RE: 356 days till the millennium -Reply

["Andrew Karam" <akaram@safety.rochester.edu>]

>Not to be a stickler, but doesn't the millennium actually begin with the
>start of the year 2001, hence, there are actually more like 720 or so days
>left?

The most convincing statement I have heard on when the millenium occurs
came from Steven Jay Gould.  He noted that the idea of a millenium is a
purely arbitrary human decision based on an accident of evolution that gave
us 10 fingers.  That being the case, the choice of when to celebrate the
millenium is a equally arbitrary one.  The counting dilemma is resolved by
simply noting that the first century had only 99 years (a solution proposed
by an acquaintance of his who is a human day-date calculator).  This
applies, of course, only to those places keeping dates using the Christian
calendar.

In any event, as noted in many posts, our computers seem convinced that the
millenium will begin in the year 2000.  After ceding so many other
decisions and actions to them, who are we to argue with this one?

Andy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Andrew Karam, MS, CHP			akaram@safety.rochester.edu
RSO, University of Rochester		http://www.rochester.edu/Admin/EHAS/rshpage.htm 
(716) 275-3781 (voice)				(716) 256-0365 (fax)

"Just as, from the pawprint alone, one recognizes the lion." Johann
Bernoulli, 1697 referring to Newton's anonymous solution of the
brachistochrone problem. 

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