I recently found out Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Mario and Zelda) likes to carry a tape measure around with him, guess how big things are, and measure them to check how close he was
I've started doing the same thing and it's a lot of fun 📏
go over it with an erasable white board marker and then wipe it down. should work on that surface.
Wanted to recommend the same. Something I learned on the job and it has saved me and some colleagues a few times.
Instructions unclear. Penis now covered in white board marker.
Or just cut out the middleman and use isopropyl alcohol, which is what you're doing with the marker anyway, but without adding the extra ink.
Basically the same stuff as that whiteboard cleaning fluid.
I was with a friend at Home Depot and I asked if he thought a piece of wood I was holding was a foot long.
Friend: Let me just whip it out real fast.
Me: What are you going to do? Measure it 12 times?
That was 20 years ago and we still laugh about it today.
Hahaha. Good one. I don't often come up with something as good as quickly. Good skill.
What were they measuring? Is this for things he was good at guessing versus would often have trouble?
eh. just leave it. Tell anyone that asked that you found the tape measure, and what kind of man would throw away a free tape measure.
I have a small keychain laser measurer that I originally bought to use when calculating focal distance with manual camera lenses.
But I find I'm often whipping it out to randomly check how far away I am from random things.
It's oddly very fun.
I lied....in my brain it feels smaller than it is because ive gotten used to it. But now that I actively look at it again, "keychain" sized is a bit of a stretch.
Although I do use it on my keychain, so maybe ive just gotten accustomed to it.
Once I manage to stop hitting the snooze button and crawl my lazy ass out of bed I'll take a photo of it. I bought mine at Canadian Tire. Should be similar in any hardware stores.
I did the same thing lol trying to learn how to hyperfocus, now i keep it at work in my tray of knick knacks and every time someone sees it they start measuring and guessing and don't believe things are certain distances
Adam Savage has a tattoo for that.
Calibrating that thing is a pain.
He's said that even years later it has held up remarkably well. Obviously not millimetre precision, but enough to measure bolt sizes and such.
Edit: I know you said it tongue in cheek, but just an FYI for anyone curious
Username checks out
9 inches! Ialreadymeasuredyoudonthavetocheck...
That sounds like a common phallicy.
I did the reverse. I went into the hardware store to buy some chain. As it has to be cut, it is not self-service, I told the Lady that I need this much chain and held my hands apart, and added "50cm". She said "Hold it", took her tape, and measured the distance between my palms. It was exactly 50cm.
Same at the butchers. "I take that piece, it should be 800g." Scale: 802g
Is that a DC or Marvel Superpower? Introducing…THE ESTIMATOR!
If the ability to measure with millimetre accuracy without tools were a superpower, there would be two types of people: those who’d hardly notice it, and those for whom it would be life-changing.
Were you really good at the bookfair games where you win a prize for guessing how many marbles are in a jar
Not really.
Whether software, electrical, aerospace, or civil… engineer gonna engineer.
You left out the two most important types, Passenger and Freight
The great thing about carrying a purse is that I can have a tape measure and small flashlight wherever i am. and a mushed up granola bar "for emergencies." and so on. can never find a damn pen, though.
Schrodingers little known side hustle was to make pens.
You'll get good at estimating lengths fast doing that, the feedback loop works. Do the same thing with scales for weights. Do the same thing with wrist watch/timer for durations. Pretty soon you get a nickname from your wife 'master of time and space'
For all the good it does ya in the bedroom. ;p
My hands are exactly 6 inches long from the base of the palm to the tip of my middle finger. I use them to measure things all the time. Very handy.
🤔
They may be inconveniently small, but at least there's the one thing going for them.
Just when I didn't think that it was possible to like this guy more.
And when he’s depressed he resorts to desperate measures.
I’m a carpenter. We love to do that too.
Ditto, I've always got one with me anyway, now it's for fun as well as work
That does actually sound like it would be neat to do. I don't understand why ... but it does.
I have a tiny 3ft tape measure on my keychain for similar reasons. It's so handy!
A man with a good sense of scale.
so sexy 😍
Thats sincerely such a silly fun fact, thank you for sharing 😂
Pleb, all of the real metrologists like me measure their forearms and fingers to use as measuring devices. Bonus if your forearm is an actual cubit.
"Yep, feels like 16'C today. Write it down, and do the forecast lads"
I just like to answer my boss is strange measurements. What's the wheelbase on that vehicle? Oh that's 26 hands boss man.
My foot is a cubit. My cubit is a yard, if you know what I'm saying. Yeah, you know, you know.
Make sure you use class 1 measure tape because you might be right but the device you're using is not precise.
I worked for a bit as a high end roofer (USA), this is the first I'm hearing about different classes of measuring tape. We always used Stanley fatmax tapes, and so did just about every carpenter we worked with. I wonder how accurate that tape is?
I assume it was pretty accurate because we would always fuck with the new guys when they drew a cut line and asked what side of the line your supposed to cut from.
Stanley doesnt have class 1 measuring tapes, theyre all class 2
Class 2 is enough for a roofer.
A metal worker or machinist might require that extra bit of accuracy.
But generally, everyone that claims they're a professional should get a class 1, even if class 2 is accurate enough for most work.
That's fucking with people? Maybe in roofers' world it's good enough, but kerf matters!
Noted
I carry a rolled up 1m paper tape from IKEA as well as miniature plastic vernier caliper in my purse! They are super handy and lightweight, highly recommended.
4"!
Standing ?
Flacid laying down
If you realllly get into it. Or if you're into plant ID: you can tattoo a little ruler onto your hand. e.g., along your index finger. Makes it easy to get pictures of plants to scale. The tattoo will eventually get a little inaccurate, but still seems like a good point of reference.
Adam savage has a ruler tattoo on his arm.
I have a leather bracelet that is a measuring tape when I remove it. Super handy.
It has gone out of whack by about a 16th of an inch over the last 5 years, but still very helpful for measurement that don't need a lot of accuracy.
All slap bracelets are also measuring tape.
📏 hum... I thought so.
I have no problem with this whatsoever.
My stepmother does this with trees. She'll see a tree with a wide trunk and guess how old it is, then measure it and look up how old it's likely to be based on its circumference.
He already uses that tie. Also, he already earned his weirdness.
It's five inches. Always, only five inches.
We need more Zelda’s. But this time make them good instead of hot trash like last two versions.
Well that's an hot take...