I think he may have meant 1/12th rather than 1/2th of the speed of light, but I must say I'm very tempted now to start calling one half a "tooth" instead.
e.g. I could eat a second pizza
Do I mean another pizza or half a pizza?
[OK it should be phrased as "a second of a pizza" - but that is rather close to "a second pizza"]
I should make a mental note to comment on HN while actually focusing on something else..... :-)
Noun form: "A third of a pizza".
Adjective form: "A third pizza".