3184: Funny Numbers - Revision history

An architect at 17:23, 19 May 2026

2026-05-19T17:23:08Z

82.132.236.115: /* Explanation */ Changed to inline links, rather than number-note types.

2026-02-23T15:43:56Z

‎Explanation: Changed to inline links, rather than number-note types.

2A01:E11:303B:100:68C0:BC3B:DBB3:F4F5: Add references to 42

2026-02-23T14:37:27Z

Add references to 42

Tromag at 13:50, 9 February 2026

2026-02-09T13:50:44Z

Elektrizikekswerk: /* Explanation */ No reason for tag given. Explanation seems complete, removed tag.

2026-01-23T09:13:07Z

‎Explanation: No reason for <incomplete> tag given. Explanation seems complete, removed tag.

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-06T09:28:19Z

‎Explanation

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-06T09:25:26Z

‎Explanation

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2026-01-06T09:23:52Z

‎Explanation

JimJJewett: $420million for road repairs in Michigan budget. This might be too prominent for a detail ...

2025-12-31T08:34:54Z

$420million for road repairs in Michigan budget. This might be too prominent for a detail ...

182.253.55.51: Fixed typo on "calculator

2025-12-31T05:11:54Z

Fixed typo on "calculator

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 |}
-The title text claims that the media reaction to "23-skiddoo" around the turn of the 20th century (''one'' of the oldest terms, ''possibly'' the first noted by the mathematicians of that day) was very similar to the current media reaction to "6 7". This highlights a perennial historical cycle of youth culture being confusing to the old; with the young generation growing old and, in turn, being confused by a new generation of youth culture.
+The title text claims that the media reaction to "23-skidoo" around the turn of the 20th century (''one'' of the oldest terms, ''possibly'' the first noted by the mathematicians of that day) was very similar to the current media reaction to "6 7". This highlights a perennial historical cycle of youth culture being confusing to the old; with the young generation growing old and, in turn, being confused by a new generation of youth culture.
 Other cartoons featuring lists of symbolic numbers include [[487: Numerical Sex Positions]]. The trend of new manifestations of long-running phenomena being treated as signs of social decay is referenced in [[1227: The Pace of Modern Life]].

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 |-
 |42||1978||A number made popular by {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}, a radio play and book by Douglas Adams.
-These works include a plot where a supercomputer is designed to answer {{w|Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42|"the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything"}} and (after a great deal of calculation) reports that the answer is "forty-two" (the joke being that the answer is useless because we don't understand the question). This number became a reference among fans of the series, and passed into more common usage. This number also appears in older works like King James' Bible[https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/42.html] and the Torah[https://quantumtorah.com/forty-two-journeys/], to name a few.
+These works include a plot where a supercomputer is designed to answer {{w|Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42|"the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything"}} and (after a great deal of calculation) reports that the answer is "forty-two" (the joke being that the answer is useless because we don't understand the question). This number became a reference among fans of the series, and passed into more common usage. This number also appears in older works like the [https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/42.html King James' Bible] and [https://quantumtorah.com/forty-two-journeys/ Torah], to name a few.
 |-
 |69||data-sort-value="1795"|1790s?||Refers to {{w|69 (sex position)|the act of mutual oral sex}}, because the two digits (identical but inversely rotated) are reminiscent of two people in that sexual position.

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 |-
 |42||1978||A number made popular by {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}, a radio play and book by Douglas Adams.
-These works include a plot where a supercomputer is designed to answer {{w|Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42|"the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything"}} and (after a great deal of calculation) reports that the answer is "forty-two" (the joke being that the answer is useless because we don't understand the question). This number became a reference among fans of the series, and passed into more common usage.
+These works include a plot where a supercomputer is designed to answer {{w|Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy#The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42|"the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything"}} and (after a great deal of calculation) reports that the answer is "forty-two" (the joke being that the answer is useless because we don't understand the question). This number became a reference among fans of the series, and passed into more common usage. This number also appears in older works like King James' Bible[https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/42.html] and the Torah[https://quantumtorah.com/forty-two-journeys/], to name a few.
 |-
 |69||data-sort-value="1795"|1790s?||Refers to {{w|69 (sex position)|the act of mutual oral sex}}, because the two digits (identical but inversely rotated) are reminiscent of two people in that sexual position.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 This comic refers to the recent meme {{w|6-7 meme|"6-7"}}, which is often accompanied by moving your hands up and down. This meme is often referenced in physical space, primarily among the younger generation, often to the great annoyance of their elders.
-Like many youth trends, this habit is often looked down upon by adults, who may see it as anything from an irritating fad to a symptom of social and intellectual decay. This strip takes exactly the opposite tack, depicting a Mathematical Society (apparently composed entirely of adults) noting this trend with no hint of condemnation. Rather, their attitude seems indulgent and nostalgic. The strip references a long history of young people adopting specific numbers as slang, often for quasi-arbitrary reasons, and treats this latest meme as simply a continuation of that history. Seen from that perspective, the trend seems like something that the different generations have in common, with one researcher fondly saying that she's "glad they're still doing that".
+Like many youth trends, this habit is often looked down upon by adults, who may see it as anything from an irritating fad to a symptom of social and intellectual decay. This strip takes exactly the opposite tack, depicting a Mathematical Society (apparently composed entirely of adults) noting this trend with no hint of condemnation. Rather, their attitude seems indulgent and nostalgic. The strip references a long history of young people adopting specific numbers as slang, often for quasi-arbitrary reasons, and treats this latest meme as simply a continuation of that history. Seen from that perspective, the trend seems like something that the different generations have in common, with one researcher fondly saying that she's "glad they're still doing that". There's also the implication that the Mathematical Society would likely be full of people who love numbers, and so appreciate the fact that people are taking joy in numbers.
 The numbers listed are:

