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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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Popular smartphone operating systems automatically record the amount of time the user spends using their phone, broken down by time spent in each app. This feature is supposed to allow users to analyze their own habits. On iOS, this feature is called [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208982 Screen Time]. On Android, it is called [https://www.android.com/digital-wellbeing/ Digital Wellbeing]. Such analyses are typically presented to show users how much time they spend on their devices, with the implication that they should spend less time on screens. Accordingly, higher amounts of time on a device can give feelings of guilt and unhappiness.
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This comic references an urban myth that [https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/8/23/20828597/the-10000-hour-rule-debunked one must do something for 10,000 hours] to become an expert on it. Worse, the myth implies that anybody can reach the status of a world-class expert by spending that 10,000 hours. The linked article states:
  
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This comic inverts the idea by referencing "the 10,000 hours thing". This is a (somewhat dismissive) reference to the notion that [https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/8/23/20828597/the-10000-hour-rule-debunked at least 10,000 hours of practice] are required to become an expert in any given field. This notion was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in the book "Outliers", and has frequently been misunderstood to imply that anyone who practices anything for 10,000 hours will become an expert.  
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<blockquote>Practice matters, yes. But at the same time, it’s unlikely to bridge the gap between natural superstars and your average player.</blockquote>
  
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In this comic, [[Cueball]]'s phone tells him that, assuming that the 10,000-hour idea is correct, he is now an expert, implying that he's spent 10,000 cumulative hours on his phone. The 10,000-hour refrain usually pertains to skill-based tasks, such as arts or athletics. Spending time one one's phone requires almost no skill, and it's unlikely that he spent all, or even most of that time focused on a particular set of skills. The joke is that Cueball has spent a huge amount of time on largely frivolous activities, and has now become a "world-class expert" in browsing, playing and texting on his phone.  
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Popular smartphone operating systems automatically record the amount of time the user spends using their phone, broken down by time spent in each app. This feature is supposed to allow users to analyze their own habits. On iOS, this feature is called [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208982 Screen Time]. On Android, it is called [https://www.android.com/digital-wellbeing/ Digital Wellbeing].
  
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Randall often pokes fun at his extensive screen time, such as in [[2223: Screen Time]].
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In this comic, [[Cueball]]'s phone tells him that, assuming that the 10,000-hour idea is correct, he is now a master of a task, because the amount of time he has spent on his phone. It is not clear exactly what set of tasks Cueball is supposed to have mastered, however.
  
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The title text refers to the fact that people eat a lot, [https://www.statista.com/chart/13226/where-people-spend-the-most-time-eating-drinking/ 1-2 hours a day], though not all of this time is spent chewing. At the time of this comic's publication, [[Randall]] was just over 36 years old (13,151 days), so he has spent a large amount of time eating, well over 10,000 hours. It could also be a reference to the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes (which has been referenced before), in which Calvin refers to routines he has created to improve at chewing.
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The title text refers to the fact that people eat a lot, [https://www.statista.com/chart/13226/where-people-spend-the-most-time-eating-drinking/ 1-2 hours a day], though not all of this time is spent chewing. At the time of this comic's publication, [[Randall]] was just over 36 years old (13,151 days), so he has spent a large amount of time eating, well over 10,000 hours.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

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