Ten metric distancs on footpath signs in Lee Valley, near Broxbourne, and near Walthamstow, were today plated over with appropriate signs in Imperial, plus two '2.0m' car park height signs in the Park were converted to 6' 6".

Also today, a photographer from the Ham and High [the Hampstead and Highgate Gazette], Bridget Jones, took pictures of ARM supporters amending footpath signs in the Crouch End and Highgate areas and a sizeable article will probably appear in Friday's edition

Bridget's diary always gave her weight in stones & pounds!

Did anyone else notice that it was pounds only in the film - pandering to the US fashion?

One word - "money"

;-)

At least both Americans and Brits know what pounds are for personal weight. Few americans would know the step-up measure "stone" and very few Brits and Americans would be able to work with kilos for personal weight.

Think for a moment.

If Rene Zellweger had said (in her very believable [and I mean that] west london accent) "5 units of alcohol, lost 3 kilos" - how many sillhouettes of people scratching their head would you see?

A better question would be - is the dubbed version (for europeans, etc] in lbs or kilos?

By the way - thanks for jumping on the Bridget Jones joke before I got the chance!

hmmph!

<<<At least both Americans and Brits know what pounds are for personal weight. Few americans would know the step-up measure "stone" and very few Brits and Americans would be able to work with kilos for personal weight.>>>

I disagree.

far more Brits know kilos than pounds only. And I would guess more americans would know kilos than stone

You're telling me that adverts for slimming stuff, TV shows about weight loss, radio commentary about certain diets don't exclusively talk in terms of pounds?

Please! You surely can't believe that!

<<<You're telling me that adverts for slimming stuff, TV shows about weight loss, radio commentary about certain diets don't exclusively talk in terms of pounds?
>>>

Must admit I don't take much notice of that kind of stuff, but I've never heard a Brit refer to their weight in pounds only. I've heard plenty refer to it in kg.

"Plenty"

Come off it.

The only time I've come across kilos for body weight is at the gym where you might have to enter your weight in kilos into the stepper / bike machine etc.

And there's always a conversion scale handy.

The way it is is as follows...

People refer to their weight in st and lb

They tend to say weight loss (or gain) in lb (even above the st cut-off)

Outside the gym practically no-one uses kilos (and those in the gym will "go to stones" when they finish the gym so as to speak English with their family/peer group).

This can be proven by asking just 10 people how much they weigh (careful with the ladies).

To claim there are plenty of people frequently using kilos for body weight would be the same as saying I hear planty of people buying 2 quart bottles of coke.

Don't forget, Andy, we're the realists here! ;-)

<<<The only time I've come across kilos for body weight is at the gym where you might have to enter your weight in kilos into the stepper / bike machine etc.>>>

Lots of people go to gyms these days.

<<<This can be proven by asking just 10 people how much they weigh (careful with the ladies).>>>

The chances are that if you did this, all 10 would reply in stone/pounds. But there would be more chance of a kg answer than a just pounds answer - that was all I was saying.

<<Lots of people go to gyms these days.>>

1) Lots more don't
2) Some machines are imperial

<<The chances are that if you did this, all 10 would reply in stone/pounds. But there would be more chance of a kg answer than a just pounds answer - that was all I was saying.>>

I'm not sure.
You might be right. Or not.
Without looking like a right berk in the office I've no way of testing this!

<<far more Brits know kilos than pounds only. And I would guess more americans would know kilos than stone
>>

You are correct on the Americans, very few would know what a stone was. In fact, for Americans, you could use it as stealth test to detect those who have a serious (or even unhealthy) interest in metrology.

While both numbers would be minorities, I am guessing 10-30% of people would know a kilogram, and 1-3%, a stone.

I know it is 14 pounds and the explanation for your crazy "hundredweight" which isn't.

<<<I know it is 14 pounds and the explanation for your crazy "hundredweight" which isn't.>>>

You mean it isn't 100 stone?

Actually to be fair, no-one uses hundredweights in the UK.

Again - how do you know?

I've heard it being used (despite me thinking the way you did) in parlance.

Also I've seen some "CWT" signs.

Steve (re Bridget)

"A better question would be - is the dubbed version (for europeans, etc] in lbs or kilos?"

From memory, the weights appeared in the top left corner rather than being spoken. If they didn't change them from pounds to stones for the UK, I doubt they changed them to kilos for foreign-language versions

Only film titles seem to be changed (Harry Potter & the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone is the most high profile). Interestingly, the original "The Longest Yard" (The Burt Reynolds one) was renamed "The Mean Machine" for the UK - it was felt that no-one would understand the pun between "prison-yard" and the importance of measuring in US football.

