2679: Quantified Self - Revision history

Xurkitree10: /* Transcript */

2023-04-23T14:07:48Z

‎Transcript

TheusafBOT: Reverted edit 299065 by 172.71.30.64 to 297949

2022-11-18T23:19:18Z

Reverted edit 299065 by 172.71.30.64 to 297949

172.71.30.64: h

2022-11-18T23:18:32Z

172.70.218.167: /* Explanation */

2022-11-01T17:25:07Z

‎Explanation

N0lqu: /* Explanation */

2022-10-07T12:46:39Z

‎Explanation

172.70.214.79: /* Explanation */ copyediting, and remove substantially less relevant example link

2022-10-05T18:44:10Z

‎Explanation: copyediting, and remove substantially less relevant example link

Cwallenpoole: /* Transcript */ Based on the position of the arm and the location of the , it is FAR more likely that he is looking at a smart watch.

2022-10-03T20:16:33Z

‎Transcript: Based on the position of the arm and the location of the , it is FAR more likely that he is looking at a smart watch.

DKMell: minor clarification

2022-10-03T16:04:37Z

minor clarification

172.69.34.54: /* Explanation */ semicolon

2022-10-03T07:31:13Z

‎Explanation: semicolon

172.69.34.54: /* OCD interpretation */ not certain

2022-10-03T07:30:48Z

‎OCD interpretation: not certain

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:07, 23 April 2023
Line 29:		Line 29:

