I Own a “Low-End Bicycle,” and Other Things I Learned from the Dictionary of Numbers
by Rebecca Greenfield
The Dictionary of Numbers translates numbers into other numbers. The Chrome extension, once downloaded as a plug-in, takes all the numerical figures that show up in your browser and gives them context in the form of other numerical figures. Or, to use its creator’s words, it puts numbers into “human terms.”
We understand, for example, that 300,000 acres of California land burning up in wildfires is a lot. (Probably too much.) But the Dictionary of Numbers tells us more exactly how much area that represents via a description in brackets: [≈ Los Angeles, California, USA (city)]. At its core, the DoN is an unbiased number interpreter, adding meaning to values. But after a few weeks of usage, paying closer attention to the numbers and their definitions, the DoN has revealed itself as something greater than that: A sage. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Internet freelance writing careers only pay some bills: “A story I wrote for The Awl prompted an editor at The Verge to contact me. I’ve written a number of features for them that paid between$750 [≈ Comcast cable internet for a year (2011)] and $1,500 [≈ Smartphone cost per year].”
I gotta quit that coffee habit: “Two New York City sanitation workers were forced to pay a $2,000 [≈ One Starbucks latte per day for a year] fine after they accepted a $10 tip from a local resident.
That bike I bought was a good buy, though: “Peugeot Road Bike Race Ladies Vintage OBO — $200 [≈ Low-end bicycle]”
Start-ups are excessive/maybe I wish I worked at one: “Bitly workers (‘Bitizens,’ they call themselves) may also prepare beverages from the office’s Jura Impressa X9 Platinum, which pumps out cappuccinos at the touch of a button. (The machines start at $6,495 [≈ Typical household annual food spending (2009)].)”
Better plan: Write Harry Potter: “Fab.com Inc., valued at more than $1 billion [≈ Net worth J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series (2011)] dollars after just two years in existence, is suffering growing pains from its rapid expansion as it applies a culture of meticulous control to a global business.”
Wait, that’s better than Romney money? (Ish.) Hell yeah: “Compare that with Macy’s, which made $217 million [≈ Mitt Romney assets in 2011] dollars last quarter, up 20 percent from 2012.”
Hello, Royal Wedding flower budget, be mine? “He was one of the hosts of a gala, held by the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance, earlier this year, which raised eight hundred thousand dollars [≈ Flowers at Prince William’s wedding].”
Ethan Gabriel is healthy: “We are proud and excited to welcome to the world the newest member of the family. He was born June 18th at 12:57pm weighing in at 7.2lbs [≈ Newborn human baby].”
Rebecca Greenfield is a staff writer for The Atlantic Wire, where she covers technology news.