Editing 1515: Basketball Earth
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{{comic | {{comic | ||
| number = 1515 | | number = 1515 | ||
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | In this comic [[Cueball]] is repeatedly attempting to make | + | In this comic [[Cueball]] is repeatedly attempting to make the comparison that for the {{w|Earth}}-{{w|Moon}} system, for an Earth the size of a {{w|Basketball (ball)|basketball}} (24.6 cm) the Moon would be 6.7 cm, about the size of a some other smaller type of ball.[http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/02/24/how-far-away-is-the-moon/] He handily illustrates this with two balls of those sizes that look like the Earth and the Moon. They are invisibly suspended, or as seems clear from the first row of panels, they are actually the real Moon and Earth shrunk to the relevant size, hence the title ''Basketball Earth''. (In this case that would place Cueball and his "friends" in {{w|God}} like positions). |
− | + | But before Cueball can finish with this common type of comparison he is being repeatedly interrupted and must begin all over again. | |
− | + | We never learn which type of ball (if any – it could have been an {{w|apple}}) he would have compared the Moon with. It is not unlikely that he would have mentioned a {{w|Baseball (ball)|baseball}}, but the comparison would be better using a {{w|tennis ball}}. A basketball has an average diameter of 24.6 cm (9.7 inches) vs. a tennis ball with an average diameter of 6.7 cm (2.6 inches). The ratio between these two types of balls is 0.273, which is the same (to three digits) as the ratio given on the Wikipedia page for the Moon: ''Mean radius 1737.10 km (0.273 Earths)''. If he used the slightly larger baseball as an example, with an average diameter of 7.4 cm (2.9 inches), the ratio would be 0.300. Still this would be close enough for demonstrative purposes, as would an apple. | |
− | + | It is common to describe the relationship of very large (and very small) objects to common or garden objects on a more human scale. Here is a similar example where someone has made a comparison of the sizes of the Solar system based on a [http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/silveira60.html Sun the size of a basketball]. And here coming from smaller scales is an [http://www.infoplease.com/dk/science/encyclopedia/atoms.html#ESCI024ATOMS001 example] that states the following: "Imagine an atom magnified to the size of a football stadium. The nucleus of the atom would be the size of a pea in the centre of the stadium." | |
− | + | It is almost certainly not a coincidence that today is {{w|Earth Day}}, which is celebrated annually on 22nd of April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. This seems to be something that [[Randall]] cares about a lot. He has made several comics demonstrating the need for the human race to begin taking better care of our globe. See for instance [[1321: Cold]] and [[1379: 4.5 Degrees]]. | |
− | + | This comic clearly demonstrates four examples where the inhabitants of Earth did not take care of the well being of our globe, although here on a somewhat grander scale than what individuals can usually do. The typical case is that people did not do this out of bad intentions, but just because they were careless, curious, playful, or just plain stupid. | |
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− | This comic clearly demonstrates four examples where the inhabitants of Earth did not take care of the well being of our globe, although here on a somewhat grander scale than what individuals can usually do. The typical case is that people did not do this out of bad intentions, but | ||
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===Interruptions=== | ===Interruptions=== | ||
− | + | Below the four interruptions are described. Each of the four attempts has its own row of four panels in the comic. It is clear from panel one to two in each row that the Basketball Earth is rotating quite fast compared to the time frame of the comic since the {{w|continents}} have moved considerably between frames. It is thus not necessarily the interrupters that have moved the Basketball Earth between frames two and three, except of course in the final interruption. | |
− | No matter how fast it rotates or whatever happens, we always see the Basketball Earth from the same side, as seen from far above the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}. We can see the continents of the {{w|Americas}} as well as {{w|Africa}} and sometimes part of {{w|Europe}}, | + | No matter how fast it rotates or whatever happens, we always see the Basketball Earth from the same side, as seen from far above the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}. We can see the continents of the {{w|Americas}} as well as {{w|Africa}} and sometimes part of {{w|Europe}}, which are the borders for this ocean. |
− | It seems most likely that Cueball starts all over every time, with a completely fresh and new Earth-Moon system, since they look the same | + | It seems most likely that Cueball starts all over every time, with a completely fresh and new Earth-Moon system, since they look the same every time independent of the catastrophe occurring to the Basketball Earth the previous three times. Especially the water would not just come off easily after the second interruption. We can thus suppose that there is still "normal" life going on for each Basketball Earth before the interruption. This life will most likely completely perish for all of the last three cases. |
