The maximum value of a signed 8-bit integer (127)
The number of characters in the second part of the Ballad of Sir Robin*, minus 20 characters and divided by two ((276-20)/2=128)
*According to this website
127
I wrote this before 127 got taken, but I found if you remove “Brave” and “ran away.” from the first line, and the “away,” in the second line, then merged the remaining first and second lines, the song still makes sense while removing the need to subtract 22, which was the original equation.
A big year for Hipparchus the Greek Astronomer, and observational science.
He used a total solar eclipse to estimate the distance to the moon, and even more impressively, he published the first catalog of the stars, having been inspired by his observations to question whether the stars really were fixed in the sky, as everyone had assumed for centuries. He noted stars that seemed to change brightness, apparently new stars, and even stars that seemed to wobble against the background. (129 B C E)
As one of my mentors, Stephen Harrison said about 2100 years later, “If you don’t write it down, it never happened,” He literally wrote it in permanent marker in about 2 inch (5 cm) letters on the equipment racks which held our electronics, in one long line which spanned almost half the lab. A bit later Adam Savage recorded it as “The difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.”
Eh
Okay, the dates are fuzzy. But I found this year online for both events, they seem reasonable, and I think the importance of the subject material overcomes the uncertainty in the value.
Don’t be surprised if I do something similar for engineering about 5000 posts from now. Egyptians appear to have invented the two key precepts of engineering:
- when something breaks, write it down.
- Use math to fill in the gaps.
I used to think Common Law was the oldest wiki, going back to 1066. They I realized Engineers whupped lawyers by over six millennia.
Psalms 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
130th chapter of the book os Psalms
The median permutation of the smallest set of three (decimal) digits for which all permutations are prime. (113, 131, and 311 are all prime.)
The 160th-162nd decimal places of Euler’s number (e)
2.718281828459045235360287471352662497757247093699959574966967627724076630353547594571382178525166427427466391932003059921817413596629043572900334295260595630738132
The second smallest number which is both the sum of two positive cubes, and also an octagonal or star number.
(2^3+5^3=133=3*7^2-2*7) (65 also qualifies)
What Do I Care for Talking Flowers!
Episode 135 (s3e29) of Uresei Yatsuras original anime