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back to article Huge Antarctic iceberg: 1 Singapore? 8 Manhattans? This is CHAOS

The Register's standards soviet is today calling for an international symposium of iceberg experts and builders with really, really long tape measures to settle once and for all just how to quantify titanic Titanic-busting ice mountains. In a report this week on a massive lump which has detached itself from Antarctica's Pine …

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  1. jake Silver badge

    "Singapore-sized iceberg menaces Berlin"

    Uh ... logistics suggest this is just plain silly.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I suggest we revert to this universally recognised imperial standard the "Jug o' Pimms" - of much greater use than the continental "Jug o' Sangria" - and both roughly equivalent to 12 standard ice cubes.

    With this it is then easy to see that the "Singapore" iceberg at 60.5 billion "Jug o Pimms" would barely cover the average british summer consumption !

    So what's the big deal :-)

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    1. VinceH
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      Optional

      "I suggest we revert to this universally recognised imperial standard the "Jug o' Pimms" - of much greater use than the continental "Jug o' Sangria" - and both roughly equivalent to 12 standard ice cubes."

      Might I suggest we shorten that to just 'jugs'?

      "With this it is then easy to see that the "Singapore" iceberg at 60.5 billion "Jug o Pimms" would barely cover the average british summer consumption !"

      Which therefore makes that 60.5 gigajugs.

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      1. frank ly
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        Re: Optional

        I live in fear of the TeraJug. It will come one day.

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        1. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Optional @ frank ly

          When it comes to jugs, bigger is better.

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          1. therealmav
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            Re: Optional @ frank ly

            >When it comes to jugs, bigger is better.

            Au contraire. More than a handful is a waste.

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    2. Wzrd1 Silver badge
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      Blather. It's a fuckton.

      A fuckton should be redirected by a multi-national force to desert and drought stricken regions immediately.

      We have the technology, the capability, but too much stupidity to permit it to happen.

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  3. Gavin Jamie
    Go

    Islands only

    I would propose that only islands are used when discussing floating structures. There is a much better sense of boundaries. It has already been commented that there is little chance of seeing an iceberg and Berlin in close juxtaposition. It is easier to visualise, and indeed define islands.

    Whilst Manhattan and Singapore would both meet this criteria I would hope that the Reg would recognised the fine and honourable traditional UK measurement of the Isle of Wight https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=%22size%20of%20the%20isle%20of%20wight%22

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    1. WraithCadmus
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      Re: Islands only

      So if the Isle of Wight is the unit of floating measurement to compliment the Wales, what would be the European version to compliment the Belgium?

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      1. Yesnomaybe
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        Re: Islands only

        Even using islands might be a little difficult, it doesn't really work unless you compare with other bits of ice. So if we could measure things in Greenlands (Nano-Greenland, Pico-Greenland and so on)

        I don't think using the south pole would be a good idea, as it could be too variable if global warming kicks in properly. We would have been stuffed if we had decided, say 30 years ago, to use "Average North Poles"

        In my opinion, Greenland is best.

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    2. John 98
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      Confused - how many double deck buses in an IoW?

      And the debate appears to lack rigour - cubic buses as per the Pimms standard or square buses as in Singapores (which I understand is almost flat - ignoring sky scrapers, of course)

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    3. Pen-y-gors
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      Re: Islands only

      Fair point, so for consistency should islands be measured in Angleseys (Ynys Môn)? 1 Môn = 34.36 mCy (milli-Wales)

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You can't use berlin

    Berlin just kind of fades away at the edges, it's size is purely subjective.

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  5. anon1966
    Happy

    I'm a big fan of the "Belgium"

    It's twice the size of a Yorkshire and at 30,528 km2 is a good days worth of Arctic Sea Ice growth at this time of year.

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Tasmania

    if only for all the "map of Tassie" jokes.

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  7. Martin Budden Silver badge

    Pine?

    Pine Island Glacier is named after Pine Island Bay.

    Pine Island Bay is named after the USS Pine Island.

    USS Pine Island was named after Pine Island Sound.

    Pine Island Sound was named after Pine Island.

    Pine Island doesn't have pine trees.

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  8. Pen-y-gors

    It gets worse...

    Extract from another report about the berg "UK and US teams are monitoring the progress of the iceberg, which at 270 square miles in size is bigger than the Isle of Man."

    What sort of meaningless comparison is that? Australia is bigger than the Isle of Man as well, and an Australia-sized iceberg would be really worrying. It's as much use as saying 'bigger than Rockall', which is equally true, but doesn't really help.

    I think we need legislation to enforce the El Reg units of comparison.

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    1. Martin Budden Silver badge
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      Re: It gets worse...

      Rockall even looks like an iceberg, and Rockall is also much bigger under the surface.

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