1000!

1000!

Grazie Mille!

This, our 1000th post, is a Major Milestone for PhilosFX. 

A thousand thanks!

or, as we might prefer to say,

Thanks a million!

May I offer an interesting commentary on the use of the letter "M" to represent the quantity of 1,000 as I have done for today's celebration? I am aware that this choice is not without controversy.

Most readers will be more familiar with the use of lower case "k" to mean 1,000. In this case, "k" is an abbreviation for "kilo" which in turn is derived from the Greek word χίλιοι (chilioi), meaning "thousand." Side note--a capital "K" is the abbreviation for Kelvin, a unit of heat, so don't sign up for a 10K run. You'll freeze! 10K is -441.7 deg F. Stick with the traditional 10k runs, as they are much more comfortable.

Meanwhile, the letter "M" is also used to represent the quantity of 1,000. This is distinct from the lower case "m" which means meters. In this case, "M" is an abbreviation for mille, the Roman word for 1,000. Investors and accountants will be familiar with "MM" which means a thousand thousands, or one million. The Italian expression, grazie mille does not transliterate to English well. We don't say, "Thanks a thousand." However, "a thousand thanks," seems too formal for the American tongue. Instead, we say, "Thanks a million."  May I suggest a twist? How about, "Thanks MM"?

My work here is (almost!) done. If you want symmetry (and really, who doesn't?), the Cyber Dictionary defines KK to mean okay, as in, message received. This expression may have originated from the use of KK in Morse Code (a communications system developed in the 1800s) to mean "End of message."

Now we know the differences between

KK, K, k, m, M, and MM

Or, do we? 

When you see $10M are you thinking 

$10,000

or

$10,000,000?

Minds blown. Mayhem prevails. Madness reigns.

Meanwhile, the folks at English Language & Usage are tossing up their hands on the k vs. M controversy. Dr. Peterson of the Math Forum has offered a rational solution that does not seem to satisfy all readers. Experts at Quora advise checking with local customs and traditions  That works for moi.

Moving along...

Metrics: The first of 1,000 (thousand? kilo? mille?) posts here on PhilosFX was published Saturday, August 7, 2010 (3,412 days ago). Since then, new posts have been published at the rate of one every third day, garnering an average of 416 views each (range is 0 to 62,829). PhilosFX get about 3,662 views per month (range is 300 to 11,589). Not bad for the mishaps and meanderings of a mercurial madman...

Motivation: I have 149 posts in various stages of pre-publication right now, and a seemingly endless supply of topics to write about. I only wish I had more time to explore the fascinating universe we share. Intelligent and curious people are always welcome here. Thanks for reading along and encouraging me with your comments and suggestions!

On to 2,000! 
aka 2k! aka 2M! 
Why not 2MM? 
KK!