Maybe she was home schooled.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by akcopnfbks:
I don't believe it's obsolete. My 12 & 8yo kids at home understand the concept of dozen. I think a more plausible explanation is that the nice young lady at the counter is dumb.

Or perhaps an immigrant from a place that uses the metric system.

flashguy

I wonder how eggs are usually packaged in countries that use the metric system. The nice thing about a package of a dozen is that 12 is evenly divisible by 2, 3, 4, or 6.

Mostly in sixes, but I have seen five-packs in France. Of course.

Yeah, it's the fractions that get them. Ever see a millennial trying to make change without a calculator or cash register? Pro tip: count your change twice.

"As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives..." Sorry kids, the answer is still the same.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: architect,

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
I can't FATHOM the lack of understand what half a dozen means.

People now-a-days lack general skills. It's sad, watching society slide downhill.
Cursive handwriting, basic mechanical skills, basic social skills... And the list goes on.

This newer generation is soo stuck in their cell phones, it's sad. One of the things I find funny is when they can't do something, then "Google it", which pretty much shows you how to do anything from tie your shoes to brain surgery- step by step - and they still can't preform a simple task.

Just asked my 11 yr old
How many in a dozen? Rapid response, 12
Half dozen? Slight pause, 6.

So, some still know it.

Are pay phone calls (if you can find one) still 2-bits?

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
Are pay phone calls (if you can find one) still 2-bits?

Only if you can find a pay phone.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by billpocz:
I used to work with a guy, when asked about the length of time a project would take, he would answer it with the units "furlongs per fortnight"...

Every damn time!

Well damn. Sounds like he should be retiring, or the environment is so disfunctional even a good answer would be useless. Or, he desn't know when to be funny, or he's a jerk. Good lord.

Out here in the north west Illinois farm country (weeds)

Pretty close to everyone ,young and old alike can dole you out a shit load of whatever.

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
Are pay phone calls (if you can find one) still 2-bits?

Really blow someone’s mind by telling them a bit is a 1/8 clipping of a Spanish coin or as the whole coin was known as a “piece of 8” since they were expected to be cut up to make change. 2 bits being a quarter obviously

alright, now that I have read all the appreciated responses - I gotta do it! Since I am gonna have to "refresh" some of the original "dirty half-dozen" pond inhabitants, I plan to tell the young Einstein that the mortality rate is so high that I will need a price on a gross of goldfish. (But be forewarned arfmel - if she has collapses from a brain aneurism, you are a co-conspirator!

(Maybe I should just tell her that dozens and half-dozens are base 12 mathematical calculations and that she will need to push the button on her cash register that allows her to switch over from her antiquated cash basis...)

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
Are pay phone calls (if you can find one) still 2-bits?

Only if you can find a pay phone.

flashguy

Was surprised to see one at the HEB fuel station in Conroe TX
And more surprised to see someone using it.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by akcopnfbks:
I don't believe it's obsolete. My 12 & 8yo kids at home understand the concept of dozen. I think a more plausible explanation is that the nice young lady at the counter is dumb.

Or perhaps an immigrant from a place that uses the metric system.

flashguy

True. I honestly overlooked this possibility. I was thinking about Gen Z in general, stereotypically.

quote:

Originally posted by akcopnfbks:
I don't believe it's obsolete. My 12 & 8yo kids at home understand the concept of dozen. I think a more plausible explanation is that the nice young lady at the counter is dumb.

I'll go with this. A dozen is a common concept. We buy eggs and donuts by the dozen, just for starters. I agree that she is not smart and has not been paying attention to the world.

I was buying cold cuts at the deli last week. THe kid was new, and had no ability to eyball how much a half a pound of salami was. He cut me 3/4 of a pound, and when he weighed it said, "It's a little over, do you want it?" I said, "That is a lot more than a little over, but I'll take it." This isn't the same as your girl, but . . .

quote:

I wonder how eggs are usually packaged in countries that use the metric system. The nice thing about a package of a dozen is that 12 is evenly divisible by 2, 3, 4, or 6.

I'm curious how helpful this is. Do you often have to divide your eggs equally?

As a Mechanical Engineer I have a fairly good grasp of Mathematics and I have always found the Imperial Measuring System distinctly Odd.

Think about it. We start with an inch and divided by increments of 2 or it's multiples. So we get 64ths's, 32's, 16th's, 8th's, quarters of halves. Then we take that inch and multiply it by 12 to get a Foot. Then take that Foot and multiply it by 3 to get a yard or by 5280 to get a Mile.

As a potential line from a Cheech and Chong comedy "I want some of what they were smoking" is probably reasonable.

To be blunt there is ZERO logic to the Imperial Measuring system. Good news is that it is extremely logical when compared to the Whitworth system, there a 1/16 spanner wrench measures 0.256 across the flats.