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date +%s Turning 1111111111
initsix writes "Break out your party hats. According to http://www.onlineconversion.com/unix_time.htm , Unix time is supposed reach 1111111111 on
Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:58:31 GMT
That's only 1036372537 seconds from 2^31 (ie Tue, 19 Jan 2038 03:14:08 GMT)!!"
1) Bored Unix programmer visits the Unix time conversion website and enters in "1111111111" for shits and giggles.
2) Bored Unix programmer sees that this is equivalent to just a little while from now.
3) Bored Unix programmer tosses around a few more numbers and submits the story to Slashdot.
4) Story becomes Slashdot front-page news.
The coolest voice ever.
Geeks are "fake freaks": freaks by choice, not by nature. Now we've got a horde of Slashdotters talking about how this timestamp story is interesting only if you're really "bored", or have "too much time ;) on your hands". Of course this story is interesting to nerds, who are preternaturally aware that we've got a "Y2K38" event coming up, when all the 32bit timestamps roll over to another epoch. But all these high-numbered posers, whining about how irrelevant or how hard it is to to understand this timeframe, are fake nerds. What is the word for that?
--
make install -not war
k-thx-bye
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
Actually, My prediction is the opposite:
[PutsOnNostradamusHat]
The only reason that the y2k computer problem was such a media event is because the year 2000 was such a media event. People were expecting the world to end, the y2k computer bug fit neatly into that hysteria.
There is nothing about 2038 that will grab media attention. So no boob tube watchers will ever know anything about the date rollover problem.
Then, because there will be no public panic about it, it won't be taken seriously by the PHBs and no matter how much the coders scream about it, no money will be given to the project and it will end up being a much bigger problem than y2k turned out to be.
[\PutsOnNostradamusHat]
Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
People attach meaning to numbers -- perhaps technical people make more of a habbit out of it, but I digress -- what makes 1111111111 interesting? Possibly its aesthetic appeal. It's got nothing to do with randomness. Don't you get excited when your car rolls over to 100000 miles? It's somthing simple and nice -- and well worth taking pleasure in.
I like the number 219. There isn't anything special about it -- It's just happens to be one of my favorite ascii characters. (The solid block one.) I stayed in hotel room 219 just yesterday and felt good about having that room number.
Lot's of people attach meaning to the number 42. There isn't anything wrong with that.
Some people find powers of 2 appealing -- imagine driving route 256 -- how cool would that be?
Gamblers may have some attraction or aversion to the numbers 7 and 13 -- some might get a good feeling seeing hte number 21.
Finding an old girlfriends phone number can be nice -- it let's you remember.
I don't know if you have any numbers that are significant in your life -- But I know I do! I don't think I'd want it any other way.
You have to learn to enjoy those small meaningful things -- or you'll miss the whole point of living -- I don't mean the meaning of life, mind you, but the meaning in life.
Required reading for internet skeptics
"1111111111" is cool and all, but won't it be even more cool when we get to "2222222222?" :)