explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2852: Parameterball

2023-11-08T20:44:20Z

Fensk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2852
| date = November 8, 2023
| title = Parameterball
| image = parameterball_2x.png
| imagesize = 518x371px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The ball's density also varies, but players don't learn the value until after choosing their raquets. The infamous 'bowling ball table tennis' region of the parameter space often leads to equipment damage.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BALL THE SIZE OF A TENNIS BALL, ONE OUNCE LIGHTER THAN A {{w|Walmart|WALMART}} BRAND PUMPKIN PIE THAT'S 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER, FLYING OVER A NET AS HIGH AS A VOLLEYBALL NET, ON A FIELD AS LONG AS TWO WASHING MACHINES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A racquet (very commonly spelled "racket", but misspelled as "raquet" in the comic) game is a 2-{{w|Doubles|or-4}} player point game, with a net, ball ({{w|Badminton|or shuttlecock}}), a racquet for each participant, and a court. The objective of the game, often, is to hit the ball in a way that it bounces on your opponent's side in a way that it hits the floor within the playing area before they attempt to hit it back onto your side. Two notable examples of this kind of game are {{w|Tennis}} and {{w|Table Tennis}} (also known as Ping-Pong), which demonstrate the potentially different scales of playing area, ball and net.

In this comic, a game called "Parameterball" is proposed, where net size, ball size, and court size are randomized every quarter. There are 4 different instances of Megan and Cueball playing this game, each in one corner, so we can assume all four of these were used within the same game of Parameterball. The different examples provide insight into the absurd games that may be played in Parameterball, depending on how mismatched the racket, court, and ball size are.

It’s unknown whether the parameters of Parameterball are unlimited or limited to what human players can reasonably work with. Assuming that the comic shows the full breadth of options, here are the approximate, apparent upper and lower limits of the 4 parameters mentioned:

{|class = "wikitable"
! Parameter !! Apparent Lower Limit !! Apparent Upper Limit
|-
| Ball Size || Ping pong ball || Human hamster “Zorb” ball
|-
| Court Size || Large board game board || NHL ice hockey rink (square corners)
|-
| Net Height || Screwdriver || Giraffe
|-
| Density || Ping pong ball || Bowling ball
|-
|}

The title text mentions that the ball's density is also randomized, and that an infamous incident where the net size, ball size, and court size were similar to that of a Ping-pong match, but with a ball as dense as a {{w|Bowling ball|bowling ball}}, not only led to equipment damage, but does so regularly. Despite this, the participants ''do not'' learn the density until ''after'' the racquet is chosen, meaning that they have no way of determining whether the racquet they chose is durable enough until it's already too late. (Choosing an excessively robust item could be a bad decision when trying to play with a light ball, conversely, as it would be detrimental in reacting against rapid volleys by a more aptly-equipped opponent.)

Randall may have been inspired by {{w|Pickleball}}, a type of racquet sport rising sharply in popularity in the US at the time this comic came out. Pickleball is a middle-ground of tennis and table tennis, with an intermediate-sized ball, court, and net height. Randall may have noticed the distinct parameters of pickleball’s elements compared to its cousin sports and was inspired to imagine a scenario in which such parameters might be randomized.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and Cueball are playing a game that looks similar to tennis. There are courts, but on each multiple parts of the game are different. On each, Cueball is on the right and Megan is on the left.]
:[Top left: The court is small, each half slightly wider and deeper than a person is tall, and the ball is extremely large, about twice the height as the players' heads. The ball has just bounced on Cueball's side very slowly, and he is about to hit it.]
:[Top right: The court, ball, and net closely match a regular tennis game, albeit perhaps a slightly more ground area than a doubles' court. Cueball has just hit the ball, and it is currently flying towards Megan's side.]
:[Bottom left: The ball, and net are basically the same as in table tennis, but the 'court' is a much smaller tabletop. The ball has just bounced back up on Megan's side, and she is poised to hit it back.]
:[Bottom right: The court is slightly larger than the top left, while the net and ball are massive, with the ball at least double the radius and the net significantly over twice the height of the players. Cueball is apparently fighting to push the huge ball high enough to get over the net, indicated by movement lines in which he is barely managing to keep the ball on the racquet itself, not to mention he has only gotten the ball halfway up the net.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Parameterball is a raquet [sic] game divided into four quarters, with ball size, court size, and net height randomized each quarter.

