3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T03:02:49Z

149.115.103.136: Added NIST standard reference Peanut Butter.

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action as a group, such as lifting something heavy, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies. Also, ''deprecated'' is a term applied to something that will be eliminated in the future, so you should fix things so as not to use it anymore; it's commonly used in coding, when procedures, libraries, etc. are planned to be retired.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it. Also there are no "ISO standard food samples" as mentioned in the title text, but one can imagine they would be unimaginably bland. However, there are NIST Standard Reference Materials for food, such as Peanut Butter. [https://shop.nist.gov/ccrz__ProductDetails?sku=2387&cclcl=en_US (see here)]

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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3232: Countdown Standard