https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.249.155&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T22:01:39ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1662:_Jack_and_Jill&diff=116225Talk:1662: Jack and Jill2016-04-04T07:37:32Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
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<div>I am surprised no one has mentioned the bad grammar "Me and Jack..." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 07:37, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Often water in spring (up hill) has better quality than in stream or river (down in the valley) --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 14:23, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:The ground water table tends to be really close to ground on legs of a hill, so it's an ideal place to dig a well, in some places just a mand-made pond about a feet deep is all that is needed, in which case it's called a spring. {{unsigned ip|141.101.80.76}}<br />
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jack and Jill / went up the hill / to have a little fun / but silly Jill / forgot the pill / and now they have a son. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.151|141.101.104.151]] 14:28, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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I'd always assumed that there was a well at the top of the hill, though I hadn't realised I'd made that assumption until now. And, come to think of it, the top of a hill's a pretty bad place to put a well. --jwanders [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.160|108.162.237.160]] 14:39, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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High water sources are ideal. Not only do they tend to be cleaner, but it also makes for easier transportation. Note that hills are often at the base of mountains. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:49, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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It's been three weeks since Randall made a really complicated joke with [[1653: United States Map]] (and a week before that also with [[1649: Pipelines]]). Someone mentioned a possible school book project based on Thing Explainer as the reason for this. Personally I hope it is because he is saving up time to spend on the joke (on us all :-) this Friday with the next [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] like [[1350: Lorenz]] or [[1506: xkcloud]]. Can't wait. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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I found the title text explanations to miss the obvious implication that earthquakes shake the ground causing people (and buildings) to literally fall down. I preface my comment with my ignorance, I have never experienced an earthquake first hand and I am not knowledgeable as to which magnitude is required to bring things to their knees. Perhaps to this date fracking has not been associated with earthquakes of sufficient magnitude to produce this result. Still, I think this was the intended meaning on its face and I added it to the explanation without removing the others as they did make some sense.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:24, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Well someone has deleted both yours and my speculations. I still think that the idea that people who begin with fracking at first can be popular for the money they bring to the local economy, but then when all the problems related to this endeavor begin to be felt (and micro earthquakes are probably the least given how many dangerous chemicals are released into nature during the process) then maybe those who at first celebrated the project will bring you down, i.e. make you fall. (Maybe only financially be suing Jack) The deleted explanations can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1662:_Jack_and_Jill&oldid=115940 here]. If anyone else agrees that this may be the reason for the fall in the title text maybe it should be re-added? But else it will just be left as my thoughts here in the discussion page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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The third line of the title text has an ambiguous trochaic foot with the word "oil". Some people (myself included) pronounce this word as almost two syllables (oy-el), while others make it a single syllable. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 15:35, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Why does that child say "me and Jack" instead of "Jack and I"? That seems such a glaring grammatical mistake that it must be intentional, right? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.239|162.158.86.239]] 17:18, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Because she's a child. Children often use incorrect grammar of that kind. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.82|141.101.98.82]] 20:02, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
::I think many kids will say it like that in spite them being told by their parents (repeatedly) to not name them selves first. But by letting Jill speak like this, he just let them be ordinary children. How many small kids do you actually hear say ''Jack and I will go up the hill'', instead of ''Me and Jack will go up the hill''? I think it would be more strange had he done it the other way, so yet I think it was on purpose, but only for the purpose or realism, not to hide any meaning... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC) (When first posting this it resulted in a posting conflict with the above comment, so won't change even though saying basically the same as it was a reply to the one above before the other one was posted.) <br />
:This is actually an extremely common mistake, by native English speakers of all ages, such that it is frequently used in popular media (movies, TV, etc), often corrected by someone. And despite this correction frequently showing up, people still make this mistake, to the point where many people consider it "correct enough". I've seen this "me and him" grammatical mistake portrayed so often that I've even picked up a rule of thumb offered by some of these portrayals: Take the other person out, does it still make sense? "Me am going up the hill". This format is so common that it is less an error and more casual speaking, on par with words like "ain't", "gonna" and "gotta". In fact, saying the correct "Jack and I" can even sound odd, it's so rare. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 02:32, 1 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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The poem doesn't necessarily indicate that the water or well was located atop a hill, merely that they had to scale a hill to reach it. It could simply mean that the water source is beyond the hill in question. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.129|108.162.242.129]] 17:49, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Interesting observation, but somewhat lateral. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.82|141.101.98.82]] 20:02, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Also, going up a hill to get to the other side would be "going over the the hill".[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.71|173.245.54.71]] 22:55, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Yes, unfortunately "up" is vague and "over" would be an indication of beyond.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.129|108.162.242.129]] 16:36, 31 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
It seems like there have been a lot of environmental related comics, both recently with this and the tire swing and in general, often about global warming, but also about risk of Nuclear war/or pollution. Should there be a category, and if so, what should it be called, and should it only be about environment, also about nukes, or even only about global warming (or should there be more)? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Where does it say that the water is at the top of he hill? They go some distance up the hill, but not necessarily to the top. There maybe any number of reasons why they go there for water. Maybe there is a brook running down the hillside. Maybe there a well was dug there because that is where most people live. Maybe the water in the valley is poluted. Andso on and so forth. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.51|162.158.135.51]] 06:38, 31 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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There are Dew Ponds which are at the top of hills, more info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dew_pond {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.59}}<br />
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Abe and Ali,<br />
Went down the valley,<br />
To fetch a pail of water.<br />
When rain falls down,<br />
Hilltops don't drown,<br />
The rivers flow; or oughta!<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.7|141.101.98.7]] 01:31, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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== What happened to Friday's comic ==<br />
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I know they don't happen at 00:00 GMT, but it's now 19:44 GMT/20:44 BST and no new comic.<br />
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Everything ok, Randall Hun? {{unsigned|Kev}}<br />
