The Long Now: Difference between revisions
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According to The Long Now Foundation, "Our zero is for optimism. The notion that the externalized thoughts we write today may survive myriad years to a time when that fifth digit becomes significant. If we hope to grasp anywhere near that ambitious reach, it will require some forethought. Our five-digit dates represent that." | According to The Long Now Foundation, "Our zero is for optimism. The notion that the externalized thoughts we write today may survive myriad years to a time when that fifth digit becomes significant. If we hope to grasp anywhere near that ambitious reach, it will require some forethought. Our five-digit dates represent that." | ||
<blockquote>''"How can we invest in a future we know is structurally incapable of keeping faith with its past? The digital industries must shift from being the main source of society’s ever-shortening attention span to becoming a reliable guarantor of long-term perspective. We’ll know that shift has happened when programmers begin to anticipate the Year 10,000 Problem, and assign five digits instead of four to year dates. 01998 they’ll write, at first frivolously, then seriously."'' | <blockquote>''"How can we invest in a future we know is structurally incapable of keeping faith with its past? The digital industries must shift from being the main source of society’s ever-shortening attention span to becoming a reliable guarantor of long-term perspective. We’ll know that shift has happened when programmers begin to anticipate the Year 10,000 Problem, and assign five digits instead of four to year dates. 01998 they’ll write, at first frivolously, then seriously."'' | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
Stewart Brand, in a 1998 essay "Written on the Wind" </blockquote> | Stewart Brand, in a 1998 essay "Written on the Wind" </blockquote> | ||
Revision as of 23:47, 11 December 2025
The Year is 02026
Did you notice the copyright in the footer of the Startup Mojave website? What's with the 5 digit year? Why the leading zero? We're taking a cue from Stewart Brand and the Long Now Foundation.
According to The Long Now Foundation, "Our zero is for optimism. The notion that the externalized thoughts we write today may survive myriad years to a time when that fifth digit becomes significant. If we hope to grasp anywhere near that ambitious reach, it will require some forethought. Our five-digit dates represent that."
"How can we invest in a future we know is structurally incapable of keeping faith with its past? The digital industries must shift from being the main source of society’s ever-shortening attention span to becoming a reliable guarantor of long-term perspective. We’ll know that shift has happened when programmers begin to anticipate the Year 10,000 Problem, and assign five digits instead of four to year dates. 01998 they’ll write, at first frivolously, then seriously."
Stewart Brand, in a 1998 essay "Written on the Wind"
The Long Now Foundation
- Website: longnow.org
- Article: Five-digit Dates and Y10K-compliance