just like what happened to Apple in the 80s with the rise of the PC.
While I doubt we have anything to worry about short term as iOS device owners, if they keep this up in the long term and keep losing ground to Android, it might become a problem.
Yes, precisely. Android and other handsets are moving to Tegra 2/Orion based platforms with maybe quad core SoCs coming in Fall '11 from nVidia. An A5 equipped iPhone shipping around September would be outdated the minute it hits the shelves as far as hardware is concerned.
With Pocket Legends already reporting that gaming on Android is making them more money than on iOS and this delay in Apple's usual release schedule, it could mean that iOS gaming could lose out to Android and set the pace for future developments, just like what happened to Apple in the 80s with the rise of the PC.
While I doubt we have anything to worry about short term as iOS device owners, if they keep this up in the long term and keep losing ground to Android, it might become a problem.
doodosh
Sep 16, 04:26 PM
Good question - I've wondered this myself... I noticed a few weeks ago while screwing around with the Apple website that you could choose an Apple Store and order online. The name of the store location shows up on the Apple Store page , but I'm not really sure what the point of it is... I don't see an "in store pickup" option. I'm thinking no... anyone know??
Example:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/8/12/164876/applestores.jpg
what windows skin is that? looks really nice :)
Example:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/8/12/164876/applestores.jpg
what windows skin is that? looks really nice :)
daneoni
Jul 23, 07:01 PM
Don't do it man! You deserve better!
lol...lets hope it doesnt come to that.
lol...lets hope it doesnt come to that.
Mac'nCheese
Apr 10, 08:53 AM
I inputed it exactly like this in my calculator and I got 2. So...
Edit: I voted 2 because I thought of it as 48 over (/) 2(9+3)
But written as 48�2(9+3) I would say 288...
Strange.
You didn't enter it properly then...
Here
280594
The thing about this question is, whats the point of the parentheses..
Try using a calculator that uses the "/" instead of the divided by sign. You'll get 288. I tried it the way you did it on an old calculator and I got 2. But that's not the way it is in the OP. It's 48/2(9+3)
LOL um... ok? It's a calculator...
For the last time, a simple google search will show you guys that unless the calculator is in scientific mode, it will give you the wrong answer. Hard to believe, I guess, that a machine could be wrong, but it's true.
Edit: I voted 2 because I thought of it as 48 over (/) 2(9+3)
But written as 48�2(9+3) I would say 288...
Strange.
You didn't enter it properly then...
Here
280594
The thing about this question is, whats the point of the parentheses..
Try using a calculator that uses the "/" instead of the divided by sign. You'll get 288. I tried it the way you did it on an old calculator and I got 2. But that's not the way it is in the OP. It's 48/2(9+3)
LOL um... ok? It's a calculator...
For the last time, a simple google search will show you guys that unless the calculator is in scientific mode, it will give you the wrong answer. Hard to believe, I guess, that a machine could be wrong, but it's true.
ravenvii
May 3, 12:31 PM
so is the turn of the villain simultaneous to the heroes (meaning he can communicate/implement his moves at any time) or do turns alternate (and if they do, do they in singles or in pairs)?
what's the point of having 'rounds'?
They alternate in pairs. A round is two hero turns then two villain turns. By meanwhile I meant the villain can converse with the GMs at any time. But his actions will be implemented once the heroes complete their two turns.
That's how we keep the villain and the heroes in sync, and keep score of the villain's points.
And before you ask again, in the context of the villain, turns = points. Okay? :p
is there a time-limit to the villain's decision before it defaults in no-action, 1 point accrued?
No time limit, the villain must explicitly state that he is taking inaction for the turn.
what's the point of having 'rounds'?
They alternate in pairs. A round is two hero turns then two villain turns. By meanwhile I meant the villain can converse with the GMs at any time. But his actions will be implemented once the heroes complete their two turns.
That's how we keep the villain and the heroes in sync, and keep score of the villain's points.
And before you ask again, in the context of the villain, turns = points. Okay? :p
is there a time-limit to the villain's decision before it defaults in no-action, 1 point accrued?
