1340: Unique Date - Revision history

162.158.63.72 at 15:44, 19 March 2025

2025-03-19T15:44:09Z

172.69.43.136: /* Explanation */ Correcting punctuation, after inserted phrase. (Arguably, though, that also neuters the 'usefulness' of the joke-superscript...)

2023-11-10T10:26:36Z

‎Explanation: Correcting punctuation, after inserted phrase. (Arguably, though, that also neuters the 'usefulness' of the joke-superscript...)

172.64.236.54: Add brief note

2023-11-10T09:16:48Z

Add brief note

Hawthorn: Realized it reads better with these paragraphs swapped.

2023-06-10T12:39:24Z

Realized it reads better with these paragraphs swapped.

Hawthorn: Rewrite to improve the explanation

2023-06-10T01:26:08Z

Rewrite to improve the explanation

Boochin at 18:00, 8 June 2023

2023-06-08T18:00:31Z

SilverTheTerribleMathematician: If you add a comma, you gotta add another (not in all situations). Either do none or two.

2022-12-14T22:02:11Z

If you add a comma, you gotta add another (not in all situations). Either do none or two.

172.70.85.244: /* Explanation */ Easily sourced link supplied. (And simplified, as Y2K was computer-related, so then this one is too with no broad differences.)

2022-12-13T18:17:30Z

‎Explanation: Easily sourced link supplied. (And simplified, as Y2K was computer-related, so then this one is too with no broad differences.)

ColorfulGalaxy: Link request

2022-12-11T21:32:23Z

Link request

Sir Urquhart: Undo revision 289330 by 108.162.245.131 (talk)

2022-07-20T19:11:16Z

Undo revision 289330 by 108.162.245.131 (talk)

