Read Amir Alexander's article from April 12, 2002
         A Close Call for Earth in 878 Years

The above link was sent to me by G. L. Honaker [email][site] (dd. 21/04/2002),
a loyal submitter to my website! Thanks.

(pdg) Not so long ago I saw a movie Armageddon  where a bunch
of oildiggers fixed another orbital bug. So I am confident for
the future. Palindromes (and humanity I hope) will survive 2880.

This is pretty neat how it works out.
 This is cool chocolate math !!!!!!
  DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
   It takes less than a minute...
    Work this out as you read.
     Be sure you don't read the bottom until
      you've worked it out! This is not
       one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like
   to have chocolate (try for more than once but less than 10).
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold).
3. Add 5 (for Sunday).
4. Multiply it by 50. I'll wait while you get the calculator...
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1752 ...
   If you haven't, add 1751 ...
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

Some interesting peculiarities

This 13 x 13 = 169 Magic Square has a special number, namely  154 , which I call
the Magic Number. This number is common to many other smaller Magic Squares
inside this Super Magic Square.

There are the following smaller squares that you will find inside.
Four 4 x 4 = 16 squares with Magic Sum = (154 x 4) = 616 (top_left marked green)
Two 5 x 5 = 25 squares with Magic Sum = (154 x 5) = 770 (top_left = 73 & 97)
Two 7 x 7 = 49 squares with Magic Sum = (154 x 7) = 1078 (top_left = 114 & 175)
Two 9 x 9 = 81 squares with Magic Sum = (154 x 9) = 1386 (top_left = 111 & 131)
One 11 x 11 = 121 square with Magic Sum = (154 x 11) = 1694 (top_left = 115)
One main 13 x 13 = 169 square with Magic Sum = (154 x 13) = 2002
This is possible because 2002 = 2 x 7 x 11 x 13.

The top_left corners of the four 4 x 4 = 16 Magic Squares
with palindromic ! Magic Sum 616 are marked with a green background.

You will be able to find the other Magic sub_Squares quite easily.
ps. there exist one 3 x 3 = 9 square that is not perfect pandiagonal
since one of the diagonals sums to 465 instead of the Magic Sum 462.
154 marks the bottom_left corner of this square.

The main square has been drawn and inner squares have been
colourmarked wherever possible resulting in the file 'Magic 2002.jpg'.
All this was prepared for me by the use of the computer of my
artist friend. I hope everything is OK. This jpg file of 119 KB
is available by simple email request.

No doubt you will like and enjoy the square.

a. Integers 1 through 9 are to be used exactly once, in any order.
b. Parentheses are permitted.
c. Integers used in the expression are not allowed to be a
    concatenation of digits.
d. Only operators + and * are permitted between adjacent integers.

Solution
Bruce came out with the following two distinct solutions
without the use of a computer [ October 29, 2002 ].

A computer program would have to be written to enumerate all possible solutions.
Who's candidate ?

Terry Trotter (email dd. 04/01/2003)
writes that this digital topic is one of his favorites.
(it's like my All the King's Digits project "make a 100" in Math Forum.)
"Could 0 be included there, at least in the large-to-small order ?" he wonders...

December = 55 (alpha)numerically, and is a Master Number or iterated
number such as 11, 22, 33, 99 and 111, 333, 888, 999. These calendar dates
are the numerical sum of a month + the date ( A=1, B=2, Z=26 ).
E.g. D-E-C-E-M-B-E-R = 4+5+3+5+13+2+5+18 = 55.

Months that have dates adding up to a Master Number of double digits
are 11 days apart... 11 + 11 = 22, + 11 = 33, etc. Notice this 11 theme
in the following data.

The 11 day Master Number cycles begin with December 1 to December 11^th.
Thus, 55 + 11 = 66 as December 11. Eleven days later is 77, on Dec 22
( December as 55 + 22^nd = 77 ).

Interesting that 23^rd as 23 = End. It is the end of Master Number
cycles for this month and this year.

December 2002 is also the end of the unique 11 year Time Window from
1991 to 2002. These Mirror Years / Palindrome Years occur each century
110 years apart, thus the break in the 110 year cycle is unique.

I can verify the book end, flip-flop, opposites or polarity effect in
my life these past 11 years: major change has occured since I first
noticed the 1991 numerical oddity.

There is so much (esoteric!) interpretation that comes to the mind...

2002 at a palindromic position
          in the decimal expansion of .

Immediately we see that all the digits are even (2002 as 8622268).
The factorization of 8622268 = 2 * 2 * 373 * 5779 contains
another palindrome ! Note that 5779 - 2 - 2 = 5775 yet another palindrome !

313 858 (equal length!), 632236

373 24242 (smoothly undulating!)

1991 ?

2002 8622268 (all digits even)

2003 ?

2112 ?

8622268 ?

373 ?

1991 ?

2002 ?

2003 ?

2112 ?

8622268 ?

This compilation (available in pdf format) encompasses many
palindromic and above all artistic themes from a variety of fields.
I'd like to highlight the one with numerical content :

2002 = 1 + 666 + 1 + 666 + 1 + 666 + 1 =
1 + (1x1x1) + (2x2x2) + (3x3x3) + (4x4x4) + (5x5x5) + (6x6x6) +
(5x5x5) + (4x4x4) + (3x3x3) + (2x2x2) + (1x1x1) + 1 + (1x1x1) +
(2x2x2) + (3x3x3) + (4x4x4) + (5x5x5) + (6x6x6) + (5x5x5) + (4x4x4) +
(3x3x3) + (2x2x2) + (1x1x1) + 1 + (1x1x1) + (2x2x2) + (3x3x3) + (4x4x4) +
(5x5x5) + (6x6x6) + (5x5x5) + (4x4x4) + (3x3x3) + (2x2x2) + (1x1x1) + 1

666's palindromic decomposition by G. Hainry - www.univ-lemans.fr
(Source : 37 et le palindrome du Diable)

By simple email request one can obtain this [2002, un an à nu.pdf] file format
compilation. Its size is 1028 KB and contains 25 beautiful 'layout' pages.