No time limit, the villain must explicitly state that he is taking inaction for the turn.
ovrlrd
Mar 30, 07:32 PM
There you go
That still doesn't answer the question though. That just says you have to redeem the download again, but it doesn't say whether it's just an "update" that you run or if you are downloading the entire install and then running that.
That still doesn't answer the question though. That just says you have to redeem the download again, but it doesn't say whether it's just an "update" that you run or if you are downloading the entire install and then running that.
bradc
Aug 7, 03:15 PM
Just ordered my Mac Pro!! :D
Quad 3Ghz, 4GB ram, 250GB HD + 500 GB HD, X1900 XT 512MB, Bluetooth+Airport, wireless keyboard and mouse, 1 Superdrive (holding out for BluRay) 30" ACD... $8264.23 :eek:
Estimated Ship Time... 3- 5 Weeks :eek: :eek:
This is gonna be good.
I went Quad 3Ghz, 1GB Ram, 160GB HD, X1900XT, Bluetooth and Fibre-Channel, 2-Superdrives. Then I'll buy more RAM and a bigger hd when it gets here. I am sooooooooo pumped!
Quad 3Ghz, 4GB ram, 250GB HD + 500 GB HD, X1900 XT 512MB, Bluetooth+Airport, wireless keyboard and mouse, 1 Superdrive (holding out for BluRay) 30" ACD... $8264.23 :eek:
Estimated Ship Time... 3- 5 Weeks :eek: :eek:
This is gonna be good.
I went Quad 3Ghz, 1GB Ram, 160GB HD, X1900XT, Bluetooth and Fibre-Channel, 2-Superdrives. Then I'll buy more RAM and a bigger hd when it gets here. I am sooooooooo pumped!
weckart
Apr 23, 04:33 PM
That colour scheme for the Lion background artwork is hideous.
ucfgrad93
May 6, 07:08 PM
Com'on lads! we are waisting precious time.
i just need one volunteer to split off, or one volunteer to lead the group so i split off.
it really is worth to do this as it cuts down on unproductive turns, which means lees varmints to soil our weapons with.
I'll volunteer.
i just need one volunteer to split off, or one volunteer to lead the group so i split off.
it really is worth to do this as it cuts down on unproductive turns, which means lees varmints to soil our weapons with.
I'll volunteer.
CalBoy
May 3, 03:39 PM
I see no reason why 99, 99.5, and 100 are easier to track than 37.2, 37.5, and 37.7. As you said, we accept body temp to be 98.6 and 37.0 in Celsius. If decimals are difficult to remember, then clearly we should pick the scale that represents normal body temp as an integer, right? ;)
It doesn't matter what normal body temperature is because that's not what people are looking for when they take a temperature; they're looking for what's not normal. If it can be helped, the number one is seeking should be as flat as possible.
There is a distinctive quality about 100 that is special. It represents an additional place value and is a line of demarcation for most people. For a scientist or professional, the numbers seem the same (each with 3 digits ending in the tenths place), but to the lay user they are very different. The average person doesn't know what significant digits are or when rounding is appropriate. It's far more likely that someone will falsely remember "37.2" as "37" than they will "99" as "98.6." Even if they do make an error and think of 98.6 as 99, it is an error on the side of caution (because presumably they will take their child to the doctor or at least call in).
I realize this makes me seem like I put people in low regard, but the fact is that most things designed for common use are meant to be idiot-proof. Redundancies and warnings are hard to miss in such designs, and on a temperature scale, one that makes 100 "dangerous" is very practical and effective. You have to keep in mind that this scale is going to be used by the illiterate, functionally illiterate, the negligent, the careless, the sloppy, and the hurried.
The importance of additional digits finds its way into many facets of life, including advertising and pricing. It essentially the only reason why everything is sold at intervals of "xx.99" instead of a flat price point. Marketers have long determined that if they were to round up to the nearest whole number, it would make the price seem disproportionately larger. The same "trick" is being used by the Fahrenheit scale; the presence of the additional digit makes people more alarmed at the appropriate time.
