This Is A Light-Nanosecond!

less than 1m read

·Nov 10, 2024

I trimmed my beard yesterday, so I'm feeling a bit like a baby today. But look at the trimmings! Specifically this one that is 2.4 fortnits worth of beard growth. How do I know? Well, because of this tool I made. This about 5 years ago to free people from the tyranny of standard units. It measures in weird units like beard fortnits, the typical length of beard grows every 2 weeks.

It's also got light pico seconds, how far light travels in a trillionth of a second. If you didn't get one 5 years ago but you're subscribed much later this year, three boxes from now you'll get one in a special Legacy box we're making. The entire ruler is exactly one light nond long. This is how far light travels in a vacuum in 1 nond.

Everything I see from this distance, I'm seeing as it was a billionth of a second ago. It's a reminder that you live in the past because light has a finite speed. You do not see things as they are; you see the universe only as it was. Also, you're going nowhere if you fall asleep tonight in the same bed you woke up in this morning. Your average velocity for the day will be zero.

Dear 2022

Common Fuel Types and Uses | AP Environmental Science | Khan Academy

View All

ANNOUNCEMENT Smarter Every Day Podcast - "No Dumb Questions"

Hey, it’s me Destin, from Smarter Every Day. Welcome to the No Dumb Questions podcast. This is not Smarter Every Day. When I create videos for Smarter Every Day, I’m usually thinking by myself. Think of it like a creative work of mine. It’s an effort to e…

Top Ways Startups Waste Money

I’ll say this: if you want to get really good at firing vendors, hiring a PR agency is a great way to get your feet wet, right? Because I don’t know anyone that’s ever hired a PR agency that hasn’t fired PR agencies. [Music] Hello, this is Michael with H…

The Secret Life of Plants | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic

I’m looking at what you might call a classic National Geographic image. It’s a scene of one of the rainiest places on earth in its monsoon season. It’s somewhere deep in a rainforest. There’s a lush tapestry of thin brown tree trunks and rich green leaves…

The Gulf Stream Explained

The ocean conveyor belt and the Gulf Stream. Ocean currents have a direct influence on our lives. They determine our weather, our climate, and much more. The ocean currents and wind systems transport heat from the equator to the poles and operate like a l…

💖 The History of The Tiffany 💖

Tiffany is a very neon 80s name, and not without reason, it exploded in popularity during the decade. But despite Tiffany’s modern sound, the name wasn’t born in the 80s. Tiffany is at least 80 decades old. [“OMG that’s like, positively medieval.” “How i…

No Solar in the Sunshine State | Years of Living Dangerously

Here in Florida, people are only allowed to buy their power from utilities, not from independent solar companies. I’m super excited that we’re all here! This is about choice—consumers having the right to choose solar power without your name. I see that th…

This Is A Light-Nanosecond!

More Articles