Naming the Decade

New Logo: I Love the 00s, I Love the 10s

2009-06-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

After a recent graphic design meeting with the team, we decided on the final logo for I love the 00s and I love the 10s. This new logo resembles the I Love NY but it is not too similar where the logos get mistaken. This was a big challenge as we were not trying to take anyone's image. We wanted to create our own image for years to come.

Aughts is a Dumb Name for the Decade

2009-05-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

It seems like the entire world is so not looking at the complexities of finding a word for this decade. The term aughts means zero. These fools are looking into one factor about this decade, the zeros that are in the abbreviated decade version of 00s. They are attempting to create a word from Old English to create a word that represents zeros. Aught means zero or nothing! That is the definition of aught, I didn't make it up.

However, you may use any of the words that means zeros like nil, nada, aught, nuaght, ought, zilch, nothings and ect. Fill in the blank and you get the same purpose for the name.

This is not a correct way to create the pronunciation for 00s. It goes beyond the simple zeros in the abbreviation of 00s.

This need for a word is all about finding a term that means the counting numbers between 0 and 9 only. Currently, there is a missing word for the numbers between 0 and 9.

Through my recent studies we don't have a word that represents the 10 (originally nine) different glyphs in the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in a form similar to twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties.

The Hindu-Arabic numeral system is a positional decimal numeral system developed by the 9th century (the earliest known description is Al-Khwarizmi's, dating to ca. 825) and spread to the western world through Arabic mathematicians by the High Middle Ages. Yes, the glyphs and symbols we are referring to are the digits: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.

So the rest of the world refers to these numbers as the single digits.

Double digit numbers 10 through 99 uses a combination of these glyphs. Triple digit numbers 100 to 999 uses another combination of these glyphs. We can go on and on but the point we are making is that the numbers between 0 and 9 have no word that means the complete set of this numbers.

The numbers between 0 and 9 have one common factor - they are all one digit. In Latin, there is a word or prefix, from mathematics that means one, uni.

The glyph or symbol 0 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 1 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 2 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 3 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 4 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 5 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 6 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 7 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 8 is only one (uni) digit.
The glyph or symbol 9 is only one (uni) digit.

If we took all the one digit numbers between 0 and 9 then they are one-digits, single-digits, and uni-digits. Or simply the Unies. The term unies is derived from Latin and means the numbers between 0 and 9.

Aughts means zero and if you have a bunch of zeros you still have nada.

A Sports Uniform is Made by Adding Numbers

2009-05-25T18:43:00.003-07:00

In order to make a uniform, you must add numbers to a piece of clothing to identify a player from another player. The word uniform is derived from the Latin word uni- which means to bring together to make one. It is also a Latin prefix that means one.

10 Digits

2009-05-24T07:59:00.001-07:00

If you add the number of digits between the numbers 0 and 9 you get 10 digits. The word uni has a value of one. Each number is only one digit in length. In contrast, the number of digits between 0 numbers is zero. Zero has no value.

10 Unicycles

2009-05-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

If you add up the number of wheels on ten unicycles you get the number 10. The word uni has a value of one. In contrast, the number of wheels on 0 unicycles is zero. Zero has no value.

10 Unicorns

2009-05-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

If you add up the number of horns on ten unicorns you get the number 10. The word uni has a value of one. In contrast, the number of horns on 0 unicorns is zero.

All the Decade Name Suggestions Debunked, Except Unies

2009-05-24T07:37:00.001-07:00

Seriously, two-thousands, aughts, naughts, ohs and zeros is that the best we have?

All right, enough of the useless speculation of what we should call the decade, the years between 2000 and 2009. It seems every article or web page I find on this topic has one thing in common, they all just present a bunch of ridiculous suggestions. Not one of these articles and web pages present the best idea or the most supported term.

Ten year’s, I’ve been researching this topic and there is not one media outlet that really has jumped on board to resolve this question and capture the hearts and minds of America and the world together. Are they afraid? With all the grounding breaking social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, you would think one individual or small task force could push their term to the mainstream. Unfortunately, media has not jumped on board and the social media sites have not helped further a grass roots campaign. Shocking!

These terms and suggestions previously mentioned, simply don’t work. They don’t work because they don’t fit the formula. Formula, you might be asking yourself, “What’s that?” A word or term used for the nameless decade should be able to be used in weather, ages and the decade.