Perhaps your set of measuring cups is the additional piece of equipment. Indeed you wouldn't need them. For a recipe in SI, the only items you would need are an electronic balance, graduating measuring "cup," and a graduated cylinder. No series of cups or spoons required (although, they do of course come in metric for those so inclined).
Of course any amateur baker has at least a few cups of both wet and dry so they can keep ingredients separated but measured when they need to be added in a precise order. It just isn't practical to bake with 3 measuring devices and a scale (which, let's be real here, would cost 5 times as much as a set of measuring cups).
This also relies on having recipes with written weights as opposed to volumes. It would also be problematic because you'd make people relearn common measurements for the metric beaker because they couldn't have their cups (ie I know 1 egg is half a cup, so it's easy to put half an egg in a recipe-I would have to do milimeter devision to figure this out for a metric recipe even though there's a perfectly good standard device for it).
It might seem that way to you, but the majority of the world uses weight to measure dry ingredients. For them it's just as easy.
Sure when you have a commercial quantity (which is also how companies bake in bulk-by weight), but not when you're making a dozen muffins or cupcakes. The smaller the quantity, the worse off you are with weighing each ingredient in terms of efficiency.
Why would you need alternative names? A recipe would call for "30ml" of any given liquid. There's no need to call it anything else.
So what would you call 500ml of beer at a bar? Would everyone refer to the spoon at the dinner table as "the 30?" The naming convention isn't going to disappear just because measurements are given in metric. Or are you saying that the naming convention should disappear and numbers used exclusively in their stead?
Well, no one would ask for a 237ml vessel because that's an arbitrary number based on a different system of units. But if you wanted, yes, you could measure that amount in a graduated measuring cup (or weigh it on your balance).
In that case, what would I call 1 cup of a drink? Even if it is made flat at 200, 250, or 300ml, what would be the name? I think by and large it would still be called a cup. In that case you aren't really accomplishing much because people are going to refer to it as they will and the metric quantity wouldn't really do anything because it's not something that people usually divide or multiply by 10 very often in daily life.
I suspect people would call it a "quarter liter," much like I would say "quarter gallon."
No, that would be 1/4 of a liter, not 4 liters. I'm assuming that without gallons, the most closely analogous metric quantity would be 4 liters. What would be the marketing term for this? The shorthand name that would allow people to express a quantity without referring to another number?
And no, you wouldn't call 500ml a "pint" because, well, why would you? :confused:
Well I'm assuming that beer would have to be served in metric quantities, and a pint is known the world over as a beer. You can't really expect the name to go out of use just because the quantity has changed by a factor of about 25ml.
...But countries using SI do call 500ml a demi-liter ("demi" meaning "half").
Somehow I don't see that becoming popular pub lingo...
This is the case with Si units as well. 500, 250, 125, 75, etc. Though SI units can also be divided by any number you wish. Want to make 1/5 of the recipe? ...Just divide all the numbers by five.
Except you can't divide the servings people usually take for themselves very easily by 2, 4, 8, or 16. An eighth of 300ml (a hypothetical metric cup), for example, is a decimal. It's not very probable that if someone was to describe how much cream they added to their coffee they'd describe it as "37.5ml." It's more likely that they'll say "1/4 of x" or "2 of y." This is how the standard system was born; people took everyday quantities (often times as random as fists, feet, and gulps) and over time standardized them.
Every standard unit conforms to a value we are likely to see to this day (a man's foot is still about 12 inches, a tablespoon is about one bite, etc). Granted it's not scientific, but it's not meant to be. It's meant to be practical to describe everyday units, much like "lion" is not the full scientific name for panthera leo. One naming scheme makes sense for one application and another makes sense for a very different application. I whole heartedly agree that for scientific, industrial, and official uses metric is the way to go, but it is not the way to go for lay people. People are not scientists. They should use the measuring schemes that are practical for the things in their lives.
Not that OS X Panthera Leo doesn't have a nice ring to it, of course. ;)
No, but it is onerous for kids to learn SI units, which is a mandatory skill in this global world. Like I said, why teach kids two units of measure if one will suffice?
It's onerous to learn how to multiply and divide by 10 + 3 root words? :confused: Besides, so many things in our daily lives have both unit scales. My ruler has inches and cm and mm. Bathroom scales have pounds and kg. Even measuring cups have ml written on them.