	==Transcript==		==Transcript==
−	~~{{incomplete transcript\|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under a gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right. That Cueball is looking at a smart watch which has lines emanating from it, indicating that the red text (below) is an alert.]		:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under a gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right. That Cueball is looking at a smart watch which has lines emanating from it, indicating that the red text (below) is an alert.]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:19, 18 November 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~Kill cockroaches~~. ~~Behead cockroaches. Roundhouse kick~~ a ~~cockroach into~~ the ~~concrete~~. ~~Slam dunk~~ a ~~cockroach baby into~~ the ~~trashcan~~. ~~Crucify filthy turks. Defecate~~ in a ~~cockroaches food~~. ~~Launch cockroaches into~~ the ~~sun~~. ~~Stir fry cockroaches in a wok~~. ~~Toss cockroaches into~~ active ~~volcanoes~~. ~~Kick~~ a ~~cockroach~~ in the ~~testicles~~. ~~Urinate into~~ a ~~cockroaches gas tank~~. ~~Judo throw cockroaches into the wood chipper~~. ~~Twist cockroaches heads off~~. ~~Report cockroaches~~ to the ~~IRS~~. ~~Karate chop cockroaches in half~~. ~~Curb stomp pregnant black cockroaches~~. ~~Trap cockroaches in quicksand~~. ~~Crush cockroaches~~ in the ~~trash compactor~~. ~~Liquefy cockroaches~~ in a ~~vat~~ of ~~acid~~. ~~Eat cockroaches~~. ~~Dissect cockroaches~~. ~~Exterminate cockroaches in~~ the ~~gas chamber~~. ~~Stomp cockroaches skulls with steel toed boots~~. ~~Cremate cockroaches~~ in the ~~oven~~. ~~Lobotomize cockroaches~~. ~~Mandatory abortions for cockroaches~~. ~~Grind cockroach fetuses~~ in the ~~garbage disposal~~. ~~Drown cockroaches~~ in ~~fried chicken grease~~. ~~Vaporize cockroaches~~ with a ~~ray gun~~. ~~Kick old cockroaches down~~ the ~~stairs~~. ~~Feed cockroaches~~ to ~~alligators~~. ~~Slice cockroaches with~~ a ~~katana~~.	+	{{comic
		+	\| number = 2679
		+	\| date = September 30, 2022
		+	\| title = Quantified Self
		+	\| image = quantified_self_2x.png
		+	\| imagesize = 386x328px
		+	\| noexpand = true
		+	\| titletext = It's made me way more excited about ferris wheels, subways, car washes, waterslides, and store entrances that have double doors with a divider in the middle.
		+	}}
		+
		+	==Explanation==
		+	[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w\|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope of helping your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.
		+
		+	Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. This is to encourage users to be more physically active. However, Cueball has chosen to track a modified version of this metric, in which his path is post-processed by contracting it as much as possible without it passing through anything solid. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house thrice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a highway sign, and apparently the St. Louis {{w\|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.
		+
		+	This comic appeared two days after [https://blog.google/products/search/new-ways-to-make-more-sustainable-choices/ Google's announcement that Maps Directions will be sortable by sustainability,] along with their support of self-quantification for sustainability when shopping for automobiles, used goods, and food.[https://youtu.be/8qGV_O_y4DA&t=39m33s] This is noteworthy because of tech industry discussions between employees and executives comparing sharply increased profits and productivity from work-from-home to the value of coastal region commercial office space holdings and leases, relative to [https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance scope 3 emissions].[https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-04-28/google-is-saving-1-billion-per-year-as-a-result-of-employees-working-from-home][https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-cutting-office-space-predict-long-term-savings-11625493601][https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/google-googl-wants-employees-to-return-to-office-despite-productivity-gains][https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/][https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/14/google-spends-billions-on-buying-office-buildings-is-this-a-sign-of-the-post-pandemic-pushback-against-remote-work/][https://www.computerworld.com/article/3659891/google-others-adding-office-space-in-anticipation-of-the-great-return.html]
		+
		+	An "imaginary thread" connecting a person to where they came from (as portrayed in this comic, distinct from a mystical {{w\|silver cord}} or {{w\|red thread of fate}}) has been attested to by people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.)[https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/][https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/xs50yr/xkcd_2679_quantified_self/iqjcmbv/?context=3] See also [[100: Family Circus]] and below for further elaboration.
		+
		+	The title text mentions several things that would make the red path longer: passing one way through a tube such as a water slide; a tunnel, such as a subway or car wash; riding on a ferris wheel, or entering a building through one door and exiting another. In all cases the imaginary string would be "captured" and make the total distance longer.
		+
		+	===OCD interpretation===
		+
		+	The quantity Cueball measures can be recognized as a specific type of OCD where people feel like they have an imaginary string connecting them to where they come from.{{Actual citation needed}} This is similar to describing 4-D paths in [[Minkowski Space\|Minkowski space]] relative to the observer's frame of reference.
		+
		+	As they move around, that string gets entangled and they feel the urge to untangle it. When they enter a car, they feel the need to exit the car from the same door, to avoid that the string gets trapped by forever passing through the car. When they enter a building, they feel they need to exit using the same staircases and doorway(s), to avoid entangling the string in the building. Some situations, like turning around a lamp post, are OK because you can imagine removing the loop over the top of the lamp post, such that it is not really entangled.
		+
		+	Cueball tries a new approach to deal with this OCD by integrating it in his quantified self. He defines precisely how to measure the length of the imaginary string, reduced to its minimum, and chooses this as a quantity to monitor. Unlike most people with this OCD, who feel the urge to minimize the length, Cueball takes the opposite stance trying to maximize the (optimally minimal) length of the string. By defining as a target to achieve a given length every day, he creates a drive to embrace situations that entangle the string. This drive opposes the natural compulsion to avoid them and hopefully cancels it. The joke of the title text is that Cueball now becomes overly interested in all the things that are disturbing for people with the OCD.
		+
		+	==Transcript==
		+	{{incomplete transcript\|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
		+
		+	:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under a gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right. That Cueball is looking at a smart watch which has lines emanating from it, indicating that the red text (below) is an alert.]
		+
		+	:Red Cueball's watch or mobile device: Good job! You hit your weekly goal for "total length of your path through space if you minimize its length by pulling it taut, maneuvering it around solid objects but not through them."
		+
		+	:[Caption below the panel:]
