Here's a question for word lovers to ponder as the clock strikes twelve tonight: what do you call our new decade? In other words, what name replaces that of the nineties? Twentieth century history offers no guidance; the first decade of this century was simply known as "the first decade of the century." In an effort to keep history from repeating itself, we gathered some naming suggestions for public consideration. We begin with the two thousands. That sounds good, and of course, it will work for a long, long time, but the two thousands are hardly specific to the first decade. Perhaps we should forget the millennium number and think about other numbers -- like the ohms. In addition to the just plain ohms, there are the twenty-ohms, the oh-ohms, and the double-ohms. One wag points out that the Baltimore Orioles already have dibs on the nickname O's, while the double-ohms gives us a license to talk about double-oh-seven. And oh-ohms? That name invites comparison to toddlers. Shall we keep looking? Both the zeros and the zips have an air of -- well, nothingness -- about them, although you might argue that the zips hint at a speedy decade. Goose-eggs suggest a sporting attitude, but if you don't like the idea of a scoreless ten year period, you might favor a term popular with the younger set: the pre-teens. Of course, only time -- and usage -- will tell which (if any) term takes hold with the public. Choose your words wisely and enjoy the New Year.