Please explain my confused me like I’m 5 (0r 4 or 6).

  • nudny ekscentryk
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    7 months ago

    the idea that the year 2000 is the start of the 21st century is hurting my head.

    That may be because it is not. The first century was years 1 to 100. The second was 101 to 200. The 21st is therefore 2001 to 2100.

    What you’re probably referring to is the “cultural century” which was considered to have started when the lead digit changed from 1 to 2. The same thing happened quite recently when some people argued 2020 was the start of a new decade (again, it wasn’t)

    • @exocrinous@startrek.website
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      17 months ago

      You would rather mess up the timing of every decade, forever, with an off by one error, than have one singular solitary nine year decade.

      • nudny ekscentryk
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        17 months ago

        In what way is considering a decade to be a period from ___1 to ___0 an off by one error, lol

    • eatham 🇭🇲
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      07 months ago

      I hate it when people say it wasnt the start of a new decade, it’s a shit argument, why does it matter what the first year was, 2014 - 2024 is also a decade, and 2pm aest September 22nd 2024 will also be the start of a new decade. There is nothing wrong with saying 2020 was the start of a new decade. (again, it was)

      • nudny ekscentryk
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        7 months ago

        There are decades and there are decades. Just like there are weeks (period between Monday and Sunday inclusive) and weeks (any seven consecutive days).

        When you say “I’ll do this next week”, then you mean the next period between Monday and Sunday. When you say you’ll do it in a week, it means you’ll do it after exactly 7 days from now, regardless of what day is it today. Same for decades.

        • eatham 🇭🇲
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          17 months ago

          You said start of a new decade, not the new decade in the original comment, they are very different

          • nudny ekscentryk
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            17 months ago

            ??? You know very well what I meant, be more forgiving to second-language speakers

            • eatham 🇭🇲
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              17 months ago
              1. when I originally replied to you, I very obviously did not know that you meant that

              2. didn’t know you weren’t a native speaker either