Gotta agree with Andy - more UK citizens will know their weight in kilos than in pounds alone. There are plenty dual stones/metric bathroom scales (ie 8 stones=50kg) out there, but I've never seen a dual pounds/metric or a dual pounds/stones (ie 112lb=50kg or 112lb=8 stones)

But the vast majority will still use stones. (Cue Daniel & Tony suggesting that TSO's will seize every bathroom scale in the UK on 1/1/10!)

Andy

"Actually to be fair, no-one uses hundredweights in the UK."

I actually heard the word today in a conversation about buying bags of concrete 20 years ago!

<<
But the vast majority will still use stones. (Cue Daniel & Tony suggesting that TSO's will seize every bathroom scale in the UK on 1/1/10!)
>>

They won't - bathroom scals are not used for commercial, public health, public administration or public safety purposes.

Berenger - do you want to tell him or me?

---------------------

My scales only show st/lb as they are LCD.
There is probably a switch somewhere but I haven't checked.
It also works out your BMI *PROPERLY*
You put your sex in, then your height and then step on to the contacts in bare feet.
Based upon this is calculates electrical resistance thru your body by sending a tiny charge ( you can't feel it) up one leg and down the other.

This dispenses with the notion that if you are a body builder you are obese (with the simple calulation method of BMI) as it takes into consideration Fat vs Water vs Meat (muscle)

<<You put your sex in>>

Please no obvious gags!

That must be a very "satisfying" scale to use. :)

<<<There is probably a switch somewhere but I haven't checked.>>>

well if your scales show stones/pounds then there is obviously a switch somewhere...

It might not be accesible to the user! I'll have to check.

Don't forget the only place where st/lb will get used is the UK, carribean and (apparently) New Zealand (don't know about canada). Thus they might ship those units like that to those countries.

And that would explain why they come already set to st/lb (unless some poor sod has picked the worse job in the world at the UK packageing plant).

Either that or you are "pulling a Danny"

Hey! I've invented a new verb!

We were probably a bad influence on Canadians. I have never heard one use the word in connection with weight. (Mostly a verb, relative to a "certain grass" they grow in BC).

I believe commercially, they use to use a 100 lb hundredweight, which largely precludes using stones.

<<<It might not be accesible to the user! I'll have to check.>>>

I cannot imagine you can buy a set of scales anywhere that cannot be switched to metric with the flick of a switch. Foreigners or foreign-born people buy scales in Britain as well you know.

Usually when a country uses a measurement that is not the norm, the international standard is there as well. But where the international standard is the norm that may be the only option (eg speedometers)

BTW New Zealand use kilos.

Not according to a pro-metric writer.

Australia tend to use feet/in for height and kilos (not kilogrammes, Danny) for weight whereas NZ'ers use ft/in and st/lb. Why? I don't care enough to find out.

Not on a Friday, anyway - what with a pint at the local with my name written all over it. (or if you were to believe one USMA poster - a glass of froth with some beer beneath it!!!)

<<<Not according to a pro-metric writer.>>>

Obviously one who had never been there then.

<<<Australia tend to use feet/in for height and kilos (not kilogrammes, Danny) for weight whereas NZ'ers use ft/in and st/lb. Why? I don't care enough to find out.>>>

Australians and NZers do not TEND to use ft/in for height. Some older people do, and most younger people will have a rough idea of heights in ft/in due to British/American influences. Metres are the usual though as are kilos for weight in both countries.

I can only go on what I have read from a pro-metric perspective on australia and new zealand. Which seems to be an odd position to find myself in .

Regards height - I have worked with loads of *young* southern hemispherials and the ONLY one's to declare their height in metric were the South Africans.

Something to make Martin happy on a Friday afternoon ;-)

<<<I can only go on what I have read from a pro-metric perspective on australia and new zealand.>>>

I can go on spending 3 years there (2 in Oz, 1 in NZ)

<<<Regards height - I have worked with loads of *young* southern hemispherials and the ONLY one's to declare their height in metric were the South Africans.>>>

as I said, ft/in is understood as well and if living over here they would switch over easily enough for heights. Less so for weight.

BTW, I have worked with loads of people and I'm struggling to remember anyone of any nationality declaring their height ;-)

It was always a topic of conversation at Diageo as one Aussie was just short of 7 ft tall.

Oh and he loved the subject coming up over and over again ;-)