BC, AD.... Next?

Twista · 01-21-2004, 05:52 PM

Do you think there will be a next huge event in the world that will envolve the yearing system starting at 0 again? If so, what do you think it would that started it roughly?

- Inspired by the Chinise New Year thread lol.

**crickhollow** · 01-21-2004, 09:17 PM

naw, I don't think they would ever stop counting and start over again. that would be too much of a bother. However, the History books have officially changed over from "Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" to "Before Common Era" and "Common Era", though the numbers remain the same.

jerseydevil · 01-21-2004, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by crickhollow
naw, I don't think they would ever stop counting and start over again. that would be too much of a bother. However, the History books have officially changed over from "Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" to "Before Common Era" and "Common Era", though the numbers remain the same.

Which is sort of stupid - since they really mean the same thing. Just took out the part on WHY we started out at 0 again - whihc has everything to do with Christ whether people like it or not. It's the christian calendar - pure and simple.

***gdl96*** · 01-21-2004, 10:09 PM

Well if there were some important event, I don't think we would start counting from it immediately. The Gregorian Calendar is less that 2000 years old, as it was created quite some time of 0 AD. If we did start from zero again, it would probably be in retrospect. Maybe many years from now, someone will say something like, "Hey, that Heaven's Gate cult was right. Let's start counting from when that mass suicide happened."

So using this logic, maybe something amazingly important and worthy of counting from has already happened, and we just don't realize it yet. Hmm.

**Nurvingiel** · 01-21-2004, 11:07 PM

There are other calendars besides the Christian one, such as the Muslim calendar.

I wonder if there's a calendar that's not religiously based?

jerseydevil · 01-21-2004, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
There are other calendars besides the Christian one, such as the Muslim calendar.

I know there are - but the western world uses the Christian calendar.

Quote:

I wonder if there's a calendar that's not religiously based?

I don't think there is any calendar that is religiously based.

**Nurvingiel** · 01-21-2004, 11:21 PM

I wasn't really responding to your post JD, I was just adding more information.

The Christian calendar is religiously based - the way I meant it - significant dates are based on religious events. In our case, that was the birth of Jesus. I don't think there's a year 0 though. Isn't it just 1 BC then 1AD?

jerseydevil · 01-21-2004, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
I wasn't really responding to your post JD, I was just adding more information.

Oh - I thought maybe you were responding to me saying that we use the Christian calendar.

Quote:

The Christian calendar is religiously based - the way I meant it - significant dates are based on religious events. In our case, that was the birth of Jesus. I don't think there's a year 0 though. Isn't it just 1 BC then 1AD?

Yeah - I don't think there is a 0 year.

gollum9630 · 01-21-2004, 11:55 PM

technically it should be 2008, but when the gregorian calender was created they made it start 4 years to late

.

anywho, i doubt they will make another calendar because there are already so many important things that have happened that it would screw everyone up most likely

***Valandil*** · 01-22-2004, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Twista
Do you think there will be a next huge event in the world that will envolve the yearing system starting at 0 again? If so, what do you think it would that started it roughly?

I imagine the second coming of Christ would do it!

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
I don't think there's a year 0 though. Isn't it just 1 BC then 1AD?

Yes, I believe this is correct, which brings to mind something I've been thinking of for awhile, and maybe the historians know: How many years is it from, say, June 1 of 20 BC to June 1 of 20 AD? I think the answer is 39... because there is no Year 0.

BTW - there's an old, bad movie from the 1950's or so: 'Panic in the Year Zero' - about an American family surviving after a nuclear strike / war... anybody ever seen it?

Arien the Maia · 01-22-2004, 01:07 AM

so reagarding the whole 1BC to 1AD ...when was the new millenium? I'm a purest so I say that it was 2001...but most other peopl eI know say that it was 2000...

**Nurvingiel** · 01-22-2004, 01:23 AM

It was 2001. I was annoyed at the whole "the world's going to end because it's the year 2000 thing" for a while. The world is not going to end because your computer clock is innacurate.

But hey, good excuse for a party. I remember we had a great new year's party in 2000.

Arien the Maia · 01-22-2004, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
It was 2001. I was annoyed at the whole "the world's going to end because it's the year 2000 thing" for a while. The world is not going to end because your computer clock is innacurate.

But hey, good excuse for a party. I remember we had a great new year's party in 2000.

yeah I know...I mean what was the REAL significance of the year 2000? nothing really other than the Y2K scare...but other than that I don't know...I know of several religions who thought the world was gonna end though!

**Nurvingiel** · 01-22-2004, 01:28 AM

There was no real significance to the year 2000. Our system of calculating the length of a year has been fudged, changed, etc. many times. Even our current system is imprecise. I think it's stupid to think the world will end on a completely arbitrary number.

Arien the Maia · 01-22-2004, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
There was no real significance to the year 2000. Our system of calculating the length of a year has been fudged, changed, etc. many times. Even our current system is imprecise. I think it's stupid to think the world will end on a completely arbitrary number.

cheers to that!

***Valandil*** · 01-22-2004, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
There was no real significance to the year 2000. Our system of calculating the length of a year has been fudged, changed, etc. many times. Even our current system is imprecise. I think it's stupid to think the world will end on a completely arbitrary number.

