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Subject: [lojban] Re: Gone 1 1/2 years, and some base number...
From: Theodore Reed <rizen@surreality.us>
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On Sat, 2003-10-11 at 12:07, Robin Lee Powell wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 11, 2003 at 10:01:01AM +0200, David KOCH wrote:
> > >Le Fri, 10 Oct 2003 16:22:32 -0700, Robin Lee Powell
> > ><lojban-out@lojban.org> a ?crit: On Sat, Oct 11, 2003 at
> > >02:27:12AM +0300, robin wrote:
> > >>Hex is currently in vogue because we think binary computers are
> > >>cool, but there is nothing to make it inherently superior.  As a
> > >>kid, I was a big fan of octal.
> > >
> > >Precisely.  In fact, the utility of something whose only divisors
> > >are powers of two is extremely questionable.
> > >
> > >Contrast to duodecimal (base 12) which is divisable by 2, 4, 3
> > >and 6, or base-60, which adds 5, 10, 20, 15, and 30.
> > >
> > >Which would *you* rather use in your daily life?
> > >
> > >Oh, and why are we having this discussion again?
> > >
> > >-Robin
> > >
> >=20
> > Right, base 6 is one of the most useful base number (does 360?
> > remind you something ?) !
>=20
> I think you mean base *60*, and yes I was explaining the remnants of
> Babylonian base-60 in modern culture to a friend just yesterday.

In Heinlein's Future History, Lazarus Long's ship uses base-120 to make
it easy to convert between all the various systems in use in the many
places it must visit.=20

(This is only mentioned in The Number Of The Beast, though.)

--
mu'o mi'e la'o gy. Theodore Reed gy. .e la bancus.
to zoi gy. http://surreality.us/lojban/ gy.
mi zmanei lo notci poi mifra fi la pygypys.

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