{{comic discussion}}

2852: Parameterball

2023-11-08T20:43:52Z

Fensk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2852
| date = November 8, 2023
| title = Parameterball
| image = parameterball_2x.png
| imagesize = 518x371px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The ball's density also varies, but players don't learn the value until after choosing their raquets. The infamous 'bowling ball table tennis' region of the parameter space often leads to equipment damage.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BALL THE SIZE OF A TENNIS BALL, ONE OUNCE LIGHTER THAN A {{w|Walmart|WALMART}} BRAND PUMPKIN PIE THAT'S 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER, FLYING OVER A NET AS HIGH AS A VOLLEYBALL NET, ON A FIELD AS LONG AS TWO WASHING MACHINES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A racquet (very commonly spelled "racket", but misspelled as "raquet" in the comic) game is a 2-{{w|Doubles|or-4}} player point game, with a net, ball ({{w|Badminton|or shuttlecock}}), a racquets for each participant, and a court. The objective of the game, often, is to hit the ball in a way that it bounces on your opponent's side in a way that it hits the floor within the playing area before they attempt to hit it back onto your side. Two notable examples of this kind of game are {{w|Tennis}} and {{w|Table Tennis}} (also known as Ping-Pong), which demonstrate the potentially different scales of playing area, ball and net.

In this comic, a game called "Parameterball" is proposed, where net size, ball size, and court size are randomized every quarter. There are 4 different instances of Megan and Cueball playing this game, each in one corner, so we can assume all four of these were used within the same game of Parameterball. The different examples provide insight into the absurd games that may be played in Parameterball, depending on how mismatched the racket, court, and ball size are.

It’s unknown whether the parameters of Parameterball are unlimited or limited to what human players can reasonably work with. Assuming that the comic shows the full breadth of options, here are the approximate, apparent upper and lower limits of the 4 parameters mentioned:

{|class = "wikitable"
! Parameter !! Apparent Lower Limit !! Apparent Upper Limit
|-
| Ball Size || Ping pong ball || Human hamster “Zorb” ball
|-
| Court Size || Large board game board || NHL ice hockey rink (square corners)
|-
| Net Height || Screwdriver || Giraffe
|-
| Density || Ping pong ball || Bowling ball
|-
|}

The title text mentions that the ball's density is also randomized, and that an infamous incident where the net size, ball size, and court size were similar to that of a Ping-pong match, but with a ball as dense as a {{w|Bowling ball|bowling ball}}, not only led to equipment damage, but does so regularly. Despite this, the participants ''do not'' learn the density until ''after'' the racquet is chosen, meaning that they have no way of determining whether the racquet they chose is durable enough until it's already too late. (Choosing an excessively robust item could be a bad decision when trying to play with a light ball, conversely, as it would be detrimental in reacting against rapid volleys by a more aptly-equipped opponent.)

Randall may have been inspired by {{w|Pickleball}}, a type of racquet sport rising sharply in popularity in the US at the time this comic came out. Pickleball is a middle-ground of tennis and table tennis, with an intermediate-sized ball, court, and net height. Randall may have noticed the distinct parameters of pickleball’s elements compared to its cousin sports and was inspired to imagine a scenario in which such parameters might be randomized.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and Cueball are playing a game that looks similar to tennis. There are courts, but on each multiple parts of the game are different. On each, Cueball is on the right and Megan is on the left.]
:[Top left: The court is small, each half slightly wider and deeper than a person is tall, and the ball is extremely large, about twice the height as the players' heads. The ball has just bounced on Cueball's side very slowly, and he is about to hit it.]
:[Top right: The court, ball, and net closely match a regular tennis game, albeit perhaps a slightly more ground area than a doubles' court. Cueball has just hit the ball, and it is currently flying towards Megan's side.]
:[Bottom left: The ball, and net are basically the same as in table tennis, but the 'court' is a much smaller tabletop. The ball has just bounced back up on Megan's side, and she is poised to hit it back.]
:[Bottom right: The court is slightly larger than the top left, while the net and ball are massive, with the ball at least double the radius and the net significantly over twice the height of the players. Cueball is apparently fighting to push the huge ball high enough to get over the net, indicated by movement lines in which he is barely managing to keep the ball on the racquet itself, not to mention he has only gotten the ball halfway up the net.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Parameterball is a raquet [sic] game divided into four quarters, with ball size, court size, and net height randomized each quarter.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2101: Technical Analysis

2019-09-02T20:14:08Z

Fensk: Doldrums = Phantom Tollbooth

The Tobin citation comes from James Tobin's Fred Hirsch Memorial Lecture "On the Efficiency of the Financial System" in 1984 [https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tobin-on-the-efficiency-of-the-financial-system.pdf].

