Editing 2153: Effects of High Altitude
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic starts out with three effects of high altitude related to the air getting "thinner" and the lower air pressure. {{w| | + | {{incomplete|Created by a HIGH BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | This comic starts out with a couple facts about high altitude. The effects in the first three panels are plausible effects of high altitude related to the air getting "thinner" and the lower air pressure. The lower air pressure leads to a lower boiling temperature, less air resistance (baseballs and golf balls flying farther) and sunburns. | ||
+ | * Water {{w|boiling|boils}} at 202 degrees F (94 degrees C), slightly lower than the baseline 212 degrees F (100 degrees C) it takes at sea level, due to the lower air pressure. | ||
+ | * Baseballs and golf balls fly slightly farther due to the lower air resistance. | ||
+ | * {{w|Sunburn}} develops faster due to the decreased atmosphere filtering out harmful rays. | ||
− | + | These facts are effects of high altitude related to the air getting "thinner" and the lower air pressure. The lower air pressure leads to a lower boiling temperature, less air resistance (baseballs and golf balls flying farther) and sunburns. | |
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− | As usual for xkcd, the effects of high altitude are extended in a | + | As usual for xkcd, the effects of high altitude are extended in a comical absurd manner degenerating into applying this "slightly less" rule to everything: |
− | * {{w|Scrabble}} is a board game where each letter is assigned a point value based on its frequency of use in the edition's language. The comic claims all letters are worth 16% more | + | * {{w|Scrabble}} is a board game where each letter is assigned a point value based on its frequency of use in the edition's language. The comic claims all letters are worth 16% more (about 2 points more if applied to the shown "Q" tile) implying that the edition of Scrabble used at higher altitude is designed for dialects where uncommon letters are used even less frequently. The {{w|Scrabble_letter_distributions#English|normal values for the Scrabble tiles}} Q, X, and Y are 10, 8 and 4, respectively. |
− | + | * A common {{w|superstition}} states that breaking a mirror causes 7 years of bad luck. The comic claims that at higher altitudes, only 5 ½ years are caused. It is unclear whether this implies that people living at higher altitudes have more or less luck. | |
− | + | * Marketing campaigns will often state "X is the new Y" to draw the audience of X in toward the newer Y. When used with age, usually at 10 year intervals ("40 is the new 30" is the slogan referenced), it is an attempt to convince an older audience that they can share in an experience commonly associated with a younger audience. At higher elevations, the comic claims, people can use or do things designated for an even younger audience | |
− | + | * German band {{w|Nena (band)|Nena}}'s hit ''{{w|99 Luftballons}}'' (''99 Red Balloons'' in the English translation) is a song about a global nuclear war started by a large clump of balloons, taken to be a {{w|UFO}}. The comic affirms that, if launched from a higher altitude, 94 balloons would have sufficed. | |
− | + | * {{w|420 (cannabis culture)|4:20}} is a code word for {{w|cannabis}} and has evolved in some circles to be the socially acceptable hour to consume cannabis. This has in turn evolved into a joke that when checking the time and finding it is exactly 4:20, people will add "blaze it" as a reference. The comic claims that, at higher altitudes, the socially acceptable time decreases, so if there is an elevation of one mile, the socially acceptable time would be 4:17 and therefore, marijuana jokes are made earlier. This joke is probably related to the {{w|Cannabis in Colorado|legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado}}. | |
− | * A common {{w|superstition}} states that breaking a mirror causes 7 years of bad luck. The comic claims that at higher altitudes, only 5½ years are caused. | ||
− | * Marketing campaigns will often state "X is the new Y" to draw the audience of | ||
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− | * German band {{w|Nena (band)|Nena}}'s hit | ||
− | * {{w|420 (cannabis culture)|4:20}} is a code word for {{w|cannabis}} and has evolved in some circles to be the socially acceptable hour to consume cannabis. This has in turn evolved into a joke that when checking the time and finding it is exactly 4:20, people will add "blaze it" as a reference. The comic claims that, at higher altitudes, the socially acceptable time | ||
− | + | * Referenced in the title text, ''{{w|One Hundred and One Dalmatians (franchise)|One Hundred and One Dalmatians}}'' is a children's book and Disney franchise based on it, where the villain, {{w|Cruella de Vil}}, aims to capture and kill 99 Dalmatian puppies to have the perfect spotted fur coat (the title comes from adding to them the two that try to save them). The comic claims that, at a higher altitude, she would only have needed 89, possibly implying that puppies at higher altitudes are bigger. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | ||
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