# "We really don't like using numbers that were invented before 1980."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 20, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169 "2020-04-20T06:37:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169/1 "2020-04-20T06:37:29Z")

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My thread title is a wonderful quote Uncle Cecil used in one of his columns, but I lack the Google-fu to track it down properly. Does anybody remember the column in which this quote was used?

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**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169/2 "2020-04-27T22:10:35Z")

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Any chance you are misremembering? You used a variation of that quote:

> [@Horatio Hellpop](#):
>
> We really don’t like using numbers that were invented before 1972

in [a thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=523735) 11 years ago and attributed it to “one recent Math major”.

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169/3 "2020-04-28T03:21:33Z")

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I thought I was quoting a Straight Dope column back then, too.

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169/4 "2020-04-29T14:34:10Z")

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You make me wonder if I can dig up my old ASVAB scores. . . Hrm. . .

Trip

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**Author:** ![Mia\_Martinez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Mia\_Martinez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mia_Martinez)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-really-dont-like-using-numbers-that-were-invented-before-1980/852169/5 "2020-04-29T18:13:31Z")

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hmmm … interesting. I really don’t like to use anything but the metric system, haha