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June 3, 2020

#2315: Eventual Consistency

Eventual Consistency

[Cueball sits at a home desk.]

Laptop: I know it’s hard to focus right now, but we should try to finish testing the DB.

Cueball: Ughhhh.

Cueball: Okay.

[A frameless panel. Cueball still sitting at his desk. He has his hand on his chin.]

Laptop: The system needs to guarantee eventual consistency.

Cueball: I mean, it does.

[Closeup of Cueball.]

Cueball: Eventual consistency is guaranteed by the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

Cueball: Sooner or later this will all be a uniform heat bath.

Cueball: Maximum entropy.

[Back to Cueball and desk. Cueball is leaning back in his chair.]

Laptop: Maximum entropy means no useful work can be done!

Cueball: I’m getting a head start by doing no useful work now.