xsspup :blobhaj_hearttrans:

Programmers fallacies about postcodes:
- A postcode covers a small geographic area
- A postcode is good enough to locate an end user for generating location suggestions
- A postcode will be in a single timezone
- A postcode only has a single state
- A postcode has no exclaves/enclaves

I would like you to meet 0872. Australia's largest postcode (I think), covers 3 states, has two cut outs (Warbuton and Alice Springs), and even still some mail outside of this area is routed via 0872

Map of Australia showing the 0872 postcode covering half of NT, a portion of WA and a section of SA.

Like 4 Oct 2023 at 5:16 | Open on cloudisland.nz

217 comments

Mike Knell

@xssfox @thatandromeda Further fallacies:

- A postcode will cover a population of less than a million penguins
- A postcode will never intersect a coordinate singularity
- A postcode will experience more than one sunset per year
- A UK-system postcode will be in the format AA11 1AA

Meet UK code BIQQ 1ZZ.

17 Oct 2023 at 15:36 | Open on blat.at

Owen Nelson

@xssfox I myself live in an enclave portion of a non-contiguous postcode and this is always breaking things for me online.

18 Oct 2023 at 18:18 | Open on mastodon.social

mmu_man

@xssfox At this point I believe it would better and more sane to reprogram Australia instead.

18 Oct 2023 at 22:58 | Open on m.g3l.org

mmu_man

@xssfox (although, I myself live in a district which has an enclave from another one, but I'm not sure the postal code wrap around it, never checked…)

18 Oct 2023 at 23:00 | Open on m.g3l.org

Stefen Auris 🖖

@xssfox never understood the point of zip/post codes as a kid. This isn't helping lol

22 Oct 2023 at 2:51 | Open on furry.engineer

Wolf480pl

@xssfox is this one also a fallacy:

- A postcode is useful for routing mail

21 August at 21:04 | Open on mstdn.io

4d3fect

@wolf480pl @xssfox Fallacy originated thanks to USPS! 😉

21 August at 22:04 | Open on sfba.social

rothko

@xssfox my postcode straddles two different cities in minnesota. when giving my postcode i have to stress that it's in my city and not the one next door. 🙄

21 August at 21:17 | Open on beige.party

René Hoffmann :fckafd:

@xssfox in Germany there are streets where postcodes differ on the same street.

21 August at 22:27 | Open on nrw.social

Adam ♿

@xssfox you should put this on your blog and also shout it from the rooftops

22 August at 0:40 | Open on aus.social

Phil Thane ✅

@xssfox
Also, too many web forms ask for 'city'. I know every two-bit settlement in the US likes to call itself a city but in the real world cities are large. They have population in thousands if not millions. Outside of cities millions of us live in towns, villages, hamlets or just in the country. Stop demanding to know my 'city'.
@Janeishly

22 August at 6:21 | Open on toot.wales