Happy 3 4 5 6 7 8!

[Doctor Q]

I'm not a numerologist but I still like to look for number patterns and I enjoy finding them. One of them is formed by the date and time right now.

For those of us using American-style dates, today is 3/4/5. For those of us in the Pacific time zone, I've tried to post this when the time was 06:07:08, i.e., March 4, 2005 at 6:07:08pm, or 03/04/05 06:07:08.

I could have posted this at 06:07:08 am instead of 06:07:08 pm, so it would be correct in 24 hour time too, but I was too lazy to get up early. You can only carry these silly hobbies so far!

If I mistime my Submit and post this too soon or too late, I can always wait for 04/05/06 07:08:09 next year. If I'm not that patient, I can switch to European-style dates and get another chance next month on April 3 (03/04/05).

I hope you all enjoy the special occasion today, even though it doesn't have a special name like Pi Day and doesn't include gifts or get you a day off work/school.

 

[tpjunkie]

woo hoo! Uh what? Dr. Q, do you have any habits outside this forum?

I'm just kidding, you're an integral part of these boards. 3/4/05 6:07:08 is upon us!

 

[MongoTheGeek]

Teachers stopped class on 1:23:45 on 6/7/89

 

[Doctor Q]

do you have any habits outside this forum?

I don't understand your strange phrase. What does "outside this forum" refer to? Isn't that like saying "outside the universe"? Are you sure that you aren't just imagining, or theorizing, that such a thing exists? I've certainly never run into anything of the sort.

 

[Doctor Q]

For some reason, this thread from last year comes to mind today.

 

[wdlove]

I always enjoy your number crunching Doctor Q. It's always fascinating, thank you. I was actually thinking about to day being 03/04/05, your name also came to mind.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

well, I missed it.....and I had thought about this day a couple months ago. Figures

Were any planets aligned for this event?

D

 

[jsw]

Were any planets aligned for this event?

Not that I know of, but Pluto continues to be maligned by those who argue that it shouldn't be considered a planet. Does that count?

 

[tpjunkie]

I don't understand your strange phrase. What does "outside this forum" refer to? Isn't that like saying "outside the universe"? Are you sure that you aren't just imagining, or theorizing, that such a thing exists? I've certainly never run into anything of the sort.

heehee, you're right, i just hope the drunk thread is on the front page when i come back from my adventures outside the universe tonight

 

[dotdotdot]

Teachers stopped class on 1:23:45 on 6/7/89

Really?

(I was born 2 years later)

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Not that I know of, but Pluto continues to be maligned by those who argue that it shouldn't be considered a planet. Does that count?

that's a continuing argument, so I don't think it counts. Probably won't ever be settled unless they find something bigger out in the Oort Cloud with the other balls of ice...

D

 

[Doctor Q]

Were any planets aligned for this event?

I don't know about the planets, but there was an incident involving stars on this highly numerical day.

As I drove home from work while thinking about integer sequences (when I should have been paying attention to dodging the SUVs all around me instead), I noticed that the digits 9 8 7 were displayed on my dashboard console. I hadn't noticed before that it was a descending arithmetic progression, but I realize it often has this display. That's because it was the LCD display of my car radio, and I was listening to STAR, frequency 98.7!

 

[jefhatfield]

who was around 1/1/11
2/2/22
3/3/33
4/4/44
5/5/55
6/6/66
7/7/77
8/8/88
9/9/99?

and what were you doing?

on 6/6/66, i was three years old and living in the same house i am in now
on 7/7/77, i was in middle school and a student pointed out is was all 7s
on 8/8/88, i was a salesperson at ace hardware
on 9/9/99, i was just learning to enjoy the power of os 8.1, the internet, email, and games all at home instead of at school or the library where i used to have to do my computing

 

[killuminati]

who was around 1/1/11
2/2/22
3/3/33
4/4/44
5/5/55
6/6/66
7/7/77
8/8/88
9/9/99?

and what were you doing?

8/8/88 - I was a thought

9/9/99 - I was 9 years old thinking of what I wanted to get for my birthday. (24th)

 

[MacNut]

Really?

