I like the imperial system. The units are based on tangible things you can picture. Feet & cups are self explanatory, inches are based on the first thumb joint etc. It kind of makes it easier to envision ballpark measurements in your head. Who cares if they have to be converted when dealing with other countries? Come on, it's a coupla lines of code 

The math using Imperial measurements sucks though... 

 
+1.25 for the Imperial System
 
The trouble here in the UK is that we're not quite sure whether we're 'allowed' by the EU to stick with some Imperial measures or whether we're supposed to use the equivalent Metric ones.
 
It also depends how Politically Correct/Appeasement-Minded the body that's using the measurements is.
 
Take the BBC, which as a Corporation is just about as PC as you can get (unless of course, it's turning a blind eye to, and then covering up, the paedophile actions of some of its most famous employees): on just about every programme they now make, distances are always referred to in Metric, usually in metres or kilometres. Very confusing for us old buggers who remember yards, feet and inches. Yet road signs in the UK only display distances in miles. How fecked up is that (my guess is it's the BBC).
 
Another annoyance pandering to this nonsense is when they are describing approximate numbers of items. For example, 'hundreds of..', 'thousands of...', 'millions of...' all seem to be OK. But when describing a rough amount of a certain size, the PC brigade always insist of saying, rather awkwardly, that there are 'tens of...' something or other, instead of the much less awkward 'dozens of...'.
 
I guess the thinking is that the kids don't know what a 'dozen' is anymore
 
I'd make them fathom 1.8288 metres it out for themselves, even if they have to foot 0.3048 metres the bill 
 
 
And BTW, some good stuff there Dave, very interesting.

SteveStrummerUK
I guess the thinking is that the kids don't know what a 'dozen' is anymore

13 naturally.  I asked the Bakers here.

SteveStrummerUK
 
distances are always referred to in Metric, usually in metres or kilometres. Very confusing for us old buggers who remember yards, feet and inches. Yet road signs in the UK only display distances in miles. How fecked up is that (my guess is it's the BBC).
 
 

Always makes me smile in the timber merchants when people as for a  3 metre length of 4x2 !
 
Confession: I do it too.

I have friends back in the UK who will argue for the superiority of the metric system until they're blue in the face. But you ask them how large their manhood is, not one of them will give the answer in centimeters.

sharke
I have friends back in the UK who will argue for the superiority of the metric system until they're blue in the face. But you ask them how large their manhood is, not one of them will give the answer in centimeters.

I do...
 
I just pretend I'm answering in inches

Cool stuff.  I was intrigue by the polar map where all the time zones intersect.  I knew it was the case, but I don't think I've seen a map like that before though.  

So, if you could run around the earth clockwise at the North pole as fast as you can, would you grow younger?

craigb
So, if you could run around the earth clockwise at the North pole as fast as you can, would you grow younger?

I grow younger just by running around backwards in my living room. It works. Try it.