		+	:I'm into the quantified self, but only for really arbitrary quantities.
		+
		+	{{comic discussion}}
		+
		+	[[Category:Comics with color]]
		+	[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:18, 18 November 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~{{comic~~	+	Kill cockroaches. Behead cockroaches. Roundhouse kick a cockroach into the concrete. Slam dunk a cockroach baby into the trashcan. Crucify filthy turks. Defecate in a cockroaches food. Launch cockroaches into the sun. Stir fry cockroaches in a wok. Toss cockroaches into active volcanoes. Kick a cockroach in the testicles. Urinate into a cockroaches gas tank. Judo throw cockroaches into the wood chipper. Twist cockroaches heads off. Report cockroaches to the IRS. Karate chop cockroaches in half. Curb stomp pregnant black cockroaches. Trap cockroaches in quicksand. Crush cockroaches in the trash compactor. Liquefy cockroaches in a vat of acid. Eat cockroaches. Dissect cockroaches. Exterminate cockroaches in the gas chamber. Stomp cockroaches skulls with steel toed boots. Cremate cockroaches in the oven. Lobotomize cockroaches. Mandatory abortions for cockroaches. Grind cockroach fetuses in the garbage disposal. Drown cockroaches in fried chicken grease. Vaporize cockroaches with a ray gun. Kick old cockroaches down the stairs. Feed cockroaches to alligators. Slice cockroaches with a katana.
−	~~\| number = 2679~~
−	~~\| date = September 30, 2022~~
−	~~\| title = Quantified Self~~
−	~~\| image = quantified_self_2x~~.~~png~~
−	~~\| imagesize = 386x328px~~
−	~~\| noexpand = true~~
−	~~\| titletext = It's made me way more excited about ferris wheels, subways, car washes, waterslides, and store entrances that have double doors with~~ a ~~divider in~~ the ~~middle~~.
−	}}
−
−	~~==Explanation==~~
−	~~[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w\|quantified self}},~~ a ~~popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in~~ the ~~hope of helping your well-being~~. ~~He does so~~ in a ~~unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device~~. ~~[[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in~~ the ~~quantified self for unusual quantities~~.
−
−	Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. ~~This is to encourage users to be more physically~~ active. ~~However, Cueball has chosen to track~~ a ~~modified version of this metric,~~ in ~~which his path is post-processed by contracting it as much as possible without it passing through anything solid~~. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house thrice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a ~~highway sign, and apparently the St~~. ~~Louis {{w\|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.~~
−
−	This comic appeared two days after [https://blog.google/products/search/new-ways-to-make-more-sustainable-choices/ Google's announcement that Maps Directions will be sortable by sustainability,] along with their support of self-quantification for sustainability when shopping for automobiles, used goods, and food.[https://youtu.be/8qGV_O_y4DA&t=39m33s] This is noteworthy because of tech industry discussions between employees and executives comparing sharply increased profits and productivity from work-from-home to the value of coastal region commercial office space holdings and leases, relative to [https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance scope 3 emissions].[https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-04-28/google-is-saving-1-billion-per-year-as-a-result-of-employees-working-from-home][https://www.~~wsj~~.~~com/articles/companies-cutting-office-space-predict-long-term-savings-11625493601][https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/google-googl-wants-employees-~~to~~-return-to-office-despite-productivity-gains][https://www.reuters.com/world/~~the~~-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/][https://www~~.~~forbes~~.~~com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/14/google-spends-billions-on-buying-office-buildings-is-this-a-sign-of-the-post-pandemic-pushback-against-remote-work/][https://www~~.~~computerworld~~.~~com/article/3659891/google-others-adding-office-space-~~in~~-anticipation-of-~~the~~-great-return~~.~~html]~~
−
−	~~An "imaginary thread" connecting a person to where they came from (as portrayed~~ in ~~this comic, distinct from~~ a ~~mystical {{w\|silver cord}} or {{w\|red thread~~ of ~~fate}}) has been attested to by people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD~~.~~)[https://www~~.~~reddit~~.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/][https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/xs50yr/xkcd_2679_quantified_self/iqjcmbv/?context=3] See also [[100: Family Circus]] and below for further elaboration.
−
−	~~The title text mentions several things that would make~~ the ~~red path longer: passing one way through a tube such as a water slide; a tunnel, such as a subway or car wash; riding on a ferris wheel, or entering a building through one door and exiting another~~. ~~In all cases the imaginary string would be "captured" and make the total distance longer.~~
−
−	~~===OCD interpretation===~~
−
−	~~The quantity Cueball measures can be recognized as a specific type of OCD where people feel like they have an imaginary string connecting them to where they come from~~.~~{{Actual citation needed}} This is similar to describing 4-D paths~~ in ~~[[Minkowski Space\|Minkowski space]] relative to~~ the ~~observer's frame of reference~~.
−
−	~~As they move around, that string gets entangled and they feel the urge to untangle it~~. ~~When they enter a car, they feel the need to exit the car from the same door, to avoid that the string gets trapped by forever passing through the car~~. ~~When they enter a building, they feel they need to exit using the same staircases and doorway(s), to avoid entangling the string~~ in the ~~building~~. ~~Some situations, like turning around a lamp post, are OK because you can imagine removing the loop over the top of the lamp post, such that it is not really entangled~~.
−
−	~~Cueball tries a new approach to deal~~ with ~~this OCD by integrating it in his quantified self. He defines precisely how to measure the length of the imaginary string, reduced to its minimum, and chooses this as~~ a ~~quantity to monitor~~. ~~Unlike most people with this OCD, who feel~~ the ~~urge to minimize the length, Cueball takes the opposite stance trying to maximize the (optimally minimal) length of the string~~. ~~By defining as a target~~ to ~~achieve a given length every day, he creates a drive to embrace situations that entangle the string~~. This drive opposes the natural compulsion to avoid them and hopefully cancels it. The joke of the title text is that Cueball now becomes overly interested in all the things that are disturbing for people with ~~the OCD.~~
−
−	~~==Transcript==~~
−	~~{{incomplete transcript\|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
−	~~:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under~~ a ~~gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right~~. ~~That Cueball is looking at a smart watch which has lines emanating from it, indicating that the red text (below) is an alert.]~~
−
−	:Red Cueball's watch or mobile device: Good job! You hit your weekly goal for "total length of your path through space if you minimize its length by pulling it taut, maneuvering it around solid objects but not through them."
−
−	~~:[Caption below the panel:]~~
−	~~:I'm into the quantified self, but only for really arbitrary quantities.~~
−
−	~~{{comic discussion}}~~
−
−	~~[[Category:Comics with color]]~~
−	~~[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:25, 1 November 2022
Line 10:		Line 10:

