Generous start mean I have cheat in size my length?
It does look like you're pushing the ruler in a bit and the angle you're taking the picture from isn't to down but its a pretty honest measurment.
About 7 inches give or take 1/4 inch depending on camera angle and how much you're pushing the ruler it.
@tacis178
Yes in that pic the ruler is pushed in a tiny bit but its pretty negligible and as others said the zero point is still visible.
Its far more accurate than the soft tape measurement which is off by about an inch maybe more.