MikeForsythe 0 #1 January 16, 2008 This is too true to be very funny. The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the politician spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were a living in caves. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division . . Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number. What does it mean? A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you A. each get $516,528. B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787 for repairs. C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??Time and pressure will always show you who a person really is! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #2 January 16, 2008 Depends if you are talking an American Billion (10^wrong) or a PROPER one 10^12 (Million, Million) (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #3 January 16, 2008 A thousand millions. A 1 with 9 zeros after it. Next question please. I'll take Scales & Context for $500 Bob." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #4 January 16, 2008 So your not as smart as a 10 year old (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #5 January 16, 2008 It's a lot.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #6 January 16, 2008 And don't forget the class action suit the New Orleans people are suing the feds with for $3 quadrillion over the Katrina debacle. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #7 January 16, 2008 Quote I'll take Scales & Context for $500 Bob. Make up your mind; is it $500 or 500bob? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #8 January 16, 2008 Quote So your not as smart as a 10 year old Am too. But honestly, I don't get it. And Bob is the host's name. You see it's a game show thing; the category is Scales & Context (a particularly tough one for those that have problems with things like, . . . scale and context). Anyway, I've just answered to what a billion is, and am asking for the $500 question in the same category. The person I'm asking is the host, Bob. You're turn." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #9 January 16, 2008 << I've just answered to what a billion is, and am asking for the $500 question >> Agh, but you got the question wrong so dont get another question.. P.S : "Are you Smarter than a 10 year old" - is also a quiz show. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #10 January 16, 2008 But seriously; difficulty with comprehension of scale is relative. If it is a scale a person work's with or thinks about regularly, it's no big deal. Sun to Earth distance in miles is almost 10% of a billion, so a billion starts to become not so difficult to identify with if you happen to even casually think about things astronomical on a regular basis. Even a trillion miles is only about 1/6th of a light year, or about 4% of the distance to the nearest star. On a cosmic scale, that's not even out of the back yard yet. Funny aside - A friend was in a motorcycle accident and took a bad rap on the head. Ended up with some permanent damage that manifested itself in strange ways. One is trouble with scale and units. He gets them completely mixed up, and doesn't know it. So I'm visiting in the Bay area and he's telling me the rules on buildings and ends a sentence with " . . . and that is why they only build them 2" tall." I was doing his taxes and he kept making statements where he was off by an order of magnitude. He was getting a $7K refund on $150K adjusted income and he kept arguing with me that his bottom line should be a $70K refund. I should have let the stubborn shit send it in that way.As for that Katrina lawsuit; I'm too lazy to crunch the numbers right now, but is there that much cash on Earth? I think it would be close, and if so, they are basically suing to own all the money in the world. Funny. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #11 January 16, 2008 I saw part of the TV show, where people get help from elementary school age kids to questions from 1st thru 5th grade exams - or something like that. I did not like it, because I think it is staged in that they go looking for stupid people. If they grabbed people at random it might come off as more genuine; but they are obviously playing to people's needs to see others making fools of themselves on TV. I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous the questions they miss. I could count on one hand how many people I've met that are that dumb, and they seem to find them in droves. So it is either faked, or they prescreen to make sure they get one dufus after another. And I still so not see where I was wrong on the billion. A 1 and 9 zeros. I even thought I might have brain farted and did it on paper. Muttering to self: 1, 2, 3 - that's hundreds; 4, 5, 6 - that's thousands; 7, 8, 9 - that's millions, next place is a billion. Hmmmmm, what am I missing. 1, 2, 3 - that's hundreds; 4, 5, 6 - that's . . . . No, I'm not very busy today." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #12 January 16, 2008 Love the muttering stuf..... but a Billion (A million, million) has12 zeros in the U.K - that's all I was saying. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #13 January 16, 2008 Quote..... but a Billion (A million, million) has12 zeros in the U.K - that's all I was saying. .... and on the same theme (you not getting the inside British stuff) bob is slang for pounds (or is it Guinneys?) in some quarters of UK. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #14 January 16, 2008 Nope, A Bob was a Shilling and Guinea was £1 1shilling (21 Shillings).... in Old (pre-decimal : Lsd) money. P.S a Guinea was mused at sales and auctions... The Buyter paid in Guineas and the Seller received the same number in Pounds... the remainder went to the Sales House (commission) (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #15 January 16, 2008 QuoteNope, A Bob was a Shilling and Guinea was £1 1shilling (21 Shillings).... in Old (pre-decimal : Lsd) money. P.S a Guinea was mused at sales and auctions... The Buyter paid in Guineas and the Seller received the same number in Pounds... the remainder went to the Sales House (commission) Ahh, so a bob would get me 6 gil of good whiskey then? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #16 January 16, 2008 Haaaaa not this side of hell freezing over. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnskydiver688 0 #17 January 16, 2008 Which side of MI are you?Sky Canyon Wingsuiters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #18 January 16, 2008 Sweet - what a cool name for a town (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #19 January 16, 2008 QuoteLove the muttering stuf..... but a Billion (A million, million) has12 zeros in the U.K - that's all I was saying. That's a trillion, not a billion. 1,000,000 < million 1,000,000,000 < billion 1,000,000,000,000 < trillionMike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #20 January 16, 2008 QuoteLouisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number. What does it mean? A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you A. each get $516,528. B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787 for repairs. C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. I think that there is more involved in rebuilding New Orleans than just rebuilding family homes or giving cash to residents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #21 January 16, 2008 Hi Mike, [shakes head] poor, poor Johnny forigner... even short changed in their maths. Now when/where I was at school a thousand is a hundred x a hundred a million is a thousand x a thousand a billion is a million x a million your Gallon is short and so is your Billion... you need to protest to you government. and to think, I thought that everything was BIGGER in the USof A (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #22 January 16, 2008 `American' `British' 10^12 trillion billion 10^15 quadrillion thousand billion 10^18 quintillion trillion 10^21 sextillion thousand trillion 10^24 septillion quadrillion 10^27 octillion thousand quadrillion 10^30 nonillion quintillion 10^33 decillion thousand quintillion (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,257 #23 January 16, 2008 Quoteand to think, I thought that everythong was BIGGER in the USof A Every thong is bigger in the US. They got some fat ass women over there!Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douva 0 #24 January 16, 2008 Quote `American' `British' 10^12 trillion billion 10^15 quadrillion thousand billion 10^18 quintillion trillion 10^21 sextillion thousand trillion 10^24 septillion quadrillion 10^27 octillion thousand quadrillion 10^30 nonillion quintillion 10^33 decillion thousand quintillion I think the British system makes more sense, up to a point, but shouldn't it go: Million Thousand Million Billion Thousand Billion Million Billion Trillion Thousand Trillion Million Trillion Billion Trillion QuadrillionI don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douva 0 #25 January 16, 2008 QuoteA. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a billion seconds ago (assuming we're using the American definition), wasn't it 1976? If we're using the British definition of a billion, a billion seconds ago was (approximately) 29702 B.C.I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
