This reminds me this modern fantasy book where magic comes back to the world and this lady meets a dragon, able to live for thousands of years, real life dragon and is so stoked, then finds out shes 3 years older then him (He's 24). His special power though is he is kind. Great book, forget the name.
I learned this summer bristlecone pines are among the longest lived life forms on earth. The oldest known non-clonal tree in the world is a bristlecone pine, named Methuselah, in California over 4800 years old. Its exact location is a closely guarded secret since the last oldest tree, also a bristlecone pine, was accidentally cut down.
It’s on protected land. Also maybe I’m just lucky or something but the location isn’t thaaaaat secret if you pass the vibe check and get to know some people. I’ve talked to two different forestry workers who have seen the tree, and I’m just an ordinary outdoorsy dude who talks to people.
Yeah I was surprised to learn as well that a lot of trees grown for lumber only live for 15-30 years depending on the species. At some point it just won't grow as fast anymore and it's better to cut it down and replace it with a new tree that can grow fast again. Some might take longer, but that increases the price a lot, so the demand for those is shorter.
The average lifespan of trees is also relatively short in relation to their maximum age. A tree takes up a lot of room, not just in terms of size, but also in terms of access to the sunlight and nutrients. So the big trees we see are the survivors, for each of those probably at least 100 smaller trees didn't make it. Trees can also easily die due to disease, infestations or other mishaps. Some trees like elm could live a very long life, but depending on the region usually don't make it past 100 because the chance they get a disease or fungus that kills them within that time.
People at work always assume i'm 20-26 years old. People who are actually that age always talk to me as if i'm that age. The other day i talked to an electrician, he was 23, and his co workers were younger than him. Like they played call of duty on their phones on their break. Sometimes just in between breaks, which i don't care, but they were super behind and that's why i had to talk to the guy. I told him that they really need to hurry up, they are behind and if they are not finished this week, it's gonna ve real expensive. He looked at me for a few seconds, dabbed, said something i did not understand and ran off ro do his job. I never felt that old in my life, are people still dabbing? A day later, they pulled me into a conversation and i legitimately had no idea what they are talking about, and i usually at least have some clue. I told them that i'm 41 and have no idea what you mean. They then proceeded to actually talk to me like a human.
Sound of silver, talk to me
Makes you want to feel like a teenager
Until you remember the feelings of
A real-life emotional teenager
Then you think again
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Looks like the furthest one visible from the naked eye is around 16,000 LY actually! Much further than I would have thought. And of course you won't see that if you're anywhere close to a city.
44 replies
This reminds me this modern fantasy book where magic comes back to the world and this lady meets a dragon, able to live for thousands of years, real life dragon and is so stoked, then finds out shes 3 years older then him (He's 24). His special power though is he is kind. Great book, forget the name.
It wasn't Magic Dragon Lady, was it?
I was surprised to learn this summer that birch trees can have short lifespans. Paper birch might only live like 30 to 40 years when grown as a crop.
I learned this summer bristlecone pines are among the longest lived life forms on earth. The oldest known non-clonal tree in the world is a bristlecone pine, named Methuselah, in California over 4800 years old. Its exact location is a closely guarded secret since the last oldest tree, also a bristlecone pine, was accidentally cut down.
Sure, "accidentally".
Well sort of. The researcher got permission, but they didn't realize it was going to be the oldest tree ever recorded or they wouldn't have done it.
Destructive research. "We need to cut this tree up to know if it's a valuable really old tree"
sweating profusely while counting rings
Keeping it secret doesn't help against accidentally cutting it down, no?
It’s on protected land. Also maybe I’m just lucky or something but the location isn’t thaaaaat secret if you pass the vibe check and get to know some people. I’ve talked to two different forestry workers who have seen the tree, and I’m just an ordinary outdoorsy dude who talks to people.
Even when not grown as a crop, alders, willows, and birches tend to have a more ‘human’ lifespan, around a century or so.
Then on the other end of the spectrum, there are trees like yews, sequoias, and bristlecone pines, which live for millennia.
Yeah I was surprised to learn as well that a lot of trees grown for lumber only live for 15-30 years depending on the species. At some point it just won't grow as fast anymore and it's better to cut it down and replace it with a new tree that can grow fast again. Some might take longer, but that increases the price a lot, so the demand for those is shorter.
The average lifespan of trees is also relatively short in relation to their maximum age. A tree takes up a lot of room, not just in terms of size, but also in terms of access to the sunlight and nutrients. So the big trees we see are the survivors, for each of those probably at least 100 smaller trees didn't make it. Trees can also easily die due to disease, infestations or other mishaps. Some trees like elm could live a very long life, but depending on the region usually don't make it past 100 because the chance they get a disease or fungus that kills them within that time.
My favorite clip about old-growth forests explains how there are trees of all ages in a proper forest.
Very sad we don't have many of those any more :(
I feel like I'm 25 until i talk to an actual 25 year old.
People at work always assume i'm 20-26 years old. People who are actually that age always talk to me as if i'm that age. The other day i talked to an electrician, he was 23, and his co workers were younger than him. Like they played call of duty on their phones on their break. Sometimes just in between breaks, which i don't care, but they were super behind and that's why i had to talk to the guy. I told him that they really need to hurry up, they are behind and if they are not finished this week, it's gonna ve real expensive. He looked at me for a few seconds, dabbed, said something i did not understand and ran off ro do his job. I never felt that old in my life, are people still dabbing? A day later, they pulled me into a conversation and i legitimately had no idea what they are talking about, and i usually at least have some clue. I told them that i'm 41 and have no idea what you mean. They then proceeded to actually talk to me like a human.
Or, to quote LCD Soundsystem:
Some of the dumbest people I know are 25
Some of the dumbest people I know are me
Whoa there, you didn't study hard at fartography to feel so down on yourself.
I know several dumb people, and they're all my different personalities.
Username checks out?
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
My grandpa died in his 80s, having never "settled" on something. He seemed happy my entire life. Had tons of jobs and hobbies.
Ooh I recognize that quote. Where's/Who's it from?
Ah it's that sunscreen song.
Sunscreen
Which traits do you consider to be interesting?
Knowing lyrics to songs by Baz Luhrman is one of them 😉
Damn, thanks for the tip. Amazing song!
I never felt my age, so whatever.
Reminds me of https://xkcd.com/1342/
I suppose all stars visible to the human eye have got to be at most the order of magnitude of 1000 ly away.
Looks like the furthest one visible from the naked eye is around 16,000 LY actually! Much further than I would have thought. And of course you won't see that if you're anywhere close to a city.
Andromeda is also visible at 2.5 million light years away.
That was a nice save lol
Well I can't just call you 'man'.
Well, you could say Dennis!
I didn't know you were called Dennis!
Well, you didn't bother to find out, did'ja?!
I did say sorry about the old woman, but from behind you looked...
(Are we going to do the whole thing?)
Excellent comic, child.
Yes, a 25 year old tree may look like that.
The ageist tree.
Funny but sad