Editing 2866: Snow

{{comic
| number    = 2866
| date      = December 11, 2023
| title     = Snow
| image     = snow_2x.png
| imagesize = 609x379px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = For someone who has ostensibly outgrown staying up late waiting for Santa, I do spend an awful lot of time refreshing websites to see if packages are here yet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a APPARENTLY YOUNG SNOWFLAKE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about how snow can often be distracting to many people, which could be interpreted as being "childish" or less mature. As the graph shows, Randall is still less "apparent age" whenever snow is falling, though mainly when it begins.

At the top is shown a line graph with "time" on the x-axis (the independent variable) and "my apparent age" (the dependent variable) on the y-axis. The graph drops sharply near the middle, with a note that this is when snow first begins to fall. Below the graph, Cueball is working on a computer with a window behind him. When snow begins to fall outside the window, he, representing the behavior of many adults including Randall, immediately abandons his work to watch the snowfall, even commenting excitedly. Presumably, it is the first snowfall of the year that provokes this level of excitement. However, after that initial moment of excitement, Cueball returns back to his laptop to do whatever he was initially doing as shown in the first panel (whatever that may be). 

An interesting observation with the graph is that while Cueball's "apparent age" begins to increase after the sudden decrease in the third panel, the "apparent age" appears to plateau below the point before "The moment it starts to snow". If the graph has indeed plateaued at this point, it implies a permanent decrease in maturity. If the same reduction were to occur annually, Cueball's "apparent age" would suffer a regression that never recovers, with regressive consequences for Cueball. However, although the time interval (x-axis) is not stated, it can be inferred from the drawings that the interval is short, on the order of days or perhaps hours. Assuming one "it's snowing!" age-depressing event per year, there would be ample time for tiny but progressive increases in "apparent age" to restore the previous plateau prior to the next year's event. Moreover, it's possible that spikes of increasing "apparent age" take place through the season, as excitement over snow events is progressively replaced by disgust, thereby returning "apparent age" to its prior level episodically rather than progressively. For this possibility we have no data.

The title text refers to another common behavior of many adults- constantly refreshing tracking websites to see if a package has moved- and compares it to the idea of a child who believes in Santa and tries to stay up late enough to see him deliver presents.

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

Above the comic, there is a graph labeled "time" on the X-axis and "My apparent age on the Y-axis. The graph is flat until a large drop, labeled "The moment it starts to snow". After the drop, the line rises, but it doesn't reach as high as before.

Under the graph, there a four comic panels. All show Cueball, a desk  with a laptop and a window. The panels line up with the graph"s x-axis.

Panel 1: Window without snow. Cueball at desk, apparently working.

Panel 2: Window with several snowflakes. Cueball at desk, turning around to the window.

Panel 3: Window with a lot of snow. Cueball jumps excitedly up from his chair, shouting "Hey! It's snowing! Outside! There's snow falling! Look! Snow! Hey!"

Panel 4: Window with a lot of snow. Cueball at desk, apparently working.


{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Weather]]