3232: Countdown Standard

Countdown Standard

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Title text: Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.

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Explanation

This is one of 65 incomplete explanations: This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action, such as lifting a heavy object, as a group, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken on the beat of 'three', or on the beat after 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), he would standardize counting to go down from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go up, is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies.

ISO is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it.

Transcript

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Discussion

Refer to all 4 Lethal Weapons movies for discussion. 45.138.52.240 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

^{[citation needed]} --Kynde (talk) 06:45, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Don't most people say "on three", "on one", or "on go" before starting the count anyway? And then delay the final (action) number a teensy bit? e.g. "On one. Ready? 3 2 1" This isn't that ambiguous, not that I would object to standardisation. Sameldacamel34 (talk) 23:13, 13 April 2026 (UTC)

It is appallingly common for me to hear the inconsistent and dissonant, "On the count of three…one, two, three, GO!" (This is problematic because it is "on the count of THREE" not "on the count of GO, the word after three". Or at least, that is what I understand those words to mean.) JohnHawkinson (talk) 02:09, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Just "on three" is the most common, I think. You say "On three. Ready? One, two THREE." Dogman15 (talk) 02:42, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

"On three... THREE!" 82.13.184.33 08:56, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

There are two different conventions to synchronize a start -- by reacting or by rythmically coordinating. And both are used: in official swimming championships by World Aquatics they train to start to a perfectly rythmic "bip.. bip.. beeep" while in track and field championships by World Athletics the start judge waits an arbitrary time before triggering the gun to which athletes react. 31.221.183.22 09:49, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

There's at least a third - go at a predetermined time. And a fourth - use a start gate to physically restrain the starters. 82.13.184.33 10:23, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it. -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail Jordan Brown (talk) 00:35, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

[Arthur:] Right. One, two, five!

[Galahad:] Three, sir.

[Arthur:] Three! [*throws it*]

...just to complicate matters. ;) 81.179.199.253 00:54, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Fantastic guys ;-) --Kynde (talk) 06:44, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I wouldn't look to God for standards on counting - just look at the mess around what 'forty days and forty nights' means. 82.13.184.33 08:16, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Four... Two... One... One Half... One Quarter... One Eighth... One Sixteenth... One Thirty-second... One Sixty-Fourth... [go to infinity] GO! King Pando (talk) 03:47, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Yeah, you don't even get the reference material foods. You're starving. 47.141.37.161 16:36, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Just to make things even weirder: the movie industry counts 5, 4, 3, 2, go! 76.133.66.138 03:59, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

^{[citation needed]} --Kynde (talk) 06:44, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

https://raymonddefelitta.org/i-dig-film-leader/ Film leaders do generally stop at 2 or 3, but they don't really count "3, [2,] go!". There's a 'silent' count for the absent numbers before you reach the 'go!' point. They're left black to avoid fouling the start of the projection. 82.13.184.33 10:54, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm sure people all over the world will follow this standard just as faithfully as they follow ISO 8601. -- 2a00:1a28:1410:5::10db (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Here for reference: 1179: ISO 8601. But there is at least one more with ISO reference: 2322: ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral. So that is three comics referencing the ISO system directly (this one not in titel but in the text so no doubt that it would belong with the other two. But I'm not sure three is enough to create and ISO category? Could not on the spot find any others...? If someone can then we could make a category! --Kynde (talk) 06:43, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

The home inspections series has only 3 comics, if that helps (I can't link it though, for some reason. It's name is Category:Home Inspections). GSLikesCats307 (talk) 13:36, 14 April 2026

If you write [[Category:Home Inspections]], it adds the current page to that category; if you want to link to the category, you have to add an extra colon at the beginning, so [[:Category:Home Inspections]] gives you Category:Home Inspections - IMSoP (talk) 15:12, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks! GSLikesCats307 (talk) 19:48, 14 April 2026

All instances of "One... Two... Two and a half..." shall be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. 2600:1004:B0A0:E06:0:3E:A3FD:5401 14:37, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I personally use “And a 1, a 2, a 1 2 3 4” Logalex8369 (talk) 15:18, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

3, 2, 1, 0, -1, ... -∞ 45.178.3.59 15:26, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Dutch comedian Herman Finkers had a sketch where he said "We count to three. One, two <starts playing music>". In Dutch, "tot" means "up to and not including" while "tot en met" means "up to and including", wso wgen you say "I count to three" you should not include the three, even though most people will do so. IIVQ (talk) 18:01, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if 3-2-1-Go is so well understood because it's similar to rocket countdowns: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-Blastoff! Barmar (talk) 18:30, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

In between which of those numbers does the "Countdown hold" arrive? JohnHawkinson (talk) 18:36, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

3-2-1-Go isn't similar to rocket countdowns, it *IS* rocket - and other physics - countdowns. Jgharston (talk) 21:43, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Medical personnel still use 1-2-3 as the count-up when moving a patient from one platform to another (e.g. between a bed and gurney). They've standardized to lifting on 3. Barmar (talk) 18:30, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Hasn't he missed out three two ONE! Jgharston (talk) 21:41, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

(I started on writing this before the above comment was here, got edit-conflicted, but this could almost be a reply to that!) I start people in sports events. My count is "half a minute" [keeping it somewhat vague, just as a lead-up warning but trying to have that be 30 seconds to go on the "h" of "half"], then "fifiteen", "ten", before "five, four, three, two, one, go!". Traditionally, the competitors would be rocked back and forward slightly (back on 3 and 1, forward on 2 and that converted into a full starting small push on the zero-mark) by the person holding them up, which helps them get off as exactly on time as manually practical. Unfortunately, some hold their brakes on, for reasons of their own, and tend to release them on or about "one"... I tend to note which of these do this, and if their finishing time as advantageous by just one second (which is not unknown, but thankfully rare) then I might have a word with the organiser... leave them to worry about if this should affect the final placings. 81.179.199.253 21:45, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
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