[OT] 9-11 / WTC / Y2K ... Dates ...etc...

[Andavar]

I was an ET2 and a RO in the USN. I went to NFAS, then NNPS, then NPTU to study at MARF in class 9204. Then I was a SPU and helped test the IDE, before I got out.

Cedric

Hey Cedric
Didn't you have to got to RTC before you got to have some fun at NFAS? But then what do I know I was just a MM2 and a CRW in the RAR where we didn't have any AC like you guys in EOS.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Y2K is not an abbreviation for 2000. It is short for Year 2000. It started out as Year 2K.

Using K to represent "thousands" in numbers is a convention of scientific notation. It's used a lot in math and science.

As the year 2000 was approaching, someone thought it would be all cool and post-modern trendy to write it as year 2K. Later, it got shortened even more to Y2K.

Actually, I believe the Y2K probably first appeared on the Internet as people first started talking about the possibility of the Y2K computer code problem. The first people I heard using it in conversation were computer geeks and Internet nerds. This was before I had a computer with Internet access, and became an Internet nerd.

The Internet is probably where 2K got started for 2000 as well -- lots of people with strong math and science backgrounds on the Internet, especially back then. Back then what was it, 3-4 years ago?

 

[Shadowdancer]

Oh, the American military also uses the date/month/year notation. I think that is so there is less confusion when they are stationed overseas. I work with several people who used to be in the military, and they still use date/month/year when writing and speaking most of the time.

 

[Samurai]

We use Month/Day/Year because that is the order it is usually spoken in... most people say September 11th, 2002, not "the 11th of September, 2002." Also, 911 is the telephone number to call in case of an emergency in the US. Instead of dialing 7 or 10 numbers to call the police, fire station, ambulance, etc, just dialing those 3 numbers will connect you to an emergency operator. I know some other countries have a similar short number for such cases... in Japan it is 119. So there is sort of a double meaning to 911 for Americans.

 

[Maudlin]

I thought the Y2K thing was rather ironic, actually, since using an abbreviated notation for years is what caused the problem in the first place

 

[Ravellion]

I know some other countries have a similar short number for such cases... in Japan it is 119. So there is sort of a double meaning to 911 for Americans.

If you are ever in need of emergency services in Europe, the number is 112. Netherlands is date DDMMYY for dates, but we also pronounce it that way. It would be very silly to say September 11. in the Dutch language: it's the elventh of september.

Rav

 

[Frostmarrow]

Système international d'unités (SI) says it's Year/Month/Day (ISO/IEC 8824). Curiously it is only used in Sweden. For example I'm born 1973-05-18 and today is 2002-09-10.

To avoid ambiguity use day, month by name, year: 18th May 1973 or May 18th 1973.

Why does SI say it should be YYMMDD? I guess it's a math issue, where you place the largest unit first. You wouldn't say 4 decilitres and 6 litres, now would you?

 

[apsuman]

Oh, the American military also uses the date/month/year notation. I think that is so there is less confusion when they are stationed overseas. I work with several people who used to be in the military, and they still use date/month/year when writing and speaking most of the time.

Yes, but they don't abbreviate it to all numbers.

9/11/02 becomes 11 SEP 2002

g!

 

[Eternalknight]

Here in Australia, we use day mnoth year. And our emergency number is 000. Isn't that the easiest?

 

[Morrus]

And our emergency number is 000. Isn't that the easiest?

Nah, not as easy as our 999.

We have a joke that goes like this:

Q: What do you dial to phone a policeman in Australia?
A: 666

(666...999 upside down... geddit?)