you've got a point with the cake. I've pretty much given up on arguing this though. I grew up in Germany, so I'm used to the metric measurement system. I find it much easier and much more logical to use.

As for the time measurement, I guess we are just so used to hours now, which I totally agree make no sense at all. Isn't there a swatch internet time? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time

About weight, I really don't care what it is derived from, as long as I can easily convert it into bigger or smaller increments without crazy increments.

You didn't mention Temperature though. Again, I grew up with Celsius. As a human being I can very easily grasp Celsius. At 0 C water freezes, which also means my blood would freeze if I did nothing against it. At 100 Water gassifies, which means my skin would do so also :-)

The whole gallon being different in Canada and the US really bothers me. I drive a smart car [url]http://tr.im/xDH1 and the car mileage is 60+mpg, with the gallon being 3.8 litres (or whatever the US gallon is). Using the Canadian gallon it's more like 70+mpg, but hold on, why are you asking about mpg here? Shouldn't it be kmpg (kilometers per gallon), and then which gallon do you refer to if you are asking about an American length measurement? ... Rrriiight, it consumes 3.5 liters / 100 km. Now we are getting somewhere. :-)

Cheers, Hans

Wow! You are right. I didn't know about swatch/internet time. I guess it didn't gain much traction, but changes of this sort likely take decades, or centuries to be implemented.

You are certainly right about the translation time for weights, greater or lesser. Logical of course, just not too interesting. I would have to concur that stones and hands as units of measure, while quaint, and reeking of history, are better relegated to history.

On temperature, I guess it depends on what you are raised with. 32 degrees seems perfect for water freezing, but then I have always lived with that number. And zero degrees is the indicator of serious cold. Below 32, but above zero, is cold; while below zero, is very cold. We start to pay attention when the temps get below zero. In Chicago, on a sunny end of winter day, 32 degrees can seem balmy.

And there are so many similar and slightly different measures- knots and miles/hr, tons and metric tons,

A meter seems too large a measurement to describe the size of many things, and the centimeter too small. A foot is a useful, human scale measure.

Hmm, gets confusing. Perhaps one day we will have metric time, metric dates, and metric cake cutting and a metric version of a dozen donuts.

maybe we should invent a device that cuts a cake metrically ;-) (I'm usually one for making the world easier and that would really not be the case I assume)

with such an inventive mind, you should be creating innovative products for the school goods category, sorely in need of fresh, fun, inventive products.
There is a reason and rationale for 60 minutes in an hours, and 24 hrs in a day, 360 degrees in a circle, although each may one day be metricized.
But I think much of the world might like metric cake cutters, except that you always have to have 10 pieces.