Today's random fact

[Fritzo]

Today is Feb 29th! Happy Leap Day!

Pope Gregory XIII created the 365 day calendar in 1582, which was based on how long it takes the earth to travel around the sun. The problem is, it actually takes 365.25 days, so every 4th year an extra day is added to the year. It became evident that this system wasn't accurate enough however as it takes the earth EXACTLY 365.242199 days to travel around the sun. To make up for that discrepancy, Leap Year is actually skipped every three out of four century years not divisible by 400. Therefore, the year 2000 was a Leap Year, but 1900, 1800, and 1700 were not!

How 'bout that?

 

[Kelemvor]

Just nit picking bu t change that 265.25 to 365.25....

 

[Lonyo]

Uh what.
Julius Caesar made the 365 day calendar and added leap years. The Pope just refined it to fix the issue of it not being exactly 365.25 days/yr.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

 

[anxi80]

another random leap year fact: the lakers or phil jackson have been in the nba finals every leap year since 1980. so ill be seeing you eastern conference fans at the dance in june!

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

Time is about as much of an illusion as gravity is. Our units of measure are arbitrary, but time is obviously happening.

 

[Ika]

Ah, that explains one of the woot shirts...

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

What's your solution?

 

[mordantmonkey]

I think the op is a bit off. the 365 day year existed before that (46B.C.). and so did leap days.
the error came from the year being calculated as 365.24 days long


In A.D. 730, an Anglo-Saxon monk, the Venerable Bede, calculated that the Julian year was 11 minutes and 14 seconds too long, an error of about one day every 128 years. But nothing was done about it for 800 years. In 1582, the accumulated error was estimated at 10 days, and Pope Gregory XIII decreed that the day following Oct. 4 would be Oct. 15.

 

[outofloop]

zomg! i was looking forward to celebrate my bday on feb29 2100

 

[Mermaidman]

Day=one rotation of Earth
Year=one orbit around sun

There's no way to reconcile those two, so I'm happy with the current system. OTOH, how the heck were month and week defined?

 

[FoBoT]

when are we switching to the metric calendar

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Day=one rotation of Earth
Year=one orbit around sun

There's no way to reconcile those two, so I'm happy with the current system. OTOH, how the heck were month and week defined?

The week is 1/4 of the moon's cycle.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

Time is about as much of an illusion as gravity is. Our units of measure are arbitrary, but time is obviously happening.

Time is "happening" in the same way that space is "happening"

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
I think the op is a bit off. the 365 day year existed before that (46B.C.). and so did leap days.
the error came from the year being calculated as 365.24 days long


In A.D. 730, an Anglo-Saxon monk, the Venerable Bede, calculated that the Julian year was 11 minutes and 14 seconds too long, an error of about one day every 128 years. But nothing was done about it for 800 years. In 1582, the accumulated error was estimated at 10 days, and Pope Gregory XIII decreed that the day following Oct. 4 would be Oct. 15.

Sorry dude, I copied this from a Funk & Wagnall's fact book. They're usually pretty accurate.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Day=one rotation of Earth
Year=one orbit around sun

There's no way to reconcile those two, so I'm happy with the current system. OTOH, how the heck were month and week defined?

The week is 1/4 of the moon's cycle.

A month is roughly a moon cycle.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Day=one rotation of Earth
Year=one orbit around sun

There's no way to reconcile those two, so I'm happy with the current system. OTOH, how the heck were month and week defined?

Sure there is - change either Earth's rotational speed, or else its orbital velocity.

"Simple! Change the gravitational constant of the Universe!"
"And how are we supposed to do that?"
"I don't know, you just....DO it!"

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

What's your solution?

Unix time.

Starting from 2012 (fine, we'll give the cult their "end of time" day).

From there on, one day is a day and keeps on counting. So, it'll just be day 23534212234... when we write. Then we can have shortened versions and force everyone to learn math.

... profits.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: SSSnail

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
In other words, the Gregorian calendar is absolutely retarded. We need a new system of telling time that doesn't have all these random ass rules (every 4 years, we add a day, except for round centuries not divisible by 400... Fuck you logic!). Then again, time is an illusion... so maybe it's completely irrelevant.

What's your solution?

Unix time.

Starting from 2012 (fine, we'll give the cult their "end of time" day).

From there on, one day is a day and keeps on counting. So, it'll just be day 23534212234... when we write. Then we can have shortened versions and force everyone to learn math.

... profits.

Yeah, I can't think of ANY disadvantages of that system compared to the current system.

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Day=one rotation of Earth
Year=one orbit around sun

There's no way to reconcile those two, so I'm happy with the current system. OTOH, how the heck were month and week defined?

King Numa added 2 months to the existing 10, and named them January and February.
For the week, blame the Christians.