Extra Large

Which is bigger, a jillion or a zillion? No one’s quite sure, though we all use these terms pretty readily. In 2016 Wayne State University linguistic anthropologist Stephen Chrisomalis cataloged the first appearance of 18 “indefinite hyperbolic numerals” — here they are in chronological order:

forty-leven
squillion
umpteen
steen
umpty
umpty-ump
umpty-steen
zillion
skillion
jillion
gillion
bazillion
umptillion
kazillion
gazillion
kajillion
gajillion
bajillion

The Oxford English Dictionary’s first cited usage of gajillion occurred in 1983, and they don’t yet have an entry for bajillion. So maybe that’s largest?

(Stephen Chrisomalis, “Umpteen Reflections on Indefinite Hyperbolic Numerals,” American Speech 91:1 [2016], 3-33, via Math Horizons.)

| Language · Science & Math

Progress

In 2012 I mentioned that Helen Fouché Gaines’ 1956 textbook Cryptanalysis: A Study of Ciphers and Their Solution ends with a cipher that’s never been solved. Reader Michel Esteban writes:

I think I found what kind of cipher Helen Fouché Gaines’ last challenge is.
In my opinion, it is a seriated Playfair of period 5 with two peculiarities:
– Zs are nulls in the ciphertext,
– Z is the omitted letter in the cipher square (instead of J).
If I am right, period 5 is the most likely reasonable period: we can observe no coincidences between upper and lower letters.
On the other hand, six reciprocal digrams appear: FD-DF, EC-CE, JN-NJ, JB-BJ, QL-LQ and GW-WG. These are almost certainly cipher counterparts of common reciprocal digrams (ES-SE, EN-NE, IT-TI, etc.).
I did not solve this cipher, because it is too short to use statistics. The only way to solve it is to use some metaheuristics (like Hill Climbing), but I have no computer!
I have no doubt you know someone that will be able to unveil the plaintext after having read these considerations.

Can someone help? I’ll add any updates here.

| Puzzles · Science & Math

Same Thing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:October_sky_poster.jpg

In 1998, as aerospace engineer Homer Hickam’s memoir Rocket Boys was being adapted for the screen, Universal Studios’ research warned that women over 30 would not see a movie with that title.

So the name was changed to October Sky — the same 10 letters in a different order.

| Entertainment · Language · Trivia

The Roving Wazir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutilated_chessboard_problem#Related_problems

A wazir is a fanciful chess piece that can move one square horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. This one finds itself in the upper left corner of the board. Can it make its way to the lower right while visiting each square exactly once?

Click for Answer
| Puzzles

Upgrade

https://archive.org/details/sim_strand-magazine_1903-03_25_147/page/356/mode/2up#page=357

From the Strand, April 1903:

This photo is of a cabin on one of the Flushing Line steamers. It has the peculiarity that, while showing a small room (cabin), on looking at it upside down [below] it gives an excellent representation of a very large room, which can be likened to a ball-room, with on right-hand side a doorway, large open fireplace, pictures, windows, etc., on left-hand a series of pictures and windows, with doorway at far end. — George A. Goodwin, 28, Victoria Street, S.W.

https://archive.org/details/sim_strand-magazine_1903-03_25_147/page/356/mode/2up#page=357

| Oddities

Finale

On Jan. 30, 1874, Tamil poet Ramalinga Swamigal entered his one-room home in Chennai and directed his followers to lock the door from the outside. If the door were forced open, he said, nothing would be found inside.

In May the government forced open the door. The room was empty. The disappearance has never been explained.

| Oddities