Need help with a Geeky unit converter

[jamesthegeek]

Hey science community. I need some help with a new app i just released called Geek Units. It's mainly a satirical app that takes normal currencies, lengths, times, etc. and converts them to fictional units like Galactic Credits, Zelda Rupees, Cubits, Trogan meters, etc. I've used a ton of regular units, but could use some really obscure units from science fiction, video games or any other little known, but interesting units. For example i use the little known unit the Smoot which was created with an MIT fraternity took to measuring the length of the bridge using a frat brother as the measuring stick. Anybody have any help for me?

[ewmon]

Unusual units of measure.

[jamesthegeek]

Thanks for the response Ewmon. I've already used most of the wikipedia units of measure. I've done a lot of research on my own and was wondering if people have really obscure units, either real or fictional for me to check out.

[ecoli]

Some ideas:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/a346/

http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/ramen/ramen2.html

[John Cuthber]

Monetary Units’. None. In fact, there are three freely convertible currencies in the universe, but the Altairian Dollar has recently collapsed, the Flainian Pobble Bead is only exchangeable for other Flainian Pobble Beads, and the Triganic Pu doesn’t really count as money. It’s exchange rate of six Ningis to one Pu is simple, but since a Ningi is a triangular rubber coin six-thousand, eight-hundred miles long each side, no one has ever collected enough to own one Pu. Niginis are not negotiable currency because the Galactic Banks refuse to deal in fiddling small change. From this Basic premise it’s very simple to prove that the Galactic Banks are also the products of a deranged imagination.

 

from

http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/THHGTTG/THHGTTGradio5.htm

[Klaynos]

Pirtch and rods. My dad is very fond of them...

[ewmon]

ertsac (sing ERT-sack, plural ERT-sacks)

Enough Room To Swing A Cat

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) recently issued the official value for this unit of volume. The largest nominal stature of a person was set at 6.5 feet, with the width of the extended arms the same. This gives one arm’s extension from the center of the body at 3.25 feet. The length of a "fully extended uncooperating cat" (this is NIST's official terminology), including the claws of its front paws was set at, strangely enough, 3.25 feet also. With the nominal length of overlap of the hand and tail being 0.5 feet, this gives the radius of a sphere of 6 feet even (3.25+3.25–0.5 = 6.0 feet). Using the equation for the volume of a sphere, this yields a volume of an ertsac to be 904.778684 cubic feet. NIST warns the public that attempting to confirm this measurement at home, without proper training and protective clothing, can result in serious injuries.

 

bomh (sing BOWM, plural BOWMZ)

Back Of My Hand

We need to be able to distinguish either of our hands from every other living person’s hands. The maximum reasonable carrying capacity of the Earth is about 16 billion humans, and almost everyone has two hands, so we’re talking about 32 billion hands. Rounding up, NIST set a bomh equal to 2³⁵, which equals almost 35 billion.

 

qaab (sing kab, plural kabz)

Quick As A Bunny

Most people don’t realize that (because I just made this up) quickness is a matter of time, and for bunnies, this means running at full speed in front of a person (arms’ breadth = 6.5 feet, see ertsac above) without the person grabbing hold of it. Quick bunnies require an entire hand (0.5 feet, see ertsac above) to grab it, so it’s the time it takes a quick bunny to transit 8.75 feet (3.25+6.5–0.5–0.5 - 8.75). NIST relied on Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia’s 45 mph (66 fps) for jackrabbits. This results in a qaab of 8.75/66 seconds or 0.132576 seconds. As you can see, this is quick indeed.

 

Other information on units is available at hypertextbook.com/facts/.

[John Cuthber]

I see that the barn yard atmosphere isn't on WIKI's list of units of energy .

[ewmon]

A blue moon ~ 2.7143 years.

[Appolinaria]

Wow, fail. I thought SFN was geekier than that.

[jamesthegeek]

Some great suggestions so far. Hey Ewmon, you want me to put in your QAAB? I can give you credit in the app, either by your screen name or personal name if you want. Keep those suggestions coming. THANKS AGAIN.

[ewmon]

Some great suggestions so far. Hey Ewmon, you want me to put in your QAAB? I can give you credit in the app, either by your screen name or personal name if you want. Keep those suggestions coming. THANKS AGAIN.

Nawh, no credit needed.