Weather

A weatherman might report, “temperatures will be getting cold tonight in the low to mid-twenties.” or he might state, “Temperature will be getting hot tonight in the mid- to upper-nineties.” He uses the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties but nothing for the numbers between 0 and 9. For this they usually use “single digits.” So we would have to find a word which would replace single digits. Let’s try each suggested word in the weather formula.

Two-thousands – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid- two-thousands.”
Aughts – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid-aughts.”
Naughts – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid-naughts.”
Ohs – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid-ohs.”
Zeros – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid-zeros.”
Unies – “Temperatures are getting cold tonight in the low to mid-unies.”

You see, none of the terms suggested make sense except for one. I will explain why each term doesn’t fit the weather formula except the Unies.

Two-thousands – The term two-thousands works for the decade now but doesn’t work for weather. The focus of this term is on 2,000 and not the numbers between 0 and 9. The two-thousands will actually be the years between 2000 and 2999. So the focus on this word is completely incorrect.
Aughts, Naughts, Ohs, Zeros - The term aughts, naughts, and ohs all are synonyms of zero. Zero is best describe as a null set or empty set, as in having no value. So making the numbers between 0 and 9 the aughts, naughts, ohs and zeros doesn’t make sense. It is empty or having no members. You can not make an empty set plural because it has no value. Oh and Ohs has the same value, zero. Zero and Zeros has both add up to Zero.
Unies – The term unies or uni- is a Latin word that means one. The numbers between 0 and 9 are all one-digit in length. The word uni- means one, like unicycle and unicorn. It is also a prefix to mean come together to make one, a university is a bunch of colleges. If you add the number of 10 unicorns, you will get the number 10. There is a value to uni- unlike zeros, ohs, naughts, and aughts.

Ages

All my life I have experience in thinking about my own age. Currently, I’m in my thirties and I remember in my twenties when I began this journey to name the decade. Again, the term to group the numbers between 0 and 9 can be used for ages too. What is the word that people remember for the age between 0 and 9? Nobody really remembers this age nor do they speculate on the coming years or groups of years like we do when we are older, say your sixties and seventies. Let’s try to use the suggestions for ages.

Two-thousands – “I remember very little about my two-thousands.”
Aughts – “I remember very little about my aughts.”
Naughts – “I remember very little about my naughts.”
Ohs – “I remember very little about my ohs.”
Zeros – “I remember very little about my zeros.”
Unies – “I remember very little about my unies.”

You see, none of the terms suggested make sense except for one. I will explain why each term doesn’t fit the age formula except the Unies.

Two-thousands – The term two-thousands works for the decade now but doesn’t work for ages because it is too big of a number. The focus of this term is on 2,000 and not the numbers between 0 and 9. The two-thousands will actually be the years between 2000 and 2999. So the focus on this word is completely incorrect. A person will never live to be 2,000 years old.
Aughts, Naughts, Ohs, Zeros - The term aughts, naughts, and ohs all are synonyms of zero and a person cannot be zero years old. Again, these terms have no value, they are an empty set.
Unies – The term unies or uni- is a Latin word that means one. The numbers between 0 and 9 are all one-digit in length. This could work for ages.

NEED I SAY MORE

I Love the 00s Coffee Mug

2009-05-19T04:40:00.000-07:00

As an avid coffee drinker, my girlfriend Cathy ordered a special mug with the "I Love the 00s" logo on the front. I get to see this logo every morning as I begin my daily pursuit to name the decades, 00s and 10s.

I Love the 00s Shirt Unveiled

2009-05-11T15:27:00.001-07:00

After months of waiting, my girlfriend wears the first "I Love the 00s" t-shirt. This new t-shirt is a great design. Check out the hearts in the middle of the 00s and the o in Love.

What does Y2K mean?

2009-05-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

On September 18, 1998, I walked around the University of South Carolina campus asking students, "What does Y2K mean? We get many different answers to the question and each answer illustrates that people just didn't know.

So here we are in 2009 and we just don't know what to call this decade, 00s. So why is media, news stations waiting for the people to name the decade? People are not going to know how to pronounce 00s or 10s.

Let's jump on the bandwagon and name the decades, the Unies and Decies. We can't just sit around and let the people name the decade. It is even taught that newspapers have to write to a 6th grade education. With this said, we shouldn't wait for the world to think of some ridiculous answer. Check out the Suggestions for the Decade Name.

