Durations (was Re: POSIX locales and Roman Numerals)

From: Edward Cherlin (edward.cherlin.sy.67@aya.yale.edu)
Date: Fri Jul 02 1999 - 03:19:03 EDT


At 11:37 -0700 6/27/1999, John Cowan wrote:
>Kenneth Whistler scripsit:
>
>> Once again, our demented colleague at the Interplanetary Fast Earth
>> Society has completely misrepresented Fast Earth doctrine.
>
>> A little elementary physics should demonstrate that it would take
>> way, way too much energy to move the Earth into a 100-day orbit,
>
>But why muck around with planetary engineering at all? Why not
>kilosecs, megasecs, gigasecs? These are the units used in Joan Vinge's
>sf novel _The Outcasts of Heaven [Asteroid] Belt_, and they work well.
>
>A kilosec is a good period for a break from work. Movies last about
>7-10 kilosecs. A small-scale project gets done in a few megasecs;
>a typical consulting assignment lasts 25-50 megasecs. A marriage
>is doing extremely well if it lasts a gigasec.
>
>--
>John Cowan cowan@ccil.org
> I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin

About a gigasec ago my brother got a bill for 9 megasec of computer time,
and had to point out that he hadn't been working for the company that long.

--
Edward Cherlin                        President
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Help outlaw Spam.       <http://www.cauce.org/>
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