Saturday, December 10, 2005
NumbersToday's post is dedicated to numbers -- no, not pi, not e or Avogadro's constant or how many times Tonya Harding whacked Nancy Kerrigan on the kneecaps. We are celebrating the number 10,000, as in 10,000 visits to my humble blog, a milestone that was reached yesterday. Probably 1000 of those hits were my own, but that still leaves a pretty decent number of other folks, some strangers and some not, but definitely more than I ever expected.
It all started quite innocently in February of this year when I decided on a whim really, to start a blog first on Xanga. When that proved too restrictive, I opened a new one on Blogspot. It was initially more or less a diary, not terribly interesting, just a dumping ground of my thoughts and recollection of things I did during the day. Ten months and 165 posts later, the blog has evolved into what it is today -- I don't know if it's any more interesting or entertaining, but it's much less about me and more about weird things in the world that catch my attention. For a dog, that's a lot of things. It's also become a fun routine for my weekend mornings, to keep me busy while I sip my breakfast coffee and try to get the brain revved up
I never imagined getting 10,000 readers of anything I write, but the web is an amazing thing. Most people come here in search of musical bidets, poop neutralizer, Smokey the Bear or sumo wrestlers, or simply because they prefer reading my blog to doing real work. Others, more gullible, are drawn in by my majestic, smiley doggy looks and my witty observations. But whatever your reasons, I see you about 50 times a day, more on weekends when you must be bored and are looking for mindless stuff. This is the place. Thank you for spending your precious time and sharing your thoughts with me. Life would be very dull if I have only myself to talk to.
The other number we discuss today is 27 billion yen, or US $225 million. That's the minimum amount that a Japanese brokerage firm, Mizuho Securities, will likely lose as a result of a human error they made while entering a transaction involving stock of a recruiting firm called J-Com. They wanted to sell one share at 610,000 yen (approximately $5000), but mis-typed the order as 610,000 shares at 1 yen each (about a penny apiece).
Once they realized the mistake, they tried three or four times but were unable to stop the order, and within ten minutes, all of the shares offered were snatched up by quick-fingered brokers. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is insisting that Mizuho completes the order, and the company has agreed to honor its obligations. The current loss is already equal to its expected profits for the quarter ending in March, and can still rise once all of the orders are settled. The lesson today is, kids, stay in school and learn your arithmetic. And look both ways before you cross the street. There are hungry dogs out there, just waiting to bite.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 6:57 AM
Comments:
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THANK YOU. I haven't left comments lately but am a devoted reader. I am one of those (few ;p) who enjoy the witty thoughts and also like reading about poop and that Smokey the Bear guy. You have me thinking about starting my own blog. Such a big step though. Maybe one of these days...
# posted by 
: 10 December, 2005 09:58
: 10 December, 2005 09:58
Congratulations on reaching 10^4 readers! But, since dogs aren't denominated in 10, why weren't you celebrating 8^4?
Okay, now my math has made me dizzy.
Okay, now my math has made me dizzy.
I want to add my congratulations. Quite an achievement! I enjoy reading your site on Sunday, a lot more interesting than the football games that are on TV :)
# posted by : 10 December, 2005 14:26
: 10 December, 2005 14:26
Cindy, Tim, Michelle,
Thank you. Yes you really should start you own blog. You have at minimum a guaranteed audience of one. (Tim, every day is a party.)
John,
Thanks. Actually our system is base 9 (we also use the tail for counting) but since we exclude prime numbers, it works out the same as the human system. But it's easier to divide.
Thank you. Yes you really should start you own blog. You have at minimum a guaranteed audience of one. (Tim, every day is a party.)
John,
Thanks. Actually our system is base 9 (we also use the tail for counting) but since we exclude prime numbers, it works out the same as the human system. But it's easier to divide.
Thank you. We read your blog almost every Sunday morning, while having our breakfast. Seems that we have our breakfasts almost the same way, but you write and we read. Timing is perfect since we wake up later but the time zone difference makes up for it.
# posted by : 11 December, 2005 08:40
: 11 December, 2005 08:40
Incredible. $225 million loss because of a simple typo? Something is wrong with their system to allow that to happen.
# posted by : 11 December, 2005 14:46
: 11 December, 2005 14:46
Connecticut,
Always appreciate your comments. And waiting for your blog.
Indy,
Thank you. One giant leap for dogdom.
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Always appreciate your comments. And waiting for your blog.
Indy,
Thank you. One giant leap for dogdom.
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