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See the header on the site: "The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties. / Please stand by!"<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.72.11|162.158.72.11]] 21:18, 1 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:[[506: Theft of the Magi|Aww!]] I was so much looking forward to it, and now it's 10 minutes to midnight in Europe, so I won't even experience it during April 1st. Guess it will prove to be a very interesting comic along the lines of the last two years April 1st comics and his [[1608|game]] when [[Thing Explainer]] came out. I hope those in the US gets that pleasure - also for Randall's sake. It would be a pity that an [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]] came out on April 2nd... Of course this feels like I have been made an April fool so I'll take that as an experience, maybe like the first [[404: Not Found|Fool's comic]] from 2008. Havbe fun those of you who still have a chance to try it out today. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:54, 1 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
Additional updates have been posted...<br />
:Status update: Please stand by.<br />
:Status update: This is fine. Everything is fine.<br />
:Status update: Everything is on fire.<br />
:Status update: Searching for calendar systems in which Saturday is April 1st.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.80|173.245.54.80]] 02:20, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Well then at least I did not miss anything... He still has 1½ hour where it is still April 1st in California... (But three more hours in Hawaii.) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:32, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Too late for that as well. He still has almost two hours until April 1st ends in [http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/baker-island baker-island] though... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:16, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::And it is officially too late, as the date has now changed past April 1st all over the globe. Sad on behalf of Randall. Hope he makes it work and the anticipation that this should be a really great comic is sky high now. I'm taking comfort in playing with {{xkcd|1350|Lorenz}} again ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:04, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:New update Saturday afternoon (in the US):<br />
::The Friday xkcd comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties <br />
::[Editor's note: Everything is on fire] <br />
::and has been delayed until Sunday night. <br />
:So nothing for this weekend. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:28, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
::And if it is Sunday night then it is not in Europe. In half an hour it is midnight in central Europe... Maybe he is making a hoax on us that have been awaiting a new [[Lorenz]]? Quite dissapointed now and will go to bed ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:26, 3 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Is it possible that the April joke is the banner and the absent comic? I propose a new wiki page is created for comic 1663 (April 1st), containing the banner and discussion about where the comic has gone.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.125|141.101.104.125]] 14:02, 2 April 2016 (UTC)Wilhelm<br />
:I have thought about it, but I think we should await the next comic on Monday before creating any pages. It could of course be, I would think it was a poor April fool's joke especially since it is still up on the 2nd of April. And he would let down his fans... But of course he has done one such [[404|meta comics]] before, but that was not in stead of another comic. And if this is the April joke, but the comic on Monday is called 1663 then it would be stupid to have called this "one" 1663. I have some screen shots of the first status update and then as it looks now. These can be used either in the explanation when the comic comes up, or if there never will be a comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Update @ 5:37 PM EST (GMT -5:00, Randall lives in Boston, it's his timezone). Still the "everything's on fire" banner but no new comic. He should have it up within about 6 hours and 20 minutes maximum. [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 21:55, 3 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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:Update: Time is up for GB and Germany respectively, would have been an amazing birthday for someone I know. [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 00:30, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Update @ 10:30 PM EST: Still no comic. Same banner. Same person reporting. [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 02:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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10:20 PM CDT and there is still no comic [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.23|108.162.221.23]] 03:19, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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11:30. Nothing. Randall, I HATE you. [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 03:29, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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12:07am, it's Monday in Boston now, everything is still on fire. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 04:08, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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02:06am Monday, neither the Friday nor the Monday comic is up. Atill same banner as yesterday. Fuck. [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 06:07, 4 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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== Jeff's banner ==<br />
This is off topic, but I noticed the banner from Jeff about 100 million views to the site! I followed the original explainxkcd site for about a year before the Wiki was created. If it's been going for 6 years then 100 million views would be an average of about 46,000 views per day and about 107,000 views per comic! Does anyone know when this Wiki was created?! I also know this average is misleading. Does anybody know what the current number of views per day is? Averaged over the last year for example?[[User:ExternalMonologue|ExternalMonologue]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonologue|talk]]) 00:53, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:(There's probably a better place to discuss this on the Community Portal link, but I haven't looked myself and your 'question' is here, so...)<br />
:100 million views may include a significant number of "Is the latest comic up yet?" or "Has someone replied to my Discussion Pane comment, yet?". I think a better 'metric' (less likely to be inflated by lurkers and other people bashing backwards and forwards over established pages, looking for changes for whatever reason) would be the number of edits made. Still some slight inflation by spammers and "Something is wrong on the Internet!"ers, but much more representative of the degree of community spirit. (Still, a milestone is a milestone!) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.7|141.101.98.7]] 01:50, 3 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Am I the only one who got a sense of foreboding in the third panel and was expecting Megan to stop or dissuade the kids from this dangerous activity, rather than wondering about hydrology. I thought that was the joke here - most people would think of stopping the kids and saving them from broken crown and tumbling-related injuries, while Megan goes on a tangent about hydrology.. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.46.214|162.158.46.214]] 02:51, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:I did not, she is not supposed to know the rhyme and would thus not know that they are supposed to fall down. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:32, 2 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:No, and I'm also surprised not to see it mentioned. that's exactly the reason for the blank third panel, to provide the pause for you to fill in your own punch-line (the bait) and then the final panel is the one where you're taken away at the tangent (the switch). The joke is funnier because of Megan's concern about the hydrology (which is funny by itself) distracting her from the obvious. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.10|141.101.98.10]]IB</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=114916Talk:1040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:39:19Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
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<div>I see this comic as a reminder of two things, first that we know less about the oceans then the moon and second is that what there is always more wonderful things to learn even about something that doesn't effect your daily life. - e-inspired<br />
