We’ve been living out of backpacks on the road for the last ten years, so it’s easy to keep track of your stuff… Only item in our bags that hasn’t changed is a zip-up flannel towel. It’s perfect for keeping your toiletries in order, light-weight and washable, doubles as a flannel on the rare occasions you need such a thing, and has Hello Kitty on it.

Since the bags themselves have been replaced, it’s the clear winner. 2nd place is a Tony the Tiger colour-changing spoon from a bag of Frosties in 2016.

Taking a page from the Singapore HDB, housing can be sold/bought by the state, and prices are set by what the applicant can afford, rather than what the market is willing to pay. This allows residents to move to different locations, or change dwelling size to fit their currents needs (marriage, children, empty nesters, divorce, etc.).

I imagine this can work in a multi-city state, too… just need to make sure there is ample supply to allow for migrations without waiting lists.

Unlike rent control on rentals from a private market, price control for a majority public housing system can work, as a black market is hard to establish.

16 might break it… 四四 makes no sense as 十十 makes no sense… you’d write 百 (100) instead.

And you get the same problem each time you go higher.

You’d need base 4 equivalents of 100 = 百, 1,000 = 千, 10,000 = 万, 100,000,000 = 億,.

Hmm, on the other hand you can have 十万 (100,000), so why not 四四 (16)? What’s 20, though…

In Arabic numerals base 2 has 0 and 1, and base 10 has 0 to 9, which is also 10 numeric symbols. Chinese has 10 numeric symbols for base 10, too, just a “10” symbol instead of a 0.

Spot on. Good example! And 十 is indeed just X on it’s side :D

In Chinese/Japanese, there’s 四 rocks in both base 10, and base 4. (8 rocks would be 二四 in base 4).

I think the concept of “base” is easier to understand when you include a numeral for the highest base (10 = 十, 20 =二十).

Of course, arabic numerals are more concise, using position to imply meaning (21 = 二十一).