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Re:Why is America stuck with bad headlights? by saalweachter on Tuesday August 04, 2020 @08:17AM (#24049177)
1/8th mile = 1 furlong.

Many short races, for feet or horses, that started way back when are some number of furlongs.

Re:Why is America stuck with bad headlights? by speeder on Tuesday August 04, 2020 @08:21AM (#24049198)
Now THAT is an interesting information, never heard of "furlongs" before!
Re:Why is America stuck with bad headlights? by saalweachter on Tuesday August 04, 2020 @10:46AM (#24050501)
It's a fantastic unit if you need to convert distances from metric to imperial, because 1 furlong = ~200 meters. So if you tell someone something is half a kilometer away and they ask what that is in imperial, you can quickly respond "2 1/2 furlongs".
Re:Why is America stuck with bad headlights? by HeyLaughingBoy on Tuesday August 04, 2020 @12:11PM (#24051371)
A furlong, the approximate distance that an average draft horse can pull a single-bottom plow before needing a rest, is my favorite measurement because it sounds so grounded in reality. It's just how long the furrow is.

Right next to the parsec, but only because of the Star Wars references :-)

Re:Why is America stuck with bad headlights? by wrycoder on Wednesday August 05, 2020 @07:43PM (#24066814)
Snails are rated in furlongs per fortnight.