[[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:54, 27 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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To me, the Marianas door seemed somewhat more akin to the whole Cthulhu mythos than Hogwarts, and I'm surprised no-one's already put that forward. (But then while I'm encyclopaedic about Pratchett's works (for example, even more so than Lovecraft) I can't actually recall enough of Rowling's oevre to even ''remember'' the underwater egg thing, even though I did eventually read the whole bally lot, so perhaps it's just me.) [[Special:Contributions/178.105.185.160|178.105.185.160]] 13:28, 2 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
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^It's not just you. I know next to nothing about Lovecraft and am a diehard Harry Potter fan, and it's still obvious to me that that's more of a reference to Cthulhu than to Harry Potter. {{unsigned ip|65.246.210.161}}<br />
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:I fully disagree, this comic contains only REAL things. This is NO horror fiction. The door at the Mariana Trench is just a simple joke. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:01, 17 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
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;Title text<br />
In the title text {{w|James Cameron}} is excusing about a song. Is it {{w|Celine Dion}}, or {{w|Enya}}, or what does it mean? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:20, 16 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
: It's not actually a reference to a song. Randall is implying that James Cameron encountered an otherworldly, Lovecraftian entity of some sort, and his mortal ears couldn't resist the pull of the creatures song, hence he failed to close the door in time and has possibly led to all of our deaths. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 22:54, 14 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Elevations above sea level mostly aren't shown. For instance, Crater Lake's surface is at 1883 m. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 18:17, 14 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I just added a few items that had been left off the transcript. Also I rearranged some items, according to this scheme: everything near sea level (above ~1500m down, where the Oil Well is) is now in left-to-right order, while everything below that is in top-to-bottom order. I think this makes it easier to follow.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 04:13, 7 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
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:Well, I _did_. But since then the transcript seems to have been reverted to a version from before my changes. Which means that the items I discovered were missing from the transcript are (again) missing.... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 05:23, 21 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
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::Eugh... this kind of thoughtless adminning is why I stopped caring about Wikipedia... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 23:39, 14 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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The door at the bottom of the Marianas Trench could be a reference to the podcast The Leviathan Chronicles. {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.102}}</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149131040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:08:10Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
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This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
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Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
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Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
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In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
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The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
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The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
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The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is fictional, and is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012. Randall is implying Cameron went so deep specifically to reach this door, rather than just for the sake of going.<br />
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The title text implies that James Cameron has encountered some otherworldly, Lovecraftian being behind the door at the bottom of Challenger Deep; he thought he could access it briefly, however did not count on its hypnotic or entrancing song, which led to him leaving the door open long enough for it to enter the world and possibly precipitate some horrible calamity. It is a reference to the sort of horror fiction popularised by {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}, often called "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]", whose stories often contain godlike alien beings that are locked away or hidden in remote places, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}. There is no specific story with a door at the bottom of the ocean containing an entity that sings entrancingly, Randall is making a clever reference to the concepts popularised by this genre as whole.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
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:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
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:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149121040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:03:39Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
<br />
This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
<br />
In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
<br />
The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
<br />
The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012.<br />
<br />
The title text implies that James Cameron has encountered some otherworldly, Lovecraftian being behind the door at the bottom of Challenger Deep; he thought he could access it briefly, however did not count on its hypnotic or entrancing song (compared with the Sirens from the Homeric epic The Oddyssey), which led to him leaving the door open long enough for it to enter the world and possibly precipitate some horrible calamity. It is a reference to the sort of horror fiction popularised by {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}, often called "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]", whose stories often contain godlike alien beings that are locked away or hidden in remote places, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}. There is no specific story with a door at the bottom of the ocean containing an entity that sings entrancingly, Randall is making a clever reference to the concepts popularised by this genre as whole.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
<br />
:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
<br />
:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149111040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:03:07Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
<br />
This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
<br />
In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
<br />
The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
<br />
The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012.<br />
<br />
The title text implies that James Cameron has encountered some otherworldly, Lovecraftian being behind the door at the bottom of Challenger Deep; he thought he could access it briefly, however did not count on its hypnotic or entrancing song (compared with the Sirens from the Homeric epic The Oddyssey), which led to him leaving the door open long enough for it to enter the world and possibly precipitate some horrible calamity. It is a reference to the sort of horror fiction popularised by {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}, often called "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]", whose stories often contain godlike alien beings that are locked away or hidden in remote places, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}. There is no specific story with a door at the bottom of the ocean containing an entity that sings entrancingly, Randall is making a clever reference to the concepts popularised by this genre as whole.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
<br />
:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
<br />
:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149101040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:02:17Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
<br />
This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
<br />
In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
<br />
The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
<br />
The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012.<br />
<br />
The title text implies that James Cameron has encountered some otherworldly, Lovecraftian being; he thought he could access it briefly, however did not count on its hypnotic or entrancing song (compared with the Sirens from the Homeric epic The Oddyssey), which led to him leaving the door open long enough for it to enter the world and possibly precipitate some horrible calamity. It is a reference to the sort of horror fiction popularised by {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}, often called "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]", whose stories often contain godlike alien beings that are locked away or hidden in remote places, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}. There is no specific story with a door at the bottom of the ocean containing an entity that sings entrancingly, Randall is making a clever reference to the concepts popularised by this genre as whole.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
