Editing 1436: Orb Hammer
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| titletext = Ok, but make sure to get lots of pieces of rock, because later we'll decide to stay in a room on our regular orb and watch hammers hold themselves and hit rocks for us, and they won't bring us very many rocks. | | titletext = Ok, but make sure to get lots of pieces of rock, because later we'll decide to stay in a room on our regular orb and watch hammers hold themselves and hit rocks for us, and they won't bring us very many rocks. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | + | [[File:Apollo_program_insignia.png|thumb|upright=1.5| Apollo program insignia. (from Wikimedia Commons)]] | |
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | This conversation suggests doing something that sounds absurd and not useful at all for the daily activities of a regular human. Yet it refers in simple English words to the {{w|Apollo_program|Apollo human spaceflight program}} which, among other things, sent people to the Moon to bring geological samples back to Earth to study them. The use of such simple language contributes to the effect of the suggestion sounding absurd. Of course, numerous results of the Apollo program have in fact had many benefits for regular people. | |
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− | The use of such language contributes to the effect of the suggestion sounding absurd. Of course, numerous results of the Apollo program have in fact had many benefits for regular people | ||
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− | + | No person has been on the Moon since the final Apollo mission, Apollo 17, in 1972. Occasional lunar rocks can still be collected on Earth. They are formed when a celestial body impacts the Moon's surface, forming a crater and launching small rocks into the space. Some of them will eventually reach Earth, see {{w|Lunar_meteorite|lunar meteorites}}. | |
− | With robots, instead of traveling to Mars ourselves, we stay on Earth ("our regular orb") and program and direct rovers to operate remotely | + | The title text refers to various robotic missions, including the current Mars missions ({{w|Mars_Pathfinder|Pathfinder}}, {{w|Spirit_(rover)|Spirit}}, {{w|Opportunity_(rover)|Opportunity}}, {{w|Curiosity_(rover)|Curiosity}}) and the {{w|Philae_lander|Philae lander}} component of the Rosetta mission (with details of its intended landing site confirmed a mere handful of days before the comic). With robots, instead of traveling to Mars ourselves, we stay on Earth ("our regular orb") and program and direct rovers to operate remotely. The rovers collect geological samples and analyze, but have no way to send the samples back to Earth. |
− | The idea of using simple language in highly technical fields began with [[547: Simple]] and was revisited in [[722: Computer Problems]] | + | The idea of using simple language in highly technical fields began with [[547: Simple]] and was revisited in [[722: Computer Problems]] and [[1133: Up Goer Five]]. It should be noted however, that in this case [[Randall]] didn't use the 1000 most basic words in the English language, because that {{w|simple:Wikipedia:List_of 1000 basic words|list}} does not contain the words "glowing" or "orb," but does contain "moon," "earth," "bright," and "ball." |
− | The idea of using | + | The idea of using simple language to create humour highlighting the absurdity of normal activities has previously been explored with [[203: Hallucinations]]. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Cueball: You know that glowing orb in the night sky? | :Cueball: You know that glowing orb in the night sky? | ||
− | : | + | :Friend: Yeah? |
:Cueball: Let's go hit it with a hammer until little pieces break off, then bring the pieces back and lock them in a closet. | :Cueball: Let's go hit it with a hammer until little pieces break off, then bring the pieces back and lock them in a closet. | ||
− | : | + | :Friend: Sounds good! |
− | : | + | :'''The Apollo program was ''weird''.''' |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Simplified language]] | [[Category:Simplified language]] | ||
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