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You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

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Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#41

Post by Arcorann »

patrickthebold wrote: post #34
zzo38computer wrote: post #33

I like the solar hijri calendar (not to be confused with the lunar hijri). Better than anno domini would be a anno mundi system, but to make a new scientific anno mundi system rather than the old way, due directly to the Earth going around the Sun, because that is how the year is considered, so to count years starting from that, too. For time keeping, use local time based on mean solar time, with no daylight saving t…

I'm a big proponent of continuous time zones, so that noon drifts ever so slightly as position changes. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Already addressed: https://qntm.org/continuous

Suffice to say, we stopped doing that in the 19th century for very good reasons.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#42

Post by rodgerd »

Ruthalas wrote: post #30
Razengan wrote: post #20

Must a calendar only represent the physical positions of heavenly bodies? What happens after we propagate to other planets? Why should there be only one calendar? Why can’t we have, say, a Social Calendar alongside a Astronomical Calendar? We could have a sane, logical calendar with even and regular divisions for determining working days, holidays, financial calculations and political durations etc. And there could b…

I tend to agree with the concept, but you'd probably have to address holidays that are season-specific. Perhaps 'Christmas is always in the third winter time-block', or something to that effect.

() Your solution shows you don't understand hemispheres or seasons.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#43

Post by Arcorann »

(2013)

Previous discussion (the only substantial one at any rate): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11193152

The main problem with calendar reform as I see it is that network effects and lock-in mean that unless everyone changes at once it'll never stick. I've long felt that the optimal time for calendar reform was several decades ago -- with increasing computerisation the cost of switching has gone up over time, much faster than any potential benefits.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#44

Post by leoc »

hinkley wrote: post #15
irrational wrote: post #6

If the USA can’t convert to metric, despite passing laws to that affect, my belief that the world will adopt a new calendar system is less than non-existent.

I hate to scapegoat, but there are a bunch of odd things the US does because boomers like things the way they've always been. Why were a bunch of new Christmas songs written 60 years ago and barely a song a decade has been added to the repertoire since? George Michael is dead, and Mariah Carey seemed touch and go for a while, and those are pretty much the last two people to create a successful Christmas song (and the…

> Why were a bunch of new Christmas songs written 60 years ago and barely a song a decade has been added to the repertoire since? George Michael is dead, and Mariah Carey seemed touch and go for a while, and those are pretty much the last two people to create a successful Christmas song (and the less said about Do They Know It's Christmas, the better)

I don't see how the Boomers get the blame here. The two obvious suspects in the death of the Christmas song are, first, the general decline in the quality of Anglophone pop music over the past few decades (with the biggest arguable exception being the rise of hip-hop, not a genre that's an obviously good platform for Christmas-themed top-10s) and, second, a decline in the cultural resonance of Christmas. Boomers are (directly) driving those trends less than later generations are, I'd assume.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#45

Post by earthboundkid »

patrickthebold wrote: post #34
zzo38computer wrote: post #33

I like the solar hijri calendar (not to be confused with the lunar hijri). Better than anno domini would be a anno mundi system, but to make a new scientific anno mundi system rather than the old way, due directly to the Earth going around the Sun, because that is how the year is considered, so to count years starting from that, too. For time keeping, use local time based on mean solar time, with no daylight saving t…

I'm a big proponent of continuous time zones, so that noon drifts ever so slightly as position changes. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Time zones were a premature optimization. Now we all have GPS, so we can return to location based times.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#46

Post by earthboundkid »

mhh__ wrote: post #29
hinkley wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate to scapegoat, but there are a bunch of odd things the US does because boomers like things the way they've always been. Why were a bunch of new Christmas songs written 60 years ago and barely a song a decade has been added to the repertoire since? George Michael is dead, and Mariah Carey seemed touch and go for a while, and those are pretty much the last two people to create a successful Christmas song (and the…

What's wrong with do they know it's Christmas?

It was written in benefit of Ethiopia, a Christian country since before the Anglo-Saxon invasion…

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#47

Post by efitz »

I advocate a solution similar to proposals floated years ago on alt.pave.the.earth on UseNet.

1. Disintegrate the moon, anyone who has ever advocated for lunar calendars, and anyone who fails to convincingly support this Plan(tm), converting their mass to energy that we can use for productive purposes such as orbital adjustments. 2. Adjust the rotational period of the earth to an aesthetically pleasing multiple of the length of the solar year. Adjust the axial tilt and orbital eccentricity of the earth to eliminate "seasons". 3. Adjust the definitions of time units to aesthetically pleasing multiples of the now-constant solar year and rotational day.

Problem solved.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#48

Post by evan_ »

annoyingnoob wrote: post #7

> having one or two days per year which are part of no month is stupid There are some valid points in there but this kind of thing is not productive. No need to be rude.

how about we just do away with months altogether. One or two days per year that aren't in a month would be weird but 365ish days should be fine, right?

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#49

Post by dhosek »

taveras wrote: post #35

If you are interested in calendar reform and enjoy world history, the French Revolutionary calendar is fascinating to read about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_calendar

I used to use a bastardized version of this on our team calendar on the whiteboard at work (just the month/year, ignoring the fact that French Republican months don't correspond neatly to Gregorian months). I was able to get away with it because the month/year were not really functional parts of the calendar. I doubt I could have gotten the team to fully adopt the French Republican calendar, although it would have been fun to try.

Re: You advocate a ________ approach to calendar reform (2013)

#50

Post by dhosek »

munk-a wrote: post #19
gizmo686 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US copyright terms: 1978+: Author's life + 70 years. 95 years if work-for-hire 1967-1977: 95 years 1924 - 1963: 28 years if never renewed. Maximum 95 years. Pre-1924 - All copywrights have expired

US copyright terms: Pre-Mickey Mouse: Expired Post-Mickey Mouse: Copyrighted for eternity.

Disney finally gave up that fight. Barring a last minute lobbying effort, Steamboat Willie will be in the public domain on 1 January 2023. Of course the trademarks on Mickey Mouse will be valid in perpetuity.
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