I can't view the video, so I'm not sure if it's straight up transcription error, or just confusion, but:
the length of wire that is as long as light can travel in
one nanosecond. The length is a very portable 11.8 inches.
A microseconds worth of wire is a still portable, but a
much bulkier 984 feet.
<snip>
Understanding the profligate ways of programmers, she
suggests that every programmer wear a necklace of a
microseconds worth of wire
(Emph mine) I can see ~12" as a perfectly reasonable necklace length, but ~100 yards? Seems like a bit of a pain in the neck.
[Edit:] After a bit of playing around with Wolfram Alpha, it seems that a microsecond of AWG#40 copper would weigh only ~14 grams. But at 0.08mm, or around half the thickness of a hair, it's going to be a bit fragile.
Using a more reasonable #28 (0.3mm) wire comes in at 220g, which is definitely on the high side for a necklace.
Watch the video: not only does she hold a microsecond of wire up (so you can see what it is like), but she actually recommends hanging it on the wall above you desk (and as a joke). She then furthers the joke with the comment about hanging it around the neck, and it is specifically funny because it would be unreasonably heavy.
There's a certain parallel to draw with the Iron Ring/Engineer's Ring[1,3].
Quoting from the latter article:
The Iron Ring is worn on the little finger ("pinky") of the working (dominant) hand; this would be the left hand for a left-handed person.[2] There, the facets act as a sharp reminder of one's obligation while the engineer works, because it could drag on the writing surface while the engineer is drawing or writing. This is particularly true of recently obligated engineers, whose rings bear sharp, unworn, facets
the length of wire that is as long as light can travel in one nanosecond. The length is a very portable 11.8 inches. A microseconds worth of wire is a still portable, but a much bulkier 984 feet.
<snip>
Understanding the profligate ways of programmers, she suggests that every programmer wear a necklace of a microseconds worth of wire
(Emph mine) I can see ~12" as a perfectly reasonable necklace length, but ~100 yards? Seems like a bit of a pain in the neck.
[Edit:] After a bit of playing around with Wolfram Alpha, it seems that a microsecond of AWG#40 copper would weigh only ~14 grams. But at 0.08mm, or around half the thickness of a hair, it's going to be a bit fragile.
Using a more reasonable #28 (0.3mm) wire comes in at 220g, which is definitely on the high side for a necklace.
And woe betide anyone using gold!