	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by an IMAGINARY PATH-STRING STRANGULATION VICTIM. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w\|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope of helping your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.		[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w\|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope of helping your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 [[Cueball]] embraces the {{w|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope of helping your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.
-Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. This is to encourage users to be more physically active.  However, Cueball has chosen to track a modified version of this metric, in which his path is post-processed by contracting it as much as possible without it passing through anything solid. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house twice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a highway sign, and apparently the St. Louis {{w|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.
+Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. This is to encourage users to be more physically active.  However, Cueball has chosen to track a modified version of this metric, in which his path is post-processed by contracting it as much as possible without it passing through anything solid. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house thrice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a highway sign, and apparently the St. Louis {{w|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.
 This comic appeared two days after [https://blog.google/products/search/new-ways-to-make-more-sustainable-choices/ Google's announcement that Maps Directions will be sortable by sustainability,] along with their support of self-quantification for sustainability when shopping for automobiles, used goods, and food.[https://youtu.be/8qGV_O_y4DA&t=39m33s] This is noteworthy because of tech industry discussions between employees and executives comparing sharply increased profits and productivity from work-from-home to the value of coastal region commercial office space holdings and leases, relative to [https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance scope 3 emissions].[https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-04-28/google-is-saving-1-billion-per-year-as-a-result-of-employees-working-from-home][https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-cutting-office-space-predict-long-term-savings-11625493601][https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/google-googl-wants-employees-to-return-to-office-despite-productivity-gains][https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/][https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/14/google-spends-billions-on-buying-office-buildings-is-this-a-sign-of-the-post-pandemic-pushback-against-remote-work/][https://www.computerworld.com/article/3659891/google-others-adding-office-space-in-anticipation-of-the-great-return.html]

