mathieutozer.com

When I heard about the tragic events taking place in Kashmir, I was reminded of a quoted analogy I read in a book by Arthur C. Clarke last week:

"Let the height of the Empire State Building represent the age of the Earth; on this scale, a foot is about two million years. Now (if the wind will let you) stand an average-sized book upright on the TV tower. It won't look very conspicuous from the ground level --- but its few inches of height correspond roughly to the entire existence of Homo sapiens.

However, we haven't finished yet. Now place a slightly worn dime on top of the book. The thickness of the coin corresponds to the whole of man's civilization, right back to the building of the pyramids. And if you want to represent the era of modern science and technology --- that is about as thick as a postage stamp."

Update: This animation of the 2004 Tsunami gives a good idea of the scale of that event.