Editing 1790: Sad
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The comic is about [[Cueball]] confronting [[Ponytail]] | + | The comic is about [[Cueball]] confronting [[Ponytail]] about her recent behavior and emotional state, which has lasted a few months. It's implied that she (and thus also [[Randall]]) is sad following last year's {{w|United States presidential election, 2016|election}}, though the actual reasons for Ponytail's frustrations and depression aren't dwelt on and the focus is on her retreat into video games and the damage it's doing to her work projects. |
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+ | Sadness could come from many causes (breaking up, family member dying etc). However, the notion that this comic is political is supported by the fact check in the second panel, and also that this was only the second comic released after {{w|Donald Trump}}'s {{w|Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration}}. | ||
Ponytail has retreated to video games for solace to the point that her real life projects are suffering. | Ponytail has retreated to video games for solace 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. And when Cueball mentions that her projects have stagnated, she retorts that her farm in the game is doing great. A comic with the name of that game was | + | ''{{w|Stardew Valley}}'' is a video game in which a player creates and manages a virtual farm. And when Cueball mentions that her projects have stagnated, she retorts that her farm in the game is doing great. A comic with the name of that game was releases only two weeks later, [[1797: Stardew Valley]], indicating that it is indeed Randall who has played this game excessively (see the title text), and thus again confirming that the comic is about Randall (or his surroundings) sad state of mind. |
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− | ''{{w| | + | Cueball's statement about not being able to hide from everything is a common one to give to insecure people or to 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 ''mostly false'', one of the six options, but it is far from being the worst, thus acknowledging that you can't hide from everything, just mostly. See more about Politifact.com in the comic [[1712: Politifact]]. This is the only political answer she gives in this comic, but it is another clear indication (by Randall and Ponytail) that her trouble is with Trump's leniency with the truth in both election campaign and since, to the point where lies are now on a daily basis just called {{w|alternative facts}} or {{w|post-truth_politics#United_States|post-truth}}. |
− | + | In computer programming, ''{{w|Comment (computer programming)|comments}}'' are non-functional content that a programmer adds to their code to make a note for themselves or others, typically to explain a complicated piece of logic or document 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, to "write what you know.", implying that all Ponytail knows right now is obscenities. | |
− | {{w| | + | Also in programming, ''{{w|Subroutine|functions}}'' 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 (although sometimes programmers leave functions empty when they create the skeleton of a program, but then they usually intend to fill them out later). It is expected that a function ''does'' something with a given parameter, but Ponytail’s function does nothing with the parameters except returning the parameter but with the comment ''No, '''you''' deal with this''. Thus she wishes that somebody/something else ''deals'' with any problem, probably what she would also wish for right now, where she is so sad that she even neglects her projects. |
− | Cueball | + | Ponytail replies that she writes them like this in order to try to avoid {{w|Side effect (computer science)|side effects}} (i.e. changes to global state), in line with a {{w|functional programming}} paradigm. When Cueball points out that she avoids all effects, Ponytail [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/quotes?item=qt2959706 quotes] part of a famous quote from {{w|Ellen Ripley|Ripley}} in {{w|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}: ''I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the '''only way to be sure'''.'' By replying that it's the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q only way to be sure]" she is thus indirectly saying better safe than sorry, but in reality she just doesn't care about her programming anymore because of her sad state of mind. |
The title text is a pun, interpreting the phrase "side effect" literally. If you turn an object 90 degrees along the right axis 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 (along another axis), facing what was previously your side. | The title text is a pun, interpreting the phrase "side effect" literally. If you turn an object 90 degrees along the right axis 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 (along another axis), facing what was previously your side. |