That one was just the odometer rolling over... kinda nice feeling because of the numbers themselves, but nothing discernable otherwise.

jerseydevil · 01-22-2004, 02:51 AM

Actually there was a HUGE issue with Y2K. Older programs and many newer ones had short cuts, either to concerve memory or just to save typing where the year was only saved in a 2 year format. So 1999 was actually saved as 99. Some programs would have either have considered 1999 to switch over to 1900, not 2000 and others would have gone from 99 to 100. This would have caused computer crashes and peopel to be charged exorbinate late fees, etc. The time is used far more behind the scenes in computers than you realize. It is not just a mechanism for telling time when you look at from how the date and time is used in computers.

Twista · 01-22-2004, 03:48 AM

Why would it not of liked the change anyways? Its only a new number...

**Nurvingiel** · 01-22-2004, 03:55 AM

You're right JD, Y2K was a huge problem for some companies. But the number 2000 itself is not significant. Computers just happened to be programmed so that number caused problems, but there is no meaning to the number.

It has the same sort of meaning that Valadil mentioned; it's fun watching the odometer roll over.

Twista · 01-22-2004, 12:08 PM

Another question... If they founded a coloney on Mars for instance, would they 'Run' it on earth or martian time scale?

01-21-2004, 05:52 PM	#1
Twista Orodruin's Flame Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Kananaskis, AB Posts: 1,194	BC, AD.... Next? Do you think there will be a next huge event in the world that will envolve the yearing system starting at 0 again? If so, what do you think it would that started it roughly? - Inspired by the Chinise New Year thread lol. __________________ Council of Entmoot - Foreign Affairs Minister - 2004-05 Visit the Ye Olde Avatar Shop and The New One Dont tell me what I cannot do Two men are on a Island, they both see a "monster", one sees a bright light, and the other sees a dark cloud My name bares no reference to the music artist.

01-21-2004, 11:55 PM	#9
gollum9630 Canadian Guy. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The true North Strong and Free Posts: 1,513	technically it should be 2008, but when the gregorian calender was created they made it start 4 years to late. anywho, i doubt they will make another calendar because there are already so many important things that have happened that it would screw everyone up most likely __________________ "Canadians are so apathetic, but, what are you gonna do about it" -Glen Foster Wierd Harry Potter quotes the old nintendo duck hunt game Lemmings Swron Random Homer Simpson Quotes

01-22-2004, 02:51 AM	#17
jerseydevil I am Freddie/UNDERCOVER/ Founder of The Great Continent of Entmoot Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Plainsboro, NJ Posts: 9,431	Actually there was a HUGE issue with Y2K. Older programs and many newer ones had short cuts, either to concerve memory or just to save typing where the year was only saved in a 2 year format. So 1999 was actually saved as 99. Some programs would have either have considered 1999 to switch over to 1900, not 2000 and others would have gone from 99 to 100. This would have caused computer crashes and peopel to be charged exorbinate late fees, etc. The time is used far more behind the scenes in computers than you realize. It is not just a mechanism for telling time when you look at from how the date and time is used in computers. __________________ Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you! "The only thing better than a great plan is implementing a great plan" - JerseyDevil "If everyone agreed with me all the time, everything would be just fine"- JerseyDevil AboutNewJersey.com New Jersey MessageBoard Another Tolkien Forum Memorial to the Twin Towers New Jersey Map Fellowship of the Messageboard Legend of the Jersey Devil Support New Jersey's Liberty Tower Peacefire.org AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide

01-22-2004, 03:48 AM	#18
Twista Orodruin's Flame Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Kananaskis, AB Posts: 1,194	Why would it not of liked the change anyways? Its only a new number... __________________ Council of Entmoot - Foreign Affairs Minister - 2004-05 Visit the Ye Olde Avatar Shop and The New One Dont tell me what I cannot do Two men are on a Island, they both see a "monster", one sees a bright light, and the other sees a dark cloud My name bares no reference to the music artist.

01-22-2004, 12:08 PM	#20
Twista Orodruin's Flame Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Kananaskis, AB Posts: 1,194	Another question... If they founded a coloney on Mars for instance, would they 'Run' it on earth or martian time scale? __________________ Council of Entmoot - Foreign Affairs Minister - 2004-05 Visit the Ye Olde Avatar Shop and The New One Dont tell me what I cannot do Two men are on a Island, they both see a "monster", one sees a bright light, and the other sees a dark cloud My name bares no reference to the music artist.

01-21-2004, 09:17 PM	#2
crickhollow The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Washington State again (I miss Texas). Posts: 1,345	naw, I don't think they would ever stop counting and start over again. that would be too much of a bother. However, the History books have officially changed over from "Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" to "Before Common Era" and "Common Era", though the numbers remain the same.

01-21-2004, 10:09 PM	#4
*gdl96* the greg the admin Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: NJ Posts: 2,101	Well if there were some important event, I don't think we would start counting from it immediately. The Gregorian Calendar is less that 2000 years old, as it was created quite some time of 0 AD. If we did start from zero again, it would probably be in retrospect. Maybe many years from now, someone will say something like, "Hey, that Heaven's Gate cult was right. Let's start counting from when that mass suicide happened." So using this logic, maybe something amazingly important and worthy of counting from has already happened, and we just don't realize it yet. Hmm.

01-22-2004, 01:07 AM	#11
Arien the Maia Fëanáro's Fire Mistress Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Indiana, USA Posts: 1,423	so reagarding the whole 1BC to 1AD ...when was the new millenium? I'm a purest so I say that it was 2001...but most other peopl eI know say that it was 2000...