I couldn’t find the original thread that asked if there was some way to make Osama bin Laden to equal 666. Well, I found a way to do it using my own brain, pencil, and a piece of paper. All you need is basic second or third grade math skills:
Osama=5 letters so I’ll just say 5
bin=3 letters so I’ll just say 3
Laden=5 letters so I’ll just say 5 now to the equation:
535(osamabinladen5,3,5)+13(5+3+5)=648
648+13(5+3+5)=661
661+5(osama or laden, take your pick)=666
there. I proved it. bin Laden is the devil. So take that Laden!!! Hahahahaha!!!
Many many moons ago… 25 or so years ago my brother bought a book that showed how you could get 666 from ANY name you used. We had a lot of fun with it at parties.
rande…
Yeah, you probably can, it’s just a bunch of people probably don’t want to go through a bunch of operations and attempts to get there, so I showed them how to do it.
Just to help you out bobdevilsquid, here’s the original thread :
Osama Bin Laden = 666?
Most threads slip off the front pages pretty quickly nowadays. To find a thread you saw but can’t locate now, use the “Search” function (up above, to the right of the STRAIGHT DOPE banner).
You may in fact have done this, and didn’t find anything – here’s a few hints :
The search engine now only searches one forum at a time (this changed, probably around the time you joined, apparently to help speed up the board). By default, it will be “About This Message Board” and you will almost never get a result.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the date field is by default ‘since 5 days ago’. While this is perfect for finding a thread that’s fallen off the front page, it’s not what you want if you’re looking to see if something has ever been brought up (one thing added when the change was made was the ability to search even further back).
So every time you search, ALWAYS set the forum; if you’re searching to see if something has ever been mentioned, be sure to set the date field as well.
And if you recall some part of the thread title, you can search on “thread titles only”. I found the thread you spoke of using the terms “bin Laden 666”, General Questions, since 5 days ago.
Searches were reportedly one of the major bottlenecks in keeping the board fast; the new updates have made everything a lot better, but it helps to make them as productive as possible.