Editing 2471: Hippo Attacks
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by a HIPAA-VIOLATING HIPPO. I think we have managed to capture the broad strokes of the comic, but it could use some copy-editing (especially my words), and I am not confident I am not missing some finer details. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | The first part of this comic deals with unreliable sources on the internet. Neither "viral posts" nor "random | + | The first part of this comic deals with unreliable sources on the internet. Neither "viral posts" nor "random listicles" are usually very reliable sources of information. They rarely cite their sources, and they are often published without much fact-checking, as published volume and impressive-sounding numbers are far more important for ad-revenue than actual facts. |
− | + | The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ({{w|HIPAA}}, pronounced ''HIP-uh'') is an American healthcare law enacted in 1996. One of the most commonly cited provisions from HIPAA is the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which regulates the use and disclosure of protected health information. | |
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In this comic, Cueball and Megan are discussing the number of {{w|hippopotamus}} attacks, which is unverified. Megan proposes an alternative explanation as to why this particular number is hard to come by: it would be violating the patients' privacy to create statistics of a very specific and unusual cause of death. The punchline comes with the pun on "hippo violation" ("HIPAA violation"). | In this comic, Cueball and Megan are discussing the number of {{w|hippopotamus}} attacks, which is unverified. Megan proposes an alternative explanation as to why this particular number is hard to come by: it would be violating the patients' privacy to create statistics of a very specific and unusual cause of death. The punchline comes with the pun on "hippo violation" ("HIPAA violation"). | ||
− | The title text amplifies the criticism of listicles. They sometimes provide factoids with regards to ill-defined, hard-to-measure numbers, and these factoids might end up in common circulation between such articles. One extreme example would be the number of waves in the ocean. Some problems with this definition would be: | + | The title text amplifies the criticism of listicles. They sometimes provide factoids with regards to ill-defined, hard-to-measure numbers, and these factoids might end up in common circulation between such articles. One extreme example would be the number of waves in the ocean. Some problems with this definition would be: |
* In which ocean/oceans? | * In which ocean/oceans? | ||
* What is the smallest ripple that counts as a wave? | * What is the smallest ripple that counts as a wave? | ||
* When does one count two interacting waves as separate, and when does one count them as one? | * When does one count two interacting waves as separate, and when does one count them as one? | ||
− | * | + | * Even counting every body of water on the planet, this works out as around 400 waves per square meter, which is - to put it bluntly - a bit too stormy. |
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− | With different | + | With different answers to these questions, wildly different answers could be reached. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
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+ | :[Cueball sits at his computer desk, facing left. Megan stands behind him.] | ||
:Cueball: I hate unsourced statistics. | :Cueball: I hate unsourced statistics. | ||
:Cueball: ''This'' viral post says hippos kill 2,900 people a year, but ''this'' random listicle says 500. | :Cueball: ''This'' viral post says hippos kill 2,900 people a year, but ''this'' random listicle says 500. | ||
:Megan: Makes sense. | :Megan: Makes sense. | ||
− | :Megan: Publishing the real number would be a | + | :Megan: Publishing the real number would be a hippo violation. |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |