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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 16, 2025

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All I am hearing is "just read the traffic code and you'll be fine, man. No policeman is ever going to ticket you for something which is not in the traffic code."

Sure, the policeman will find a section in the traffic code to ticket you, and that will not be difficult because some of the sections are very broad. For example, "reckless endangerment" could cover anything from your pet jumping out of your convertible mid-drive to you getting stuck on the highway with an empty tank. Likely, the traffic code will not explain how your car needs fuel and how to check the fuel gauge. Knowing that you are forbidden from recklessly endangering others does not mean that you know how to do that.

If someone wants to learn C++, about the worst advice in the world would be to tell them "just read through ISO/IEC 14882:2024, everything you need to know about C++ is in there". Sure, it would be technically correct that if they stick to the standard, use a standard-compliant compiler correctly (a subject very much not covered by the standard) then their program will have a well-defined runtime behavior, but even if that person is a genius able to wade through ENBF syntax rising to their chin and coming out with a solid understanding of how actual code would look like on the other side, they would spend most of their remaining lifespan independently re-discovering the principles of good software engineering.

For electrical installations of low-voltage systems, the relevant local standard likely refers to IEC_60364. Your would-be electrician will likely want the sections (1), (4), (5) and (6), each of which costs about 280 swiss franks in the IEC web store. Part 1, Fundamental principles, assessment of general characteristics, definitions is all of 49 pages, so I would not expect full electrical engineering 101 course full of comic strips to teach how to apply wire ferrules or use luster terminals or warn you that single strand wires will eventually break if bent in opposite directions repeatedly (or whatever, I am very obviously not an electrical engineer). Likely, the standard will start by saying that electrical installations should only be performed by licensed professionals (which is part protectionism and part that you can not reasonably trust a layman to understand the standard from reading it), and your self-taught handyman will be breaking at least that part of the standard.