Nobody Knows How to Pronounce 00s

2009-04-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, I did a simply search through Google images for 00s. The first thing I noticed was my logo was the 2nd result listing. Although seeing this should make me excited this is not my point. Rather my point is how few times people actually used the 00s. The reason why nobody uses it is because they don't know how to pronounce it.

Take for instance 90s. Do a simple Google images search for the term 90s. You will notice there are way more visual examples of 90s in the results. Especially when comparing a few pages of each to each other.

The reason is more likely, that people just don't know how to pronounce the word 00s. Well, I will simply let you know now how to pronounce the word....the Unies!

Joel's Take on the 00s and 10s

2009-04-27T06:29:00.001-07:00

I have known Ryan Guerra for most of this decade, during which time he has been trying to name it the "unies." Despite ribbing him for continuing this fools errand, I admire his tenacity and have to agree with him; this decade needs a name. The only alternative name for this decade, that I have heard so far, is the awkward phrase "The two thousands." While this works as a noun, it is impossible to use and an adjective. For the previous eight decades, we been able to describe (mainly cultural) phenomena with adjectives denoting the decade in which they (mainly) occurred: "sensitive nineties guy", "big hair, eighties rockers", "seventies hippies", etc. Hopefully the English-speaking world will soon rectify oversight, and adopt Ryan's proposed name of "the unies" for this decade, and "the decies" for the next decade, which is just around the corner, and also does not have a name!

Joel Froese
Strategy Consultant
Columbia, SC
International MBA, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, 2005

I Love the 00s Goes to Dry Tortugas

2009-04-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

Cathy Ferreira interviews Ryan Guerra at the exotic Dry Tortugas in Key West, Fl about the 00s and the 10s. She asks questions about the origination of the 00s (pronounced unies) and the 10s (pronounced decies), upcoming plans and future events to promote the 00s and 10s.

Miami Seen Through Blackberry

2009-04-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

As I was standing on MacArthur Causeway in Miami for a photoshoot for Island Queen Cruises, which provides sightseeing cruises in Miami. I decide to be a little creative with my Blackberry Edge. So I snapped this photo!

The Drive to Name the Decades Helps Complete Half Ironman

2009-04-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

The same passion and drive to name the decades, 00s and 10s, has helped Ryan Guerra complete the Miami Man Half Ironman triathlon.

The 00s and 10s heads to the Dry Tortugas in Key West, Fl

2009-04-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

While on vacation at the Dry Tortugas in Key West, Fl, Ryan Guerra constantly works on getting the 00s and 10s heard.

My take on Naming the Decade

2009-04-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

It was a little over a year ago, in the late "Unies," when I first met Ryan and heard his pitch about naming the decade. It took me awhile to grasp the idea, but after hearing his deposition and seeing some of his grass root marketing efforts, I decided that I too would join the "Unies" Campaign.

Take a moment and do some research...do a simple "Google" search for "Naming the Decade" and see what you find. Ryan's relentless efforts are clearly evident through postings on social media sites, You Tube Videos, and even a blog dedicated exclusively to the Unies! He is so passionate about naming the decade that going back to the exact table where he pondered the idea 10 years ago was emotional for him. Don't you see it? This guy is serious!

We are taking the Unies Campaign to the next level by visiting colleges and universities across the United States and Europe. We will have free shirts and we will also be taking video footage. There's one catch: tell us what you think about the "Unies" or what the last decade means to you. Some of our scheduled stops include my Alma Mater, Florida International University; San Francisco State University; University of San Franciso; San Jose State University; and the University of Amsterdam. Oh yes, and be sure to help spread the word by simply wearing your "Unies" shirt. We will even have the Unies logo in your school colors! How sweet is that?!

What I truly don't understand is "What are people waiting for?" This decade has nearly come to an end and still no decision has been made. Join this campaign and help us spread the word - you too can be a part of history!

'00s Logo in FSU Colors

2009-04-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

Freelove Logo Created in late '90s

2009-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Island Queen Cruises Logo Created in '09

2009-04-09T20:19:00.001-07:00

Jimbo's Place Late '00s

2009-04-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

Cathy's shirt reads 1977 while visiting Jimbo's in '08.

Espanola Way Logo Created in the 00s

2009-04-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

SoBe Unique Shoes

2009-04-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

'70s Military Wedding

2009-04-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Apple Plays Vital Role in Naming Decade the Unies

2009-04-09T19:28:00.000-07:00