====Black Hat==== | ====Black Hat==== | ||
− | In the first interruption, [[Black Hat]] comes in and is amazed by this cool floating globe. Of course, being Black Hat, he has to prod this nice globe with a digit. But by putting his finger into one of the oceans of this "real" Basketball Earth without a second thought, he apparently generates a {{w|megatsunami}} that rolls in over an unidentified city with skyscrapers, utterly dwarfed by a breaking wave. | + | In the first interruption, [[Black Hat]] comes in and is amazed by this cool floating globe. Of course, being Black Hat, he has to prod this nice globe with a digit. But by putting his finger into one of the oceans of this "real" Basketball Earth, without a second thought, he apparently generates a {{w|megatsunami}} of epic proportions, that rolls in over an unidentified city with skyscrapers, utterly dwarfed by a breaking wave. |
− | + | It might be a reference to a scene of "{{w|Men in Black II}}", when K mess with a globe that actually is a small planet, and his finger become visible in the sky of its inhabitants. It could also refer to {{w|Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact}} where a meteor strike causes exactly such a tsunami to hit the {{w|East Coast of the United States}}. Since Black Hat puts his finger down in the Atlantic Ocean, the Tsunami can hit all coastlines bordering on this. And since it seems like an eastern coast, and since Randall lives there, it is likely to suspect the city to be {{w|New York City}} or {{w|Boston}} or one of the other large US cities on the east coast. Of course the wave would also affect the coast line (far into land) for all the other continents, but the author is from this part of the US east coast. | |
====Megan==== | ====Megan==== | ||
− | The second interruption occurs when [[Megan]] arrives and pours liquid (perhaps water) from a sports {{w|water bottle}} onto the Basketball Earth, seemingly flooding its entire surface. This would | + | The second interruption occurs when [[Megan]] arrives and pours liquid (perhaps water) from a sports {{w|water bottle}} onto the Basketball Earth, seemingly flooding its entire surface. This would make an {{w|List of flood myths|even worse tsunami}}, almost certainly extinguishing all land-dwelling life. Such a situation is most famously known from the {{w|Bible}} in the {{w|Genesis flood narrative}} about {{w|Noah's Ark}}. Of course this time the life in the sea may also perish due to the change in the constitution of the sea. |
+ | <!-- And water-life that got hit with salinity/temperature/pressure variations that it couldn't adapt to or avoid. --> | ||
+ | <!-- Also In my original edit-conflicted version, I mentioned the Waterworld movie, but maybe that's best forgotten. ;) --> | ||
+ | <!-- And I would have liked to have added wording about "local gravitational pull" acting as if a model... if that doesn't bring up larger questions about the tidal forces experienced upon Basketball Earth by the proximity and movement of Cueball's head and rest of body, by such standards...--> | ||
====Cat==== | ====Cat==== | ||
− | In the third interruption, a cat walks into | + | In the third interruption, a cat walks into shot and then playfully attacks the Basketball Earth rolling around with it like it would do with a ball of {{w|yarn}} (see real life example in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1rTAI2aExI this video]). |
− | The people living upon | + | The people living upon the Basketball Earth would experience cataclismic events far greater than Blackhat's digital prodding incurred, especially as the Basketball Earth is no longer suspended and was thus taken 'out of its orbit' and will eventually hit the floor very hard. One way or another, that will have surely cause (undepicted) disasters of cataclismic proportions compared what by Black Hat managed during the first time interruption. |
+ | <!-- Has it quite hit the floor yet? That's gonna hurt, if/when it does. --> | ||
====Ponytail==== | ====Ponytail==== | ||
− | In the fourth and final interruption | + | In the fourth and final interruption [[Ponytail]] uses Basketball Earth as an actual basketball. She comes running by Cueball, grabs the Basketball Earth, probably bouncing it off the floor while {{w|Dribbling#Basketball|dribbling}} towards the {{w|Backboard (basketball)|basketball hoop}} where she actually jumps in an attempt to {{w|Slam dunk|dunk}} the Basketball Earth. This would ''not'' be good for any residents of Basketball Earth, with the combined pressure, movement and impact damage this simple sequence would surely kill off all life on Basketball Earth, maybe even destroying it completely when it hits the ground from the Slam Dunk. |
− | ===Title text=== | + | ====Title text==== |
− | This simile-callback is continued in the title text with the idea that "every basketball in existence" (i.e. | + | This simile-callback is continued in the title text with the idea that "every basketball in existence" (i.e. every basketball upon the Basketball Earth, as well as the Basketball Earth itself) is counted towards the score from a single dunking. |
