Editing 2810: How to Coil a Cable

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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When long cables or ropes are stored, it's recommended that they be wrapped into neat coils. Not only does this look less messy, but it reduces the danger that cables become entangled with themselves, and with other cables nearby, which can create a major nuisance, and in some cases even risk of damage or injury.  However, simply wrapping the whole thing in the same direction introduces twists into the body of the cable.  Over time, these twists can permanently deform the cable, causing it to twist into spirals, and once again risking damage.
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{{incomplete|Created by a CLIMBING MARINE A/V TOPOLOGIST - Add links to all relevant coiling techniques - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
  
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In this strip, [[Cueball]] demonstrates his method for dealing with such problematic cables: he loudly announces the problem, blaming the cable itself.  Well-meaning people then immediately descend upon him, eager to share their obscure knowledge of cable-coiling technique that they claim will avoid these issues (a bit like in [[208: Regular Expressions]]). As they explain their techniques for properly coiling cables, they demonstrate on the cable in question, resulting in it becoming neatly coiled. The implication is that Cueball didn't actually learn the techniques involved, but is confident that, in the future, he can simply employ the same technique to get others to do it for him. It's also implied that loudly (and wrongly) blaming the cable is the most effective way to get help, analogous to {{w|Ward_Cunningham#Law|Cunningham's Law}}, which states that "the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer". This technique will cause some people to [[Duty Calls|compulsively correct it]], particularly those who are serious about the subject in question.
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When left unattended, long cables often develop knots and look messy, especially if there are several different cables. The causes of this are not well understood, but may relate to socks disappearing in the wash and to clothes ending up within duvet covers. Cables are often carefully coiled - arranged in a compact series of loops - to take up less space or avoid tangling with other cables, either for storage or when only part of a cable's length is needed to make a connection, only to be later found to have tangled and deformed themselves. Cables often remain curved or uneven after uncoiling.
  
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The title text specifies four groups of people who are likely to have knowledge about coiling cables, and to be serious about the 'right' way to do it.
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In this comic, Cueball is struggling with such a problematic cable, and blames flaws in the construction of the cable for causing it (step 1). Well-meaning people then descend upon him, eager to share their obscure knowledge of cable-coiling technique that they claim will avoid these issues (a bit like in [[208: Regular Expressions]]). Long, confusing, and potentially contradictory explanations ensue (step 3), and they eventually coil it themselves (step 4). Cueball is unlikely to be able to reproduce this process himself, and may still find deformations in the cable later; he will likely need to return to step 1 the next time he needs the cable coiled.
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* A/V (audio visual) technicians constantly work with multiple types of electrical and data cables, and have to store and sort them without tangling or twisting.
 
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* Rock climbers constantly work with ropes, and their lives and safety may depend on keeping those in good condition and using them properly.  
 
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* Sailors traditionally worked on sailing ships, which operated using systems of rigging (often quite complex systems) and sailors were expected to be intimately familiar with handling knots and ropes. Even on more modern vessels, mooring ropes (at a minimum) are still likely to be, in turn, deployed and then stored away upon a working vessel at either end of a visit to a port or harbor.
 
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* {{w|Topology|Topologists}} are mathematicians who specialize in study of spatial relations in changing shapes, and is sometimes referred to (somewhat facetiously) as the science of knots. The joke here is that a topologist could likely give an expert analysis in the theory of coiling and storing ropes, but may lack practical experience for doing so in real life.  
 
  
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The methods mentioned in step 3 are all references to actual terms and methods involved with storing rope or cable.
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However, it turns out that all of this was intentional on Cueball's part. It is even presented as a four-step tutorial called "How to coil a cable". Apparently, it is crucial to wrongly (and loudly) blame the cable in step 1. This might elicit a faster response than just asking for help, analogous to {{w|Ward_Cunningham#Law|Cunningham's Law}}, which states that "the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer". After all, posting the wrong answer will cause some people to [[Duty Calls|compulsively correct it]].
  
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* The "Over-under Method" is a way of coiling cable by hand, where every other loop is twisted in the opposite direction to the first. Doing this properly prevents twists, because each coil reverses the twist introduced by the previous coil.
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The obvious way of coiling a cable - taking hold of the cable's trailing end as it leaves the hand, and bringing it back around into the hand in a circle, so it forms a simple helix - causes the cable to twist along its length in the same direction for each turn, and requires the person unraveling it to cope with the twisting.
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* "Figure-8" is a method where are rope or cable is wound from a center point, making a circle in one direction, then another in the opposite direction (forming an '8' shape), then repeating until the whole thing is coiled. This prevents twists by turning the rope in both directions an equal number of times.
 
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* "Quarter-turn" is similar to the over-under method, but rather than reversing the direction of the coils, you give the rope a quarter-twist each time you add a loop, to counter the twist introduced.
 
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* "Flaking" involves laying the rope out loosely on a surface. This allows you to unwind any twists or tangles, as well as checking it for kinks or damage. This would often be a first step in preparing the cable.  
 
  
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The joke is that all of the various people involved will have their own preferred technique, and all will rush to prove their superiority of doing things their way. The net effect of this competition is that Cueball's cable ends up neatly coiled, with little effort on his part, which is exactly what he wanted.
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The title text mentions several diverse specialties that have something to say about cables, lines, and/or knots.
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The audio technician's way of coiling a cable involves alternating each obvious helix loop with a backhand loop (backwards helix turn) where the loop curls the same way as the other loops, but its 'helix height' is backwards so the trailing end ends up between the rest of the gathered cable and the previous loop. This causes the twists and antitwists to cancel out, resulting in a cable that does not twist while coiled and uncoiled.
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The rock climber’s way of preventing twists and tangles in a rope involves “Flaking” a rope - running it through your hands and piling it loosely - which is used when unwinding a coil in to a pile on the ground. This also enables the climber to quickly detect damage and kinks by feel. The reference to rock climbing appears later in the title text when having a rock climber present is mentioned.
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A figure-8 coil is used on some boats: the rope is held in one hand, and wound across the forearm to loop under the elbow, then back across the forearm and through the hand in the same direction each time. This also avoids twists.
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Topologists would likely be able to calculate knot theory information based on a rope, figuring out the mathematically most efficient/best way of coiling a rope or wire. However, it's questionable whether they'd be able to implement their mathematical theory into the actual world...
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In general, though the stiffness and cross-sectional profile does affect the tendency to tangle, a similar cable built for the same purpose is likely to suffer from almost exactly the same tendency to tangle when handled the same. As such, the blame laid upon the brand of cable is generally a spurious excuse for what is more likely just down to handling issues. Some particularly problematic cables, such as those used to connect headphones/earphones to their coaxial plugs (which are deliberately thin, flexible and may bifurcate into a "three-ended" Y shape with comparatively large terminating housings on all its ends – all potentially confounding factors), can be sometimes advertised as "tangle-free". Usually this seems to be by using a flat-profile cable, for some reason, and yet almost invariably they ''also'' do actually succumb to tangling anyway, as they are repeatedly used and then being shoved back in a pocket or bag with a more or less cursory attempt at neatly coiling them to save untangling time later.
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In the comic, however, Cueball appears to be coiling up something akin to Christmas lights (or another more technical cable with many mid-cable side-tapped connectors) which, most people would know from experience, ''definitely'' adds potential for tangles to form when not carefully enough handled during coiling and uncoiling, as well as if disturbed (e.g. rummaged through, looking for something else in its container) during a period of storage.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 
:How to Coil a Cable Properly
 
:How to Coil a Cable Properly
 
:[A drawing of a tangled cable appears below the title.]
 
:[A drawing of a tangled cable appears below the title.]

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