Editing 1796: Focus Knob

{{comic
| number    = 1796
| date      = February 8, 2017
| title     = Focus Knob
| image     = focus_knob.png
| titletext = Maybe if I spin it back and forth really fast I can do some kind of pulse-width modulation.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a pun. Normally, a rotary {{w|control knob}} is used for adjusting parameters in instruments, and the parameter "focus" is used to adjust the {{w|focal length}} on microscopes, telescopes, and other lens-based equipment. Here, however, the "focus knob" is used for Randall's {{w|Attention|personal sense of focus}} -- that is, how focused he is on his work and productivity, with the extremes of focus being towards ''Detail-Oriented'' (small details) and the ''Big Picture'' respectively. (A similar knob was used in [[1620: Christmas Settings]]).

The healthy balance, Randall suggests, is focusing mostly towards the ''Big Picture'' (two thirds of the way towards the ''Big Picture'' between ticks 24 and 25 out of 37), while keeping an eye on the details by still staying one third ''Detail-Oriented''. Focusing too much on the big picture can ensure nothing gets done, leading to {{w|panic}} and existential {{w|paralysis}}. Unfortunately, the range of healthy balance appears to be vanishingly small and difficult to reach; additionally, if we assume the knob can only stop at the little ticks marked along the outside, there is no way to set it in the window of ''Healthy Focus''. 

While performing any task (including your daily life as well as editing explainxkcd), it is easy to get so lost in the details that you forget the big picture. It is also equally easy to think too much about the big picture and make vague plans while missing out on the details.

It is clear that at the moment Randall is mainly focusing on the small details fiddling with his e-mail settings as the knob is set to the 13th tick only just past one third away from ''Detail-Oriented''. He thus seems to try to avoid seeing the big picture right now, since it is his personal knob to set as he wishes.

Existential paralysis stemming from Randall getting worried about realizing how serious the state of the world is today (at the time of the comics release) are a common punchline in xkcd. With all the crises going on around the world, people get bombarded with these negative stories if they follow the news, either on TV, in news papers of on any social media (See [[1773: Negativity]]), especially on Facebook (see [[1761: Blame]]). It can thus become very overwhelming, if people do not focus more on their e-mail settings! This goes especially in a time like this, where many panics on Facebook due to for instance wars and conflicts around the world (like in {{w|Syrian Civil War|Syria}}), talk about [[:Category:Climate change|climate change]], or all the {{w|List of executive actions by Donald Trump|executive orders}} currently being signed by the recently {{w|Inauguration of Donald Trump|inaugurated}} President {{w|Donald Trump}}, who took office less than three weeks before this comic's release. See more about these issues and other recently released [[1756: I'm With Her#Sad comics|sad comics here]]. 

Getting too deep into all this could cause the kind of panic attacks that could lead to the existential paralysis mentioned on the right side of the knob. It is these that Randall may be trying to avoid by keeping his focus firmly in the realm of e-mail settings rather than anywhere near the big picture.

The joke in the title text relates to Randall's use of an old fashioned analog control, probably a {{w|potentiometer|potentiometer}}, in the graphic versus a more electronically modern and efficient switching system.  Randall imagines a replacement control using {{w|pulse-width modulation}} (PWM), which is a technique often used to control the {{w|Switched-mode_power_supply|regulation in electronic power supplies}} or the [http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/blog/pulse-width-modulation.html speed of electric motors] with far greater power efficiency than simpler analog controllers. This technique consists of shifting between fully on and fully off states so that the average is the expected output, but no power is wasted by holding the control mechanism "partially on". For example switching back and forth between 0 and 1, spending half the time in each position will lead to a mean value of 0.5. To code 0.67 (the ''healthy balance''), Randall would have to spend more time in the extreme big picture position (67% of the time) than in the detail-oriented position.  In the real world of course, a person switching so radically and completely between attention states might get diagnosed with some sort of {{w|Mania|mania}}. But the knob might just be switched between the dividers bordering the healthy zone, creating the perfect balance.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the drawing:]
:Personal Focus

:[A gray rotary control knob with the range of options divided by small ticks on a black semi. The knob has a black line that indicates that the knob's setting. At the bottom left and right where the semi circle begins and ends there are two labels in normal black text:]
:Left: Detail-Oriented
:Right: Big Picture

:[Above and all along the black semi circle with the range, another semi circle is drawn in light gray. This has been divided into three sections, with two large sections left and right forming the actual semi circle with double arrow lines. There is a short section with no tick inside it between the two other sections. There are three labels for each of these section, with a line from the label down to the small section. All described here are drawn light gray color. Note that Randall has misspelled "existential".]
:Left section: <span style="color: gray;">Fiddling with email settings</span>
:Right section: <span style="color: gray;">Panic and <!--NOTE existential misspelled in the comic so leave it here as is, see Trivia-->existental paralysis</span> 
:Small section: <span style="color: gray;">Healthy balance</span>

*'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed image description without any more text:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
<br>
:[A gray rotary control knob with the range of options divided by 37 small ticks on a black semi circle that extends over 270 degrees from 45 degrees past "6 o'clock" and around to 45 degrees before that "time" on the other side. The first and last tick are a bit larger than the other 35. The knob has a black line that indicates that the knob's setting is on the 13th line from left. This also seem to indicate that the knob can only point to the ticks and not in between them. At the bottom left and right where the semi circle begins and ends there are two labels in normal black text.]

:[Above and all along the black semi circle with the range, another semi circle is drawn in light gray. This has been divided into three sections, with two large sections left and right forming the actual semi circle which here consist of two double ended arrows pointing to four stopping lines orthogonal to the gray arrows pointing at them. The left and right stopping lines are above the larger left and right end ticks below. The other two stops are very near each other, the left just slightly past the 24th tick (from left) and the next is just short of the next 25th tick (but not as near as the other line was to the 24th tick). There is no line or arrow between these two very close stopping lines. There are three labels. The labels for the first section (spanning slightly more than 24 ticks) and the second section (spanning a bit more 13 ticks) have their labels written next to the arrows, which has been broken in order to have the text written next to the black semi circle. The remaining small space lies between the 24th and 25th tick, and it thus have no possible settings within it - i.e. no tick is inside this section, and it is the only part not encompassed by the two double arrows. It is labeled to the right of it, and a line goes from the label down to indicate this small section. All the above including the text is drawn in the same light gray color.]
</div>
<br>

==Trivia==
*Randall has misspelled existential as ''existental'' with only one "i"! This was later fixed.

{{comic discussion}}

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