Zero was actually forbidden by the Pope.
Another reason why Zero is my hero.
Hermanos! The devil has built a robot!
Numero Cinco ,'The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco'
Natter 63: Life after PuppyCam
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
tommyrot - Jun 29, 2009 11:47:34 am PDT #26531 of 30000
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Polter-Cow - Jun 29, 2009 11:49:20 am PDT #26532 of 30000
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Man, I read a really interesting article on zero in Atlantic Monthly in high school.
And here it is!! It's focused mainly on the millennium issue and the absence of Year Zero, Trent Reznor notwithstanding.
DavidS - Jun 29, 2009 11:51:10 am PDT #26533 of 30000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Another reason why Zero is my hero.
I'm all about Hey Little Twelvetoes.
tommyrot - Jun 29, 2009 11:52:01 am PDT #26534 of 30000
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Zero was actually forbidden by the Pope.
Oh, I bet this explains why the Catholic Church hated Galileo. My theory is that Galileo just replaced every zero with 'Pope.' So then he says, "The Earth goes around the Sun, which is ninety-three Pope Pope Pope, Pope Pope Pope miles away."
DavidS - Jun 29, 2009 11:53:24 am PDT #26535 of 30000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
My theory is that Galileo just replaced every zero with 'Pope.' So then he says, "The Earth goes around the Sun, which is ninety-three Pope Pope Pope, Pope Pope Pope miles away."
That would get annoying. If I were Pope I'd have him on the rack just for that.
-t - Jun 29, 2009 11:53:47 am PDT #26536 of 30000
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Did you read the book Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea?
I think that's one of those books I bought but haven't gotten around to reading, yet. Thanks for the reminder.
Math is kind of an easy subject to be able to to see how these different cultures though about things very differently than we did. There's zero. There's the idea that unit fractions are the only possibility. Negative numbers. Irrational numbers. My personal favorite, infinity. Each one really requires a paradigm shift. It's hard to think about, that they didn't just not use zero, they never conceived of the possibility of something like zero.
Gudanov - Jun 29, 2009 11:55:59 am PDT #26537 of 30000
Coding and Sleeping
Another reason why Zero is my hero.
There's a Zorro joke there, but I just can't come up with it. I blame my headache.
Steph L. - Jun 29, 2009 11:56:42 am PDT #26538 of 30000
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
Irrational numbers.
i is not a number! t /kneejerk reaction
(That's my standard editrix rant; IIRC, I engaged in it this weekend. Pi notwithstanding, letters aren't numbers, arrrrrgh!!!!)
(You might say I'm a little...irrational...about it.)
Dana - Jun 29, 2009 11:57:07 am PDT #26539 of 30000
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
You is a free man?
Steph L. - Jun 29, 2009 11:58:11 am PDT #26540 of 30000
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
You is a free man?
Ahahahahaha!!!
Well played.