558: 1000 Times

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1000 Times

Title text: And 0.002 dollars will NEVER equal 0.002 cents.

Explanation

This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect. If you see a way to improve it, edit it! Thanks.

In this comic, Randall notes how news organisations quote figures to make them sound comparable, when the are actually not.

The Title could be a reference to a (semi-)famous case where Verizon Wireless quoted a rate of .002 cents per kb on their data plan, but charged $0.002.

Transcript

[Ponytail sitting behind desk.]

Sign: bailout: $170 billion; bonuses: $165 million

Honest:

[Ponytail sitting behind desk.]

Sign: bailout: $170,000 million; bonuses: $165 million

Dear news organizations: stop giving large numbers without context or proper comparison. The difference between a million and a billion is the difference between a sip of wine and 30 seconds with your daughter, and a bottle of gin and a night with her.

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