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#5674 08/28/00 05:23 AM
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In reply to:

just for the record, "oh" is a letter and "zero" is a number...


Is this another transatlantic difference? When reading out a number digit by digit,I would definitely say oh rather than zero.

Bingley



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#5675 08/28/00 10:45 AM
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< how will we refer to this decade in the future>

I notice that some people have already dubbed it "the naughties"!


#5676 08/28/00 11:07 AM
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>I notice that some people have already dubbed it "the naughties"!<

Oh, I like that! but watch out, we still have most of it before us. It could become a self-fulfilling prophecy..






#5677 08/28/00 09:11 PM
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how will we refer to this decade in the future

The first decade of the 20th century was referred to as the "aughts", but I'd have to say that this sounds a little awkward and somewhat antiquated now. I think "the ohs" flows best, but we could just as soon call the decade "the goose eggs".


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#5679 08/29/00 09:50 AM
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Is this another transatlantic difference? When reading out a number digit by digit,I would definitely say oh rather than zero.

Bingley, as one expat Brit to another, I agree! Yet I have to admit that distinguishing 0s and Os is more and more important as we have more and more alphanumeric passwords and codes. So I think the American way does in fact make sense.


#5680 08/29/00 04:57 PM
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distinguishing 0s and Os is more and more important as we have more and more alphanumeric passwords and codes

Because of this fact, I don't think companies ever use the letter "O" in serial numbers. I've been working with computers all summer and have yet to see one with that letter in it's serial number. If ever the letter is in a serial number, it is when numbers and letters are clearly sectioned off.


#5681 08/29/00 06:40 PM
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the same caution should apply to those who insist on spelling out clever words for their tele-marketing efforts.


#5682 08/30/00 04:27 AM
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In reply to:

I don't think companies ever use the letter "O" in serial numbers


If I remember rightly, don't the year letters on number plates omit I and O for the same reason?

Note for non-Brits: in Britain car registration numbers end or begin with a letter of the alphabet to show what year the car was made and so how old it is.

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#5683 08/31/00 07:15 AM
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I have just checked out a site which sells old UK registration numbers – http://www.regtransfers.co.uk It appears that the only letter that does not appear anywhere in a registration is “Q”.

I would have said that for letters which signify the year - O and I are omitted, as are Q U and Z. I imagine Z is usually omitted because no-one wants to buy the last of the old series, they would rather wait until it starts with A again. Suprisingly, there seem to be plenty of registrations issued with all of these letters in the body of the registration sequence. As far as I can see the one with the least number of appearances is “Z”.

The system has recently changed and the letters are changed twice each year, rather than once.



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