Slashdot Mirror
2 In 3 Misunderstand Gas Mileage; Here's Why
thecarchik sends in this piece, which was published last March but remains timely: "OK, so here's a little test: Which saves more gasoline, going from 10 to 20 mpg, or going from 33 to 50 mpg? If you're like most Americans, you picked the second one. But, in fact, that's exactly backwards. Over any given mileage, replacing a 10-mpg vehicle with one that gets 20 mpg saves five times the gasoline that replacing a 33-mpg vehicle with one that gets 50 does. Last summer, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business released a study that shows how much damage comes from using MPG instead of consumption to measure how green a car is. Management professors Richard Larick and Jack Soll's experiments proved that consumers thought fuel consumption was cut at an even rate as mileage increased."
The article talks about Americans. No American drives their car into the ground, you've always gotta have the latest, shiniest car, otherwise people will think that you're poor, and then you may as well just hang yourself...
Is 1563649 a prime number?
That would require the entire populace to stop being stupid and embrace the Metric system. Something that just will not happen.
Our education system is incapable of handling such a dramatic change.
Note: I recently threw out most of my SAE tools. I have all metric in my garage I have not seen a need for a 3/8ths inch wrench for over 5 years. Yet my 13mm and 15mm wrenches are used on every car I own from a 1983 classic motorcycle to the 1986 classic car, up to my 2004 daily driver..
In fact when I go to the hardware store and buy hardware for a project.. I skip the SAE bins and head to the metric bins. You can get metric lag bolts and everything in between... Except they only stock Chrome SAE... WTF is that!
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Fuck you, moron.
Americans are unwilling to adopt the metric system for a variety of reasons - many of which are not particularly sensible. But the notion that they're unable to do so is remarkably ignorant. Yet you use the term 'we' - pejoratively - in referring to Americans, giving the impression that you are one. That seems doubtful.
Either way, let me say again - fuck you.
RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"A man may fight for many things: his country, his principles, his friends, the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally I'd mud-wrestle my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and a stack of french porn." -- The Black Adder