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#51

Off the Record / Re: What are your favorite Chr...

Last post by viper37 - December 24, 2025, 08:12:39 PM

It's from 2017.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mwxYt2faIgTrBxXJdqdE5chqyi2-OK4Po&si=oHb3JbkRQbzdW4sJ

Merci

Grandpa loved this:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PACe9k-tPJU

#52

Off the Record / Re: Facebook Follies of Friend...

Last post by viper37 - December 24, 2025, 08:10:28 PM

You already forgot those events? 

#53

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by mongers - December 24, 2025, 08:10:25 PM

An excellent Sky at Night programme interviewing Clyde Tombaugh abou this discovery of the planet Pluto:
The Man Who Discovered A Planet

#54

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Sheilbh - December 24, 2025, 04:10:55 PM

Traditionally, and for longer in the UK, a million was a though thousand, a billion a million millions, a trillion a billion billions, etc.  That led to some very awkwardly long numbers, though, so the French, and later the US, adopted the power of three system where everything above a thousand was a multiple of a thousand.  That only became the international norm post-WW2.

I once had to some work from Indian sources and I was (and still am) absolutely bamboozled by lakhs and crores

#55

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by mongers - December 24, 2025, 02:54:38 PM

A billion is not 1000 million but a million million.

Hillary or Sav, tell me what this means.  I thought he wanted to change the meaning of "billion" from 1,000,000,000 to 10,000,000,000.

Traditionally, and for longer in the UK, a million was a though thousand, a billion a million millions, a trillion a billion billions, etc.  That led to some very awkwardly long numbers, though, so the French, and later the US, adopted the power of three system where everything above a thousand was a multiple of a thousand.  That only became the international norm post-WW2.

This.

And in fact it was somewhat later for many in the UK; I learnt in O and A-level mathematics that a billion was a million millions. Likely sometime in the early 80s my generation would adopted the new international standard.

#56

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Maladict - December 24, 2025, 02:32:22 PM

To be fair, Josq just wants to return to the UK before 1948.

Fyp

#57

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by grumbler - December 24, 2025, 01:19:43 PM

Ah, okay, I see where the confusion is.  Josquius wants to change the definition of "Billion" from a thousand million (1,000,000,000) to a million million (1,000,000,000,000).  In English we call a million million a trillion, so in essence he's replacing the English definition of "Trillion" with "Billion."

To be fair, Josq just wants to return to the standard that existed (in the UK) before 1948.

#58

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by grumbler - December 24, 2025, 01:16:04 PM

A billion is not 1000 million but a million million.

Hillary or Sav, tell me what this means.  I thought he wanted to change the meaning of "billion" from 1,000,000,000 to 10,000,000,000.

Traditionally, and for longer in the UK, a million was a though thousand, a billion a million millions, a trillion a billion billions, etc.  That led to some very awkwardly long numbers, though, so the French, and later the US, adopted the power of three system where everything above a thousand was a multiple of a thousand.  That only became the international norm post-WW2.

#59

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by DGuller - December 24, 2025, 12:47:10 PM

I don't think it matters

I think in terms of regular comprehension once you're past a million or so there's a challenge. "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking about real money."

Yeah, most perceptions are logarithmic in nature, it's really hard to comprehend the scale of very large numbers no matter what words you use.

#60

Off the Record / Re: What are your favorite Chr...

Last post by Savonarola - December 24, 2025, 12:18:10 PM

I don't think I'd listen to a Christmas album. At Christmas I'm generally listening to very much non Christmassy songs as since Halloween I've heard more than enough Christmas songs.

 

Yes, that's why I don't listen to Christmas music at all until two weeks before Christmas.  Even US Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November) is too soon for me.