Conversions can get awkward. In my world, the nearest post office is about 500 DTC units away, and the nearest grocery store is 850, figures which might daunt some people. But it's not such a long drive as it seems. I'm married to a chemist and the average distance to him in SI units is only about six meters.

@Ty

... erm, are you sure you want distances to change in different countries?

We should measure everything in "distance to chemists" units.

Ooh, ooh! Everything that is big by some measure is small by some other! The compresence of opposites! I've used my Plato for today, and I'm spent.

But the point is well-made. Perhaps the best approach to qualities like "bigness" is a flexible, contextual one.

LOL I censored one naughty word out of several.

Seven feet is big when you're about to get pummeled by someone of that stature.

Southeast US is big when you're tired and driving from Georgia to Florida.

A university campus is big when you're new and feel lost.

A 17-inch laptop is big when you don't have a case for it.

I don't think I'd say "the known universe." I don't really give a shit about it most of the time. It's big. So it can go suck a big c*** while I figure out where the damn toilet paper is in this godawful big Wal-Mart. :P

I've always believed an indicator to someone's extent of thought is what they consider big. Ask someone to describe something big and see what answer they give. Often I hear things like Mt. Everest, the Earth, or the Sun. Some people even think the local Super Wal-Mart is big. My answer is: The known Universe and everything beyond.

Try asking for a big number and more often than not they'll say a million or a billion. Such small minds.

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."

Gets me every time!
I love when you're scrolling through and thinking "Wow, that's really big/small!" and then you look down at the scroll bar and see that you're really not that far into it.

That is the best example I've ever seen. Perspective epitomized!

Thank you for sharing that.

Awesome

http://htwins.net/scale2/