Date notation driving me nuts

[Allan F]

All other ways are just stupid beyond all reason.

As stupid as what virtually everyone I have ever met - and probably you too - answers when asked when they were born? Perhaps you should have left it on your chest.

[Allan F]

I agree the metric system is more rational and simpler. I taught it to myself around age ten.

 

Despite all that I'll never have intuitive feel for metric sizes, capacities, or weight. If I heft an object for weight it will feel like ten pounds. I can only say it weighs around 4 or 5 kilos by thinking, this is about ten pounds. So divided by 2.2 is around four or five kilos. I can do that pretty quickly and you might not notice, but that's what I do. Same with distance or volume.

Of course, because you weren't brought up using the metric system and probably don't use it on a daily basis. In the many countries that switched from the English system of measurements to metric, it took many a long time to adapt and others never did and never will. But, for anyone who starts off by learning it, the metric system is obviously much simpler and less prone to mistakes, as in converting ounces to pounds, yards to miles, etc.

[Allan F]

I do find however that there is one exception where even younger people sometimes revert to the imperial method, and that is with a person's height. For example, it is reasonably common to hear someone refer to another person or themselves as 5'10" and not 178cm or 1.78m (rounded).

That's true in Canada, too.