The explanation says “allego” and “prologue“ are “musical terms such as may be used in the introduction of a performed piece”. That may be true of “prologue” but “allegro”, according to Wikipedia, is “a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright”. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 11:40, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

:And, derived from this, a movement of a piece that is performed quickly may be referred to as an allegro. It can also be used to refer to an entire piece, such as this piece by Mozart: [https://www.pianostreet.com/mozart-sheet-music/allegro-k-1-f-major.htm] [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 12:00, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
::But based on the placement of the allego and the way it is written it is most likely a tempo. Tempo goes just above the music and in this case it is the only word on the page that is italicized. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.108|162.158.186.108]] 14:09, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

How would this compare with “candlestick patterns” - the bathtub one looks like a funny name for a pattern *meant* to signal that prices could rise https://www.investopedia.com/articles/trading/06/advcandlesticks.asp. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.144.145|172.68.144.145]] 13:55, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

Random Walk might refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_walk [[User:Curtobi4|Curtobi4]] ([[User talk:Curtobi4|talk]]) 14:00, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_walk_hypothesis [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 16:33, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
:This is correct, also called Brownian Motion. The shape of these graphs is incredibly similar to that of the motion of a speck of dust floating in coffee. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.228|172.68.65.228]] 03:26, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

Should we make a table for each term like there is for other comics? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.232|162.158.63.232]] 18:01, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
:Yes please. Also, the individual jokes could be explained better. For instance, I'm pretty sure "lumbar support" is there as a joke on the word "spline" looking & sounding a lot like "spine". I'm 90% certain it's a pun, but that's not mentioned yet.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:30, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

XKCD lessons with Randall: Today I learned that the word "Allegro" actually has a meaning, and isn't just a random website name. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.160|162.158.92.160]] 19:27, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

The fundamental problem is that price movements are NOT a random walk. It is safe to assume that people who know a market well will study it, and make purchases/sells based on the underlying market drivers. And in doing so, they will leave "tells" in the pricing data. It becomes possible to look at markets, and see what the people in-the-know are doing, and follow along after them. That is the fundamental basis of technical analysis, and it works -- it works unbelievably well.

If there is a problem, it is that computers can do this pattern recognition so fast that there is longer any room for people to do this.

In other words, computerized arbitrage has gotten so good that people need not apply, and a few high-end groups with high speed electronic trading can get in before any person can.

[[User:Keybounce|Keybounce]] ([[User talk:Keybounce|talk]]) 00:31, 22 January 2019 (UTC)
:Keybounce, do you have any thoughts on how to share some of that with the layperson? The cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and worth many billions of dollars. People with little resources are getting involved and either going bust or becoming millionaires. The trading history makes it clear there is a lot of automated trading for a long time, but I'm not sure many people really know what they are doing, and the publically available code appears pretty weak. There is a lot of opportunity here to make huge impacts on major economic and social groups in ways that could really help problems in the world. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.228|172.68.65.228]] 03:32, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

True that computerized arbitrage/high frequency trading occurs at speeds which leave zero room for human reaction times (see the $$$ made by shaving only 3 milliseconds’ [!!] from the transmission delay, when Jim Barksdale built a new straight-path fiber optic line from Chicago Mercantile to NASDAQ in NJ in 2010, and by McKay and Tradeworx using microwave tower relays since then), but computerized arbitrage is, broadly, not the same as technical analysis of markets. Arbitrage takes immediate advantage of brief pricing trends and inefficiencies, while analysis seeks to predict pricing. Of course, technical analysis is also computerized at inhuman speeds, and its algorithms are used in arbitrage, but seems to me the comic isn’t about arbitrage, as such.[[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 20:03, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

I'm disappointed that there wasn't a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal "WOW!"] entry [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 01:38, 24 January 2019 (UTC)
:I fixed your link, hope that's okay. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.178|172.68.51.178]] 13:29, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

I always cringe when I see some trader (who probably don't have an economy degree) try to show with technical analysis that he could predict X happening over a year in advance. Just this day I saw it in my daily economy news. No, sorry to tell you this... if you couldn't predict X happening the day before you sure as hell couldn't predict it a year in advance. Conversely it doesn't make sense to apply fundamental analysis to stocks that you don't plan to keep for more than a year. That's not to say these methods are useless, they are useful for making educated guesses but all should be aware of their limitations. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.61|162.158.89.61]] 19:30, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

Despite the comment on the social usefulness of global trading, I'd argue that it has largely replaced outright wars. So we now have a lot more people than the world needs. Though implying that global trade is inherently evil is at best just not very well informed. The market can to some degree fix global inequalities, but it also concentrates money on a few hands, which is the inevitable outcome if it is not regulated somehow. The problem here is you can't really regulate capitalism unless you do it globally. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.34|162.158.92.34]] 20:23, 24 January 2019 (UTC)
:I'd argue that global trading has increased, not decreased, wars: roughly by creating the concentrated disparities of resources and power that you describe. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 23:34, 24 January 2019 (UTC)

I think the Doldrums may refer to Norton Juster's novel, The Phantom Tollbooth. Early in the protagonist's adventure, he enters an area of the map called The Doldrums.