SR - Alisandre's nothing tutu

[Dennis Grace]

Salut cozyns,

Lyonel aisai. Commo?

Well, since Lyonel believes this to be the year 1386, Dennis had better 
field this one?

Alisandre responds to -

> > Please excuse the bandwith...
> > FYI - A NEW CENTURY & A NEW SOUTHERN REGIONAL CHRONICLER!!!!

- with:

>Please excuse the shouting...
>THIS IS NOT A NEW CENTURY!!!!! AAAAAGH!!!! 2000 IS NEITHER A NEW CENTURY 
>NOR A
>NEW MILLENNIUM!!!! 2000 IS THE LAST YEAR OF THIS CENTURY AND THIS 
>MILLENNIUM!!!!
>2001 IS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY!!! WHY DO YOU ALL THINK
>ARTHUR C. CLARKE PICKED 2001 AS A TITLE ANYWAY?
><pant, pant>
>Sorry, but I'm just so tired of hearing this. It starts to grate.

Well, no, I do not excuse the shouting.  Nor do I excuse the gratuitous 
applications of exclamation points.  What utter nonsense.  If you are going 
to deliberately make your postings difficult to read, why bother typing 
them?

Second, I understand how you feel.  I'm having similar reactions to the 
opposite end of the issue.  I'm sick of hearing how upset a tiny minority 
become over hearing the rest of the world refer to the year 2000 as a new 
century and a new millennium.

When a counter goes from 1999 to 2000, the entire dial changes.  Our brains 
have a tendency to work along similar lines.  The year 2000 resonates in our 
minds as a milestone.  Thus, the number 2000 has a resonance that the number 
2001 will be unable to match.  Remember all those big celebrations around 
the world a few days ago?  Do you think anyone will do the same next year?  
Not likely.

As for factuality, the Gregorian calendar numbering system is, itself, 
somewhat arbitrary.  The standard argument from mathematicians and trivia 
collectors is that the lack of a year 0 makes this the 1999th year.  
Poppycock.  What you call the year 1 BC will work just fine as an arbitrary 
year 0, but who cares?  Even if the calendar had begun on the year 23, the 
world would have been celebrating the 2000 mark.  The year 2000 is the first 
year of the 21st century and of the third millenium.  Most of us are happy 
about this.  We like round numbers.

Of course, if you really enjoy being upset by the majority disregard for 
your knowledge of trivia, this year will provide you ample opportunities to 
raise your ire.  Newscasters will refer to recurrant events (especially big 
ones like the Super Bowl and the US Presidential election) as the "first of 
the new millenium."  You may want to get your blood pressure checked before 
embarking upon so hazardous a journey.

As for your signature line -

>--Alisandre, still firmly in the 20th century

- don't sweat it.  You'll catch up.  Some people are just naturally slow.

Responding from the third millennium,
Dennis
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