Re: USAGE: License Plates (was Re: USAGE: names for pillbug/wood louse/woodbug)

On Mon, Mar 15, 2004 at 07:04:37PM -0500, Ph. D. wrote:
> This pretty much applies to the state of Michigan, too. License Plates
> for automobiles are always three letters and three digits. They started
> using "AAA 000" and then switched to "000 AAA". Now they are
> using "0AA A00" and I assume they will start using "00A AA0" when
> they run out of those. (Letters O and I are not used.)
In GA they used to be AAA 000.  The second-to-most-recent issue, the
last one that was a mandatory reissue for everyone, switched to 000 AAA.
Then they ran out of numbers and expanded it to 0000 AAA (seems like
adding a letter would have been a better choice since it increases the
space by a factor of 26 instead of only 10, but they didn't ask me
first).  The most recent issue, which you only get with a new car, is
back to letters first, but still with four digits.

That's for passenger cars.  Trucks a similar pattern but with one letter
slot replaced by a number slot.

> Whenever I see a plate with something such as "JNZ 123", I always
> think "Jump if non-zero to 123."
Indeed!  For me it's the B's that get me (my first assembly language
being 6502).  The fun ones are the ones that don't quite match any real
mnemonic, so you get to make up your own:  "BJR 123" = "Branch when Just
Right to 123", etc.

-Mark