02/03/04

Tuesday, 3 February 2004 08:12
pne: A picture of a plush toy, halfway between a duck and a platypus, with a green body and a yellow bill and feet. (Default)
[personal profile] pne

Today is 02/03/04 for those in the US, with their strange middle-endian date format :)

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 04:20 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] christine.livejournal.com
Hey... our date format is the epitome of normal!

February 3, 2004
2/3/2004

See how lovely?

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 04:30 (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
er, no?

"3 February 2004"/"3rd of February 2004" or "2004-02-03" I'd consider normal since they're strictly ascending (day < month < year in length) or descending (year > month > day).

But 2/3/2004 has a medium-length period of time (month) then a short period (day) then a long period (year), which doesn't make as much sense to me.

I'd personally prefer 2004-02-03 for computers since it's easier to sort. (And indeed, ISO date format (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-time.html) uses this as its standard date notation.)

At least you still use normal format when you talk about "the Fourth of July" (or do you call that holiday "July Four" by now?).

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:06 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] christine.livejournal.com
normal is relative...


And we typically do say "forth of july", but it wouldn't seem odd to hear someone say july forth either

At any rate, I know that America is all crazy like, and has to do things the difficult way (i.e. the "standard" measurement system, which is standard nowhere in the world but the US). I was joking...

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:09 (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
Though even stranger things occur, e.g. seeing signs such as "Speed limit 30 mph for the next 5 km" (mixing miles and kilometres).

I was joking

Ah, sorry. I often fail to spot that.

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:14 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] christine.livejournal.com
Though even stranger things occur, e.g. seeing signs such as "Speed limit 30 mph for the next 5 km" (mixing miles and kilometres).... Thank you for clarifying what would have been so weird about that sign, I'd've never guessed (now, I'm being sarcastic).

For the record, I've NEVER seen a sign that has mixed kms with miles.

Additionally, it's a safe better that I'm always joking if I'm saying something america-centric. I really don't care for my country all that much that I don't realize how dumb we can be.

Re:

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:36 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] christine.livejournal.com
that should read "safe bet"

And I don't mean to sound like a bitch (as good at that as I tend to be)... I think I just forget that comical tones don't carry well across telephone wires and oceans...

My point: Yes, America is silly, but considering the way we order our words, the date format makes sense, even if the smallest value is in the middle.

miles and kilometres

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:38 (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
Apparently, this sign was in Ireland.

In general, Ireland and the UK seem to have a partial conversion to metric only, from what I hear.

I've also heard that some people use different units for different things: for example, measuring their weight in stone but the produce they buy at the market in grams. I suppose the kilometre for distance / mile for speed thing is similar.

(And then you have things such as the fact that it's forbidden to sell a pint of beer or of milk, so now they have 473 ml bottles...)

Re: miles and kilometres

Date: Wednesday, 4 February 2004 19:42 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] reclamationzone.livejournal.com
I've also heard that some people use different units for different things: for example, measuring their weight in stone but the produce they buy at the market in grams. I suppose the kilometre for distance / mile for speed thing is similar.

Welcome to Canada. Most people measure their weights in pounds, heights in feet, speed in km/hr, gas in $/L, beer in can is in ml, while in a glass it's a pint or a yard. And one can never really tell for sure what format this date is in: 02/03/04.

Re:

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 04:53 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] denial-land.livejournal.com
heh. suuuure :P

~_^

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 05:40 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joyitude.livejournal.com
I didn't notice that. And it's not strange. omg u meenie don't MAKE call mah tiird daddi for harazzmant.

Please speak English

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 06:07 (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
omg u meenie don't MAKE call mah tiird daddi for harazzmant.

<goat>One more beer and I might understand you, [livejournal.com profile] cuddled.</goat>

Re: Please speak English

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:37 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joyitude.livejournal.com
That wasn't me. That was the girl you talked to yesterday.

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 06:51 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] timwi.livejournal.com
Middle-endian. :-D Hahahaha LOL.

middle-endian

Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2004 07:05 (UTC)
ext_78: A picture of a plush animal. It looks a bit like a cross between a duck and a platypus. (Default)
From: [identity profile] pne.livejournal.com
:) I picked up the term from reading the Jargon File (http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/M/middle-endian.html) (it's also in FOLDOC (http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?middle-endian)).

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