#1580: Travel Ghost explain

[Cueball, holding a smartphone, is talking to White Hat.]

Cueball: Lots of apps let you plan your trips using real-time bus, train, and traffic data. They try to predict which route will be faster, but aren’t always right.

[Cueball continues to talk off-panel. The text is above a map showing three possible routes with an overlaid Cueball on each; the top and the bottom route and Cueball are faded, and the middle is black up until the black Cueball. After that, this route is also faded. A black point on the right indicates the destination.]

Cueball (off-panel): Instead of just planning, my new app lets you send “ghost” versions of you along different routes, simulating their travel using the real-time data

[Cueball, again talking to White Hat, holding the smartphone down.]

Cueball: That way, you can see which route turned out to be faster in practice,

Cueball: You can also race your past selves.

[Cueball is getting out of his car holding his smartphone in one hand and a briefcase in the other; A faded out Cueball bicyclist is in front of him to the right. At the top there is a caption in a frame:

Soon…

Cueball: Ugh, lost to the bike ghost again.

[Cueball with his briefcase is outside a door, holding a key card up to a key reader. On the inside of the door Ponytail is facing the door and points toward the faded version of Cueball also holding a briefcase.]

Cueball: Hey, my key won’t work

Ponytail: I’m sorry, but we’ve decided to replace you. This floaty guy is much more punctual.

Cueball: But…

[Jill and another girl with wavy long hair, is holding faded out Cueball’s hands. The real Cueball is standing to the right, next to his briefcase on the ground. He is holding his hands out towards his kids.]

Jill: Our new dad never misses our games!

Cueball: Nooo!