You could be right for international commerce where values have to be recalculated just for the US, but like I said, I think those things should be converted. I don't really care if I buy a 25 gram candy bar as opposed to a 1 ounce candy bar or a 350ml can of soda.
Perhaps true, but just because you switch to metric, doesn't mean you need to stop using tablespoons and teaspoons for measurements. It's all an approximation anyway, since there are far more than 2 different spoon sizes, and many of them look like they're pretty much equal in size to a tablespoon.
I'm sorry, but which tablespoons do you use that aren't tablespoons? The measuring spoons most people have at home for baking are very precise and have the fractions clearly marked on them.
Other than that, there's a teaspoon, tablespoon, and serving spoon (which you wouldn't use as a measurement). The sizes are very different for each of those and I don't think anyone who saw them side by side could confuse them.
So if you're cooking, do what everyone else does with their spoons; if you need a tablespoon, grab the big-ish one and estimate. If you needed more precision than that, why wouldn't you use ml? :confused:
Because it's a heck of a lot easier to think, "I need one xspoon of secret ingredient" than it is to think, "I need xml of secret ingredient." You think like a scientist (because you are one). Most people aren't. That's who the teaspoons and tablespoons are for.
It doesn't matter what normal body temperature is because that's not what people are looking for when they take a temperature; they're looking for what's not normal. If it can be helped, the number one is seeking should be as flat as possible.
There is a distinctive quality about 100 that is special. It represents an additional place value and is a line of demarcation for most people. For a scientist or professional, the numbers seem the same (each with 3 digits ending in the tenths place), but to the lay user they are very different. The average person doesn't know what significant digits are or when rounding is appropriate. It's far more likely that someone will falsely remember "37.2" as "37" than they will "99" as "98.6." Even if they do make an error and think of 98.6 as 99, it is an error on the side of caution (because presumably they will take their child to the doctor or at least call in).
I realize this makes me seem like I put people in low regard, but the fact is that most things designed for common use are meant to be idiot-proof. Redundancies and warnings are hard to miss in such designs, and on a temperature scale, one that makes 100 "dangerous" is very practical and effective. You have to keep in mind that this scale is going to be used by the illiterate, functionally illiterate, the negligent, the careless, the sloppy, and the hurried.
The importance of additional digits finds its way into many facets of life, including advertising and pricing. It essentially the only reason why everything is sold at intervals of "xx.99" instead of a flat price point. Marketers have long determined that if they were to round up to the nearest whole number, it would make the price seem disproportionately larger. The same "trick" is being used by the Fahrenheit scale; the presence of the additional digit makes people more alarmed at the appropriate time.
Perhaps your set of measuring cups is the additional piece of equipment. Indeed you wouldn't need them. For a recipe in SI, the only items you would need are an electronic balance, graduating measuring "cup," and a graduated cylinder. No series of cups or spoons required (although, they do of course come in metric for those so inclined).
Of course any amateur baker has at least a few cups of both wet and dry so they can keep ingredients separated but measured when they need to be added in a precise order. It just isn't practical to bake with 3 measuring devices and a scale (which, let's be real here, would cost 5 times as much as a set of measuring cups).
This also relies on having recipes with written weights as opposed to volumes. It would also be problematic because you'd make people relearn common measurements for the metric beaker because they couldn't have their cups (ie I know 1 egg is half a cup, so it's easy to put half an egg in a recipe-I would have to do milimeter devision to figure this out for a metric recipe even though there's a perfectly good standard device for it).
It might seem that way to you, but the majority of the world uses weight to measure dry ingredients. For them it's just as easy.
Sure when you have a commercial quantity (which is also how companies bake in bulk-by weight), but not when you're making a dozen muffins or cupcakes. The smaller the quantity, the worse off you are with weighing each ingredient in terms of efficiency.
Why would you need alternative names? A recipe would call for "30ml" of any given liquid. There's no need to call it anything else.
So what would you call 500ml of beer at a bar? Would everyone refer to the spoon at the dinner table as "the 30?" The naming convention isn't going to disappear just because measurements are given in metric. Or are you saying that the naming convention should disappear and numbers used exclusively in their stead?
