Googol Zimbabwean dollars
Zimbabwe is on its third dollar. Its first dollar, introduced in 1980, replaced the Rhodesian dollar, and was valued at USD1.47. Its second dollar was introduced in October 2005, and was worth 1,000 first dollars. Its third dollar, introduced in July 2008, was worth 10bn second dollars, or 10 trillion first dollars.
Assuming the current inflation rate of 231,000,000% holds, then the currency should be revalued in February 2021 such that 1 new dollar equals a googol first dollars. (That’s 1 followed by a hundred zeros.)
Inflation has increased from 2,200,000% in July to 231,000,000% in October. That’s a 43 percentage point increase in monthly inflation each month, from July’s monthly inflation of 248%.
If the inflation rate increase continued linearly to the same extent that it has between July and October 2008, then the googol note would be introduced as soon as June 2014.
28<42
A quick reminder of Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Andy Hayman’s letter to Charles Clarke, then the Home Secretary, asking for 42 days to interrogate terror suspects. And my interpretation of the rather weak arguments therein.
I’m glad that the plans have been rejected, both from a civil liberties perspective, and because of the lacking in the Met’s original argument of the fundamental point: why stop at 42?
Ringo you cock!
Ringo Starr uploaded a video to his website today confirming that as of 20 October, he will too busy to sign any more autographs, respond to any fanmail. This among repeated declarations of peace and love, five of each in the space of the 44s video. No mention of understanding, though.
Watching the video, it would be difficult to tell him apart from a slightly deranged person who’s forgotten to take his medication.
Tosser.
What are the odds?
Tonight’s winning lottery numbers were 20, 21, 23, 24, 27, 28. The chances of all numbers appearing in the same set of ten are 0.0066%, or 1 in 15,134. One lottery every 145 years. The likelihood of them all being in their twenties is 0.0015%, or 1 in 66,590. One lottery every 638 years.
Of course, the likelihoodof those specific numbers coming up is 0.00000715%, once every 19,142 years.
It could be you!
Carriage return, line feed
I read with interest and some amusement today’s news of Luc Costermans breaking the world blind road speed record.
My favourite part of the article was the paragraph-hungry BBC’s decision to separate these two sentences into two paragraphs.
Two years ago Mr Costermans completed a tour of France piloting a light aeroplane.
He was accompanied by an instructor and a navigator.
Surely the second sentence is a sufficient qualification of the first to negate the need for the carriage return, line feed.
Artistic conundrum
There exists 55i perpendicular to all w. Name the artist.
6 August, 1928–22 February, 1987
My colleague thought she saw Andy Warhol at Wagamama at lunchtime today. I have to question whether she did indeed see him.
Department of _________________
To save cost and effort whenever the Prime Minister does a re-shuffle, how about the signage for all government buildings is from hereon in made from a white, A2, printed laminated piece of paper sporting the organisation’s name?
Or better still, why not put a fridge outside the front of each government building, complete with magnetic letters with which could be written the department’s name? Saves dumping them in landfill.
Just a thought.
Bus driver buttons
The number and range of automated warnings, requests and general snippets of information that are piped to me while on the bus of a morning has increased significantly of late. As well as telling me where I am before every bus stop, and telling me where I’m going after each, my fellow passengers and I are graced with requests for people to stand well clear of the doors, not to stand on the stairs or upper deck, and indeed confirmations that the bus is going to wait here for a few moments to "regulate the service."
I can only imagine that the driver has a plethora of buttons at their disposal, much like a Jean-Michel Jarre set-up, one for every eventuality imaginable. Maybe this is at the expense of the traditional, driving-related instruments. Maybe windscreen wipers had to go, and indicating is now a thing of the past.
"At the third time of asking, would the ugly bald man please understand that there aren’t any seats free upstairs, and that this bus won’t be budging an inch until you haul your ass off the stairs."
"And kids. Yes you. No, not you. You. Would you turn that fucking music down? Have you ever heard of the concept of headphones?"
Out of order: Facebook people search
Why doesn’t Facebook people search order results by social distance? It would be a lot more useful:
- Your friends’ friends
- Your friends’ friends’ friends
- The rest of the world who share the name of the person you’re looking for, but are unlikely to be the person you’re looking for.
Would make more sense from a user experience perspective.
Or does finding someone’s social distance from a random individual involve too many calculations to make it possible?