• @Klear
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      51 day ago

      Ugh, there goes that xkcd guy.

  • @RizzRustbolt
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    112 days ago

    Considering his life and how he died, normal was never on the table.

  • @LovableSidekick
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    2 days ago

    Wow, earlier today I read it as “Why can’t this be normal” as in why are people regimented to stay on sidewalks instead of strolling across the grass? It reminded me of a guy I worked with in one of my first jobs, who was told by another coworker that you shouldn’t walk on the grass, and he replied, “Yeah you should, because if you weren’t supposed to it wouldn’t feel so soft and cushy and good on your feet.” I liked that guy’s attitude.

    • @[email protected]
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      1 day ago

      If I remember right, there’s a school that took the worn paths in the grass and just turned those into official walkways.

  • @[email protected]
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    333 days ago

    This is why some places like Michigan State University and Ohio State University use “desire path planning”. That’s where they observe where people walk and then install (or move) the sidewalks to match those footpaths.

    • @[email protected]
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      93 days ago

      Not necessarily good though since it further seals the ground. There’s nothing wrong with leaving desire paths untouched.

      • @[email protected]
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        163 days ago

        The problem is they would either have to police people from using them, or let grassy areas become bisected by muddy ditches

        • @[email protected]
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          13 days ago

          Is there an issue with muddy bisections? It might not look the most appealing but it’s better than pavement.

          To prevent the paths from getting ever wider you could, for example, plant flowers next to them. That’s a pretty effective and unobtrusive way.

            • @[email protected]
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              3 days ago

              Mud is messy

              It depends. Some people view lawns that aren’t devoid of all insect life messy or trimmed evenly messy. And if it is raining or has recently rained, hardly anyone would use a muddy path so the concrete sidewalk will remain reasonably clean as well.

              wheelchair-accessible

              That’s important, though I’m not advocating for keeping an entire campus unpaved. I am arguing that only necessary pathways should be paved while desire paths should ideally remain unpaved. People in wheelchairs should still get around (quickly), but desire paths don’t need to be wheelchair accessible in my opinion.

              • @piecat
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                2 days ago

                A dirt path, fine and great. Sounds nice for summertime.

                Lot of schools aren’t in a warm climate.

                Those paths become unusable in winter, a muddy (unusable) slop when it rains or when the snow melts.

                Muddy paths lead to wet socks and dirty shoes at best, and at worst, you slip and get covered.

                • @LovableSidekick
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                  2 days ago

                  Yes, based on college conversations with groundskeepers, students tend to blaze their own trails to create the shortest routes. Besides injuries when they slip and fall in the mud, it also gets tracked into buildings, making those floors slippery as well. Paving popular paths is a way of accommodating human behavior.

                • @[email protected]
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                  02 days ago

                  I don’t think there’s an issue with desire paths becoming unusable during certain times though. It slightly extends the time you spend walking around but I’d prefer this over having unnecessary pavement.

                  You might as well pave the entire green space in this example.

    • pflanzenregal
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      12 days ago

      Yes, but you could just name him the “triangle inequality guy” that’s note readable :D

  • @untorquer
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    63 days ago

    They’re just a bunch of squares

  • Miles O'Brien
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    53 days ago

    I vaguely remember seeing this exact joke in my geometry book in gradeschool. Probably different illustrator, but still.

    Damn, I feel old now.

  • @JackLSauce
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    13 days ago

    He’s only 45 degrees from being normal whereas they’re 90 so…

  • @BoxOfFeet
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    -63 days ago

    I hate when people do that. Just stay on the sidewalk, you’re going to wear a path down in the grass.