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.

What Is The Coastline Paradox?

Techniques for random sampling and avoiding bias | Study design | AP Statistics | Khan Academy

View All

Who Is Pope Francis? | Nat Geo Live

[Music] Pope Francis drives a Ford Focus, which is kind of not what you expect, right? How does that work? Well, I haven’t actually seen him drive it. I think he mostly rides, and they actually have a fleet of Ford Focuses. This was actually the only occa…

BEST IMAGES of the Week -- IMG! #42

Justin Bieber without eyebrows and a hungry shirt. It’s episode 42 of IMG! The lines on the carpet of this game store produce the illusion of pockets and dips. If you’re still not dizzy, take a swig from your Full House flask and then wall down a poppy s…

Theories Are Explanations, Not Predictions

There’s another example from science like this. On a heat source, put a beaker of water, then put a thermometer into that water and turn on your heat source. Then record, as the time passes, what the temperature of the water is. You will notice that the t…

Steve Jobs in Sweden, 1985 [HQ]

[Music] Glad to meet you. [Applause] The doors have been locked and all of you that don’t sign up to buy computers will stay here, and we will bring back the singers. I am extraordinarily pleased to be able to be here with you. This is one of my perso…

Things You Think You Want (But You Don’t)

A clear financial point gives you the desire to put in the work. The problem is many of you think you want something, but you actually don’t really care about it that much. They are just words. Here are 15 things you think you want but you actually don’t…

Opiates and Pangolin Scales is Rumor Debunked | National Geographic

(upbeat music) [Rachel] Pangolins are a really unique group of mammals. They are covered with these scales that are made of keratin, which is the same material as human finger nails. And it’s those scales that are in high demand, and it’s driving a lot o…

This Is A Light-Nanosecond!

More Articles