<br />
:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
<br />
:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149091040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T23:01:44Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
<br />
This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
<br />
In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
<br />
The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
<br />
The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012.<br />
<br />
The title text implies that James Cameron has encountered some otherworldly, Lovecraftian being; he thought he could access it briefly, however did not count on its hypnotic or entrancing song (compared with the Sirens from the Homeric epic The Oddyssey), which led to him leaving the door open long enough for it to enter the world and possibly precipitate some horrible calamity. It is a reference to the sort of horror fiction popularised by {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}, often called "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosmicHorrorStory|cosmic horror]]", whose stories often contain godlike alien beings that are locked away or hidden in remote places, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}. There is no specific story with a door at the bottom of the ocean containing an entity that sings entrancingly, Randall is making a clever reference to the concepts popularised by this genre as whole.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
<br />
:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
<br />
:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=114908Talk:1040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T22:54:46Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>I see this comic as a reminder of two things, first that we know less about the oceans then the moon and second is that what there is always more wonderful things to learn even about something that doesn't effect your daily life. - e-inspired<br />
[[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:54, 27 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
To me, the Marianas door seemed somewhat more akin to the whole Cthulhu mythos than Hogwarts, and I'm surprised no-one's already put that forward. (But then while I'm encyclopaedic about Pratchett's works (for example, even more so than Lovecraft) I can't actually recall enough of Rowling's oevre to even ''remember'' the underwater egg thing, even though I did eventually read the whole bally lot, so perhaps it's just me.) [[Special:Contributions/178.105.185.160|178.105.185.160]] 13:28, 2 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
^It's not just you. I know next to nothing about Lovecraft and am a diehard Harry Potter fan, and it's still obvious to me that that's more of a reference to Cthulhu than to Harry Potter. {{unsigned ip|65.246.210.161}}<br />
<br />
:I fully disagree, this comic contains only REAL things. This is NO horror fiction. The door at the Mariana Trench is just a simple joke. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:01, 17 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Title text<br />
In the title text {{w|James Cameron}} is excusing about a song. Is it {{w|Celine Dion}}, or {{w|Enya}}, or what does it mean? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:20, 16 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
: It's not actually a reference to a song. Randall is implying that James Cameron encountered an otherworldly, Lovecraftian entity of some sort, and his mortal ears couldn't resist the pull of the creatures song, hence he failed to close the door in time and has possibly led to all of our deaths. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 22:54, 14 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Elevations above sea level mostly aren't shown. For instance, Crater Lake's surface is at 1883 m. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 18:17, 14 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I just added a few items that had been left off the transcript. Also I rearranged some items, according to this scheme: everything near sea level (above ~1500m down, where the Oil Well is) is now in left-to-right order, while everything below that is in top-to-bottom order. I think this makes it easier to follow.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 04:13, 7 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Well, I _did_. But since then the transcript seems to have been reverted to a version from before my changes. Which means that the items I discovered were missing from the transcript are (again) missing.... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 05:23, 21 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the Marianas Trench could be a reference to the podcast The Leviathan Chronicles. {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.102}}</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1040:_Lakes_and_Oceans&diff=1149071040: Lakes and Oceans2016-03-14T22:51:47Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1040<br />
| date = April 9, 2012<br />
| title = Lakes and Oceans<br />
| image = lakes and oceans.png<br />
| titletext = James Cameron has said that he didn't know its song would be so beautiful. He didn't close the door in time. He's sorry.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[http://xkcd.com/1040/large Full size image (2.5MB — 2592×1728)]<br />
<br />
This comic is a scale representation of our lakes and oceans, with an emphasis on how little we know about our oceans. It shows the depths and lengths to in relative scale. The ''{{w|Edmund Fitzgerald}}'' was a {{w|Great Lakes}} freighter which sank in 1975. The {{w|Russian submarine Kursk (K-141)|''Kursk'' (K-141)}} was a {{w|Russian}} nuclear submarine which sank in 2000 after an explosion. The {{w|RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania''}} was a {{w|British}} ocean liner which was famously sunk in 1915, eventually prompting the {{w|United States}} to enter {{w|World War I}}. All three of these ships were sunk in water that was shallower than they were long. The shortest was the ''Kursk'', which was 154 metres long, and sunk in water only 100 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also on the diagram is the {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}}, which famously sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, and the ''{{w|Seawise Giant}}'', which is the largest ship ever built, at 485 metres. It was scrapped in 2010. The {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} is an offshore oil well which made headlines after an explosion in 2010 caused the {{w|Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill|world's largest oil spill}}. The skyscraper the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} is also shown. The Burj Khalifa is the world tallest manmade structure, and is located in the city of {{w|Dubai}}, in the {{w|United Arab Emirates}}. The {{w|Chilean}} mine showed on the far right is the {{w|San José Mine}}, which suffered a {{w|2010 Copiapó mining accident|collapse}} in 2010, trapping 33 men 700 metres underground for 69 days. The {{w|Kola Superdeep Borehole}} also shown on the right was a {{w|Soviet}} (and later Russian) research project attempting to drill as deep into the {{w|Crust (geology)|Earth's crust}} as possible. It was abandoned in 2005, after reaching a record of 12,262 metres deep.<br />
<br />
Also shown are several notable bodies of water. There are the Great Lakes: {{w|Lake Superior}}, {{w|Lake Michigan}}, {{w|Lake Huron}}, {{w|Lake Erie}}, and {{w|Lake Ontario}}. {{w|Death Valley}} is a large, desert valley in {{w|California}}, named because the deadly climate and dry environment support very few life forms. {{w|Great Slave Lake}} is the deepest lake in {{w|North America}}, and is located in the {{w|North West Territories}}, in {{w|Canada}}. {{w|Crater Lake}} is located in {{w|Oregon}}, and is the deepest lake in the United States. {{w|Loch Ness}} is the {{w|Scotland|Scottish}} lake which is the location of the alleged "{{w|Loch Ness Monster}}". {{w|Lake Baikal}} is located in {{w|Russia}} and {{w|Mongolia}}, and is the world's deepest lake. On the far right side of the image is the {{w|Dead Sea}}, a lake near {{w|Jordan}} and {{w|Israel}} which is characterized for having such high salt levels that the waters are toxic to much marine life (hence a "dead" sea), although it does support a bacterial and algal ecosystem that is tolerant to high salt and magnesium concentrations.<br />
<br />
In the water, the ''{{w|Andrea Gail}}'' was a ship that sunk in a {{w|1991 Perfect Storm|storm}} in 1991, and was later eulogized with a {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(book)|book}} and {{w|The_Perfect_Storm_(film)|film}}. Several depth limits are shown, including the {{w|free-diving}} record (273 metres), the {{w|scuba diving}} record (330 metres), the depth bike tires go flat (approximately 100 metres), the depth at which water rushes in instead of air rushing out (approximately 2000 metres), the pressure that would push a cork into a bottle (approximately 250 metres), the depth that would push water up a faucet (approximately 75 metres), the depth an {{w|emperor penguin}} can dive (535 metres), the depth limit of an {{w|Ohio-class submarine|''Ohio''-class submarine}} (240 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|Typhoon-class submarine|''Typhoon''-class submarine}} (400 metres), the depth limit of a {{w|blue whale}} (500 metres), and the depth a {{w|leatherback sea turtle}} can dive (1280 metres).<br />
