We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Today is a palindrome (for the first time since 11/11/1111)

In the spirit of what Julie near Chicago said in a comment, at 11:33am, on this, which was this, …

I love Samizdata. You learn so much arcane stuff hereabouts!

(She then adds, by way of example, something about the Cloak of Invisibility, whatever that is. (I’m not asking.))

… I will add another little bit of arcane stuff here. Before today ends, because it concerns today. I refer to this:

02 02 2020

This is the first time in over 900 years (since 11/11/1111) the date is palindromic no matter the date format.

I learned this in a tweet, which I encountered because the noted military historian Peter Caddick-Adams, with whom I was once upon a time acquainted and whose twitterings I now follow (and more to the point whose books I also read with great pleasure), drew it to my attention.

Although, what if you just say 2/2/2020? Doesn’t that count as a “date format”? I think I just destroyed this posting.

Personally, I always try to put the name of the month and only use a number for the day, because once you get confused about the all-numbers way of identifying dates the confusion only ends with your death. (When trying to work out when a photo taken early in the month got taken, I tend to get brain-ache and have to work it out like a crossword clue.)

I notice that Samizdata also uses month names for all dates. Very wise, and further proof of why all should love Samizdata.

The Wokists are losing the Mandate of Comedy

Here’s how the Bursar of St John’s College Oxford responded to a student demand that the college “declares a climate emergency and immediately divests from fossil fuels”.

“I am not able to arrange any divestment at short notice. But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off with immediate effect. Please let me know if you support this proposal.”

The appropriately named Hot Air got this report out from behind the Times paywall, and tells how the dialogue developed from there. Thank you Ed Driscoll of Instapundit for the link.