(I was born 2 years later)

Now I'm really starting to feel old since I will be 25 in a week, You missed out on a good decade when MTV actually played music.
Im sure some will say I'm a youngen being only 25

 

[Awimoway]

Well, Doctor Q, we'll look forward to your post at 5:55.55 in two months, on 5/5/5. Another interesting date would be 7/6/5. You could post at 4:32.10. And 5/10/5 at 5:10.51. And the list goes on...

 

[Mechcozmo]

I don't understand your strange phrase. What does "outside this forum" refer to? Isn't that like saying "outside the universe"? Are you sure that you aren't just imagining, or theorizing, that such a thing exists? I've certainly never run into anything of the sort.

Outside of the internet is this 'real world' place. It is pretty scary. You have to know how to dodge SUVs that aim for you. The real world is like the internet, but much less pixelated too.

I haven't been there for months.

Oh, and thank's for making this a Pacific Coast friendly post (say THAT a few times fast-- Coast friendly post ) as opposed to the main page....

Anyways, will you be posting on New Years right between 05 and 06? That second of time where everything is in a void... perfect time to post if you like numbers. What numbers would it be? Hmmm.......

 

[CorvusCamenarum]

How about 12:34:56 on July (7) 8th, '90?

 

[AmigoMac]

9/9/99 ... Got the news that I was going to be a father... first child news!

 

[virividox]

haha great thread love ur number crunching it didnt occur to me until i read this

 

[Doctor Q]

43
65
87​

The top-right corner of this post has a 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 pattern, reading right to left, if you include the post counter. You can't have much more fun that that!

If you didn't like that one, how about looking at the post number of Awimoway's post above? It's all 1s and 2s and 3s! 1311123.

Here's a game I just made up that you can play right in your own home:

Start with a number like Awimoway's post number: 1311123. Count how many 1s, how many 2s, and how many 3s, from the smallest digit present to the largest digit. Write it like this:

4 1 1 2 2 3
meaning 4 ones, 1 twos, and 2 threes​

Then do the same with THAT number, counting the 1s, 2s, 3s, and now 4s. In each step, you count the digits and write the results, repeating until the pattern sticks on a number or encounters a value you saw before.

Continuing with our example:

4 1 1 2 2 3
2 1 2 2 1 3 1 4
3 1 3 2 1 3 1 4
3 1 1 2 3 3 1 4
3 1 1 2 3 3 1 4
...​

Wasn't that fun?

You are welcome to try it yourself with the number 1311001. You will find post number 1311001 above in this thread, and you might even notice that 1311001 is a 7-digit number whose digits sum to 7.

1 3 1 1 0 0 1
2 0 4 1 0 2 1 3
2 0 2 1 2 2 1 3 1 4
(the rest is up to you!)​

In general, will the series always eventually converge or repeat?

 

[Lacero]

How about 12:34:56 on July (7) 8th, '90?

I actually documented this time and year on video. As the time approached, I was able to countdown on-camera this very sequence. If I can find the grainy VHS footage, I'll post it, but then maybe not, since I was just a freckly-faced awkward teenager back then.

 

[jefhatfield]

Wasn't that fun?

​

uh, no

you are like the old time, original computer scientists i know in silicon valley who all had their grad degrees in math and were the math for vacuum tube, stadium sized computers in the days before the math co-processor

they had their khakis, pencil protectors with pens and pencils, aluminum clipboards, and slide rules​

 

[Otto Rehhagel]

I became 20 years old on Feb 2, 2002

OR

20 on 02/02/02

 

[wdlove]

4/4/44 Just about the time that my wife's brother was born.

5/5/55 I was in the second grade, with less than thirty days till school was out for the summer.

6/6/66 Had recently graduated from high school. Getting ready to start my summer job at a Funeral Home.

7/7/77 Two years off active duty Air Force. Working at the Omaha VA Hospital. Two years of ownership of our first single family home.

8/8/88 One year about three weeks ownership of our second single family home. About the time that we add central air conditioning. Also began a major renovation.

9/9/99 This was our 27th Wedding anniversary.