Difference between revisions of "2041: Frontiers"

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| title    = Frontiers
 
| title    = Frontiers
 
| image    = frontiers.png
 
| image    = frontiers.png
| titletext = Star Trek V is a small part of the space frontier, but it's been a while since that movie came out so I assume we've finished exploring it by now.
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| titletext = Star Trek V is a small part of the space frontier, but it’s been a while since that movie came out so I assume we’ve finished exploring it by now.
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
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This comic refers to four remaining “final frontiers” of human discovery, according to popular usage—perhaps analyzed using an Internet search engine. It seems to imply that other fields of research aren’t a challenge anymore.
This comic refers to four remaining final frontiers of human discovery and implies that other fields of research aren't a challenge anymore. [[Randall]] states that this is based on popular usage which he probably analyzed by using a popular internet search engine.
 
  
Outer '''space''' is so vast in size it's impossible for humans to discover even just all stars in our Milky Way galaxy within a lifetime.
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Outer '''space''' is so vast in size that it’s impossible for humans to discover even just the stars in our galaxy within a lifetime. Space travel is also very difficult and expensive.
  
'''The oceans''' are deep, very deep. The vast majority of the deeper oceans hasn't been visited by humans and there is still much life we don't know.
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'''The oceans''' are very deep. The vast majority of the deeper oceans hasn’t been visited by humans, and there is still much we don’t know about the living beings in the deep sea.
  
'''The human mind''' is not only complex but also irrational which makes it even harder to discover.
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'''The human mind''' is not only very complex, but also often seems irrational, which makes it harder to investigate. Its relation to the brain is also somewhat mysterious: {{w|philosophy of mind}} is split on whether the mind is ultimately material (materialism) or immaterial (dualism/idealism). Further, certain philosophical systems have trouble explaining its relation to the body, in what is termed the {{w|mind–body problem}}.
  
'''Alaska''' is the largest state in the US by area and also the most sparsely populated. Many places in Alaska exist that have been only partially explored today. Randall was probably inspired by the TV series {{w|Alaska: The Last Frontier}}, which plays off of the state's official nickname of "The Last Frontier".
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'''Alaska''' is the state of largest area in the U.S., and also the most sparsely populated. Many places in Alaska have only been partially explored to this day. Randall was probably inspired by the TV series ''{{w|Alaska: The Last Frontier}}'', which plays off of the state’s official nickname of “The Last Frontier”.
  
The humor from this comic comes from the fact that many readers would likely consider space, the oceans, and the human mind as a very different category of frontier than "Alaska" (for example, space is infinitely vast whereas the US state of Alaska has a larger population than the US state of Wyoming).
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The humor from this comic comes from the fact that Alaska seems comparably of less important than the other “Final Frontiers”. It is not as hard or expensive to explore as the ocean bottom and outer space, and it is much smaller. While one's own human mind is much more easily accessible than the other three locations, its nature is a substantial frontier in human knowledge. Furthermore, minds other than one’s own are very hard to access.
  
The title text refers to the movie ''{{w|Star Trek V: The Final Frontier}}'' released in 1989. "Final frontier" is a recurring motif in the Star Trek franchise (coming from the opening narration for ''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}'') and is used to describe the exploration of the "outer space", which remains a big frontier to humans both in real life and within Star Trek. [[Randall]] however jokingly posits that the frontier to be explored is the film itself, and assumes that based on the fact that this movie has been out for a while (nearly thirty years) the movie should be fully explored in all its details by now.
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The title text refers to the movie ''{{w|Star Trek V: The Final Frontier}}'', released in 1989. “Final frontier” is a recurring motif in the ''Star Trek'' franchise (coming from the opening narration for ''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}''), and is used to describe the exploration of outer space, which remains a notable frontier to humans, both in real life and within ''Star Trek''. [[Randall]], however, jokingly posits that the frontier to be explored is the film itself, and assumes that, because this movie has been out for a while—nearly thirty years—it ought to be fully and comprehensively explored by now.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
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:[In a single framed picture a hand drawn rhombiod is shown. At the inside a few small arrows pointing to the four sides. The text in the middle reads:]
:[In a single framed picture a hand drawn rhombus is shown. At the inside a few small arrows pointing to the four sides. The text in the middle reads:]
 
