Skip to main content

Random Data

How big is the national debt?  You know; it’s about USD 20 trillion.  And how big is that?  We could stack dollars upon one another to reach the moon and back – in fact, three round trips!!  Yeah! So what?  

More tellingly, with the $20T bucks you could buy every single stock included in the S&P 500 - meaning you can own outright every company so listed.  For example, you would completely own the top fourteen, Apple Inc, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson, Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway, General Electric, JPMorgan Chase, Facebook, Wells Fargo, AT&T, Nestlé, and hundreds more.  


It is estimated that over all of human history 5,820,203,717 ounces of gold have been mined.  At the current price of about $1200/oz, this values today at $6,984,244,460,400, or about 1/3 of the total US debt. 

Or you can win the (average) Powerball Jackpot about 322,000 times. That average is just over $62,000,000.  Or you could give every US citizen $57,000 cash.

--------------

What's a big health problem in Saudi Arabia? It is reported that lack of exposure to sun had led to vitamin D deficiency among 80 percent of Saudi women.  In this case, it’s not what you eat but what you wear.  

-------------


The answer to the question, "Can People Really be That Stupid?" is always "Yes."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

  Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1.       Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty.   This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...

Where is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Going?

  How to view Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Imagine you go to the store to buy a TV, but all they have are 1950s models, black and white, circular screens, picture rolls, and picture imperfect, no remote. You’d say no thanks. Back in the day, they sold wildly. The TV was a must-have for everyone with $250 to spend* (about $3000 today). Compared to where AI is today, this is more or less where TVs were 70 years ago. In only a few decades AI will be advanced beyond comprehension, just like TVs today are from the 50s viewpoint. Just like we could not imagine where the video concept was going back then, we cannot really imagine where AI is going. Buckle up. But it will be spectacular.    *Back then minimum wage was $0.75/hr. Thus, a TV cost more than eight weeks' wages. ------------------------- 

Principles of Insufficiency and Sufficiency

   The principles we use but don't know it.  1.      Introduction . Every field, scientific or otherwise, rests on foundational principles—think buoyancy, behavior, or democracy. Here, we explore a unique subset: principles modified by "insufficiency" and "sufficiency." While you may never have heard of them, you use them often. These terms frame principles that blend theory, practicality, and aspiration, by offering distinct perspectives. Insufficiency often implies inaction unless justified, while sufficiency suggests something exists or must be done. We’ll examine key examples and introduce a new principle with potential significance. As a principle of principles of these is that something or some action is not done enough while others may be done too much. The first six (§2-6) of our principles are in the literature, and you can easily search them online. The others are relatively new, but fit the concepts in the real world. At times, these pri...