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 This comic appeared two days after [https://blog.google/products/search/new-ways-to-make-more-sustainable-choices/ Google's announcement that Maps Directions will be sortable by sustainability,] along with their support of self-quantification for sustainability when shopping for automobiles, used goods, and food.[https://youtu.be/8qGV_O_y4DA&t=39m33s] This is noteworthy because of tech industry discussions between employees and executives comparing sharply increased profits and productivity from work-from-home to the value of coastal region commercial office space holdings and leases, relative to [https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance scope 3 emissions].[https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-04-28/google-is-saving-1-billion-per-year-as-a-result-of-employees-working-from-home][https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-cutting-office-space-predict-long-term-savings-11625493601][https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/google-googl-wants-employees-to-return-to-office-despite-productivity-gains][https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/][https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/14/google-spends-billions-on-buying-office-buildings-is-this-a-sign-of-the-post-pandemic-pushback-against-remote-work/][https://www.computerworld.com/article/3659891/google-others-adding-office-space-in-anticipation-of-the-great-return.html]
-An "imaginary thread" connecting a person to where they came from (as portrayed in this comic, distinct from a mystical {{w|silver cord}} or {{w|red thread of fate}}) has been attested to[https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/][https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/xs50yr/xkcd_2679_quantified_self/iqjcmbv/?context=3] by people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.) See also [[245: Floor Tiles]], [[100: Family Circus]] and below for further elaboration.
+An "imaginary thread" connecting a person to where they came from (as portrayed in this comic, distinct from a mystical {{w|silver cord}} or {{w|red thread of fate}}) has been attested to by people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.)[https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/][https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/xs50yr/xkcd_2679_quantified_self/iqjcmbv/?context=3] See also [[100: Family Circus]] and below for further elaboration.
 The title text mentions several things that would make the red path longer: passing one way through a tube such as a water slide; a tunnel, such as a subway or car wash; riding on a ferris wheel, or entering a building through one door and exiting another. In all cases the imaginary string would be "captured" and make the total distance longer.

