Apple’s product release earlier seemed to happen at exactly 13:37GMT, which I’ve always had in my head as l33t-o’clock. I wondered briefly if that was intentional on Apple’s behalf, and then put the thought aside after remembering that Apple probably doesn’t run on GMT.

That disappointment was shortlived as various tweeters starting noting that it was Square Root day. Square Root Day occurs just nine times each century, and is when the day and the month are the same number, and when multiplied together make up the last two digits of the year?

So basically, today – 3/3/09 is like saying 3 * 3 = 9. The first of the century was the 1st Jan 2001, and then there was the 2nd Feb 2004. Before that, it’d been 20 years since 9th September 1981. After today, the next square root day will be the 4th April 2016.

People celebrating the occasion are expected tonight to carve square root signs into fruit and vegetables and burn them in a massive pyre. I’ll be taking part. See you in Hyde Park at 10pm, yeah? We won’t let some rubbish drizzle dampen our mathematical spirits!