Editing 2429: Exposure Models
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 | + | {{incomplete|Created by a CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF COVID SPREADSHEETS CREATED OVER TIME. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
| + | This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}. | ||
[[Cueball]] (or [[Randall]]) created another COVID exposure model to help lower his risk of catching COVID-19 in the pandemic. [[Megan]] inquires about the model's result, to which Cueball admits that he's been sitting at his computer continuously debugging models, and draws the conclusion that debugging COVID-19 models lessens close contact with other people. This is similar to the premise of [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1708: Dehydration]], except with the situation reversed — where before, researching a situation made the situation worse, here Cueball's time "wasted" has actually benefited him. | [[Cueball]] (or [[Randall]]) created another COVID exposure model to help lower his risk of catching COVID-19 in the pandemic. [[Megan]] inquires about the model's result, to which Cueball admits that he's been sitting at his computer continuously debugging models, and draws the conclusion that debugging COVID-19 models lessens close contact with other people. This is similar to the premise of [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1708: Dehydration]], except with the situation reversed — where before, researching a situation made the situation worse, here Cueball's time "wasted" has actually benefited him. | ||
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By "model," Randall likely means a manually crafted model, since he describes debugging it, but he may also mean the form of automatically generated software that is used in modern machine learning. | By "model," Randall likely means a manually crafted model, since he describes debugging it, but he may also mean the form of automatically generated software that is used in modern machine learning. | ||
| − | Cueball is too busy making models to figure out how to actually lower his risk other than sitting around repeating the work of others and improving his model-building skill. He has also created a meta-model, reporting the number of models Cueball has to create to wait the pandemic out. | + | Cueball is too busy making models to figure out how to actually lower his risk other than sitting around repeating the work of others and improving his model-building skill. He has also created a meta-model, reporting the number of models Cueball has to create to wait the pandemic out. A meta model is a model about models, like most meta things. Software engineers have a practices such as DRY (don't repeat yourself) and reusability, that can result in continued code generalization. |
In the title text Randall mentions that he is dangerously close to making a spreadsheet about how many spreadsheets about coronavirus he has made cumulative over time. This would be a recursive graph, a recurring theme on xkcd. | In the title text Randall mentions that he is dangerously close to making a spreadsheet about how many spreadsheets about coronavirus he has made cumulative over time. This would be a recursive graph, a recurring theme on xkcd. | ||
