I believe he was referring to mixing metric and imperial units, not mass vs. volume.

I agree. If anyone can decide what is acceptable, it would have to be those that were victimized. I don't see it as satirical or ironic, more of as a celebration. Not only did he survive, but it looks to me like he didn't let it prevent him from enjoying life, either.

Not sure what I did to screw up that second link, but here it is again: Finding the Andromeda Galaxy

How about the Orion Nebula, which you can see with the naked eye, even with a good bit of light pollution. And mayby the Andromeda Galaxy, which you can also see with the naked eye if there isn't much light pollution, and can easily be seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

IAAAA (I am an amateur astronomer) and yes, you want the equipment at the same temp as the surrounding air. Otherwise, the equipment will create a local air current, which would cause optical distortions.