 
:Human achievement so far
 
:Human achievement so far
  
Line 38: Line 36:
  
 
:[Caption below the frame:]
 
:[Caption below the frame:]
:Final remaining "frontiers," according to popular usage
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:Final remaining “frontiers,according to popular usage
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
  
 
[[Category:Science]]
 
[[Category:Science]]

Revision as of 16:22, 23 September 2019

Frontiers
Star Trek V is a small part of the space frontier, but it’s been a while since that movie came out so I assume we’ve finished exploring it by now.
Title text: Star Trek V is a small part of the space frontier, but it’s been a while since that movie came out so I assume we’ve finished exploring it by now.

Explanation

This comic refers to four remaining “final frontiers” of human discovery, according to popular usage—perhaps analyzed using an Internet search engine. It seems to imply that other fields of research aren’t a challenge anymore.

Outer space is so vast in size that it’s impossible for humans to discover even just the stars in our galaxy within a lifetime. Space travel is also very difficult and expensive.

The oceans are very deep. The vast majority of the deeper oceans hasn’t been visited by humans, and there is still much we don’t know about the living beings in the deep sea.

The human mind is not only very complex, but also often seems irrational, which makes it harder to investigate. Its relation to the brain is also somewhat mysterious: philosophy of mind is split on whether the mind is ultimately material (materialism) or immaterial (dualism/idealism). Further, certain philosophical systems have trouble explaining its relation to the body, in what is termed the mind–body problem.

Alaska is the state of largest area in the U.S., and also the most sparsely populated. Many places in Alaska have only been partially explored to this day. Randall was probably inspired by the TV series Alaska: The Last Frontier, which plays off of the state’s official nickname of “The Last Frontier”.

The humor from this comic comes from the fact that Alaska seems comparably of less important than the other “Final Frontiers”. It is not as hard or expensive to explore as the ocean bottom and outer space, and it is much smaller. While one's own human mind is much more easily accessible than the other three locations, its nature is a substantial frontier in human knowledge. Furthermore, minds other than one’s own are very hard to access.

The title text refers to the movie Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, released in 1989. “Final frontier” is a recurring motif in the Star Trek franchise (coming from the opening narration for Star Trek: The Original Series), and is used to describe the exploration of outer space, which remains a notable frontier to humans, both in real life and within Star Trek. Randall, however, jokingly posits that the frontier to be explored is the film itself, and assumes that, because this movie has been out for a while—nearly thirty years—it ought to be fully and comprehensively explored by now.

Transcript

[In a single framed picture a hand drawn rhombiod is shown. At the inside a few small arrows pointing to the four sides. The text in the middle reads:]
Human achievement so far
[Text above the top left side:]
Space
[Text above the top right side:]
The oceans
[Text below the bottom left side:]
The human mind
[Text below the bottom right side:]
Alaska
[Caption below the frame:]
Final remaining “frontiers,” according to popular usage


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Discussion

What about Missouri though?

"Around 95% of the oceans haven't been explored and mapped by humans."

Is there a source for this fact? It isn't even clear what the sentence is saying. Is this a fraction of the surface of the ocean? The ocean floor? The water column? What counts as "exploring" a part? Do you just have to see it from a distance, or go there yourself, and if so, how close do you have to get? Will a ship that's twice as wide explore twice as much ocean per mile? That doesn't seem reasonable. How will we know when we are done exploring the ocean?

Also, if that does refer to some actual figure, it's probably out of date by now anyway. EebstertheGreat (talk) 06:15, 7 March 2024 (UTC)