tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post95287835664097910..comments2024-02-19T07:51:46.118-05:00Comments on Throw Grammar from the Train: Odious comparisonsJanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173219179480606941noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-18021191969784619422011-11-05T13:44:22.684-04:002011-11-05T13:44:22.684-04:00I agree with your objections to the unhelpful comp...I agree with your objections to the unhelpful comparisons using the stack of money and distance to the moon. I would also add an objection to the use of "over" in the original piece. To my way of thinking, one can climb over a fence. I would prefer to see the term "more than" used to denote a greater amount of things, which, in this instance, happen to be dollars.T. Roger Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16304103509683960962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-54745558608137493412011-11-02T23:39:12.916-04:002011-11-02T23:39:12.916-04:00Laura S.: As I hint in the post, I think giving th...Laura S.: As I hint in the post, I think giving the $2.6 trillion as a percentage of the US economy is the most useful yardstick. How could it possibly matter that it equals x miles? (Especially when a pile of ANY denomination bills would be the same length, duh.)Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01579983806826643000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-32604989087298049242011-11-02T11:27:13.843-04:002011-11-02T11:27:13.843-04:00Isn't the standard American unit of comparison...Isn't the standard American unit of comparison a football field?<br />I find $8,000 per person obscene. Hospitals have raised fees to absurd levels, bilking the insurance companies to balance the non-paying clients. We all know that 2 aspirin don't cost $50.Sue Dunhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04386142309332609673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-85472796775691645252011-11-01T11:17:40.728-04:002011-11-01T11:17:40.728-04:00I see your point, but also wonder why you don'...I see your point, but also wonder why you don't offer alternatives? How would you help people understand the enormity of $2.6 trillion?LauraShttp://fortheloveofediting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-20982464945309747922011-11-01T10:53:33.424-04:002011-11-01T10:53:33.424-04:00My mother used to tell me that all comparisons are...My mother used to tell me that all comparisons are odious, every time I did something she didn't like, and said, "Well John does it!"<br />Humans can't conceptualize large amounts of anything. That's why we refer to large numbers, at least colloquially, as abstractions. It's sufficent to know that a trillion is a name for a vast number of something, and leave it there.Marc Leavittnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-27065897860720918002011-10-31T17:10:02.952-04:002011-10-31T17:10:02.952-04:00I remember once watching an episode of Modern Marv...I remember once watching an episode of <i>Modern Marvels</i> or something similar and marveling at all the ridiculous comparisons that were made. I don't even remember what the episode was about, but they kept throwing out comparisons like, "That's as long as three Eiffel Towers laid end to end!" or "That's as heavy as 117 elephants!" I think the writer must have been bored. All I know is that they were entirely unhelpful.Jonathonhttp://www.arrantpedantry.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-76402774726978718392011-10-31T16:15:59.739-04:002011-10-31T16:15:59.739-04:00There are also other considerations:
Stacking One...There are also other considerations:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/stacking-one-trillion-dollars/" rel="nofollow">Stacking One Trillion Dollars</a>, by DotPhysics writer Rhett Allain. <br /><br />Agreed, though, that it's a foolish image to choose, as it's not the least bit visualizable, and anyone who gets the least bit of the concept of centre-of-gravity gets distracted by the simple impossibility of it.CaitieCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04044935117452832240noreply@blogger.com