Well, it’s nearly time stay up late and open a new diary.  The Earth is about to complete another orbit.  But it’s no big deal because the new year doesn’t end in ’00’ or even ‘0’.

Why are we so hung up on round numbers?  It’s not just about years and birthdays.  Some people won’t buy a car unless the registration number ends in at least one zero.  Mrs SG and I bought a house partly because it had a telephone number ending in two of them.  If I write a report and make 19 recommendations, I look for a way to split one of the recommendations into two, so I’ll have a nice round 20 in my list.

It’s daft!  And it makes me stroppy that I fall for it just as much as anyone else.

Here’s a thought for any other economists who are reading this.  If we spend more on presents and celebrations when a round number is involved, how much money would be saved if we used a duodecimal counting system instead of decimal?