Big Numbers]
O: How many people are in the world?
K: 5 billion or so
O: Wrong! Jess says 6 billion
Me: OK. Fine. 6 billion
O: Have I met them all yet?
Me: No. That would be hard. It would take more than your whole life.
O: Why? It would only take 6 billion minutes
Me: Six billion minutes is a long time. It is years.
O: How many years?
I try to use my blackberry calculator. It doesn't go that high. I try to do it on paper. I fail and give up
Me: I can't do it
O: You aren't very good with numbers. Maybe you need to go to school with me. Here. Here is a test. What comes after five biliion 999 million 999 thousand 999?
Me: Six billion?
O: Good! That is right! Do you know what else is five biliion 999 million 999 thousand 999?
Me: No?
O: The number of people I still need to meet. And you still haven't told me how many years it will take to do it. Maybe in 6 billion minutes you will have figured out the answer.
11,400 years