[elzr]

> how to deal conceptually with its immensity in time and space

Yes! Dimensions (not even the most objective, physical ones) are not absolutes but subject to changing, creative interpretation through the abilities of our tech.

Compare the meaning of a meter when squirming vs walking vs cycling vs driving vs flying... Modern computing makes a mockery of our past capabilities for information processing / storage / transmission.

Put another way, "there is no bad or good weather, only different gear requirements."

Same goes for everything, not only distance & information, but also scale, temperature, calories, food, output, wealth, energy, users, complexity, manufacturing effort, ... and time! Both time as speed (how much happens in a certain period) and time as something to traverse (need to wait for a result for decades or centuries). With Diaspora & Permutation City I first learned to imagine a future where we could treat centuries with the same amused detachment with which we now treat intercontinental distances as we jet over the oceans.