> We've discussed this before, and I'm staunchly on the Imperial side of the argument, and I agree with the points you make.
>
> However, I think my primary reason for remaining a Imperialist Measurer is just because there are so many Metric advocates that seem to want to set up Metric Totalitarian Empires. It's not good enough that they like the metric system and use it, everyone else has to, too. They seem to have this deep-seated paranoid fear that somewhere, someone might be using the Imperial system. I'm just waiting for the Metric Inquisition to come wipe me out.

Give me a break. If you want to accuse metric advocates of paranoia, I'd read that paragraph again.

Having *any* standard of measurement means not having another standard. As Wolfspirit said earlier in this thread :"'forcing SI down people's throats' -- i.e., teaching our children to know metric and love it -- is basically the only way we'll get metric permanently into the North
American lifestyle diet." The society will impose one or the other system on us. Why do you have the right to be upset when you have to buy gas in liters, but I don't have that same right when I have to buy gas in gallons? How is it right that I had to learn the Imperial system in grade school, but wrong that my children may learn Metric? Every day, I am forced to use miles, gallons, feet, and inches. Why don't I have the right to scream and yell about "The EVIL Imperial system taking away my RIGHT to do calculations EASILY?"

>
> I don't get why the two systems are mutual exclusive. When I'm doing something that requires a great deal of conversion, the metric system suits me fine. If I'm doing something in the real world, bring on the Imperial units.
>
> Happily, my chosen field is free of the contention.

As are most specific fields. In the scientific community, no one uses the Imperial system unless they have to. People in their individual fields
can choose to use whatever system they wish. (In fact, some scientists use another system slightly different to the SI system called the cgs system)

>
> Heh. Thinking about it, they'd probably be considered Imperial units, because there's eight bits to a byte, not ten. I challenge metric Dictators everywhere to build a 10-bit computer and have it be as efficient and cost-effective as a computer built around powers of 2. Ha. :-P

When your 'metric Dictators' start advocating such a switch, then I'll get worried. Until then, I repeat my statement in the earlier paragraph.

Bal "if I'm posting, there's a 60% chance I'm ticked off about something" anthalus