− | + | Randall may or may not know exactly how many basketballs there are, perhaps through research for some [[what if?]] question or other research, but almost certainly assumes that there are no basketballs ''not'' on Basketball Earth, as well we might ourselves regarding the existence of extra-terrestrial basketballs, even without allowing for recursion. But there might be some question about whether the Basketball Earths own sub-scale basketballs fall within the regulations. | |
+ | <!-- Had originally considered referencing a pun like "Search for Extra-Terrestrial Basketball", c.f. SETI, but this is surely already getting too long and boring an explanation... --> | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:Cueball: If the Earth were the size of a basketball, | :Cueball: If the Earth were the size of a basketball, | ||
− | :[Cueball is now indicating, with his right hand, a small pockmarked moon (also floating), in the correct proportions ( | + | :[Cueball is now indicating, with his right hand, a small pockmarked moon (also floating), in the correct proportions (size and distance) to the Basketball Earth, which is on his other side. Black Hat walks into the panel towards Earth.] |
− | :Cueball: The Moon would | + | :Cueball: The Moon would be- |
:Black Hat: Hey, cool! | :Black Hat: Hey, cool! | ||
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:Cueball: Um. | :Cueball: Um. | ||
− | :[In the next scene | + | :[In the next scene we see a megatsunami on the verge of crashing down onto a coastal city with skyscrapers. The A's are cut of on each side of the panels frames, i.e. they begin outside and finishes outside the frame.] |
− | : | + | :Aaaaaaaa |
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:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | :[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | ||
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:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now it is Megan that walks into the frame towards the Basketball Earth holding a sports water bottle.] | :[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now it is Megan that walks into the frame towards the Basketball Earth holding a sports water bottle.] | ||
− | :Cueball: The Moon would | + | :Cueball: The Moon would be - |
:[Megan squirts the Basketball Earth with the liquid in her water bottle while Cueball just stands watching with the Moon behind him]. | :[Megan squirts the Basketball Earth with the liquid in her water bottle while Cueball just stands watching with the Moon behind him]. | ||
:[Megan just walks away while Cueball stares at his "water" Basketball Earth where the continents have disappeared completely beneath the liquid.] | :[Megan just walks away while Cueball stares at his "water" Basketball Earth where the continents have disappeared completely beneath the liquid.] | ||
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:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | :[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | ||
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:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now he spots a cat coming into the frame from the left.] | :[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now he spots a cat coming into the frame from the left.] | ||
− | :Cueball: The | + | :Cueball: The Moon- would... |
− | :[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him | + | :[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him the cat jumps at the Basketball Earth.] |
− | :Cat: Mrowl! | + | :Cat: Mrowl! |
:[Cueball continues to watch while the cat rolls around playing with the Basketball Earth as if it was a ball of yarn.] | :[Cueball continues to watch while the cat rolls around playing with the Basketball Earth as if it was a ball of yarn.] | ||
:Cat: Rrrrr | :Cat: Rrrrr | ||
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:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | :[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.] | ||
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:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except this time it is Ponytail who enters the frame at a run coming from the left.] | :[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except this time it is Ponytail who enters the frame at a run coming from the left.] | ||
− | :Cueball: The Moon would, | + | :Cueball: The Moon would, uh... |
:[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him, Ponytail has grabbed the Basketball Earth and is dribbling it out of the frame, still running.] | :[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him, Ponytail has grabbed the Basketball Earth and is dribbling it out of the frame, still running.] | ||
− | :[Zoom out from Cueball who continues to watch while Ponytail reaches a basketball hoop and | + | :[Zoom out from Cueball who continues to watch while Ponytail reaches a basketball hoop and jump towards it with the Basketball Earth, obviously in an attempt to make a slam dunk if she can reach up to the hoop.] |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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+ | <!-- Include any categories below this line. --> | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Animals]] |
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