Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

“They say it was half the size of fucking giraffe!”

“Do they mean horizontally or vertically?”

Bubblecar said:

“They say it was half the size of fucking giraffe!”

“Do they mean horizontally or vertically?”

I believe they always fuck in a vertical position, but I’m no expert on these things.

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Cymek said:

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Or they could be taking the piss using such a silly measurement.

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

Cymek said:

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Or they could be taking the piss using such a silly measurement.

Like this guy and his study of Uranus

https://www.boredpanda.com/uranus-funny-headline-news-reports-rob-waugh/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

The demi-giraffe is the accepted unit, as you should well know.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

There are no giraffes in Au. I find it culturally insensitive to use them as a unit of measurement.

Wonder how long it was out there floating in space before colliding with Earth.

Bubblecar said:

Wonder how long it was out there floating in space before colliding with Earth.

About 15 million years ago.

Cymek said:

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Well, is it half of a Masai, Southern, Northern, or Reticulated giraffe?

If you’re going to talk about giraffes, you need to be specific.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Cymek said:

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

Don’t forget Eric!!!

captain_spalding said:

Cymek said:

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

It seems they assume people can better visualise it that way instead of actual measurements we use everyday

Well, is it half of a Masai, Southern, Northern, or Reticulated giraffe?

If you’re going to talk about giraffes, you need to be specific.

The Standard Astronomical Giraffe is defined as having a volume equal to that of two typical comets.

Otoh it’s always impressive when an impactor is detected before impact.

dv said:

Otoh it’s always impressive when an impactor is detected before impact.

and no doubt larger ones will be detected sooner. half a giraffe isn’t all that big in the cosmic scale.

Some alternative views

dv said:

Some alternative views

a stepladder???

Bogsnorkler said:

dv said:

Some alternative views

a stepladder???

It’s an orphan.

Bogsnorkler said:

dv said:

Some alternative views

a stepladder???

Maybe they meant stepmother.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Two grand pianos = one giraffe, or one stepladder.

Bogsnorkler said:

dv said:

Otoh it’s always impressive when an impactor is detected before impact.

and no doubt larger ones will be detected sooner. half a giraffe isn’t all that big in the cosmic scale.

Do we only detect the bright asteroids and the dark ones slip by

captain_spalding said:

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Two grand pianos = one giraffe, or one stepladder.

I think it’s very considerate of them to use common, everyday objects that we all have around the house as items of scale.

I mean of all the useless
…
You’ve just told the reader the width of this thing, albeit in archaic units. What extra value is there in comparing it to a stepladder, something that can exist in a wide range of dimensions and doesn’t have similar likely proportions to a space rock. Just don’t do it. Are editors asleep or is this actually a preferred style? “The perpetrator threw a 10 cm rock, about the size of the femur of some dinosaurs”.

Tamb said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bubblecar said:

Yes, I often imagine the size of this or that in relation to half a giraffe.

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

There are no giraffes in Au. I find it culturally insensitive to use them as a unit of measurement.

There are >0 giraffes in Australia. Or did you mean gold? There is probably golden giraffe ornaments, somewhere…

furious said:

Tamb said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

There are no giraffes in Au. I find it culturally insensitive to use them as a unit of measurement.

There are >0 giraffes in Australia. Or did you mean gold? There is probably golden giraffe ornaments, somewhere…

Perth zoo has a giraffe. I’ve seen it.

furious said:

Tamb said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Yep the half giraffe is common in academia as is the half life of atomic decay.
These units are only scoffed at by ill informed people on social media.

There are no giraffes in Au. I find it culturally insensitive to use them as a unit of measurement.

There are >0 giraffes in Australia. Or did you mean gold? There is probably golden giraffe ornaments, somewhere…

I see what you did there.

Tamb said:

furious said:

Tamb said:

There are no giraffes in Au. I find it culturally insensitive to use them as a unit of measurement.

There are >0 giraffes in Australia. Or did you mean gold? There is probably golden giraffe ornaments, somewhere…

I see what you did there.

What about an asteroid the size of King Kong’s first dump of the day

Thanks

dv said:

Thanks

OK

So, 2 sheets of paper = 10 paperclips = 1 Indiana bat.

Now, if i can work out how many Indiana bats = 1 grand piano (0.5 giraffe), then we’ll be well along to a comprehensive system of scale

dv said:

What’s that in giraffe eyelash equivalents?

dv said:

Thanks

By weight there are approximately 85,714 Indiana bats to one half a giraffe.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Thanks

By weight there are approximately 85,714 Indiana bats to one half a giraffe.

Which half?

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Thanks

By weight there are approximately 85,714 Indiana bats to one half a giraffe.

Which half?

Doesn’t matter, by weight.

Bubblecar said:

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

By weight there are approximately 85,714 Indiana bats to one half a giraffe.

Which half?

Doesn’t matter, by weight.

My comment wasn’t so weighty.

roughbarked said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

Thanks

By weight there are approximately 85,714 Indiana bats to one half a giraffe.

Which half?

following along so far: The half that fu_ks.

…which brings up the next logical question

dv said:

That’s funny…

dv said:

Fear not, it was only the size of 500 milligiraffes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10610491/Asteroid-half-size-giraffe-strikes-Earth-coast-Iceland.html

Why are these mfs so averse to using normal units of measurement in headlines?

Ta.

That all makes perfect sense.

Why strange units?
1. Using strange units generates much more publicity, good for newspaper readership.
2. If they say metres or feet, pounds or kg then the rest of the world will complain.
3. Fear of being sued for dispensing false information