1790: Sad

2017-01-25T19:19:37Z

Bálint: Calculating the diameter of a circle from the radius is done by multiplying it with 2. If a programmer makes stuff like that, then he's going to lose his job or his mind very soon.

{{comic
| number = 1790
| date = January 25, 2017
| title = Sad
| image = sad.png
| titletext = With the right 90-degree rotation, any effect is a side effect.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic is about [[Cueball]] confronting [[Ponytail]] about her recent behavior and emotional state. It seems possible [[Randall]] is venting anger following the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016}}, although it is not mentioned.

Ponytail seems unwilling to acknowledge that anything she is doing is wrong, offering absurd justifications for her behavior.

Ponytail has retreated to video games for solace and to the point that her real life projects are suffering.
''{{w|Stardew Valley}}'' is a video game in which a player creates and manages a virtual farm.

Cueball's comment about not being able to hide from everything is a common one for insecure people or for those trying to run away from their problems.
Ponytail's reply is in the form of a {{w|PolitiFact.com|PolitiFact}} reply, claiming (possibly quite truly) that such assertions are false.

{{w|Comment (computer programming)|Comments}} are something a programmer adds to their code such to make a note for themselves or others, typically to explain a complicated piece of logic or explaining external dependencies of a piece of code. 
Instead, Ponytail has been writing unrelated notes filled with obscenities. Ponytail's reply is one of typical advice given to amateur fiction and non-fiction writers, that to "write what you know.", implying that all Ponytail knows right now is obscenities.

{{w|Subroutine|Function}}s are pieces of code which developers create to avoid repetition and make the code clearer (such as "calculate distance between points" or "process values"). A function which does nothing is almost useless (Sometimes programmers leave functions empty, when they create the skeleton of a program, then they usually fill them up later). 
Ponytail replies that she is trying to avoid {{w|Side effect (computer science)|side effects}} (i.e. unexpected, unintended, and typically unwanted effects upon calling a piece of code), in line with a {{w|functional programming}} paradigm. 
When Cueball points out that she has avoided all effects, Ponytail quotes the "Aliens" movie, replying that it's the "only way to be sure.".

The title text is a pun, interpreting the phrase "side effect" literally. 
If you turn an object 90 degrees you will place it on its side, so thus making it a effect of putting something on its side, or a "side effect." 
You can also turn 90 degrees, facing what was previously your side.

Ponytail's despondence is likely in response to {{w|Donald Trump}}'s election as 45th president of the United States. The title "Sad" is a common interjection in Trump's tweets. The time-frame of "the past few months" from the first panel is consistent with this, as the election was on November 8, 2016, and the comic was posted on January 25, 2017. The reference to fact-checking in the second panel is also reminiscent of the election and post-election coverage. The comic is also the second one posted following the inauguration of President Trump.

==Transcript==
[Cueball is looking at Ponytail on a computer.]
:Cueball: How are you doing?
:Ponytail: Hah.
:Cueball: You seem distant lately. For the past few months.
:Ponytail: Can't ''imagine'' why.
:Cueball (offscreen): Your projects have stagnated.
:Ponytail: But my Stardew Valley farm is doing ''great''.
:Cueball (offscreen): You can't just hide from everything.
:Ponytail: ''FACT CHECK'': Mostly false.
:Cueball: I'm glad you're including more comments in your code, but it would be nice if they were comments ''about'' your code. Or at least a bit less obscenity-filled.
:Ponytail: They say to write what you know.
:[Cueball leans forward]
:Cueball: All the functions you've written take everything passed to them and return it unchanged with the comment "No, ''YOU'' deal with this."
:Ponytail: It's a functional programming thing. Avoiding side effects.
:Cueball: You avoid ''all'' effects.
:Ponytail: Only way to be sure.

{{comic discussion}}

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1790: Sad