Just before I start a series of posts on programming solutions, I thought I would digress and get this out of my system. I often say that the best solutions to solving some of our most challenging issues as a nation are still to be brought to our attention. I’m confident that after this post that will still be true. However, I do propose one solution to our current economic crisis. By the way, I did say “crisis.” This is not a “recession” or a “slump.” If you think this is just another “market correction” that will soon pass, I’d like to introduce you to some personal friends whose lives are forever changed after losing jobs they have held for decades. This is absolutely brutal…and our area of the country is not even among the worst hit. I feel an enormous amount of empathy for those affected. As I told a friend this morning, it is only by the grace of God that any of us have any financial security really. The effects of this downturn have been long-lasting and vast-reaching.
So far we have tried to put a few stimulus dollars into the pockets of Americans, bailed out some ungrateful and irresponsible companies, tried to reform healthcare and are starting to tackle high-speed travel. I very much appreciate that the current and previous administrations have tried to find solutions, but these are just tiny bandages on a major hemorrhage — all of them. We have to attack the root of the problem — stop the bleeding if you will. The American people simply need to be able to find gainful employment. Our states are paying for laid off workers to complete college degrees in new career areas only so they can compete with traditional college graduates vying for the same positions. It is a noble idea, but a futile one I’m afraid.
What we need is another Y2K!
I remember when I was about to graduate college in 1993. I was told the computer programming market was saturated and that a college graduate with little real-world experience may as well hang up his hat. Then something phenomenal happened: a last minute rush for Y2K developers. My entire class found jobs almost immediately upon graduation. That’s what we need now! What we need is another Y2K!
Unfortunately, Y2K is not going to happen again. We fixed it…and we fixed it real good. But if we want to create an economic stimulus that would have an even farther-reaching effect than Y2K, we should go metric! Sounds, um, different — right? Yep, but that is how I think — a little different[ly]. (Yes, I do know proper grammar even though sometimes I choose to not practice it — for effect, of course.)
So what is this craziness? Well, the way I see it, converting to the metric system would solve a few problems:
- It would create jobs
- It would provide us with a more precise standard of measurement
- It would eliminate those ridiculous conversions that cause us so much grief
- It would better align us with the rest of the world
New Jobs
Obviously, more jobs would be created in the software sector — hooray for that! But unlike Y2K, there’s more this time. We’ll need new signs on our highways. We’ll need new maps. GPS manufacturers will need to change their user interfaces. Automobile manufacturers will need to change the dashboard displays. We would need to create new kitchen utensils based on grams and liters instead of cups, pints, quarts and gallons. We will need to produce new scales, new textbooks, new recipe books, etc. All of this would stimulate our economy — and for a good purpose.
Better Precision
Doctors, scientists, engineers and auto mechanics — all of them already familiar with the metric system. They use it when they need a more precise way to measure medicine, work with microorganisms, design tiny pieces or work on a foreign made car
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And why not? If you consider this chart, it is quick to see that the metric system actually has nine wrench and socket sizes for the six most commonly used standard sizes. The whole premise of the metric system was to allow for more precision without complex conversion formulas. Just “Bing” it…you’ll see.
Easy Conversions
If you can multiply and divide by ten, one hundred and one thousand, then you can perform some of the more complex metric conversions. In fact, think of all the time that is wasted learning to convert from metric to standard measurements. We start learning it with word problems in grade school. We continue to learn it the rest of our lives. Google wrote a special calculator just to help us figure it out. If it seems ridiculous, it is. Why do our rulers have both inches and centimeters? Why does it take me 5 minutes to realize that a 7/16 wrench is the next size up from a 3/8? It would be obvious to me that a 11mm is one size bigger than a 10mm wrench! When my toddler has a high temp and I’m supposed to give her a teaspoon of liquid acetaminophen, where do I turn when my syringe is labeled in milliliters and she is crying at the top of her lungs? You get the idea right? That’s because you have been there. Think of all the things our kids could be learning with the time not wasted on pointless conversions. Let them spend that time on real math and science…like considering cures for disease.
Global Standards
I know, we’re America right? We think the rest of the world should have to learn English (a language we didn’t even invent) and drive on the right side of the road. Whatever! The naysayers will say “we’re becoming too European” or “that’s so anti-Christ”. Before you ex-communicate me, please recognize that Jesus walked neither miles nor kilometers. Those standards were introduced much later. Did you know that the United States is one of only three countries in the world that is not on the metric system? What makes our situation worse is that we have half-way adopted it, but are too stubborn to let go of our old habits.
Take it for what it’s worth. Like I said, the best ideas are yet to be heard. This is perhaps just a step in the right direction — it makes us a little more efficient and creates jobs in the meantime. There is even something for our generous government in all of this. Congress could make this a law and could provide grants to all the companies that need to update their systems and products. To me the biggest obstacle is that County Road 500 South will now be known as County Road 804 South, but that’s for someone else to figure out. After all, I’m just a software guy.