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:13, 23 January 2026
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|This page was created by the square root of -2. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}~~
	This comic refers to the recent meme {{w\|6-7 meme\|"6-7"}}, which is often accompanied by moving your hands up and down. This meme is often referenced in physical space, primarily among the younger generation, often to the great annoyance of their elders.		This comic refers to the recent meme {{w\|6-7 meme\|"6-7"}}, which is often accompanied by moving your hands up and down. This meme is often referenced in physical space, primarily among the younger generation, often to the great annoyance of their elders.

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 Randall previously made reference to this number in [[2153: Effects of High Altitude]].  Michigan's 2026 budget assumes the increased tax on marijuana will raise precisely $420 million for road repairs.
 |-
-|1,337||data-sort-value="1985"|1980s?||"{{w|Leet}}-speak" is a form of textual obfuscation using an alternative orthography (various character substitutions and phonetic shifts) to 'spell' words. This particular type of orthography initially became popular among young computer hackers ("leet" being slang for "elite").
+|1,337||data-sort-value="1985"|1980s?||"{{w|Leet}}-speak" is a form of textual obfuscation using an alternative orthography (various character substitutions and phonetic shifts) to 'spell' words. This particular type of orthography initially became popular among young computer hackers ("leet" being slang for "elite" — i.e. the self-description of the in-group who are using this system).
-"1337" is the usual way to represent the term "LEET" ("1" is commonly a lower-case "L", "3"s are often used as "E"s  – see 58,008's calculator-speak examples – and "7" closely resembles a "T"). (i.e. the self-description of the in-group who are using this system).
+"1337" is the usual way to represent the term "LEET" ("1" is commonly a lower-case "L", "3"s are often used as "E"s  – see 58,008's calculator-speak examples – and "7" somewhat resembles a "T").
 Randall has previously referred to 1337 in the [[:Category:1337|1337]] series and in [[1337: Hack]].
 |-

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 The numbers listed are:
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
-!Number!!Adopted?!!class="unsortable"|Explanation
+!Number!!Adopted!!class="unsortable"|Explanation
 |-
 |data-sort-value="23"|23 (skidoo!)||data-sort-value="1899"|around 1899||The number relates to leaving quickly (a suggestion to go away), for indeterminate reasons.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Explanation==
 {{incomplete|This page was created by the square root of -2. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
-This comic refers to the recent meme {{w|6-7 meme|"6-7"}}, often accompanied by moving your hands up and down. This meme is often referenced in physical space, primarily among the younger generation, often to the great annoyance of their elders.
+This comic refers to the recent meme {{w|6-7 meme|"6-7"}}, which is often accompanied by moving your hands up and down. This meme is often referenced in physical space, primarily among the younger generation, often to the great annoyance of their elders.
 Like many youth trends, this habit is often looked down upon by adults, who may see it as anything from an irritating fad to a symptom of social and intellectual decay. This strip takes exactly the opposite tack, depicting a Mathematical Society (apparently composed entirely of adults) noting this trend with no hint of condemnation. Rather, their attitude seems indulgent and nostalgic. The strip references a long history of young people adopting specific numbers as slang, often for quasi-arbitrary reasons, and treats this latest meme as simply a continuation of that history. Seen from that perspective, the trend seems like something that the different generations have in common, with one researcher fondly saying that she's "glad they're still doing that".