
A kilometer is the distance a large cat can be shot out
of a cannon packed with a kilogram of black powder.  The fact that a
1000 meters = 1 kilometer is entirely coincidental.  A kilogram was
based roughly on how much cocaine you could by for ~$100K.  The gram
was a similar measure, based on the size of a paperclip.  

10**12 microphones                      = 1 megaphone
10**6 bicycles                          = 2 megacycles
500 millineries                         = 1 seminary
10 cards                                = 1 decacards
1/2 lavatory                            = 1 demijohn
10** -6 fish                            = 1 microfiche
1 unit of suspense in a mystery novel   = 1 whod unit
10**12 pins                             = 1 terrapin
10**-12 Boulevard                       = 1 Pico Boulevard  (L.A.)
10**21 picolos                          = 1 gigolo
10 rations                              = 1 decoration
10 millipedes                           = 1 centipede
3 1/3 tridents                          = 1 decadent
5 holocausts                            = 1 Pentacost
10 monologues                           = 5 dialogues
                                        = 1 decalogue
2 monograms                             = 1 diagram
8 nickles                               = 2 paradigms
2 snake eyes                            = 1 paradise
2 wharves                               = 1 paradox