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under a gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right. That Cueball is looking at a smart watch or a mobile device.]
+:[A red path links two red Cueballs. It start from the left Cueball, does two loops through a small house, under a first road bridge, under a gantry sign, under a second road bridge, under the Gateway Arch, and to a second red Cueball on the right. That Cueball is looking at a smart watch which has lines emanating from it, indicating that the red text (below) is an alert.]
 :Red Cueball's watch or mobile device: Good job! You hit your weekly goal for "total length of your path through space if you minimize its length by pulling it taut, maneuvering it around solid objects but not through them."

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 {{incomplete|Created by an IMAGINARY PATH-STRING STRANGULATION VICTIM. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope to help your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.
+[[Cueball]] embraces the {{w|quantified self}}, a popular philosophy promoting monitoring yourself with devices and data in the hope of helping your well-being. He does so in a unique and absurdly humorous way, with help from a smart watch or handheld mobile device. [[Randall]]'s caption indicates he is interested in the quantified self for unusual quantities.
-Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. This is to encourage users to be more physically active.  However, Cueball has chosen to track a modified version of this metric, in which his path is post-processed by contracting it. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house twice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a highway sign, and apparently the St. Louis {{w|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.
+Typically, fitness apps and wearable devices will track the number of steps that users take and distances walked or run, along with other measurements such as heart rate, blood oxygenation level, blood pressure, and mood. This is to encourage users to be more physically active.  However, Cueball has chosen to track a modified version of this metric, in which his path is post-processed by contracting it as much as possible without it passing through anything solid. Ordinarily, people begin and end their days in bed; in this case, it can get 'caught' where Cueball has passed through topological tunnels. (See [[2658: Coffee Cup Holes]] and [[2625: Field Topology]] for details.) In the comic strip, we see that, over the course of his week, Cueball has looped through his house twice and crossed under two highway overpasses, a highway sign, and apparently the St. Louis {{w|Gateway Arch}} before almost returning home.
 This comic appeared two days after [https://blog.google/products/search/new-ways-to-make-more-sustainable-choices/ Google's announcement that Maps Directions will be sortable by sustainability,] along with their support of self-quantification for sustainability when shopping for automobiles, used goods, and food.[https://youtu.be/8qGV_O_y4DA&t=39m33s] This is noteworthy because of tech industry discussions between employees and executives comparing sharply increased profits and productivity from work-from-home to the value of coastal region commercial office space holdings and leases, relative to [https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance scope 3 emissions].[https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-04-28/google-is-saving-1-billion-per-year-as-a-result-of-employees-working-from-home][https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-cutting-office-space-predict-long-term-savings-11625493601][https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/google-googl-wants-employees-to-return-to-office-despite-productivity-gains][https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/pay-cut-google-employees-who-work-home-could-lose-money-2021-08-10/][https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/01/14/google-spends-billions-on-buying-office-buildings-is-this-a-sign-of-the-post-pandemic-pushback-against-remote-work/][https://www.computerworld.com/article/3659891/google-others-adding-office-space-in-anticipation-of-the-great-return.html]

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 An "imaginary thread" connecting a person to where they came from (as portrayed in this comic, distinct from a mystical {{w|silver cord}} or {{w|red thread of fate}}) has been attested to[https://www.reddit.com/r/OCD/comments/1ve309/invisible_thread_attached_to_my_back_am_i_the/][https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/xs50yr/xkcd_2679_quantified_self/iqjcmbv/?context=3] by people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.) See also [[245: Floor Tiles]], [[100: Family Circus]] and below for further elaboration.
-The title text mentions several things that would make the red path longer: passing one way through a tube such as a water slide; a tunnel, such as a subway or car wash, riding on a ferris wheel, or entering a building through one door and exiting another. In all cases the imaginary string would be "captured" and make the total distance longer.
+The title text mentions several things that would make the red path longer: passing one way through a tube such as a water slide; a tunnel, such as a subway or car wash; riding on a ferris wheel, or entering a building through one door and exiting another. In all cases the imaginary string would be "captured" and make the total distance longer.
 ===OCD interpretation===

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 As they move around, that string gets entangled and they feel the urge to untangle it.  When they enter a car, they feel the need to exit the car from the same door, to avoid that the string gets trapped by forever passing through the car.  When they enter a building, they feel they need to exit using the same staircases and doorway(s), to avoid entangling the string in the building. Some situations, like turning around a lamp post, are OK because you can imagine removing the loop over the top of the lamp post, such that it is not really entangled.
-Cueball tries a new approach to deal with this OCD by integrating it in his quantified self.  He defines precisely how to measure the length of the imaginary string, reduced to its minimum, and chooses this as a quantity to monitor. Unlike most people with this OCD, who feel the urge to minimize the length, Cueball takes the opposite stance trying to maximize the (optimally minimal) length of the string. By defining as a target to achieve a given length every day, he creates a drive to embrace situations that entangle the string.  This drive opposes the natural compulsion to avoid them and hopefully cancels it.  The joke of the title text is that Cueball now becomes overly interested in all the things that are disturbing for people with the OCD.  The monitoring has just reversed his obsession.
+Cueball tries a new approach to deal with this OCD by integrating it in his quantified self.  He defines precisely how to measure the length of the imaginary string, reduced to its minimum, and chooses this as a quantity to monitor. Unlike most people with this OCD, who feel the urge to minimize the length, Cueball takes the opposite stance trying to maximize the (optimally minimal) length of the string. By defining as a target to achieve a given length every day, he creates a drive to embrace situations that entangle the string.  This drive opposes the natural compulsion to avoid them and hopefully cancels it.  The joke of the title text is that Cueball now becomes overly interested in all the things that are disturbing for people with the OCD.
 ==Transcript==