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 In this comic [[Cueball]] excitedly gives the current date (the date the comic was released) in {{w|ISO 8601}} format (year-month-day) and points out - correctly - that in the current calendar system, this date will never recur.
-The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time is percived to only move forwards,{{Citation needed}} except in some cultures where a cyclical perception of time exists based off the seasons of the year, dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
+The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time is perceived to only move forwards,{{Citation needed}} except in some cultures where a cyclical perception of time exists based off the seasons of the year, dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
 Cueball's behavior is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and if using a date format with a defined limit such as ISO 8601 (which only goes up to the year 9999) it is possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, such that they will never occur again. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for their rarity and uniqueness.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 In this comic [[Cueball]] excitedly gives the current date (the date the comic was released) in {{w|ISO 8601}} format (year-month-day) and points out - correctly - that in the current calendar system, this date will never recur.
-The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time is percived to only move forwards{{Citation needed}}, except in some cultures where a cyclical perception of time exists based off the seasons of the year, dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
+The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time is percived to only move forwards,{{Citation needed}} except in some cultures where a cyclical perception of time exists based off the seasons of the year, dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
 Cueball's behavior is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and if using a date format with a defined limit such as ISO 8601 (which only goes up to the year 9999) it is possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, such that they will never occur again. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for their rarity and uniqueness.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 In this comic [[Cueball]] excitedly gives the current date (the date the comic was released) in {{w|ISO 8601}} format (year-month-day) and points out - correctly - that in the current calendar system, this date will never recur.
-The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time moves only forward,{{Citation needed}} dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
+The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time is percived to only move forwards{{Citation needed}}, except in some cultures where a cyclical perception of time exists based off the seasons of the year, dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
 Cueball's behavior is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and if using a date format with a defined limit such as ISO 8601 (which only goes up to the year 9999) it is possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, such that they will never occur again. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for their rarity and uniqueness.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 In this comic [[Cueball]] excitedly gives the current date (the date the comic was released) in {{w|ISO 8601}} format (year-month-day) and points out - correctly - that in the current calendar system, this date will never recur.
-This is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and since there are only a finite number of them in the calendar, it is entirely possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, to the point that some dates will never occur again in our calendar system. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for its rarity and uniqueness.
+The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time moves only forward,{{Citation needed}} dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
-The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time moves only forward,{{Citation needed}} dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
+Cueball's behavior is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and if using a date format with a defined limit such as ISO 8601 (which only goes up to the year 9999) it is possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, such that they will never occur again. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for their rarity and uniqueness.
-Many people do make a big deal about dates when the digits follow an interesting pattern, such as 2001-01-01 or 2012-12-12, and might plan special events on these "unique" days. For instance, [http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/08/nation/na-weddings8 2007-07-07] was considered a "lucky" day and had a record number of weddings. This is because humans, in general, are superstitious and like (and recognize) patterns in everyday life.
+Another commonly celebrated date pattern is when the year, month, and day all share the same numeric value - for example, 2001-01-01 (expressed as 01/01/01) or 2012-12-12 (12/12/12), which was the last such date until next century. People might plan special events on these "unique" days. For instance, [http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/08/nation/na-weddings8 2007-07-07] was considered a "lucky" day and had a record number of weddings. This is because humans, in general, are superstitious and like (and recognize) patterns in everyday life.
-The title text refers to the {{W|Long Now Foundation}}, which uses [http://blog.longnow.org/02013/12/31/long-now-years-five-digit-dates-and-10k-compliance-at-home/ five-digit years] (e.g. this comic's date would be written "02014-03-10"). This is an effort to encourage people to think in terms of long-term benefits, rather than only the coming years or decades. The {{w|Y2K problem}} was due to using only two digits to store the year, which would have made dates ambiguous when it rolled from 99 back to 00. See also the "{{w|Year 2038 problem}}". Similarly, the {{w|Maya calendar}} had a repeating cycle of 52 years, and even their "long count" rolled over after 7885 years. As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{w|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}.
+The title text refers to the {{w|Long Now Foundation}}, which uses [http://blog.longnow.org/02013/12/31/long-now-years-five-digit-dates-and-10k-compliance-at-home/ five-digit years] (e.g. this comic's date would be written "02014-03-10"). This is an effort to encourage people to think in terms of long-term benefits, rather than only the coming years or decades. The {{w|Y2K problem}} was due to using only two digits to store the year, which would have made dates ambiguous when it rolled from 99 back to 00. See also the "{{w|Year 2038 problem}}". Similarly, the {{w|Maya calendar}} had a repeating cycle of 52 years, and even their "long count" rolled over after 7885 years. As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{w|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}.
