196

You might have confused metric time (which is basically just seconds, the SI unit for measuring time) with decimal time, a way of keeping time that's more in line with the base-10 numbering system.

(Yes I found out about this just now)

You mean Swatch Internet Time?

I’ve always assumed it’s because of the usefulness in its divisibility, with 60 able to be subdivided evenly in halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, and sixths, and because 24 is just 12x2 and 60 is just 12x5, that remains the case (save for fifths) for all subdivisions of the day in its 60/60/24 configuration.

My guess is that it’s simply an issue of working with something like a day, defined by cosmic forces rather than human sensibilities or control, where you don’t always get something that can be decimalized and still have useful units of time. I’ve done zero research on the actual reason, though, so that’s just a guess.

Also im aware that base is not the proper term in this case since the base is still 10, but I have not idea how you would call the switch to the bigger unit treshhold

Actually "base" is entirely the correct term in this case. The first group to write down a really systematic method for timekeeping were the Sumerians, and they used base-60 math. This worked really well with solar and lunar cycles, which were important for crop planting, and with astronomical studies (mapping the stars had major applications for both navigation and religion, so it was culturally significant). Empires that came after the Sumerians copied and expanded their system, so it eventually spread to everyone.

There was an attempt to convert to decimal and use 100 minutes in an hour, but this failed and it was reverted back. https://somethingmarvelousblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/the-best-of-time-the-worst-of-time-the-failed-french-experiment-of-decimal-time/

People like give shit to the US for not using the metric system ("you have 12 inches in a foot and 5,280 feet in a mile? how do you even remember that?") but see no irony in using a random ass base for time ("it's easy you just have 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day.")

According to this article it comes from the first sundials used by the ancient Egyptians which divided the day up into 12 equal parts and then the night being divided up into 12 equal parts from the movement of 12 particular stars.

The the Babylonians were the ones who divided those 24 hours up into 60s thanks to their numbering system being base 60.

And then it just sort of stuck? The only large scale attempt to shift to a different numbering system for time and dates was in revolutionary France but it never really expanded beyond that and once the railways and telegraph required a standardised system of time internationally and things became fixed where we are now.

It comes from the ancient Summerians (through the not-quite-as-ancient Babylonians) directly from their use of base 60 (for some things - they used 10 and 12 for others). So I think you're good.

So you're saying they accept up to 99 in the seconds place when typed in but go from 2:00 to 1:59? (I don't have a digital microwave at home)

Tap into the button wiring in the control panel (if you're qualified!). Maybe you'll be able to type FF (hexadecimal) seconds, resulting in cooking time of 150+15=165 seconds!

Now seriously, a big portion of BCD (binary-counting-decimal) equipment is actually binary-to-hexadecimal but the counter is expected to reset before reaching A. Sometimes it doesn't:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvZgfj0_hJU&t=86

Another video, super compressed, by me, shot on a feature phone:

You also see it go to 3 st 14 lb, which should not be possible because it's suppoded to show 4 st 0 lb at that point. (I use kilograms, I was just wondering what the switch in the battery compartment does.) I originally thought the ASIC inside would be a kind of microcontroller stripped down to what's needed: CPU (8- or even 4-bit, likely von Neumann) with a few registers (hard to call that RAM), (EE?)PROM for the program and calibration data (there's a pair of pins labeled "CAL" for a jumper or serial interface; I won't mess with them), 1:4 multiplexed LCD driver, digital input (not even GPIO) pins for the unit switch and calibration interface, differential amplifier and A/D converter, plus some support circuitry like an RC oscillator for the CPU clock, charge pump for the LCD, low battery voltage detector and sleep/wake circuit for power saving. This could enable the same ASIC to be used in personal and kitchen scales, maybe even pressure gauges, thermometers or more, just with a different program, LCD and external components. However, now I see that there is likely no CPU because doing the math in software would make such errors impossible. So there's most likely a hardwired logic system with hardware counters (just a little more complex than those cheap 3½-digit multimeters), binary-to-hex-7seg-digit converters and a flaky analog threshold system in the st:lb mode (the kg mode is a robust 1500-count decimal counter).

It’s just the way microwaves are programmed. Same reason 99 cooks longer than 100. It interprets a 100, 200, etc as minutes. I think most microwaves handle anything over 100 as minute + seconds, treating it like it had a : in there.

More people to understand and internalize this idea.

There's nothing wrong with ignorance. It's refusing to recognize and correct ignorance that's the problem.

I tried 190. Its counts down 90 seconds to 1:00 before rolling over to 0:59.
190 is 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

I've also tried 0 and it just beeps.

I used to have an old digital 24h clock and one time I was watching close to midnight. It went from 23:58 to 23:59, then a minute later 24:00 blinked for a second before it went to 0:00.

Honestly it's a nice feature.

I have a thing that takes 45 seconds to warm. I take two of them, type in 90 and it just works!

Of course that breaks down if I take four of them and type in 180, but meh. Worst case is that it'll be a little cold.

No, it's not.

Scary is the guy who can form babby, and drive and own a gun, who is also absolutely and completely convinced that they are right about everything.

Remmy P is not the problem, because Remmy P encountered a situation where their poor information didn't mesh with reality and immediately stopped and asked for help. Remmy P is learning. Remmy P recognizes their ignorance.

There are people with PhDs who do not have this basic life skill.

Those people scare me. Remmy P just needs a little help.

Remember, everyone is a fucking idiot sometimes. Even (especially) smart people.

My favorite story about yahoo Answers is that I was a huge troll. Like, telling people the wrong thing in recipes, and certain things was interchangeable. All lies. And I don't know shit about food.

And worse, id get lots of Helpful reviews.

Then a decade later Yahoo Answers sent me a email saying that some of my answers were Abuse and would be banned.

So for 10 whole years, my lies were up?

Then the year after, yahoo answers was deactivated.

Yes it is? Did you read the post above?