<br />
The comic also illustrates how {{w|sperm whales}} can dive as deep as 3000 metres (though don't frequently go deeper than 400 metres). It is presumed that they dive so deep to feed on {{w|giant squid}}, which can be found as deep as 3000 metres but, to our knowledge, are more commonly found in depths of 300 to 1000 metres. The fact that sperm whales can dive so deep and come up battered emphasizes Randall's point that we know so little about our oceans. Also shown are the depth limit of the {{w|DSV Alvin|DSV ''Alvin''}}, a deep-sea vessel, the {{w|mid-ocean ridge}}, an underwater mountain range which could be considered to be the largest mountain range in the world, the {{w|Puerto Rico Trench}} (and the included {{w|Milwaukee Deep}}), which is the deepest part of the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}, at 8648 metres, and the {{w|Mariana Trench|Marianas Trench}}, the deepest point of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} at 10,944 metres. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is as high as 1086 {{w|bar (unit)|bars}} and {{w|Xenophyophore|life forms}} have been found at depths as low as 10,641 metres.<br />
<br />
The marked {{w|abyssal plains}} are a deep-sea plain believed to hold a very diverse array of life forms, but are largely unexplored. The stick figures of {{w|David Bowie}} and {{w|Freddie Mercury}} are a reference to Bowie's and Queen's songs "{{w|Under Pressure}}". The label "the abyss" with its sublabel of "it's rude to stare" is a reference to the {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} quote, "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back". There's also a movie from 1989 called {{w|The Abyss}}.<br />
<br />
The door at the bottom of the {{w|Marianas Trench}} is a reference to {{w|James Cameron}}'s attempt to reach the bottom of the trench in his ''{{w|Deepsea Challenger}}'' vessel, which he filmed with 3D cameras in 2012.<br />
<br />
The title text's allusion of music playing when Cameron opened this door may or may not be referencing anything. However, possibilities include:<br />
*The door positioned as a hatch could reference the hatch in the ''{{w|Lost (TV series)|Lost}}'' television series, which characters spent a season trying to get into, and reaching it ultimately led to many deaths and calamities.<br />
*It also could be a reference to {{w|H. P. Lovecraft}}: his stories often contain things locked away that shouldn't be released, such as {{w|Cthulhu}} and {{w|Azathoth}}, the latter of these is connected to music, but not to oceans, and the former of which to oceans, but not music.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A Map of lakes and oceans showing the depths of various lakes and ocean attributes.]<br />
<br />
:Lakes and Oceans Depths and animal/ship/boat lengths are to scale; horizontal distance is not.<br />
<br />
:Fun Fact: The ''Edmund Fitzgerald'', The Kursk, and The Lusitania all sank in water shallower than they were long.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
| Edmund Fitzgerald<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Superior<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Michigan<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Huron<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Erie<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Ontario<br />
|-<br />
| Death Valley<br />
|-<br />
| Great Slave Lake Crater<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Loch Ness<br />
|-<br />
| Lake Baikal<br />
|-<br />
| Burj Khalifa<br />
|-<br />
| Kursk<br />
|-<br />
| Lusitania Aircraft carrier<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic<br />
|-<br />
| Seawise Giant (largest ship ever)<br />
|-<br />
| Free-diving depth record Andrea Gail (probably)<br />
|-<br />
| Scuba record<br />
|-<br />
| Bike tires go flat Pressure at this depth would force water up a household faucet<br />
|-<br />
| Emperor penguin<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Typhoon-class nuclear sub depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| Blue whale<br />
|-<br />
| Leatherback turtle<br />
|-<br />
| Deepwater horizion<br />
|-<br />
| Dead sea<br />
|-<br />
| Kola borehole aiolo| Soviet project to try to drill through the Earth's crust to the mantle just to see what would happen. Russians are awesome.<br />
|-<br />
| Chilean mine collapse<br />
|-<br />
| miner refuge Sperm whales dive this deep (they come up covered in wounds and sucker marks, so presumably there are big squid down here? ... man, we know nothing about the ocean.)<br />
|-<br />
| Mid-ocean ridge<br />
|-<br />
| Titanic (sunk bow & stern)<br />
|-<br />
| Abyssal plain<br />
|-<br />
| Alvin depth limit<br />
|-<br />
| David Bowie & Freddie Mercury<br />
|-<br />
| Puerto Rico<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Milwaukee<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Marianas<br />
|-<br />
| Trench Challenger<br />
|-<br />
| Deep Mysterious door which James Cameron built his sub to reach and open. He will not say what he found within.<br />
|-<br />
| Mauna Kea, Hawaii (accurate horizontal scale)<br />
|-<br />
| Marianas trench<br />
|-<br />
| Oil<br />
|}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114906941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:28:53Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D image - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. He uses strong reading glasses to hold up a smartphone, and feeds the far more offset images of the webcam feeds to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, which would normally be too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
This technique doesn't give him the view as if he were a giant as in the final panel, but rather as if he were a giant "at the bottom of an abyss" as per the second-last panel, as the clouds are higher than the goalposts on which the cameras are mounted. The final panel is some artistic license to give the reader a real sense of what it feels like for Cueball to carry this out; it shows us that he has finally achieved a more truthful perspective on the size and shapes of the clouds than he had when he started.<br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the 1969 song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell; the full chorus runs: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down and still somehow / It's cloud illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all." Binocular depth perception involves seeing the same object from slightly different angles, from 'both sides', so Randall is taking the song lyric and literalising it. The song itself has a bittersweet tone and relates to how you understand things differently as you mature, but still don't necessarily feel like you understand them at all, so the tone also fits pretty un-ironically into the theme of the comic.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114905941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:27:04Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D image - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. He uses strong reading glasses to hold up a smartphone, and feeds the far more offset images of the webcam feeds to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, which would normally be too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
This technique doesn't give him the view as if he were a giant as in the final panel, but rather as if he were a giant "at the bottom of an abyss" as per the second-last panel, as the clouds are higher than the goalposts on which the cameras are mounted. The final panel is some artistic license to give the reader a real sense of what it feels like for Cueball to carry this out; it's a possibility Cueball might feel would happen if he stood up.<br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the 1969 song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell; the full chorus runs: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down and still somehow / It's cloud illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all." Binocular depth perception involves seeing the same object from slightly different angles, from 'both sides', so Randall is taking the song lyric and literalising it. The song itself has a bittersweet tone and relates to how you understand things differently as you mature, but still don't necessarily feel like you understand them at all, so the tone also fits pretty un-ironically into the theme of the comic.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114904941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:23:52Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D image - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. He uses strong reading glasses to hold up a smartphone, and feeds the far more offset images of the webcam feeds to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, which would normally be too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
