Editing 1245: 10-Day Forecast

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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A 10-day forecast is a prediction of the weather extending 10 days into the future. Due to the chaotic nature of weather systems, the accuracy of forecasts decreases drastically the further ahead you try to predict.
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The 10-day forecast is a prediction of the weather extending 10 days into the future (with varying degrees of accuracy). However, when [[Cueball]] checks the forecast for his local area, it apparently predicts progressively extreme lightning storms, a plague of insects, what appears to be {{w|Rapture|The Rapture}}, and the appearance of the anti-Christ. Upon the anti-Christ (or perhaps Woden or Mothra) appearing, the forecast breaks up into static and nothingness with the day stuck on Tuesday, meaning that the world has ended.
  
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When [[Cueball]] checks the forecast for his local area, it starts off predicting normal sunny weather, but quickly devolves into progressively extreme lightning storms, then a plague of insects which appear to be locusts, what appears to be {{w|Rapture|The Rapture}}, and the appearance of a demon-like creature. Upon the arrival of the creature (perhaps {{w|The Antichrist}} or {{w|Woden}}) appearing, the forecast falls into static and nothingness with the day stuck on Tuesday, implying that the world has ended.
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When asked about this, [[Megan]] casually explains that Cueball put a minus (-) sign in front of his ZIP code. A {{w|Zone Improvement Plan|ZIP code}} is a numeric postal code used in the United States, but many more countries use similar systems. As ZIP codes are tied to a geographic location, it is also often used to specify a local region for the purposes of weather reports.
  
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When asked about this, [[Megan]] casually explains that Cueball put a minus (-) sign in front of his ZIP code. A {{w|Zone Improvement Plan|ZIP code}} is a numeric postal code used in the United States. As ZIP codes are tied to a geographic location, it is also often used as an easy way for people to specify their local region for the purposes of weather reports.
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Many computer systems that let the user write in a number only work with certain numbers (such as positive numbers). Numbers the system is not designed to work with (such as negative numbers) may lead to errors or unpredictable behavior. When this happens with the number of a video game level, it can result in data of another type being loaded, creating a level with a corrupted or physically-impossible landscape; this is sometimes known as a "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MinusWorld Minus World]".
  
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Many computer systems that allow the user to enter a number have a range of applicability, such as positive numbers only. If the user enters a number that doesn't make sense, then the system must somehow deal with this number. Common ways to do this are to simply disallow the user from entering invalid numbers, or to return an error condition if the entered number is invalid. However, if the system has not been given any way to deal with an unexpected number, it will simply use it, which can result in unpredictable or erroneous behavior, such as accessing or overwriting unintended locations in memory.
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Megan assumes that the negative zip code represents an actual geographical location, or a real-life Minus World, and that the weather forecaster is indeed showing an accurate forecast for the (corrupted) area. She also implies that several such Minus World locations exist.
  
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When this kind of anomaly occurs in video games, particular older ones such as those on the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}}, it can result in levels being created from arbitrary data, producing a corrupted, physically-impossible (yet sometimes playable) level; this is popularly known as a "{{tvtropes|MinusWorld|Minus World}}". Because the level can be reproduced by using a particular invalid value, it is in some sense true to say that the level "exists" within the game, even though it was not intended.
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In the title text, Megan agrees with Cueball's desire not to move to that ZIP code area, the punchline being that her reason is not to avoid the apocalypse, but to retain access to Amazon Prime, which shows that her priorities are amusingly warped. The service Amazon Prime is provided by {{w|Amazon.com|Amazon}}, where the user pays a flat annual fee and in exchange they get access a number of "enhanced" Amazon services, including free two-day shipping, free access to a library of streaming videos, and the ability to borrow books.
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In the comic, the joke is that somehow, "minus zipcodes" do exist, and do correspond to physical locations - but, by analogy with Minus Worlds in video games, are bizarre and incomprehensible places compared to the regular zip codes.
 
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In the title text, Megan agrees with Cueball's desire not to move to that ZIP code area, the punchline being that her reason isn't to avoid the apocalypse, but to retain access to Amazon Prime, which shows that her priorities are amusingly bizarre. The service Amazon Prime is provided by {{w|Amazon.com|Amazon}}, where the user pays a flat annual fee and in exchange they get access a number of "enhanced" Amazon services, including free two-day shipping, free access to a library of streaming videos, and the ability to borrow books.
 
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Later, a [[1606: Five-Day Forecast|Five-Day Forecast]] was also made into a comic.
 
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[Cueball sits behind a computer desk when Megan calls to him.]
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:Megan: Is it going to rain this weekend? I have a thing.
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:Megan (off-panel): Is it going to rain this weekend? I have a thing.
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:[Cueball sits behind a computer desk.]
 
:Cueball: Lemme check.
 
:Cueball: Lemme check.
 
:<small>*type type*</small>
 
:<small>*type type*</small>
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:Cueball: ...Uhh. What?
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:Cueball: ...uhh. What?
  
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:[A caption is written above ten small panels in two rows. In each panel is an indication of the weather. Below each panel a label tells which day it is referring too.]
 
 
:'''Your 10-day forecast:'''
 
:'''Your 10-day forecast:'''
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:[A yellow sun.]  
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:Today [Sunny] Today
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:Today
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:Tomorrow [Cloudy] Tomorrow
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:[Two gray clouds in front of the sun.]  
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:Friday [Thunderstorms]
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:Tomorrow
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:Saturday [Extreme thunderstorms]
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:[Thunderstorms, with three gray clouds and a single lightning bolt.]
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:Sunday [Swarm of insects]
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:Friday
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:Monday [Images of distorted, floating people]
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:[Extreme thunderstorms with many large gray clouds and seven lightning bolts]
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:Tuesday [A human with two horns or a winged helmet silhouetted against a bleak red background]
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:Saturday
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:Tuesday [Grey static]
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:[A swarm of insects, with one large black one close by and seven others close enough to discern details. The rest of the swarm is grayed out and just shown as small dots behind these other eight insects.]
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:Tuesday [Black screen]
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:Sunday
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:Tuesday [Black screen]
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:[Images of distorted people with very long legs. One Megan, one Cueball and someone in the background.]
 
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:Monday
 
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:[A humanoid figure with two large horns or a winged helmet silhouetted against a bleak red background. The ground beneath the figure is black.]
 
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:Tuesday  
 
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:[Grey static]
 
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:Tuesday  
 
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:[Black screen]
 
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:Tuesday  
 
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:[Black screen]
 
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:Tuesday
 
  
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:[Megan has entered the panel and stands behind Cueball looking at his laptop over his shoulder. She points to the screen. Cueball holds his hand to his chest.]
 
 
:Megan: ...Oh! You typed a minus sign in the ZIP code. The negative ZIP codes are all like that.
 
:Megan: ...Oh! You typed a minus sign in the ZIP code. The negative ZIP codes are all like that.
 
:Cueball: Let's ''never'' move there.
 
:Cueball: Let's ''never'' move there.
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics with color]]
 
[[Category:Comics with color]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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[[Category:Weather]]
 
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[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
 

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