Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 September 15

= September 15 =

Any authors/artists who liked mathematics?
I’m looking for a specific male author or artist who was fond of mathematics. He was not good at it, but still had admiration for the field. He referred to it as his unrequited love, and called it grand or complex. He was white, and most likely lived before the mid-20th century. He is also an accomplished artistic figure. His page was formatted similarly to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and he had a section that was dedicated to his mathematical views Any help would be appreciated! AliceHearts1 (talk) 04:53, 15 September 2023 (UTC)


 * M. C. Escher? Sleigh (talk) 07:12, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Lewis Carroll is a possibility. However, he did produce some papers on mathematical problems. Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 08:00, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * More than that, he was an actual Mathematical Lecturer at Oxford University, so AliceHearts1's second sentence would be completely inapplicable. Their username also suggests that they are probably quite familiar with him.
 * The article Mathematics and art might provide some leads and links. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 51.194.81.165 (talk) 12:19, 15 September 2023 (UTC)


 * If you look at the top authors to the Goethe article, and then look at their corresponding top article creations or contribs, you might find what you are looking for. I found several potential candidates looking at that intersection. Viriditas (talk) 21:20, 22 September 2023 (UTC)

International or World or Global Railway Day
are there International or World or Global or simil Railway Day? 89.97.104.35 (talk) 09:59, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * The USA has a National Train Day, but I'm not finding anything international, except for a (Canadian) Facebook page 'International Train Day' suggesting 12 May (2016) which does not seem to have gained much traction. (See what I did there?)
 * If there was such a day, what date would be most appropriate, and why? I'd suggest 27 September, with a bicentennial in 2025, but that may be too UK-biased. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 51.194.81.165 (talk) 12:18, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * UK based (not biased) perhaps, but of global significance. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 12:29, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * some sites report November 11th--89.97.104.35 (talk) 14:29, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Why armistice day? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 16:07, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Weird sign in Prague
Have a look at this web page: https://www.feissarimokat.com/2023/09/kuvakooste-osa-435/

This question concerns the part starting with "Arvostin mutten täysin ymmärtänyt kaikkia kohtia Prahassa" (Finnish for "I appreciated but did not fully understand all of these points in Prague").

Someone (I don't know who) saw this sign in Prague, the Czech Republic and took a picture of it. He said he doesn't fully understand it and neither does anyone else. What is this sign all about? Why are cycling and dogs both simultaneously allowed and forbidden? J I P &#124; Talk 10:20, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I volunteer that a) there are certain areas where one may cycle or walk their dog, and certain areas where one may not; b) there are certain TIMES when one may cycle or walk their dog, and there are times when they may not; or c) the answer might be easier if we got to see the entire sign. Tell You the truth, I have been looking at it for a few minutes now, laundry's done, I should hang it, but I am still here. Weird. Maybe someone from Prague could help? --Ouro (blah blah) 11:22, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I concur with these interpretations. I imagine this sign is placed at an entrance of a large park (possibly in Prague 5) and lists opening hours, telephone numbers and the facilities available in the park (e.g. toilets for men, women and wheelchairs). Without context these questions are rather futile, and I don't understand why we should (and do!!! — I looked for a sign like this on google maps instead of having lunch! Weird indeed.) spend time on this. --Wrongfilter (talk) 11:34, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * The pictured poster which might be displayed at the entrance to a park shows a range of fancifully sketched Pictograms that could be used to mark areas of the park for foreign visitors. They identify areas for sport and dancing activities, dog walking allowed, dog walking forbidden and Public toilets (also coded as "WC") qualified as male only, female only, disabled access and baby changing. A less whimsical, more gender neutral set of symbols would be preferable. Philvoids (talk) 12:38, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Just as a brief side note I couldn't help but notice that, style-wise, the pictograms look mildly Haringesque, although they're all a lot less angular. GalacticShoe (talk) 14:00, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * The pictograms reminded me of frogs. And the way the male symbol was dstinguished would probably not be allowed where I live (the US). --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 15:27, 15 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Ah yes. I know an (moderately cheap, and precisely, paper) encyclopeadia where childhood specialists are unanimous in the opinion that humans begin by identifying themselves as tadpoles. --Askedonty (talk) 17:05, 16 September 2023 (UTC)


 * Curious that the male and female pictograms widely used in the west are based on the rather old-fashioned premise that males wear trousers and females wear skirts. A tired cartoon meme in Britain shows a puzzled kilted Scotsman trying to decide which symbol applies to him. Alansplodge (talk) 17:15, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Also notable is the implication that those pictograms indicate washrooms (lavatories, bathrooms, toilets, whatever you call those rooms), so that a washroom that anybody is allowed to use is indicated simply by both symbols. --142.112.221.246 (talk) 23:57, 20 September 2023 (UTC)