This technique doesn't give him the view as if he were a giant as in the final panel, but rather as if he were a giant "at the bottom of an abyss" as per the second-last panel, as the clouds ae higher than the goalposts on which the cameras are mounted. The final panel is some artistic license to give the reader a real sense of what it feels like for Cueball to carry this out; it's a possibility Cueball might feel would happen if he stood up.<br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the 1969 song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell; the full chorus runs: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down and still somehow / It's cloud illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all." The song has a bittersweet tone and relates to how you understand things differently as you mature, but still don't necessarily feel like you understand them at all, so the tone fits pretty un-ironically into the theme of the comic.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114903941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:18:53Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D image - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. He uses strong reading glasses to hold up a smartphone, and feeds the far more offset images of the webcam feeds to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, which would normally be too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the 1969 song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell; the full chorus runs: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down and still somehow / It's cloud illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all." The song has a bittersweet tone and relates to how you understand things differently as you mature, but still don't necessarily feel like you understand it at all, so the tone fits pretty un-ironically into the theme of the comic.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114900941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:04:18Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D image - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. uses strong reading glasses and side-by-side webcam images, he feeds these far more offset images to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, normally too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=941:_Depth_Perception&diff=114899941: Depth Perception2016-03-14T22:03:32Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 941<br />
| date = August 22, 2011<br />
| title = Depth Perception<br />
| image = depth_perception.png<br />
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is one of those that is less focused on humour and more focused on a sense of wonder at the world for both [[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] and the reader.<br />
<br />
Cueball discusses how difficult it is to intuitively feel the reality of how vast the things he sees every day and night are - how big the clouds are, and how far away the stars are. {{w|Depth perception|depth perception}} - seeing things in 3-D rather than as a flat 2-D images - is partly created by having "binocular vision", or two eyes spaced apart. Each eye sees a slightly different angle on a scene, and the brain combines these two views to give a genuinely three-dimensional view of something. 3-D glasses work the same way, by feeding a slightly offset image into each eye. When you look at far away objects, the offset from each eye is undetectable, and so they may look more like flat 2-D images - hence the impression Cueball has of stars being painted onto a dome rather than being extremely large, far away objects at very different distances. <br />
<br />
He wonders if he can work around this impression as far as the clouds are concerned... Normally, Cueballs eyes are a few centimetres apart, like everyone elses, and his 3-D perspective is based on that scale. Here, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, which are 360 feet apart instead of a few centimetres. uses strong reading glasses and side-by-side webcam images, he feeds these far more offset images to each eye so that his brain will create a 3-D perspective of the clouds, normally too massive for the offset between two human eyes to grasp their three-dimensional structure in the same way as smaller, closer things. <br />
<br />
The reason for the reversal of the "right camera" and "left camera" panes on the smartphone screen is unclear, this is likely just to be a mistake.<br />
<br />
The title text is a line from the song "{{w|Both Sides Now}}" by Joni Mitchell.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The entire comic is narrated by Cueball, and never spoken by the Cueball shown in the examples. All dialog is shown in rectangular frames overlaid on the comic panels.]<br />
<br />
:[In the first panel the background shows a cloudy sky in color, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue gray smear. Towards the bottom the horizon and the ground appear dark almost black at the very bottom. Two frames with two lines of text are at the top left and right, similar below except the one to the left has four lines and the one to the right only one line.]<br />
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.<br />
:I ''know'' they're huge. I can see their shapes.<br />
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.<br />
:They're a backdrop.<br />
<br />
:[The next panel is split in three parts. The top part is in a single frame. The middle part is frame-less and only has text - the only narrating not inside one of the frames. Then at the bottom there are two frames overlaid over three small panels in a row]<br />
<br />
:[In the top part of the 2ns panel stands Cueball on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is about three times as tall as Cueball. Above the dome there is one frame with text. There is also two labeled arrows pointing to the dome and the disk.]<br />
:Stars are the same way.<br />
::Arrow up: Sky<br />
::Arrow down: Ground <br />
<br />
:[Text in between the top and the bottom panels:]<br />
:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with text is overlaid above (three lines of text) and below (one line of text) the three panels described first. Those three panels are all inverted with black background and white Cueball:]<br />
:[Left panel: Cueball stands on a curved surface, looking up.]<br />
:[Middle panel: The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface Cueball is standing on is in the top left of the panel. Cueball is now looking down, leaning back, and waving his arms trying to regain balance.<br />
:[Right panel: The perspective of the scene returns to normal, Cueball is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help him balance.]<br />
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,<br />
:But then everything snaps back.<br />
<br />
:[An American football field is shown with Cueball drawn very small near the middle. Sections at the left tips of each of the goal posts are highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. These insert shows the two webcams mounted on the top of the very tip, one for each goal posts. There are two frames with text above the field, the top one most to the left with one line, the second directly below it with two lines, and below the field there is also one frame with one line in it.]<br />
:So one summer afternoon<br />
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,<br />
:Pointed them at the sky,<br />
<br />
:[The next two frames with two lines of text each are stretched over the two middle panels in this second row of panels:]<br />
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen. There are four arrows pointing to the two items and to each of the two parts of the screen. They all have labels which are between the two lines of text, but here shown below for clarity.]<br />
:[The next panel shows the completed phone glasses assembly.]<br />
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.<br />
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,<br />
::Arrow top left: Right camera<br />
::Arrow top right: Smartphone<br />
::Arrow bottom left: Very strong reading glasses<br />
::Arrow bottom right: Left camera<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands wearing the phone glasses assembly, one hand held up to the device, staring into the sky. There are two frames one above and one below with two lines of text each:]<br />
:And I stood in my living room<br />
:At the bottom of an abyss<br />
<br />
:[Another colored panel with blue sky and clouds below the top part of the panel from left to right. Cueball is now a giant who stands in the middle of the frame on the shore of a coastline with a small island off the coast, only a step away for him. A city is near his right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind him with mountains that are also only barely ankle high. A river flows past the mountains and joins another coming from them on it's way down towards the coast. Cueball is standing with his head well above cloud level as clouds swim around him. At the top above and left of his head the last frame with one line of text is located:]<br />
:Watching mountains drift by.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:American football]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:339:_Classic&diff=114846Talk:339: Classic2016-03-14T03:09:43Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>Looks very much like a turntable and speaker to me. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.45}}<br />
