1802: Phone

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Phone

Title text: [*disables social networking accounts*] [*social isolation increases*] Wait, why does this ALSO feel bad?

Explanation

This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Feel free to add more info If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

Someone asks Cueball if he wants to go for a walk he says sure but first he has to get his phone. He describes this as a device that gives him a 24/7 stream of information much of which is out of context. He also mentions that news can be scary which is true and often times news outlets will use a title that exaggerates the topic and creates fear to get more people to look at the article. The random emotional stimuli could be from many things such as his text messages or email and several other things that can cause a shift in emotions. The spare battery could reference a portable charger as most phones use rechargeable batteries that often last longer than the rest of the phone.

Randall often describes simple object in a very complex or connotative manner such as in 1616.(Note: He also occasionally describes very complex things in very simple words as in 1133 or in his book Thing Explainer)

This comic could be seen as a counter to 1773: Negativity, as both deal with the inability to escape the media during objectively peaceful pastimes. While in the former, the nature attacks Cueball with the types of comics he wishes to avoid, here, he brings along his phone even though it will ruin the goal of the walk he is going to take.

Transcript

Offscreen: Wanna go for a walk?

Cueball: Sure, just need to grab my device that feeds me a 24/7 stream of opinions, context-free scary world news, and random emotional stimuli. Plus a spare battery so the feed won't be interrupted.

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Discussion

That was my first explanation I wrote from scratch so feel free to change stuff that is bad. note: someone else wrote the last bit I dont know who.XFez (talk) 14:39, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

I wrote last bit. My first from scratch edit too. I think that the spare battery is a portable battery pack. -- Mjychabaud22 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Hi XFez and Mjychabaud22, everyone is welcome to contribute. So, thanks for your work. Just be not too descriptive on things everybody can see.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Though nowadays many smartphones have integrated (non-changeable) battery, there are some that still have battery that can be changed with a spare charged one.--JakubNarebski (talk) 17:59, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

No he says it is a spare battery. I have had that for my "older" phone because if I used it too much during a day, I would not have enough battery in the evening. --Kynde (talk) 18:44, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Title text

The current explanation "...ends up feeling bad the whole walk" is not correct. The first two parts (in brackets) describe a fear about being disconnected from social interactions and the believe that a connection to the internet is essential. In the last part it is questioned why this ALSO feels bad. This implies that all those modern connections are not that bad at all. And: Maybe the brackets and the asterisks are a typo for some text formatting.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:15, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Agree that the explanation is not complete. But I still believe that Randall thinks the constant stream of info is not good. But the alternative to isolate yourself is also not good. This is yet a relation to Blame and Negativity. You cannot live without social networking, but it will not make you happy anyway... I will try to rewrite it --Kynde (talk) 19:28, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

"Wait, why does this ALSO feel bad?" ->> disconnecting feels ALSO bad. The comic says that the modern info stream is bad; but the title text says that without it's ALSO bad. So in this comic the title text goes not further but backwards to the initial pun.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:36, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Not it says this also feels bad. So both the news feed and not being on-line feels bad. The pun is that you are also not happy if you disconnect from the feed that makes you unhappy. This fits well with the other sad comics posted since November.) --Kynde (talk) 20:03, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Anyone else think the Friday comic tomorrow will evolve around Exoplanets after the NASA press conference? --Kynde (talk) 16:49, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

I was thinking/hoping the same thing or a what-if about it.XFez (talk) 14:44, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

But it was not to be, either. So this time I guessed wrong. But I guessed the one about 1633: Possible Undiscovered Planets. Nice Randall is not predictable :-) But by the way the most cool discovery related to Exoplanets so far... Maybe he will return to the subject when they know more, or just later when he get a good idea for a comic. --Kynde (talk) 19:51, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

@ Dgbrt. Why do you keep insisting that Blame is not relevant when this comic is against being online to receive bad news all the time, for instance from friends on Social media. Both Blame and Negativity belongs together, one follow the other. And this is indeed another comic that indicate that Randall is sick of the info he receives on-line just as those other two! It was also the second comic in a row that he mentions problems about being on-line all the time via phones, although for two different reasons. So why is that not relevant. I will put it in again, and then let me hear some reason why you delete it all the time instead of just writing not relevant. I did reply above, but you just deleted without giving a valid reason. I think it is relevant! And only you have deleted it, so don't say others obviously agree with you! --Kynde (talk) 19:45, 26 February 2017 (UTC)