Talk:Teleseme

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A fact from Teleseme appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 3 April 2024 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that hotel guests in the 1890s could use a teleseme (example pictured) to order cocktails and call manservants?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2024/April. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Teleseme.

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Hilst talk 11:11, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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A teleseme

... that 1890s hotel guests could use a teleseme (pictured) to order cocktails and manservants? Source: "Such a list is a dangerous thing to have at one's elbow on a hot summer's day, for it comprises everything from appolinaris to a gin fizz, and includes the insidious sherry cobbler, the seductive cocktail and the patrician 'Bass'." ... "... ranging from 'chamber maid' and 'my manservant' to 'cognac'"
- Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Riley Jackson and Template:Did you know nominations/Lasioderma serricorne

Created by Gobonobo (talk). Self-nominated at 14:37, 17 March 2024 (UTC).[reply]

Number of QPQs required: 2. DYK is currently in unreviewed backlog mode and nominator has 111 past nominations.

Post-promotion hook changes will be logged on the talk page; consider watching the nomination until the hook appears on the Main Page.

New enough and long enough. Hook fact present; cannot load preview of second link, so AGF hook. No textual issues. Image is PD due to age. Nice to see something like this—reminds me of the topics Doug Coldwell used to do and which have been undercovered by us having to scour his work off the project. Sammi Brie (she/her • t • c) 21:03, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Technical operation

The article doesn't really mention how the device worked from a technical point of view. The hotel employee could see what room ordered something, but it is unclear how the would know the actual order. The linked pamphlet may have information, but it seems to be only available to people with access to the Harvard library. --2001:871:22B:B499:9A6:A6A1:DD0:8149 (talk) 14:26, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Agree on the lack of clarity. One can see that the pointer could be rotated to a "wedge" of the dial, but the wedge contains portions of multiple concentric circles. How could the device (or hotel employee) distinguish between the different circles in the wedge? Minturn (talk) 16:11, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Minturn, @2001:871:22B:B499:9A6:A6A1:DD0:8149: I had the same questions as the both of you and found a larger version of the dial online, which contains this guide to its use on its face:

Maniére de se servir du Teleséme Herzog
Deplacer la pointe de l'aiguille en la faisant tourner autour du centre du cadran puis glisser dans sa douille jusqu'á ce que l'index reste en repos au milieu de l'espace contenant l'indication a transmettre.
Presser la bouton place au bas du cadran une seule fois pendant 2 ou 3 secondes, en avant soin de ne plus toucher l'anguille. N.B. Lorsque l'office reçoit l'ordre l'aiguille retourne d'elle-même contre le zig-zag.

…which I translate as…

How to use the Herzog Teleséme
Move the tip of the needle by turning it around the center of the dial and then slide it into its socket until the index remains at rest in the middle of the space containing the indication to be transmitted.
Press the button located at the bottom of the dial once for 2 or 3 seconds, taking care not to touch the needle anymore.
N.B. When the office receives the order, the needle returns by itself against the zig-zag.

I'm not sure if I understand exactly, but it seems that the "zig-zag" on the bottom plays an important role in its operation. I wish I could find a better copyright-free image to use in the article; the same text is here far less readable. Psiĥedelisto (talk • contribs) ^{please always ping!} 18:17, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I was able to find a better version after all which I uploaded as File:Teleseme.png and added a transcription to the image's caption. Psiĥedelisto (talk • contribs) ^{please always ping!} 18:36, 3 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"RIB" is on the face at approximately 7 :30, so I presume that it and the Gallic zig-zag have the same function. The instrumental hand is telescoped (the "crank") like one Venetian rod inside another, which seems delicate but there you have it. What fascinates me are those platinum discs... How many tubes were in this thing, and what was the fluid? I suppose a disc receded whenever cognac was called for... kencf0618 (talk) 00:04, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What did “Teleseme” mean?

Was it a pun on “Open Sesame?” Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 00:32, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Far-Sign", as per the OED. kencf0618 (talk) 01:26, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Mr Serjeant Buzfuz, @Kencf0618: I think it's a joining of τηλε- and σῆμᾰ. Perhaps {{etymology}} should be added to the lede? Psiĥedelisto (talk • contribs) ^{please always ping!} 12:49, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think some sort of explanation would be helpful, provided it’s backed by a reliable source and not speculation like my query re “open sesame” :) Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 12:32, 5 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]