Big Stuff ?

[grumbler]

Not as stupid as someone who doesnt realize that if he is tall at a mere 6'3" then that proves my initial point that the rest of the world is truly short.

I haven't a clue as to what your argument is, here, other than that you don't think a 6'3" person is tall.  I haven't responded to any point of yours other than your assertion that "At 6'3" you as tall as my children," and even then I was just razzing you about a typo.  I don't give a shit about any initial point you may have made. 

[crazy canuck]

you don't think a 6'3" person is tall.

You would be the fifth tallest guy on my youngest sons grade 9 club team.  Although you would be the third tallest boy on his grade 8/9 school spring league team.  So at least you would have less boys to look up to.

This thread was about "big stuff" and orders of magnitude of difference.  I made a joke about how my height is orders of magnitude different than the average.  It was cute (adorable even) in the context of this thread that you thought you were tall when on most sports teams where height is an asset you would be considered short.

[frunk]

I'm always blown away by just how massive the differences in scale there are, and the wide variety of properties that exist at one scale and don't at another or alternatively carry through.

Starting small:

Subatomic: Quantum mechanics rules, as well as the Strong and Electromagnetic forces.  The difference between a particle and a wave is almost not there, and it is easy for things to be created or disappear.  Particles have handedness, favoring the continuation of right-handed over left-handed due to the Weak force.  This is possibly why there isn't an equal amount of matter and anti-matter.
Atomic: Quantum mechanics still has power particularly with electrons/photons.  The Strong force keeps the nucleus together while the Electromagnetic force keeps Electrons around it.  Protons, Neutrons and Electrons are long-lived (as long as the projected age of the universe).  A given Proton, Neutron or Electron is indistinguishable from another Proton, Neutron or Electron as far as all properties.
Molecular: Atoms bind together through the interaction of electrons and the Electromagnetic force.  These bindings can be homogeneous (all the same type of atom), heterogeneous (different kinds of atoms) or unlikely (noble gasses).
Chemical: The interactions of molecules determine the chemical properties of matter using the universal glue of the Electromagnetic force.
Microscopic: Chemicals knit together in increasingly more complicated patterns.  Solid objects, through the Electromagnetic force, are possible.  Life can be said to exist, starting from simple viruses all the way up to large bacteria and tiny insects.
Human: Animals, plants, buildings, machines, the ground, the sky, everything we interact with on a daily basis.  Gravity starts to be important in keeping things tied to a locale, although Electromagnetic is still the force that drives things.
Planetary: Gravitationally accumulated chunks of material, anywhere from tiny asteroids up to failed stars.  Electromagnetic force can still make a showing through the magnetosphere.
Stellar: Giant nuclear furnaces.  Held together by gravity, kept from collapsing by fusing tiny atoms together, causing the Strong force to release massive amounts of Electromagnetic energy.  Suddenly all that subatomic stuff pops right back up again.  Many stars have planets orbiting them through gravitation, although the apparent empty space is vast between any given object.  Eventually the star loses the balance between fusion and gravity and it collapses into a dense ball, or hyper-dense ball, or black hole.  This may be proceeded by a really big kaboom.
Interstellar: Stars separated even more unimaginable distance from each other.  Too far apart for gravity to pull together, yet not so far that they easily drift apart.
Galactic: Huge accumulations of hundreds of thousands of stars at various stages of existence spread across increasingly unimaginable distance.  Held together by gravity as well as mysterious amounts of dark matter and dark energy.
Intergalactic: Groups of galaxies separated by even more unimaginable distances, held together by gravity.
Universal: Different groups of galaxies with even greater space in between.  These groups are gradually getting further and further apart as the universe continues to expand.  At this scale it's a question of whether even Gravity (the ultimate long range force) can bring us back together.

[Ideologue]

Spending 10, 20, 30 years of one's life in prison.  Never getting out of prison.

Are we coming around?

Anyway, I'm struck by how biologically successful the human species has been--iirc we're by far the most populous chordate; certainly, in terms of biomass, humans are pretty much the "biggest" species, second only to cows.  Of course, the only reason cows are bigger is because humans deliberately raise them.  Even without 'em, though, we're still bigger than (all species of!) either ants or termites.  There are so very many of us that you have to wonder if it's a good idea (but you only wonder for about two seconds before recognizing that it isn't).

[garbon]

It is odd how people suffering from gigantism are all proud of it.

[Ideologue]

It is odd how people suffering from gigantism are all proud of it.

It's an unsublimated masculine dominance display.  Doesn't work very well on the Internet.

[garbon]

Actual, grumbler, let me revise that.

It is odd how a person suffering from gigantism is so proud of it.

I know the difference between one person and more than one person - despite my previous post.

[KRonn]

When I used to hunt in some remote woods of Maine or other New England state I was amazed t seeing stone walls in the middle of the woods. Those were all farmer's fields and property separated by the walls. A century or two ago most of that land was barren of trees or in the process of becoming barren as so much was chopped down for fuel and to clear fields. Now though there's more forest in New England than in the mid 1800s. That's always amazed me how that could have been at a time of much fewer people.

A large portion of West Virginia had been clear-cut by the mid to late 1800s.  But there are more trees there now than there were in the late 1700s.

Yeah, I'm sure this wasn't just a New England thing where so much land was cleared for farming and firewood for homes and businesses. It's still just pretty amazing to me to realize so much land was cleared. I guess thank Hod for fossil fuels! Probably in a century or two someone will be saying thank Hod for another energy source that replaced most of the fossil fuels. 

[Capetan Mihali]

Spending 10, 20, 30 years of one's life in prison.  Never getting out of prison.

Are we coming around?

When have I ever been "noted imprisonment advocate, C. Mihali..."?

[Malthus]

Even without 'em, though, we're still bigger than (all species of!) either ants or termites. 

The combined weight of all ants is alleged to equal (approximately!) that of the combined weight of all humans. Termites are alleged to weigh slightly more.

[crazy canuck]

Even without 'em, though, we're still bigger than (all species of!) either ants or termites. 

The combined weight of all ants is alleged to equal (approximately!) that of the combined weight of all humans. Termites are alleged to weigh slightly more.

There is a joke about a mountain in Alaska in there somewhere.

[mongers]

Also, I find it difficult to comprehend the difference in scale between my income and my overdraft. 

[MadImmortalMan]

The US Government owns enough land to give each US resident a free acre or so. I wonder how it breaks down for Canada and Russia.

[Eddie Teach]

It is odd how people suffering from gigantism are all proud of it.

It's an unsublimated masculine dominance display.  Doesn't work very well on the Internet.

You wouldn't say that to his face. Or more accurately, his sternum.

[garbon]

It is odd how people suffering from gigantism are all proud of it.

It's an unsublimated masculine dominance display.  Doesn't work very well on the Internet.

You wouldn't say that to his face. Or more accurately, his sternum.

I don't see why not. Though it is unlikely that Ide and CC would ever be conversing in person.