I like the 'metric system'. I use it all the time, and whenever I have a choice in unit systems (for example the research projects that I direct), I use it.
But I can't stand the enforced metrification thought police. Expecially when one considers that most of the 'metric' units that the thought police try to enforce are _not_ proper units.
Kilometers per hour? Since when is the hour a metric unit?
Temperatures in Celsius? As completely arbitrary as Fahrenheit temperatures. A proper temperature scale is an absolute temperature scale!
Pressure in kilograms per square centimeter? Come on people; a kilogram is not even a unit of force!
_Weight_ in kilograms? Kilograms are a unit of _mass_. Weight is the interaction of gravity on mass. Weight is measured in units of _force_, and the correct unit is the Newton.
There are 4 or 5 different recognized 'metric systems', each with subtle differences in units. The thing that makes SI (the 'official' metric system) attractive is that it is a _self consistant_ system of units. This means that you get rid of a tremendous number of conversion factors in scientific equations. For example, if you measure potential in Volts, and current in Amps, you can simply multiply without conversion factors to get power in Watts. Take speed in radians per second, multiply by torque in Newton-meters, and again you get power in Watts. Take pressure in Pascals (Newtons per square meter), multiply by flow rate in cubic meters per second, and what do you get again: Watts. Try doing pump calculations where you need to convert pressure in PSI and volume in gallons per minute, and work back to amps going into your motor. SI makes that much easier.
But when I want a hunk o' cheese to eat, I have a feel for what I want, in the units of my childhood. I should be able to walk into a store and buy a quarter pound of cheese.
It seems perfectly reasonable to me to require that all pricing include unit pricing in the 'standard' unit, so that we have a nice 'lowest common denominator' for people not familiar with the local unit; the sign might say in big letters $14.99 per pound, and then in small letters $3.30 per 100g. But it seems totally unreasonable to me to prohibit the initial sales by the pound.
Makes me want to go out and start using terms like 'dodekagram' and 'heptameter', and anything else I can dream up that starts out as a metric base unit but divides it up into some factor of X (not 10) multiple. *grin*
By the way, 1 US Butt is 476.96 liters (at least for beer), and 1 Imperial Butt is 490.98 liters (for ale). The way I figure it, 1 Metric Buttload should be 500 liters exactly.
-Jon
