I wasn't going to take the end of the world stuff seriously, mainly because this one wasn't even a proper prophecy, just a calendar coming to the end of its cycle. If that freaks you out then watch out December 31st is just ten days away. It's hard to find a calendar that doesn't run out at some point, though I suppose the ones on our computers might go forever. I've just checked iCal. It doesn't let me search for any dates beyond the year 3000. And I'd say that was giving its users an unrealistically long time to plan ahead - I will confidently state that not a single 2012 version of iCal will be running in January 3000. I don't think anyone will be celebrating the birthday of the Director of "Punk's Not Dead" on January 19th 3000, but if they open up my laptop they will find out that that is indeed his birthday. Apple isn't going to take any chances with its recurring dates. They might reasonably shut down those birthday notifications after 200 years, but I might pass this computer as an heirloom down to my descendants and they might want to celebrate that day. I do like the fact that someone in an office somewhere made the decision that there would be a cut off for the Goto date function and that that cut off would be the year 3000. Yeah, any further than that would be ridiculous. But let's not bring that down any further in case anyone has plans for 988 years time.
It's hard to think of any person who would really need to make any note that far in the future (though I am going to right now - "Book flight to Venus" - January 6th 3000). There is a chance that humans will become immortal and maybe some of the next generation will live into their 1000s. But I reckon computer software and hardware will have changed enough by then to mean that iCal probably won't be running in a compatible format. I think they could probably let the calendar stop in 2100 without anyone getting too upset. But then people do like to plan ahead. There'll be someone reading this now who will be alive to then, but I doubt there is anyone in the world with anything specific in their diary yet.
So will 3000 be the real end of the world?
Unlikely. iCal continues beyond that, presumably forever, you just can't click goto and go to any of those dates. I am not going to spend the rest of my life clicking "next year" to see if the there is an end date. But I've gone to December 21st 3012 to find the 1000th anniversary of today will be a Monday. Though I have found that clicking continually on that button gives the satisfactory illusion that you're in a time machine travelling forwards. Give it a go. I've just voyaged to 3026. What wonderful and terrible things will be going on in that year. The fact that the calendar keeps going is actually making me wonder if Apple is working on a time machine which will work via your computer which will need to go this far.
I am scared to go too far in case the calendar suddenly stops, but conversely if it goes on forever then by the logic of the people scared about today then the world will never end. As long as someone has made a calendar to cover the dates then the world must continue. What if someone has a dentist appointment in 298765 AD? It would be rude of the world to stop. We've found a way to ensure that humanity never ends. I've saved the world. No need to thank me. But you might as well make 12th July a recurring appointment in your calendar. It's Richard Herring day folks. Stick it in now. In 3038 they'll be celebrating that on a Thursday. And I think we can presume that there will be no changes in the names of the days of the week or the year numbering system. Because my calendar says they're the same. And calendars tell the future. Right?
