If that were binary it's 4095 which is Excel's date formula for 18 March 1911, the day Italy's Prime Minister Luigi Luzzatti resigned. "Although a man of first-class financial ability, great honesty and wide culture, he had not the strength of character necessary to lead a government: he showed lack of energy in dealing with opposition and tried to avoid all measures likely to make him unpopular." Times have changed.
I remember the millennium bug, because I was part of a team involved in eradicating it. The press had a field day - 'what a lot of fuss about nothing' - which rather spectacularly missed the point. I bet Apple were as meticulous as everyone else. A very interesting project: I think the only one I was ever involved in which had as its stated objective: Nothing Happens.
Soaring, I may spend some time later on constructing an appropriate inverse of that quote. I say May.
Well indeed, I'm quite happy to accept that it was the vast amount of work that dedicated individuals put in to minimise the effects of no one noticing, in the early days of computing, that it was only a few years before the century changed. At the time, Apple said that they had noticed and allowed for it. I reckoned it wasn't anything I could do anything about, so why worry?
My father used to read Mad magazine in the 1960s. I quite modelled myself on Alfred E. Neuman.
Which reminds me, did anyone notice whether Harold Camping's revised prediction of the world ending on 21 October 2011 actually happen? I forgot to check.
Like everyone (well everyone in Waitrose anyway), I observed the two minutes' silence at 11 o'clock this morning; and then added an extra second at the Corduroy Moment.
I was going through the toll booth for the Dartford tunnel during the 2 minute silence today and silently handed over my fee and silently received my change. 11.11.11.11.11 was celebrated on the M25.
To think I used to lose sleep over the millennium bug....
ReplyDeleteIf that were binary it's 4095 which is Excel's date formula for 18 March 1911, the day Italy's Prime Minister Luigi Luzzatti resigned.
ReplyDelete"Although a man of first-class financial ability, great honesty and wide culture, he had not the strength of character necessary to lead a government: he showed lack of energy in dealing with opposition and tried to avoid all measures likely to make him unpopular."
Times have changed.
It's also, of course, a barely overheard conversation with her Maj.
ReplyDeleteI suspect there will be several million excited tweets at that time.
ReplyDeleteFeeling secure with my Mac, I had been looking forward to the millennium bug. There are so many little disappointments in life.
I remember the millennium bug, because I was part of a team involved in eradicating it. The press had a field day - 'what a lot of fuss about nothing' - which rather spectacularly missed the point. I bet Apple were as meticulous as everyone else. A very interesting project: I think the only one I was ever involved in which had as its stated objective: Nothing Happens.
ReplyDeleteSoaring, I may spend some time later on constructing an appropriate inverse of that quote. I say May.
Well indeed, I'm quite happy to accept that it was the vast amount of work that dedicated individuals put in to minimise the effects of no one noticing, in the early days of computing, that it was only a few years before the century changed. At the time, Apple said that they had noticed and allowed for it. I reckoned it wasn't anything I could do anything about, so why worry?
ReplyDeleteMy father used to read Mad magazine in the 1960s. I quite modelled myself on Alfred E. Neuman.
Thank you for that Tim. I knew about 11:11:11 and could have guessed at :11:11 but I'd quite forgotten :11.
ReplyDeleteWell we survived.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me, did anyone notice whether Harold Camping's revised prediction of the world ending on 21 October 2011 actually happen?
I forgot to check.
Like everyone (well everyone in Waitrose anyway), I observed the two minutes' silence at 11 o'clock this morning; and then added an extra second at the Corduroy Moment.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time...
ReplyDeleteI was going through the toll booth for the Dartford tunnel during the 2 minute silence today and silently handed over my fee and silently received my change. 11.11.11.11.11 was celebrated on the M25.
ReplyDelete