<br />
My guess is it's a sarcastic reference to how many songs heavily borrow from Pachelbel's canon in D. In Stairway the clean arpeggiated beginning of the song and the solo around the referenced part of the song, IIRC, as well as Procul Harem's Whiter Shade of Pale are variations on the work, in different keys. The listener knows this but doesn't know Pachelbel's long dead. Just my 2c. If I was certain I'd change the page. If you're convinced please do so. Steve T [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.188|108.162.219.188]] 11:52, 19 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The real question is if Randall is a defener(TM) or not. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.219|108.162.231.219]] 15:48, 19 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It looks a little like a turntable and speaker to me; if that's what it is supposed to be, I hope that Randall would have made it look more like that. But my only other idea is an iPhone/iPod in a dock, and that argument has a hard time convincing even me. I also think that the title text is a straightforward reference to the talented Lim Jeong-hyun, whom Randall is saying should be supported and encouraged towards greatness. StephenP [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 21:08, 19 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't think having only one explanation is necessary. The comic really could be interpreted either way; there is no "right" way to interpret it. As long as it's clear that they're two different intepretations, it's better to have all the detail and let the reader decide. Can we remove the incomplete? [[User:LogicalOxymoron|LogicalOxymoron]] ([[User talk:LogicalOxymoron|talk]]) 19:21, 12 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree with ^ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.205|108.162.249.205]] 01:19, 12 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I disagree; the two explanations aren't really distinct enough to warrant an alternative, and should be combined into one. The point, as I see it, is that baby boomer music is better in many ways - not just lyrically. It's just not a complicated or ambiguous comic to confuse readers with a second explain. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.55}}<br />
<br />
Changed the bracketed part in the transcript - the guitarist for Led Zeppelin is Jimmy Page, not Robert Plant. Robert Plant is the vocalist though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.69|108.162.245.69]] 02:38, 7 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
; Pachelbel Kid<br />
By "Pachelbel kid", isn't he maybe referring to the guy in the famous [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM "Pachelbel Rant" video from 2006?], implying that in the current generation there are also people that show actual musical talent?--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.75|198.41.243.75]] 19:10, 24 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: I have no idea. I rewrote that section because the previous version didn't make any sense, but I haven't linked to that video because I don't know how that fits into the joke and what he's referring to. Was the video spiking in popularity when the comic came out? Is it a well-known meme that an internetter of the mid '00s would have recognised? I don't know so I didn't include that when I edited it, but there's scope for someone to do that if it makes sense. for that to be Randall's joke. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 03:09, 14 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=114844339: Classic2016-03-14T03:05:55Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. Led Zeppelin were active during the 1970s, with Stairway To Heaven being released in 1971; as such, the music belongs to the {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}}. After the song fades out to the end, he expresses how much it's affected him by stating that the baby boomers are winning over his own generation at music. The way in which the lyrics are written evokes the sound of this particular song as it finishes and fades out.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}}. Pachelbel's Canon is the informal name for the first movement of a piece of classical music by Johann Pachelbel, called "Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo", written in the late 17th century. The music recently became popular again - during the era Led Zeppelin were most active - and is now found everywhere in pop culture. The joke is in the irony; the person speaking the title text is apparently unaware that the party he's offering a recording contract to has been dead since 1706.<br />
<br />
Classical Music was a movement which produced many musical compositions still remembered hundreds of years afterward, and the word 'classic' is now used to describe something that remains popular long after its time. The "Baby Boomer generation" is known for having created many musicians still well-loved today, including:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. A guitarist (possibly meant to be Jimmy Page) can be seen in an inset in the top left corner of the first two panels.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=114843339: Classic2016-03-14T03:04:04Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. Led Zeppelin were active during the 1970s, with Stairway To Heaven being released in 1971; as such, the music belongs to the {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}}. After the song fades out to the end, he expresses how much it's affected him by stating that the baby boomers are winning over his own generation at music. The way in which the lyrics are written evokes the sound of this particular song as it finishes and fades out.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}}. Pachelbel's Canon is the informal name for the first movement of a piece of classical music by Johann Pachelbel, called "Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo", written in the late 17th century. The music recently became popular again - during the era Led Zeppelin were most active - and is now found everywhere in pop culture. The joke is in the irony; the person speaking the title text is apparently unaware that the party he's offering a recording contract to has been dead since 1706.<br />
<br />
The title text (and indirectly the title itself) reference Classical Music, a movement which produced many musical compositions still remembered hundreds of years afterward. 'Classic' is used to describe something that remains popular long after its time. The "Baby Boomer generation" is known for having created many musicians still well-loved today, including:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. A guitarist (possibly meant to be Jimmy Page) can be seen in an inset in the top left corner of the first two panels.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=114842339: Classic2016-03-14T03:02:54Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. Led Zeppelin were active during the 1970s, with Stairway To Heaven being released in 1971; as such, the music belongs to the {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}}. After the song fades out to the end, he expresses how much it's affected him by stating that the baby boomers are winning over his own generation at music. The way in which the lyrics are written evokes the sound of this particular song as it finishes and fades out.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}}. Pachelbel's Canon is the informal name for the first movement of a piece of classical music by Johann Pachelbel, called "Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo", written in the late 17th century. The music recently became popular again - during the era Led Zeppelin were most active - and is now found everywhere in pop culture. The joke is in the irony; the person speaking the title text is apparently unaware that the party he's offering a recording contract to has been dead since 1706.<br />
<br />
The title text and the title itself) reference Classical Music, a movement which produced many musical compositions still remembered hundreds of years afterward. The "Baby Boomer generation" is known for having created many musicians still well-loved today, including:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. A guitarist (possibly meant to be Jimmy Page) can be seen in an inset in the top left corner of the first two panels.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=339:_Classic&diff=114841339: Classic2016-03-14T02:53:34Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 339<br />
| date = November 7, 2007<br />
| title = Classic<br />
| image = classic.png<br />
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. Led Zeppelin were active during the 1970s, with Stairway To Heaven being released in 1971; as such, the music belongs to the {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}}. After the song fades out to the end, he expresses how much it's affected him by stating that the baby boomers are winning over his own generation at music. The way in which the lyrics are written evokes the sound of this particular song as it finishes and fades out.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}} and all that modern interpretations shown up on {{w|YouTube}}. Younger people need to support talented musicians from their own generation.<br />
<br />
