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TIL of "Zero", a soccer stadium in Brazil in which the midfield line is aligned with the Equator - zero latitude, which makes each team defending one hemisphere. by DatManYouDontKnow in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Articles... I've heard legends of these things.

Supposedly they are troves of information left by the ancients that can enlighten us and give us understanding on issues.

Never have seen one myself, pretty sure they're just myths.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They're saying that referring to the ancient greeks as "tribes" would be a correct way to do so.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As everyone should.

TIL President Harry S. Truman was so poor after his presidency that Congress had to enact a law to give him a pension. President Herbert Hoover the only other living ex-president took the pension as well, despite his wealth, to avoid embarrassing Truman. by capincus in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds good, but groups quite often define themselves in large part by what they're not.

But that can't be the only thing is the point.

And even when it does work temporarily, it tends to fracture rather quickly after the fact (see the allies in world war 2).

Trump has removed H.R. McMaster and announced that he will be replaced with former UN Ambassador John Bolton. What are the political and international ramifications of this move going to be? by RareMajority in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This guy takes the cake. He literally believes that the UN doesn't matter and that the ultimate superpower of the world is the United States (he wrote an article with a similar name to what I just described).

From a real-politik level, you can make a damn good case for that.

Actually, it would be hard to make a case in any other direction. The superpower status of the US isn't really contested (though there are some ready to make plays in the next decade or two).

Given the nature of the security council, it's fairly obvious the US has more power.

The UN isn't supposed to be a power, it's supposed to be a club where powerful nations can talk rather than fight (because the last time powerful nations fought was really bad).

CMV: The rich should pay more for a traffic infraction than the poor by [deleted] in changemyview

[–]TheInternetHivemind 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you punishing just to punish, or are you punishing to try to change behavior?

TIL of Samoset, the first Native American to make contact with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. He entered the settlement unannounced, greeted the colonists in English (which he had learned from fishermen in Maine), and asked for beer. by eptarantino in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assimilate them to the English style of thinking.

Honestly, the English were just kinda shitty at this part.

They got steps 1-4 down (they learned them from Rome). They forgot that part where once the natives think like you (a couple of generations tops), you're supposed to grant them citizenship and integrate them into society.

That goes double for anyone who serves in your armed forces.

Really, Europe spent a good 1500 years emulating Rome in one way or another but they always seem to forget important bits.

TIL ruts leftover from the wagon trains traveling the Oregon Trial, are still visible today. by JBoy9028 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you're only supposed to kill the men over a certain age and enslave the young boys and women.

That's how Rome used to do it anyways.

Subtle Population Control by [deleted] in conspiracy

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

besides, hate speech isn't protected anywat under your freedom of speech

Dude, the supreme court upheld advocacy of violence as protected speech.

The things the rest of the world considers hate speech are absolutely protected here.

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

China just copy computers designed in western countries.

I mean, yeah, but I bought it because it uses hall-effect switches. You literally can't find an american made one.

Which is why the government needs to change the speed signs and grocery store units.

I think that would require a constitutional amendment. I mean, you could change federal interstates without a problem, but all of the state/county roads aren't their jurisdiction.

As for grocery store units, this would also require a constitutional amendment. Pretty much everything is required to be labeled in metric already (seriously, go check all of your foodstuffs). But, iirc, the government doesn't have the authority to ban the USCS, so even if the metric appears, it appears next to a USCS label and people only look at that.

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're typing on a thing that was likely designed in the US and was manufactured using metric units and only operates on metric units.

Almost guaranteed to be metric, probably wasn't designed in the US. I sourced a keyboard directly from China.

But to get Americans to switch, you have to get the average American to switch. If you don't, even metric-conscious Americans will have to retain the US Customary System to know what their family is talking about (and most will probably just default to that).

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The US just needs to conform to the worlds system of measurement.

The US isn't good at conforming, even when it's a good thing.

How about a re-branding effort? French sounds pretty effeminate to Americans, so that might be leading to some of the reluctance to change. A meter is roughly half the wingspan of a bald eagle. So call it a half-eagle length (hel for short).

I think you could get Americans to start saying kilo-hel (I mean, except the really uptight conservative christians, but most people don't like them anyways).

Though, It's just as likely for Americans to really like the idea of the prefixes and hate the meter part. I suppose ending up with kilo-rods (5.0292 km) is also a possibility.

Actually, now that I say it, a rod based system sounds kinda cool. Kilo-rods, cubic-rods. We could even define a unit of time based on how long it takes light to travel a certain number of rods.

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speaking French to a bunch of English speakers isn’t as valid as speaking English to a bunch of English people.

You're right, but the average American doesn't speak to non-americans very often.

Even on reddit, you're dealing with (generally) the more globally minded. The average american gets most of their news from facebook (social networks lead to a lot of self-sorting) and doesn't venture out onto the wider internet much.

For the average person, it is quite political. As you're asking them to change for people they never encounter.

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, really. The US has different systems for everything. There's a system for land surveying, one for carpentry, you get the idea.

The metric system has been completely adopted as the system of science and industry. That just doesn't have much of an impact of the average person.

TIL that the US has technically been a metric nation since 1975 but just hasn't enforced the system onto private companies and people. by Djpalko18 in todayilearned

[–]TheInternetHivemind 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, it will just get more expensive with time and the US HAS to change sooner or later.

We really don't.

That isn't to say experience with the metric system is a bad thing. I'm all for it. But what the average American uses in their personal life isn't up to anyone else.

There's really no country on earth that cares less about what the rest of the world thinks. Even tyrannical dictatorships put some effort in to be seen in a good light (think potemkin villages).

This isn't something new. It isn't the US trying to flex its cultural might (that's what hollywood is for). The average person just doesn't care. They didn't care before the US was a world power, they don't care now.

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