From nicholas@uci.edu Fri Sep 28 16:55:43 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: nicholas@uci.edu X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_4_1); 28 Sep 2001 23:55:43 -0000 Received: (qmail 75226 invoked from network); 28 Sep 2001 23:55:43 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.26) by 10.1.1.222 with QMQP; 28 Sep 2001 23:55:43 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO e4e.oac.uci.edu) (128.200.222.10) by mta1 with SMTP; 28 Sep 2001 23:55:43 -0000 Received: from localhost (nicholas@localhost) by e4e.oac.uci.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA11076; Fri, 28 Sep 2001 16:55:42 -0700 (PDT) X-Authentication-Warning: e4e.oac.uci.edu: nicholas owned process doing -bs Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 16:55:42 -0700 (PDT) X-Sender: To: Cc: Nick NICHOLAS Subject: RE: [lojban] periodic hexadecimal reminder Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII From: Nick NICHOLAS cu'u la kreig. >Tell me a culture that uses a base lower than 10 (as opposed to >no base at all). Look, I really don't want to have to start yelling RTFM, but statements like these are just inexcusable. Have you bothered to *check* that cultures using bases lower than 10 exist? And why should I have to do your homework for you? http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~cm1993/maths/mm2217/ocm.htm http://euslchan.tripod.com/index.html Of course decimal is culture-specific. And I also agree with xod that there is no need to apologise for decimal-default, either. Lojban is not a culturally neutral enterprise (how many tribesmen do you know that would give two hoots about Lojban's concerns?) It is culture-specific to those cultures preoccupied with literacy, logic, and language-play. Which (through memetic conspiracy) happen to be decimal. You can use any base you like in Lojban, but if it's going to have to supply a default (and unary base is just unworkable), then I'm just fine with it being decimal. -- == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == Upon completing His outburst, God fell silent, standing quietly at the podium for several moments. Then, witnesses reported, God's shoulders began to shake, and He wept. [http://www.theonion.com/onion3734/god_clarifies_dont_kill.html] Nick Nicholas. nicholas@uci.edu http://www.opoudjis.net