[oceanplexian]

A billion actually seems weirdly tangible.

I can imagine a billion dollars or a billion bits. Working with computers we deal with units of a billion pretty often. I also know how long a year is and as I get older they feel pretty short. Obviously we won’t personally be around to see it but it does feel like the clock is ticking.

[gffrd]

Let me see if I can un-tangible that for you …

Let's say you live to be 97—quite old!!

1 Billion years is … 10,309,278 of those 97-year lifetimes, if strung end-to-end.

[chgs]

So the combined lifetime of people in a large city.

[roywiggins]

One reference point is that about billion years ago the Earth had just invented multicellular life.