How many events happen only once in history? One of our IT people at work pointed out that last Wednesday morning, at two minutes and three seconds after 1 o'clock, the time and date was 01:02:03:04:05:06.
Well, but wait a minute. Sure, that'll only happen once, ever; but so will this:
02:02:03:04:05:06.
And this:
03:02:03:04:05:06.
And, anyway, what kind of a bizarre way is that to write the date and time? What about 01/02/03 04:05:06? Or 5/6/78 9:10? So is it just arbitrary that the first sequence seems so cool? An accident of integers and conventions for writing dates? Or is the first sequence more "natural" because each segment represents a progressively larger unit of measurement?
And can't I find anything more substantial with which to occupy myself on my day off?
.
Well, but wait a minute. Sure, that'll only happen once, ever; but so will this:
02:02:03:04:05:06.
And this:
03:02:03:04:05:06.
And, anyway, what kind of a bizarre way is that to write the date and time? What about 01/02/03 04:05:06? Or 5/6/78 9:10? So is it just arbitrary that the first sequence seems so cool? An accident of integers and conventions for writing dates? Or is the first sequence more "natural" because each segment represents a progressively larger unit of measurement?
And can't I find anything more substantial with which to occupy myself on my day off?
.
Comments
the "successively larger units of measurement" theory is a nice one, but i don't think it's actually true.
the 01:02:03, 04/05/06 sequence is hr:min:sec, m/d/y. progressively larger would be sec:min:hr, d/m/y, in which case 01:02:03, 04/05/06 would be two minutes and one second after 3 o'clock on may 4th of this year.
the european date standard sequence is increasing units of measure.
since pi day (which just passed) is considered by date first (3/14), then time (1:59:26), maybe this sequence is only cool on 01/02/03, at 04:05:06, which was jan. 2nd of 2003. so you can tell your IT person "never mind, go home...show's over".
How's the new house?
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