 The Long Now Foundation designs a [http://longnow.org/clock/ 10,000-year clock] that should be able to run for this long — and in principle, it could display every date up to 9999-12-31. 8000 years from the date of the comic would be 10014 AD  — [[Randall]] jokes that by switching to 5-digit years, we'd prove the Long Now Foundation correct, although of course by this point there would be no other way to show years except by rebooting the calendar.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-In this comic [[Cueball]] is excited about the current date and he states this date (the date the comic was released) as 2014-03-10, with the year first, then the month, then the day of the month. This follows the international standard as defined in the {{W|ISO 8601}} standard. He then continues to point out, to [[Megan]] and another Cueball, that this date will never happen again.
+In this comic [[Cueball]] excitedly gives the current date (the date the comic was released) in {{w|ISO 8601}} format (year-month-day) and points out - correctly - that in the current calendar system, this date will never recur.
-The {{W|Gregorian calendar}} is the current way to count time in years, months, and days. Since time moves only forward,{{Citation needed}} dates will never repeat. Every date is thus equally unique, even when the digits aren't in a pattern.
+This is a parody of the common practice of finding significance in numerically-interesting dates, such as {{w|palindrome}} dates which have the same digits when reversed (eg. 2nd February 2020, which was 2020-02-02 in the ISO 8601 format). These special dates usually occur infrequently and sporadically, and since there are only a finite number of them in the calendar, it is entirely possible for the entire stock of such dates to be exhausted, to the point that some dates will never occur again in our calendar system. Some people enjoy finding and celebrating these special days, treating them as a kind of collector's item to be treasured for its rarity and uniqueness.
-Many people do, however, make a big deal about dates when the digits follow an interesting pattern, such as 2000-01-01 or 2012-12-12. They might plan special events on these "unique" days. For instance, [http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/08/nation/na-weddings8 2007-07-07] was considered a "lucky" day and had a record number of weddings. This is because humans, in general, are superstitious and like (and recognize) patterns in everyday life, also including patterns in the numbers used for stating dates. But this does not make these dates more unique than any other dates.
+The calendar used by the USA and most of the Western world is the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, which counts time using years, months, and days. Since time moves only forward,{{Citation needed}} dates in this system will never repeat and are thus all equally unique, even when the digits aren't in any kind of significant pattern. Unfortunately, Cueball has made it [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point out this uniqueness daily, which would be incredibly annoying to his friends. Even worse, he is using the ISO 8601 date and time standard which is designed precisely to provide unique and unambiguous time references.
-Nevertheless, Cueball has made it into  [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point this daily uniqueness out, and having to listen to him stating this fact every day would be incredibly annoying to his friends.
+Many people do make a big deal about dates when the digits follow an interesting pattern, such as 2001-01-01 or 2012-12-12, and might plan special events on these "unique" days. For instance, [http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/08/nation/na-weddings8 2007-07-07] was considered a "lucky" day and had a record number of weddings. This is because humans, in general, are superstitious and like (and recognize) patterns in everyday life.
 The title text refers to the {{W|Long Now Foundation}}, which uses [http://blog.longnow.org/02013/12/31/long-now-years-five-digit-dates-and-10k-compliance-at-home/ five-digit years] (e.g. this comic's date would be written "02014-03-10"). This is an effort to encourage people to think in terms of long-term benefits, rather than only the coming years or decades. The {{w|Y2K problem}} was due to using only two digits to store the year, which would have made dates ambiguous when it rolled from 99 back to 00. See also the "{{w|Year 2038 problem}}". Similarly, the {{w|Maya calendar}} had a repeating cycle of 52 years, and even their "long count" rolled over after 7885 years. As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{w|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Nevertheless, Cueball has made it into  [[:Category:My Hobby|his hobby]] to point this daily uniqueness out, and having to listen to him, stating this fact every day, would be incredibly annoying to his friends.
-The title text refers to the {{W|Long Now Foundation}}, who uses [http://blog.longnow.org/02013/12/31/long-now-years-five-digit-dates-and-10k-compliance-at-home/ five-digit years] (e.g. this comic's date would be written "02014-03-10"). This is an effort to encourage people to think in terms of long-term benefits, rather than only the coming years or decades. The {{w|Y2K problem}} was due to using only two digits to store the year, which would have made dates ambiguous when it rolled from 99 back to 00. See also the Computer-related "Y2038" problem. (Wikipedia link needed) Similarly, the {{w|Maya calendar}} had a repeating cycle of 52 years, and even their "long count" rolled over after 7885 years. As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{w|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}.
+The title text refers to the {{W|Long Now Foundation}}, who uses [http://blog.longnow.org/02013/12/31/long-now-years-five-digit-dates-and-10k-compliance-at-home/ five-digit years] (e.g. this comic's date would be written "02014-03-10"). This is an effort to encourage people to think in terms of long-term benefits, rather than only the coming years or decades. The {{w|Y2K problem}} was due to using only two digits to store the year, which would have made dates ambiguous when it rolled from 99 back to 00. See also the "{{w|Year 2038 problem}}". Similarly, the {{w|Maya calendar}} had a repeating cycle of 52 years, and even their "long count" rolled over after 7885 years. As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{w|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}.
 The Long Now Foundation designs a [http://longnow.org/clock/ 10,000-year clock] that should be able to run for this long — and in principle, it could display every date up to 9999-12-31. 8000 years from the date of the comic would be 10014 AD  — [[Randall]] jokes that by switching to 5-digit years, we'd prove the Long Now Foundation correct, although of course by this point there would be no other way to show years except by rebooting the calendar.

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+{{comic
 | number    = 1340
 | date      = March 10, 2014