Well, no one would ask for a 237ml vessel because that's an arbitrary number based on a different system of units. But if you wanted, yes, you could measure that amount in a graduated measuring cup (or weigh it on your balance).
In that case, what would I call 1 cup of a drink? Even if it is made flat at 200, 250, or 300ml, what would be the name? I think by and large it would still be called a cup. In that case you aren't really accomplishing much because people are going to refer to it as they will and the metric quantity wouldn't really do anything because it's not something that people usually divide or multiply by 10 very often in daily life.
I suspect people would call it a "quarter liter," much like I would say "quarter gallon."
No, that would be 1/4 of a liter, not 4 liters. I'm assuming that without gallons, the most closely analogous metric quantity would be 4 liters. What would be the marketing term for this? The shorthand name that would allow people to express a quantity without referring to another number?
And no, you wouldn't call 500ml a "pint" because, well, why would you? :confused:
Well I'm assuming that beer would have to be served in metric quantities, and a pint is known the world over as a beer. You can't really expect the name to go out of use just because the quantity has changed by a factor of about 25ml.
...But countries using SI do call 500ml a demi-liter ("demi" meaning "half").
Somehow I don't see that becoming popular pub lingo...
This is the case with Si units as well. 500, 250, 125, 75, etc. Though SI units can also be divided by any number you wish. Want to make 1/5 of the recipe? ...Just divide all the numbers by five.
Except you can't divide the servings people usually take for themselves very easily by 2, 4, 8, or 16. An eighth of 300ml (a hypothetical metric cup), for example, is a decimal. It's not very probable that if someone was to describe how much cream they added to their coffee they'd describe it as "37.5ml." It's more likely that they'll say "1/4 of x" or "2 of y." This is how the standard system was born; people took everyday quantities (often times as random as fists, feet, and gulps) and over time standardized them.
Every standard unit conforms to a value we are likely to see to this day (a man's foot is still about 12 inches, a tablespoon is about one bite, etc). Granted it's not scientific, but it's not meant to be. It's meant to be practical to describe everyday units, much like "lion" is not the full scientific name for panthera leo. One naming scheme makes sense for one application and another makes sense for a very different application. I whole heartedly agree that for scientific, industrial, and official uses metric is the way to go, but it is not the way to go for lay people. People are not scientists. They should use the measuring schemes that are practical for the things in their lives.
Not that OS X Panthera Leo doesn't have a nice ring to it, of course. ;)
No, but it is onerous for kids to learn SI units, which is a mandatory skill in this global world. Like I said, why teach kids two units of measure if one will suffice?
It's onerous to learn how to multiply and divide by 10 + 3 root words? :confused: Besides, so many things in our daily lives have both unit scales. My ruler has inches and cm and mm. Bathroom scales have pounds and kg. Even measuring cups have ml written on them.
You could be right for international commerce where values have to be recalculated just for the US, but like I said, I think those things should be converted. I don't really care if I buy a 25 gram candy bar as opposed to a 1 ounce candy bar or a 350ml can of soda.
Perhaps true, but just because you switch to metric, doesn't mean you need to stop using tablespoons and teaspoons for measurements. It's all an approximation anyway, since there are far more than 2 different spoon sizes, and many of them look like they're pretty much equal in size to a tablespoon.
I'm sorry, but which tablespoons do you use that aren't tablespoons? The measuring spoons most people have at home for baking are very precise and have the fractions clearly marked on them.
Other than that, there's a teaspoon, tablespoon, and serving spoon (which you wouldn't use as a measurement). The sizes are very different for each of those and I don't think anyone who saw them side by side could confuse them.
So if you're cooking, do what everyone else does with their spoons; if you need a tablespoon, grab the big-ish one and estimate. If you needed more precision than that, why wouldn't you use ml? :confused:
Because it's a heck of a lot easier to think, "I need one xspoon of secret ingredient" than it is to think, "I need xml of secret ingredient." You think like a scientist (because you are one). Most people aren't. That's who the teaspoons and tablespoons are for.
