Editing 1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design
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{{comic | {{comic | ||
| number = 1673 | | number = 1673 | ||
− | | date = April | + | | date = 27 April, 2016 |
| title = Timeline of Bicycle Design | | title = Timeline of Bicycle Design | ||
| image = timeline of bicycle design.png | | image = timeline of bicycle design.png | ||
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | [[Randall]] created | + | {{incomplete|Still only scratching the surface of possible explanation. Also title text not mentioned.}} |
+ | [[Randall]] created a 200 year history for bicycles with 13 bike designs ranging from 1810 until today 2016. | ||
− | + | But the only model that both looks like a real model and fits the year is the 1875 model, which seem to be a depiction of a {{w|Penny-farthing}}, which was popular in the 1870s up until the 1880s when the {{w|Safety bicycle}} took over. (It may be drawn without handlebars, but these were really small on that model, and might be too small for the drawing). The 1860 model looks like the {{w|American Star Bicycle}}, but that was first invented in the 1880s. | |
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− | The 1860 model looks like the {{w|American Star Bicycle}}, but that | ||
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Some of the other examples of "bikes" could, however, look like those in the image at the top of the {{w|Velocipede}} Wikipedia page. | Some of the other examples of "bikes" could, however, look like those in the image at the top of the {{w|Velocipede}} Wikipedia page. | ||
− | + | Interestingly enough only some of the bikes have drivers like [[Ponytail]] pole vaulting bike, and [[Cueball]] appears four times with [[Megan]] three times. Only in the 1900 design is Cueball drawn in a clearly different scale to indicate how huge that bike is, making it even bigger than the 1880 which continued the trend from 1860. This still leaves five designs without humans to compare the scale with. | |
− | Only two of the bikes have pedals (1875 and 2016) and | + | Only two of the bikes have pedals (1875 and 2016) and only one has a sprocket with a chain (1980). Just above half have saddle (7), if the 1980 Megan holder is not counted as a saddle. |
− | The 1925 model is reminiscent of a {{w|fractal}}; {{w|Benoit Mandelbrot}} was born in October 1924. | + | The 1925 model is reminiscent of a {{w|fractal}}; {{w|Benoit Mandelbrot}} was born just before 1925, in October 1924. |
− | The 1880 model could | + | The 1880 model is very similar to what could have been a result of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_algorithm evolutionary algorithm] trying to produce a bicycle. Sub-optimal algorithms that are given a task of creating a vehicle can, and often do, misplace parts in way that makes them completely useless and/or inaccessible, for example place a wheel on other, much bigger wheel. |
− | This comic (especially the 2016 bicycle) is possibly also a reference to [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html The Science of Cycology], a cognitive psychology project run by Rebecca Lawson at the University of Liverpool | + | This comic (especially the 2016 bicycle) is possibly also a reference to [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html The Science of Cycology], a cognitive psychology project run by Rebecca Lawson at the University of Liverpool that asked study participants to draw a bicycle from memory. The error rate was high, supporting a hypothesis that humans over-estimate their ability to explain how things work. |
+ | Gianluca Gimini made a similar project, [http://www.gianlucagimini.it/prototypes/velocipedia.html Velocipedia]. Gimini asked people to draw free hand sketches of bicycles and rendered the results as real bikes. | ||
Also, the designs given for the years from 1825 to 1925 distinctly resemble designs that tend to evolve in the various challenge environments in the genetic evolution games [http://boxcar2d.com/ BoxCar2D] ({{w|Flash Player}}) or [http://rednuht.org/genetic_cars_2/ Genetic Cars 2] ({{w|HTML5}}). | Also, the designs given for the years from 1825 to 1925 distinctly resemble designs that tend to evolve in the various challenge environments in the genetic evolution games [http://boxcar2d.com/ BoxCar2D] ({{w|Flash Player}}) or [http://rednuht.org/genetic_cars_2/ Genetic Cars 2] ({{w|HTML5}}). | ||
− | The | + | The context of the comic is that the diamond frame used by almost all upright bicycles today is in fact remarkably similar to the safety bicycle designs developed in the 1880s and 1890s ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_bicycle]). |
− | The title text refers to the scene labeled "1955" which depicts Cueball being chased by 3 bicycle wheels. Whatever caused the wheels to | + | The title text refers to the scene labeled "1955" which depicts Cueball being chased by 3 bicycle wheels. Whatever caused the wheels to become sentient and rebel against their human masters is left to the reader's imagination. |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Line 138: | Line 48: | ||
