RE: OT: begin of millenium.

["Javier Miranda V." <gnominus@earthling.net>]

Digital counting may start at zero, but that has nothing to do with how we
count years.  And it should not be really called "digital," but binary.  
And
you will have to agree that the binary system is rather different from the
decimal system.  In the decimal system the first number is 1, the tenth one
is 10, and then we start over, as in 10+1 gets 11; 10+2 gets 12, etc.

There was no "year zero."  There was the year 2 B.C., 1 B.C., and then
immediatetly following that there was the year 1 A.D.  Beginning in 1 A.D.,
counting sets of one-thousand years, we end the first one in the year 1000
A.D., and we end the second set in 2000 A.D.  The third set of one-thousand
years-- the third millennium-- starts in 2001 A.D., exactly the first 
second
of 1 January 2001 A.D.

I saw an idiot journalist last night talking about people in Europe in 999
A.D. on the onset of the new millennium.  This is tantamount to lending
$1,000 to someone and expecting to get only $999 back.  Everybody knows how
much you would expect back in such a loan.

All it takes is a bit of thinking for yourself and you'll see exactly what
it's like.  Don't believe the corporations.  They just want to sell you
something.

  | -----Original Message-----
  | From: Matthias Grob [mailto:matthias@grob.org]
  | Sent: Thursday 25 November 1999 10:25 AM
  | To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
  | Subject: Re: OT: begin of millenium.
  |
  |
  | >Alright! Enough with this Millennium crap... Let's get back to
  | >business and finally sort out the midi pgm 0-126 or 1-127 argument!
  | >I'm all for 1-127 because 0 signifies nothing and we all know we store
  | >our best user patch there. It just goes against the grain
  | >philosophically and functionally. It's egregious and offensive...
  | >Can't we all get along???? *-b
  |
  | frustrating really, humanity does not even agree on counting.
  |
  | If you cut a straight cake, the first cut gives you the first piece
  | If the cake is round, only the second cut gives you the first piece
  | Now: do you count cuts or pieces?
  |
  | We are born at age 0.
  |
  | If we count on fingers, the first is one.
  | Digital counting starts at zero.
  | Digitus means finger.  %-(
  |
  | For me, the millenium changes when all the 9s turn 0s.
  | But if someone wants me to play for the new millenium at the end of
  | 2000, I will.
  |
  |
  |           ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org
  |
  |