Not my phone bill

[Tom Ellison]

A USA Today story says a man received a phone bill for:

"806,400,000,000,000.01 ringgit ($218 trillion)"

This poses some interesting database questions:

- Do you typically allow formatting of such large numbers when you print a
report?

- Do you use datatypes that would support such large numbers?

Nothing I've ever built would support this. I'm not sure I believe it.

Given that I've never seen a phone bill with more than about $200 per
printed page, this would be what, a trillion pages long? I think I'd
request an itemized bill. It would take a few years just to print! The
scrap value on the paper would be worth the wait.

Search usatoday.com for "phone bill" to read details.

Tom Ellison

 

[Tom Ellison]

Oh, wait, I think I fitured it out. The guy has a teenage daughter!

Tom Ellison

 

[John Vinson]

Oh, wait, I think I fitured it out. The guy has a teenage daughter!

.... with a boyfriend in Iceland and another one in Paraguay? <g>

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I'm afraid I have some bad news for him. Twenty-something daughters are just
as bad! :-/

 

[John Vinson]

I'm afraid I have some bad news for him. Twenty-something daughters are just
as bad! :-/

Yep. Having that many daughters would be trying! I don't have any, but
my friends with just one or two of them have plenty of headaches.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Tom Ellison]

Dear Brendan:

I suppose so. I got mine married off, and can enjoy grandchildren. Not my
phone bill.

Tom Ellison

 

[Tom Ellison]

Dear John:

I'm afraid I have completely misunderstood Brendan. Of course! I only have
two!

It's hereditary. You get it from your children.

Tom Ellison