:1860 | :1860 | ||
− | :[A regular drawing of a Penny-farthing with very small back wheel (half the size of the front wheel on the 1860 bike) and very large front wheel (larger than the 1860 bike) and pedals in the middle of the front wheel. | + | :[A regular drawing of a Penny-farthing with very small back wheel (half the size of the front wheel on the 1860 bike) and very large front wheel (larger than the 1860 bike) and pedals in the middle of the front wheel. The handle bars on such a bike is so small that it is likely they cannot be seen in this drawing.] |
:1875 | :1875 | ||
Line 144: | Line 54: | ||
:1880 | :1880 | ||
− | :[This is the largest bike. Not the largest drawings, but where the other have the characters in roughly the same size, this one has a small drawing of Cueball standing on top of the wheel holding on to some kind of handle bar. The wheel is about three | + | :[This is the largest bike. Not the largest drawings, but where the other have the characters in roughly the same size, this one has a small drawing of Cueball standing on top of the wheel holding on to some kind of handle bar. The wheel is about three time his height.] |
:1900 | :1900 | ||
− | :[Cueball sits in the "saddle" of a bike design | + | :[Cueball sits in the "saddle" of a bike design the is similar to the Penny-farthing, but the saddle is more a rod, and the back wheel is on a rod going straight down from where the saddle ends. Also there are no pedals, and Cueball seems to hang on to the saddle reaching forward rather than having any control of the bike.] |
:1915 | :1915 | ||
− | :[A symmetrical saddle sits on top of single bike wheel, as with a unicycle but | + | :[A symmetrical saddle sits on top of single bike wheel, as with a unicycle but no pedals, but then there are (at least) six progressively smaller wheels in-line to the first, three to front and three to the rear, each new wheel approximately half the size of the one before. A possible fourth wheel, presumed to complete the set of medial stabilisers, can no longer be discerned from the rod that goes through the center of the larger wheels.] |
− | :1925 | + | :1925 |
− | :[Megan stands on top of a saddle that | + | :[Megan stands on top of a saddle with a oar that looks like the single-oar sculling used for gondolas in Venice. She holds this to the ground behind her, while trying to move her bike forward. The bike consists of four small wheels, one straight under her, one behind, one equally in front of her and the last even further in front. They are all connected to the saddle with individual rods.] |
:1940 | :1940 | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Three normal sized bike wheel are rolling down a hill after Cueball who runs away from them with his arms up.] |
:1955 | :1955 | ||
− | :[Megan sits on a bike contraption that seems to have a holder around her mid section rather than her sitting on a saddle. This holder goes to the back wheel below her, and there is actually a sprocket with a chain, although no clear pedals beneath her feet. She holds on to a very long handle bar, which connects with two long rods coming from the sprocket at the front end of the bike far ahead of Megan, below which is a wheel, to where the chain is actually going. Both wheels | + | :[Megan sits on a bike contraption that seems to have a holder around her mid section rather than her sitting on a saddle. This holder goes to the back wheel below her, and there is actually a sprocket with a chain, although no clear pedals beneath her feet. She holds on to a very long handle bar, which connects with two long rods coming from the sprocket at the front end of the bike far ahead of Megan, below which is a wheel, to where the chain is actually going. Both wheels seems to be normal size.] |
:1980 | :1980 | ||
− | :[Another weird contraption of a bike with pedals on both normal sized wheels which have | + | :[Another weird contraption of a bike with pedals on both normal sized wheels which have wheel guards on the side pointing down towards the front. The saddle hangs in a swing that connect to a rod above it which goes to the front of the bike and splits in two rods that connects to the center frame of the bike. In front of these there is a contraption that reminds of a handle bar, which sits just above the front wheel. The two wheels are connected with a long rod between the center of the wheels and in the middle of this is the center part of the frame going up toward the handle. On the middle of this is a bottle with a label. Towards the back wheel there are two rods sticking out, with no clear meaning.] |
:2016 | :2016 | ||
:Bottle: Milk | :Bottle: Milk | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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+ | <!-- Include any categories below this line. --> | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
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[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] | [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] | ||
[[Category:Charts]] | [[Category:Charts]] | ||
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