Binary

[merowinkian]

The Campanile (also known as the Sather Tower) in Berkeley has a clock on each of its four vertical faces. The clocks usually do not match, and they didn't today, when I was almost late for an appointment. I'd forgotten my watch at home, and, after glancing at the tower, asked a random passerby, "Is it two or two-fifteen right now

Comments

[iliveonavenuep]

LOL

[fraterrisus]

since i'm in obnoxious pedant mode this morning...

if A or B is true, but A xor B is false, then A and B must both be true.

in other words, if "it is 2:00 xor 2:15" is not correct, then either it is both 2:00 and 2:15, or it is neither of those.

however, if "it is 2:00 or 2:15" is correct, then at least one of those is true; therefore, both of them are true.

so the real question is, have you discovered the secret to time travel?

as a followup: how many engineers does it take to turn the Campanile 90 degrees counter-clockwise?

[merowinkian]

Huh. You're right--he did imply that it was both two and two-fifteen. Well, he didn't appear very honest to me in the first place.

Let me guess--it takes zero engineers, but one cartographer to mislabel every map of the campus?

i say

[efng]

NAND HIM! NAND him to HELL!!!

[merovingian]

The bells in that tower are just about the creepiest thing I know.

[merowinkian]

How come?

[merovingian]

Oh, they just send these haunting minor-chord melodies all across the campus. I remember my freshman year there, where the bells were playing, and mysterious steam was coming out of the streets. I had to wonder, "Are they *trying* to be spooky?"