Editing 2779: Exoplanet High-5
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | + | {{incomplete|Created by a BOT, 21 YEARS AGO - More on the Updog joke for people not familiar with it. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
| − | + | ''Up high, down low, too slow'' is a {{w|High five#Too_slow|prank variant of a High five}}. In the comic, Earth has established communications with aliens living on {{w|Proxima Centauri b}}, the nearest exoplanet to Earth according to current knowledge, and [[Randall]] has taught them about a High five. | |
| − | + | Instead of physically shaking hands, the High five is executed by transmitting messages, as in a {{w|Handshake (computing)}}. The diagram in the comic is thus similar to a {{w|sequence diagram}}, one usually employed for describing network communication in computing. As the messages travel at the speed of light and Proxima Centauri b is over 4 light years away, the times in the diagram are measured in (Earth-)years. This is a very slow method of communication – a perfect setup for a "too slow" prank. We can also see that they are taking around <sup>1</sup>/<sub>50</sub>th of a year (approximately an Earth-week) to cue up their considered response, yet clearly Cueball seems quite ready to respond in about half that time (though any quicker would get lost, and appear simultaneous, at that precision of decimal places). | |
| − | + | Having found this way of exchanging a high five with aliens, Randall successfully pranks the aliens by sending the "too slow" message before their "Low-5" message ''can'' even arrive on Earth, and over an Earth-month until it actually does. This is similar to how in the original prank the prankster anticipates the provoked reaction and pulls their hand away after the victim started to move but before the "Low-Five" can taken place. | |
| − | The | + | The aliens do not take kindly to being pranked and start an interstellar war, intending to invade Earth. It is not known at which speed the Centaurians' invasion fleet travels and, therefore, when it will reach Earth. |
| − | Tau Ceti is a star almost 12 light years away. The exchange might have gone like this: | + | The title text refers to another prank, in which the prankster gets the victim to ask "What's updog?" (which sounds like "What's up, dawg?"). Tau Ceti is a star almost 12 light years away. The exchange might have gone like this: |
* t=0y: ''Randall:'' Hey, do you think it smells like updog in here? | * t=0y: ''Randall:'' Hey, do you think it smells like updog in here? | ||
* t=12y: ''Aliens:'' What's updog? | * t=12y: ''Aliens:'' What's updog? | ||
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* t=36y: ''Message received, Aliens start war'' | * t=36y: ''Message received, Aliens start war'' | ||
"Updog" was previously introduced in [[1696: AI Research]]. | "Updog" was previously introduced in [[1696: AI Research]]. | ||
| − | This is an example of a type of joke called a [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatsAHenway henway] | + | This is an example of a type of joke called a [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatsAHenway henway] |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Aliens]] | [[Category:Aliens]] | ||
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