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Add pop culture examples
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alexpetros committed Jul 30, 2024
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Binary file added www/switch-emoji/images/minecraft-switches.png
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42 changes: 39 additions & 3 deletions www/switch-emoji/proposal.html
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
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}

table.screenshots img {
display: block;
display: inline-block;
width: 90%;
margin: 10px;
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -240,10 +240,10 @@ <h4>Multiple usages</h4>

<h3>Breaking New Ground</h3>
<p>
The current emoji set cannot express the concept of turning things “on” and “off.” There are various up ⬆️and down ⬇️arrows, but these are included in arrow sets that can also go in other directions, which does not communicate the same binary choice, nor do they have any association with powered devices. There are play ▶️, pause ⏸️, and stop ⏹️buttons, but these are also not binary and not nearly as expressive: one does not “stop” the lights or “play” the A/C.
The current emoji set cannot express the concept of turning things “on” and “off.” There are various up ⬆️ and down ⬇️ arrows, but these are included in arrow sets that can also go in other directions, which does not communicate the same binary choice, nor do they have any association with powered devices. There are play ▶️, pause ⏸️, and stop ⏹️ buttons, but these are also not binary and not nearly as expressive: one does not “stop” the lights or “play” the A/C.

<p>
Even expressing these concepts individually is a challenge. The existing ways to express “off” are highly specific, like “mobile phone off” 📴or “sound off” 🔇, and therefore cannot be easily combined with other emoji to establish new contexts or meanings. And almost no emojis even approximate “on.” The various devices that one might turn on do not have corresponding “on” and “off” versions—there is only one lightbulb 💡, for instance, and it is typically rendered lit.
Even expressing these concepts individually is a challenge. The existing ways to express “off” are highly specific, like “mobile phone off” 📴 or “sound off” 🔇, and therefore cannot be easily combined with other emoji to establish new contexts or meanings. And almost no emojis even approximate “on.” The various devices that one might turn on do not have corresponding “on” and “off” versions—there is only one lightbulb 💡, for instance, and it is typically rendered lit.

<h3>Distinctiveness</h3>
<p>
Expand All @@ -253,6 +253,42 @@ <h3>Distinctiveness</h3>
Visually, nothing in the existing emoji looks like a switch. The other “off” emojis typically use abstract representations of prohibition, like the color red or strikethroughs, to symbolize that something is not happening.
There are also no physical items that resemble a switch, like a lever.

<table class="screenshots culture">
<tr>
<th>Search Tool</th>
<th>Result (excluding "nintendo switch" where possible)</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>
<img src="./images/minecraft-switches.png" alt="">
</td>
<td>A switch in Minecraft, the single most popular game in the world (>300M copies).</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>
<img src="./images/jurassic-park.png" alt="">
</td>
<td>Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) flips a switch to return power to Jurassic Park.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>
<img style="width:45%" src="./images/kronk-lever-up.png" alt="">
<img style="width:45%" src="./images/kronk-lever-down.png" alt="">
</td>
<td>Kronk pulls the wrong lever in “The Emperor’s New Groove,” activating a trap door.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>
<img src="./images/krusty-switch.png" alt="">
</td>
<td>A character reveals an “evil / good” switch on a Krusty the Clown figurine in The Simpsons</td>
</tr>

</table>
<h3>Completeness</h3>

The up and down switches are themselves a complete pair, representing the only two states of a switch, but they also complete an expressivity gap that is unique to electronic devices.
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