2283
524, but this is only incidentally about biology so I guess I'll let it slide.
This is a perfect example of what the Catholic Church means when it teaches about the vice of curiosity. "Earth hosts about 10 exa-exabytes worth of data" is a statement absolutely devoid of meaning. Even granting that there is some rigorous way of quantifying "information" in this sense (I assume this is some podcast-style estimate of all the DNA and RNA carried by all the organisms and/or viruses in the world)-- what good does it do anyone to know this? Randall's reflexive deference to anybody standing in front of a blackboard causes him to think the problem lies with his own inability to comprehend such a big number, and not with the fundamental vacuity of the statement at issue. It is mental masturbation: an absolutely sterile exercise in memorizing facts* that lead nowhere.
*Again, granting that this is actually a fact
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2652 Self-deprecation can't last forever; at some point you have to actually be good at your job
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2651 It's hard to be as smart as Randall, because you become aware of so many conflicting threats and demands you have to keep in bala...
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