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Rewiring the brain

I’ve done it! My mind now interprets Celsius without needing to convert to Fahrenheit. It’s like I can now think in two weather languages without translation.

The process was not dissimilar to switching from the qwerty keyboard layout to the Colemak layout.

I have Waze set to kilometers. Everyone in the United States already partially uses the metric system. They know exactly what 2 liters looks like. Every backpacker knows exactly what 1 liter looks like. We just need to set a frame of reference just like you are doing for speed. I have a meter stick in my hall closet. Roughly 39.5 inches. Wish I’d gotten it when the children were younger. Small metric measurements make since to me but longer distances don’t. I still basically measure long sight lines against football fields. Now there’s a unit of measure!

I think the next step is to begin slipping metric into conversation with those not actively trying to use it. Much like we’ve done with 2-liters. So if someone asks me what the temperature is I’m going to answer “21º Celsius. About 71 degrees.”

You know, if

One person, just one person does it they may think they’re really sick and

They won’t accept them. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,

They may think they’re both weird and they won’t accept either of them.

And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in

Spouting off in the metric system and walking out. They may think it’s an

Organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said

Fifty people a day walking in spouting off in the metric system and

Walking out. And friends they may thinks it’s a movement.

And that’s what it is, the United States Metric System Acceptance Movement, and

All you got to do to join is use the metric system the next time a measurement comes along.

(Apologies to Arlo Guthrie)