

Why we like photos so much - jansen
http://blog.loom.com/why-we-like-photos-so-much/

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nixy
> _Combined with the findings of one study, which says that we consume 34
> gigabytes of information (or 100,500 words) outside of work on an average
> day, it’s no wonder that images come as a relief from our regular
> information overload._

Can someone explain how 100,500 words is 34 gigabytes?

~~~
LordIllidan
They are mis-quoting this study:
[http://hmi.ucsd.edu/howmuchinfo_research_report_consum.php](http://hmi.ucsd.edu/howmuchinfo_research_report_consum.php)
wrongly.

From the linked article:

In 2008, Americans consumed information for about 1.3 trillion hours, an
average of almost 12 hours per day. Consumption totaled 3.6 zettabytes and
10,845 trillion words, corresponding to 100,500 words and 34 gigabytes for an
average person on an average day.

~~~
mtdewcmu
> 34 gigabytes for an average person on an average day

Not a tremendously meaningful statistic, at least for the person consuming it.
Depending on the kind of TV you have, you could consume 10X as many bytes
watching the same TV show. What does that mean?

~~~
thirsteh
"All of the books in the world contain no more information than is broadcast
as video in a single large American city in a single year. Not all bits have
equal value."

— Carl Sagan (1934–1996)

~~~
mtdewcmu
If the bits in a video broadcast were printed and bound, it would make a
formidable book. But very dull reading, I'm sure.

I remember the day Carl Sagan died. I was on irc, and when I saw the news,
since it was on-topic, I passed it along to my channel. A long time ago...

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awwstn
This wall of text would be much more engaging if you included some photos. :-)

