Checking the calendar

I went to lunch with a friend today, and at one point he said 12 12 12. Being the bright and alert guy that I am, I immediately latched on to this and said … "Huh?"

He replied, "Isn’t that when the world is supposed to end?"

It dawned on me that our prophesied Doomsday is running out of time. I did not know the answer, but it sure seemed like a reasonable one. Having slept through several apocalypses already, I am quite determined not to miss this one. After all it is not every day that the word ends. Here it is already the middle of November, and we are still stumbling along. Sure Momma Earth has shaken us up a bit here and there, and we just finished an election year that definitely had apocalyptic overtones … but unless I missed it again it seems the world is still doing its thang!

Fortunately we have these wonderful devices called Smartphones. They call them smart for a reason. They have all the answers. Google, the reservoir of all possible knowledge (even knowledge we have not come up with), is but a few finger strokes away. And if you have the smarter Smartphones, you don’t even have to use the fingers. Just ask!

The newer versions of iPhone have their own little genie called Siri. Siri likes to chat, and does her (or his … depending on personal preference) best to do as asked. So my buddy got Siri’s attention, and asked, "When is Doomsday?" She quickly obliged with movie times. So he tried again, asking "When is the end of the world?" Siri once again responded quickly, checking his calendar and telling him he had no such even scheduled. I have to admit I feel a little let down. My buddy is very good at keeping track of appointments, so if it is not on HIS calendar no doubt it is not happening. So much for enjoying Doomsday again!

On the other hand, maybe I missed it again. Asking a little handheld computer for advice has a rather "end of the world as we know it" feel about it. Could be it slipped through and I didn’t even notice. Again.