3 ms·

Off topic, but may I ask why you use a leading zero when writing the year? (01965 rather than 1965) You're not the only person I've seen do it on this site, an

by swores 2y ago

Off topic, but may I ask why you use a leading zero when writing the year? (01965 rather than 1965) You're not the only person I've seen do it on this site, and I can't recall ever seeing it not on this site, so I'm wondering if its because you're in the habit (or wanting to be in the habit) for some technical thing you do like working on a database that needs years in that format, or if there's some reason you feel that its better to write them that way in prose?

mandmandam 2y ago
It's a Long Now Foundation concept [0]. The idea is to encourage people to think on a more civilizational time scale, and avoid another 'millenium bug' problem in ~7095 years. 0 - https://longnow.org/about/ https://longnow.org/about/
- swores 2y ago
  Ah, thanks for the explanation.
- AStonesThrow 2y ago
  I am relieved that when archaeologists download HN archives 7095 years from now, they won't be confused about which "1965" we were discussing! https://xkcd.com/1683/ https://xkcd.com/1683/
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  A somewhat frequently raised question: <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=%22leading%20zero%22%20year&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...> <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=%22long%20now%22%20year%20zero&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...>
- saagarjha 2y ago
  Ok, and what happens in 97975 years? I guess the Long Now people didn't think that far ahead, did they?
  - kragen 2y ago
    You mean in the year 099999?
    - saagarjha 2y ago
      Ok so the goal is to just have a leading zero at all times?
      - mandmandam 2y ago
        0I 0don't 0see 0why 0not. Really though, it's a nice way to provoke some thought, and maybe even start to balance our rather extreme bias towards the very immediate future.
lynguist 2y ago
If you dig into this person’s posting history and also if you read regularly on HN for a couple years you will notice that it is actually this very user that deliberately uses the 0 prefixed 5 digit year numbers, and also goes out of their way to include year numbers into their posts to make people ask this question.
- stavros 2y ago
  Hmm, I checked the last two pages of their history and this is the only comment with a year, so it can't be that out of their way.
  - kragen 2y ago
    I'm puzzled about what sorts of discussions of historical coinage policies lynguist is used to reading that don't mention specific years.
numpad0 2y ago
no one uses 0-based indexes[0] for references elsewhere, either. 0: this
weberer 2y ago
Oh, I assumed it was the zip code for Bretton Woods. Its funny how it works out to just the next state over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system

by swores 2y ago

mandmandam 2y ago

It's a Long Now Foundation concept [0]. The idea is to encourage people to think on a more civilizational time scale, and avoid another 'millenium bug' problem in ~7095 years. 0 - https://longnow.org/about/ https://longnow.org/about/

swores 2y ago
Ah, thanks for the explanation.
AStonesThrow 2y ago
I am relieved that when archaeologists download HN archives 7095 years from now, they won't be confused about which "1965" we were discussing! https://xkcd.com/1683/ https://xkcd.com/1683/
dredmorbius 2y ago
A somewhat frequently raised question: <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=%22leading%20zero%22%20year&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...> <https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=%22long%20now%22%20year%20zero&sort=byDate&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...>
saagarjha 2y ago
Ok, and what happens in 97975 years? I guess the Long Now people didn't think that far ahead, did they?
- kragen 2y ago
  You mean in the year 099999?
  - saagarjha 2y ago
    Ok so the goal is to just have a leading zero at all times?
    - mandmandam 2y ago
      0I 0don't 0see 0why 0not. Really though, it's a nice way to provoke some thought, and maybe even start to balance our rather extreme bias towards the very immediate future.

lynguist 2y ago

If you dig into this person’s posting history and also if you read regularly on HN for a couple years you will notice that it is actually this very user that deliberately uses the 0 prefixed 5 digit year numbers, and also goes out of their way to include year numbers into their posts to make people ask this question.

stavros 2y ago
Hmm, I checked the last two pages of their history and this is the only comment with a year, so it can't be that out of their way.
- kragen 2y ago
  I'm puzzled about what sorts of discussions of historical coinage policies lynguist is used to reading that don't mention specific years.

numpad0 2y ago

no one uses 0-based indexes[0] for references elsewhere, either. 0: this

weberer 2y ago

Oh, I assumed it was the zip code for Bretton Woods. Its funny how it works out to just the next state over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system