# Anyone else look for/notice numbers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704 "2010-01-12T20:04:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/21 "2010-01-13T16:45:26Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > The negative numbers idea is interesting, though. If you allow negative numbers, then the challenge should probably be “what’s the smallest number I can get”, but instead “how close can I get to zero, using all the digits in the license plate number.” BTW, for those of you that like numbers, I [started a game thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547591) based on the game mentioned in my post #9 in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/22 "2010-01-13T17:36:07Z")
> [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](#): > > How do you play now that Indiana plates aren’t formatted like that any more? Get really annoyed that it’s either really easy to get a low number or it’s impossible to get a low number. 😃 Truck plates are still good, though. We probably should find some sort of variation for the 3 & 4 number plates. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/23 "2010-01-13T18:04:48Z")
I have added them for years. I like when they add up to multiples of 5s. If they add to 14. No prob, 1 + 4 =5. So 23 and numbers like that are good. I count tiles in bath rooms, both floor and ceiling. I am the only one who knows almost every old urinal has 13 holes in it. They are arranged in a patten of 4-5-4. Where are the Triskadecaphobiacs in the plumbing industry? 13 is a bad number. It does not add to 5 nor can it be cancelled out to an acceptable 0 like 11. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/24 "2010-01-13T18:54:20Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I work in downtown Chicago where there are thousands of taxis. I look at their numbers to see how close the registration numbers of any 2 are. Have you ever seen #[1729](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1729_(number))? ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/25 "2010-01-13T19:00:17Z")
No, but when sitting behind a car with its make on the back or side, I try to see how many words I can make out of it. For example: Chevrolet = coverlet, cover, lover, vole, clover, cove, rove, and so on. I’m a word person, not a number person. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/26 "2010-01-13T20:12:29Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Have you ever seen #[1729](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1729_(number))? How interesting. I will now look for it. I have neither a life nor a personality! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/27 "2010-01-14T02:02:15Z")
Ok, you have infected me with this craziness… I was on the bus today after work (and my iNano battery was dead). I looked out the window and immediately saw taxi #1. I’d never seen such a low number before! Then I started noticing cabs. My favorite was cab #654. I began to play with the number in my head and came up with something strange (well, strange to me). 6+5+4=15 65+4=69 BUT 6+54=60 (ok… And now for the embarrassing part: I did the math wrong in my head because all the way home I was excited that I had found a number where, if added up in different ways, it became sequential. IOW, I thought 6+54=70. I suck at math. But I’m MUCH prettier and better in English than any of you here. So there.) 😉 Then again, we can still play with 654: 6-5-4=-3 or if you ignore order of operations, it equals 5 (5-4=1; 6-1=5) 6x5x4=120 (I’m not a moron) 6/5/4= (ok, I can’t do that one. And I don’t wanna. Who cares?) And that’s enough math for today. I do tend to count and recount and recount to 20 in my head sometimes. I have no idea why. I don’t count to 40; I count to 20 twice. It started when someone told me that to ensure adequate watering of outdoor plants in summer, I should count to 20 or 60 (depending on the water flow from the hose) and now I just do it. A lot. Maybe there’s medication for that… ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/28 "2010-01-14T04:42:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Have you ever seen #[1729](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1729_(number))? This has certainly simplified my locker room dilemma. Assuming there are a lot of lockers. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/29 "2010-01-14T08:02:48Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > No, but when sitting behind a car with its make on the back or side, I try to see how many words I can make out of it. For example: Chevrolet = coverlet, cover, lover, vole, clover, cove, rove, and so on. > > I’m a word person, not a number person. Me too to the second part, but what I do is take the letters in a license plate and see how many words I can make out of them. I mentioned it to my husband one day, and he said that he notices and works with the numbers he sees. Can our mixed marriage survive? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/30 "2010-01-14T16:03:50Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > Me too to the second part, but what I do is take the letters in a license plate and see how many words I can make out of them. I mentioned it to my husband one day, and he said that he notices and works with the numbers he sees. Can our mixed marriage survive? My niece was raised in a strict Orthodox (that is, TOS) Star Trek household, and she married a guy who dresses up as a Storm Trooper for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It seems to be working out. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/31 "2010-01-14T16:12:22Z")
I take great comfort from that! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/32 "2010-01-14T17:53:12Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Ok, you have infected me with this craziness… > > I was on the bus today after work (and my iNano battery was dead). I looked out the window and immediately saw taxi #1. I’d never seen such a low number before! You aren’t in Chicago, are you? I ask because I started noticing taxi numbers a couple of years ago after an article in the local paper. It said 2 guys were “competing” to see who could spot taxis 1-100, and neither of them had ever seen #1. The paper actually looked into it, and it appeared unclear whether the owner of badge #1 had it assigned to an active cab. > [@](#): > > No, but when sitting behind a car with its make on the back or side, I try to see how many words I can make out of it. I don’t do this, but just the other day I pointed out to my wife a car that had a JESUS fish right above the word DODGE. Thought is was a nice image - the “Jesus dodge.” And wondered if it might be more amusing to have it read as an instruction or encouragement to “Dodge Jesus.” She offered one of her standard observations about how weird I am… ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/33 "2010-01-15T02:06:38Z")
Yes, I do live near Chicago. I don’t recall which cab company it was, though–something red and pale yellow, no checkers. I’ve never seen #1 until yesterday. It was cool! ---
**Author:** ![NoiseBomb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/49beb7/32.png) [@NoiseBomb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoiseBomb)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/34 "2010-01-15T07:19:35Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I always wonder if people with an 88 on their license plates are neoNazis. For a couple years, I had a phone number that ended in 8892. The license plate on the car I had at the time had 884 on it. The car? A 1988 Civic. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704/35 "2010-01-15T15:20:24Z")
> [@NoiseBomb](#): > > For a couple years, I had a phone number that ended in 8892. The license plate on the car I had at the time had 884 on it. The car? A 1988 Civic. Now we’ve gone and godwinized the thread. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-look-for-notice-numbers/524704.md?page=1)