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December 14

Day Million

The article Day Million says that it takes place in the year 2737. But in fact, the year 2737 is actually one year too early. The actual one millionth day of the Common Era (starting from 1 January AD 1 in the Julian calendar) is on 26 November 2738 in the Gregorian calendar.

So, did Frederik Pohl make a mistake with the year that Day Million takes place?

Likewise, the two millionth and three millionth days of the Common Era will occur on 22 October 5476 and 19 September 8214 respectively. If there were to be a story called "Day Two Million" or "Day Three Million", then it would be set in the years 5476 and 8214 respectively. But unfortunately, no such story has ever been written, so that would be pure speculation. GeoffreyT2000 (talk) 03:58, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Having never heard of the book before just now, I read the article prose the millionth day CE, which falls late in the year 2737, although the author alternately describes it as being about a thousand years in the future as indicating that Frederick Pohl did not calculate the day, and a well-meaning and mathsy Wikipedia editor who did not know about the (stupid) nonexistence of the year 0 added the incorrect year. I could be completely wrong, and Frederick Pohl goes on and on about how it's the year 2737, because I'm allowing although... alternately to do a lot of work in my interpretation, and also have never read the book. Folly Mox (talk) 04:42, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

This diff and this diff and this diff are relevant but not helpful. Folly Mox (talk) 04:51, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have read the story, but don't recall this particular detail. Simple enough for me to hotfoot it to the library and check it out in Platinum Pohl. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:28, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Taking the average year length to be 365.2425 days, one million days equals 2737.9 years. If the anonymous editor made the same calculation, they possibly overlooked the fact that this should be added to AD 1 to get a date late in AD 2738. --Lambiam 10:15, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps the anonymous editor thought that by then the World will have adopted the Year 0 that astronomers already insert into the Gregorian calendar so that orbital calculations, etc., work out. Realistically, though, it was probably an oversight.

More pertinently, I have just re-skimmed the story (in the collection of which it is the titular lead) and can confirm that Pohl nowhere states the year, only saying ". . . about a thousand years from now" in the first sentence, and "A thousand years from now" towards the end. I will therefore remove the erroneous OR from the article forthwith.

It is possible that in the story's original magazine publication, in Rogue magazine Feb/Mar 1966, Pohl did mention the (wrong) year, or that an editor added it, but I can confirm that it does not appear in the story's second appearance, in sf Impulse magazine October 1966 (copy in hand).

(Note for other pedants: although our article refers to SF Impulse, the actual magazines are styled sf Impulse throughout.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.199.215.44 (talk) 18:17, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Doubt not His Pohliness. There is no mention of any year in the short story. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:38, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The offending date has now been removed from the article, so I think we can mark this

Resolved

. Alansplodge (talk) 17:44, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Two footballs in 1974 World Cup

Why were there two official footballs, in the 1974 German World Cup instead of just one? There was a classic one and an all-white one. Thanks. 5.95.197.140 (talk) 23:19, 14 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There were three. The Telstar Durlast (Black and White), The Chile Durlast (White) and the Apollo Durlast (Orange/Pink). A number of games were to be played at night so the all white Chile Durlast was used for those. See also https://www.worldcupballs.info/ball/world-cup-balls/1974-germany/made-france-match-ball-fifa-world-cup-1974-germany-adidas-chile-durlast-3/ Nanonic (talk) 00:29, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

December 15

Color scheme on diffs

A month or two ago there was a change to the way diffs are displayed. There used to be two columns, a "before" and an "after". Now there's just a single column, with the "before" highlighted in a lightish yellow and the "after" highlighted in a lightish blue. My question is whether the color scheme is a subtle reference to the Ukraine flag, or if it's just a happy coincidence? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:31, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

the old one was also yellow and blue. i would be very surprised if it was a reference. ltb d l (talk) 10:51, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

What is a "diff" here? If this refers to article history "compare two versions", I still get two listings older and newer, and I don't see colour. -- SGBailey (talk) 13:36, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I don't recall seeing this under the side-by-side scheme. And you're not seeing it at all. So maybe it depends on our respective settings. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:57, 15 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Is this the mobile view? On desktop I've not seen any change - deletions on the left are in yellow and additions on the right are in blue as always. What I have noticed is that the yellow box which reads "This is ... revision of this page, as edited by ..." is four times larger than it was. 2A02:C7B:103:7100:D984:512D:2947:50AE (talk) 12:19, 16 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

While I don't know what BB is referring to, you can see inline diffs on the desktop site by turning on the inline slider that shows on all diff pages. Assuming BB is referring to the desktop site they could also switch this slider to turn off inline diffs. You can also view diffs in the visual editor although this can be inline only. This seems to be the same whether logged in or not. But I think the setting may stay the same as what you last used and when logged in it's probably stored in your account. There is also a gadget to "Display diffs with the old yellow-and-green colors and design" which might be what is causing BB's confusion. Nil Einne (talk) 16:58, 16 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, desktop. Under preferences, skin is "Monobook". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:23, 16 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

December 16

Japanese perspektive of the 1990s

What was the Japanese perspective on the 1990s? What was it like with the Internet, the economy, the culture? 2A02:8071:60A0:92E0:D8DA:FD66:4E7E:E6E0 (talk) 23:30, 16 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

See 1990s in Japan for starters. -- 136.54.106.120 (talk) 01:57, 17 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

For the basket-case economy, see the Lost Decades. MinorProphet (talk) 22:59, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

December 18

Outline Dymaxion Map Net

I'm sure there used to be a really nice version of this Dymaxion Map which was a simple black-and-white outline, suitable for printing, (colouring), cutting out, and assembling into an icosahedral 'globe'. Does anyone know where it went, or know of a suitable replacement?

Many thanks. 78.32.242.170 (talk) 15:57, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Like this? 97.82.165.112 (talk) 16:57, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Oooo, possibly. I shall have to check at home, as that website 'cannot prove its identity'. 78.32.242.170 (talk) 17:01, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I've looked on my phone, and not quite. The most outliney one there doesn't have the fold lines for the triangles, and the other has the gridlines. There used to be a nice, clean one with the triangles shown, I thought on Wikimedia. 78.32.242.170 (talk) 17:04, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have fixed your link. External links don't require the | symbol that internal wikilinks do. Matt Deres (talk) 18:21, 18 December 2023 (UTC) [reply]

There is File:Visionscarto-airocean.svg, which has no fold lines and does have meridians and parallels. The former are easy to find with a simple straightedge, though, and many picture editors can remove the thinner grid lines. --Lambiam 19:42, 18 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, yes, but I'm looking for something to use with people who cannot simply find these (if I were making it myself, I could simply fold the lines in the right places), and I was hoping to find whatever it was I had used years ago which didn't require me to refamiliarise myself with editing software. That is otherwise a nice, clean net, though. Thanks, Matt. 78.32.242.170 (talk) 12:16, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

December 21

Getting the lay of the walls

I'm a freelance writer with a work in progress.

I'm wondering if it's possible to find out about the interior layout of the OSP, in particular where interviews with police and convicts would have been conducted.

I can't even find an email for the system...

184.70.60.42 (talk) 00:20 & 00:22, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]