The title of this comic refers also to {{w|Classical music}}, artworks still remembered after hundreds years after the creation. Modern music will be forgotten after a few years. But the "Baby Boomer generation" did create many still today well known musicians including but not limited to:<br />
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}<br />
*{{w|The Who}}<br />
*{{w|Deep Purple}}<br />
*{{w|Genesis}}<br />
*{{w|The Doors}}<br />
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}<br />
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}<br />
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}<br />
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}<br />
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}<br />
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}<br />
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}<br />
*{{w|The Beatles}}<br />
*...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. A guitarist (possibly meant to be Jimmy Page) can be seen in an inset in the top left corner of the first two panels.]<br />
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul<br />
<br />
:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll<br />
<br />
:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our <u>ASSES</u>.<br />
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Music]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=482:_Height&diff=114840482: Height2016-03-14T02:07:41Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Objects */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 482<br />
| date = September 29, 2008<br />
| title = Height<br />
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]<br />
| image = height.png<br />
| titletext = Interestingly, on a true vertical log plot, I think the Eiffel Tower's sides would really be straight lines.<br />
}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic is a companion piece to [[485: Depth]]. Where ''Depth'' uses a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to depict the Earth at progressively greater magnification, from Earth's surface to the interior of a single proton, ''Height'' uses a logarithmic scale to depict the contents of the universe at progressively smaller distances, from the edge of the observable universe to the grass beneath our feet.<br />
<br />
Starting from the top, as one often does when reading comics, we begin with the top of the observable universe, described as being 46 billion {{w|light years}} out from the Earth. Randall is stating that this is the longest distance that a ray of light has ever traveled to reach Earth, which implies that the universe is about 46 billion years old. However, the universe is actually about 14 billion years old, but they universe is expanding and light expands with it [http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/11/aa21529-13/aa21529-13.html Planck 2013 results]. To the right of the text, [[Black Hat]] stands atop the comic, having just dropped a cat off the edge; he may be testing if cats always land on their feet, or may just be being a jerk, per his usual character. As one scrolls down, the depicted distances become less compressed, until arriving at the surface of Earth, all the while approaching a 1:1 scale with real-life distances. As shown in [[1162: Log Scale]], if Randall didn't do this, the comic would be much, MUCH longer.<br />
<br />
In this comic, most objects that are grounded on Earth are scaled logarithmically on the vertical axes and linearly on the horizontal axes (some are scaled linearly on both axes). Displaying objects in this manner noticeably distorts their shape; the Great Pyramid, for instance, looks not like a pyramid but like a bullet. In the title text, Randall muses on how the inwardly-curved sides of the Eiffel Tower might actually become perfectly straightened when subjected to this logarithmic distortion, although it is shown to bulge in the comic proper, meaning Randall probably doesn't fully believe his own musings. The actual shape of the Tower approximates an {{w|Exponential function|exponential curve}}, which would indeed give a straight line on a log scale, although it was actually designed by {{w|Gustave Eiffel}} to minimize wind resistance rather than to be mathematically exact (the design is so perfect that the amount the Tower sways in the wind is less than the amount it is distorted due to thermal expansion of the sunlit side).<br />
<br />
Outside of the Earth's atmosphere, the objects are placed at their actual distances from Earth on the log scale, but their shapes are not subjected to the logarithmic scaling of Earth objects, instead appearing as they would be seen (otherwise, round objects like the sun would appear more egg shaped, with the flatter side facing upward). However, objects are still much larger or much smaller than they would be in real life, in order to allow them to be properly seen.<br />
<br />
===Objects===<br />
All objects are sorted from bottom to top by their maximum distance from earth for objects in a solar orbit, and their current distance for others.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Distance<br />
! Object<br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| Black Hat and cat<br />
| Black Hat kicking a cat off the top of the comic, presumably to determine whether it will land on its feet.<br />
|-<br />
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Top of {{w|observable universe}}<br />
|-<br />
| 11.3&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Hubble Deep Field}} objects<br />
| Objects of extremely distant galaxies found in a long-exposure photograph by of the Hubble telescope, 12 billion light-years away. The right most object is probably intended to be a pulsar, schematically shown from the side.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One billion light years<br />
|-<br />
| 3.1&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Quasar}}<br />
| A supermassive black hole at the center of some young, distant galaxies, the energy released by stuff as it falls into them makes them the brightest known objects, the black hole eventually gets too big so the huge amounts of energy can't escape, but while they're active, they outshine entire clusters of galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 2.36&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Great Attractor}}<br />
| An unusual concentration of intergalactic mass.<br />
|-<br />
| 425&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Antennae Galaxies}} (colliding)<br />
| A pair of colliding galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 23.6&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}}<br />
| A sibling to our Milky Way. It is the nearest spiral galaxy to ours.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One million light years<br />
|-<br />
| 2.38&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cat-on-a-keyboard-in-space Cat on a keyboard in space]<br />
| An internet meme featuring a picture of a cat sitting on a musical keyboard, superimposed on an image of space.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.56&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Magellanic Clouds}}<br />
| These clouds are a pair of nearby dwarf galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 263&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| Edge of Galaxy<br />
| The edge of the {{w|Milky Way}} galaxy, the galaxy in which we reside.<br />
|-<br />
| 245&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Galactic Center}}<br />
| The center of the Milky Way galaxy.<br />
|-<br />
| 61.5&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Crab Nebula}}<br />
| Nebula are supernova remnants<br />
|-<br />
| 14.2&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Horsehead Nebula}}<br />
| A dark nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation.<br />
|-<br />
| 12.7&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Orion Nebula}}<br />
| A nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation, just south of Orion's Belt.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.14&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Rigel}}<br />
| The brightest star in the Orion Constellation it is actually a triple star system known alternatively as Beta Orionis<br />
|-<br />
| 6.08&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Betelgeuse}}<br />
| The star Betelgeuse is displayed along with the location of {{w|Ford_Prefect (character)|Ford Prefect}} on his home planet which orbits Betelgeuse. Ford Prefect is a fictional character from the science fiction parody {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 4.20&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pleiades}}<br />
| The Pleiades also have a derogatory remark, as per [[66: Abusive Astronomy]]<br />
|-<br />
| 2.90&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| The [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Romulan_Neutral_Zone Romulan Neutral Zone]<br />
| This marks the edge of the {{w|Star Trek}} Federation.<br />
|-<br />
| 931&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | The first radio broadcast was in January 1910. Since radio waves travel at the speed of light, and this was published in September of 2008 this the radio waves traveled about 98.5 light years. See {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} for a depiction of this. This is also referenced in [[1212: Interstellar Memes]].<br />
|-<br />
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Arcturus}}<br />
| An orange giant star that is part of the Boötes constellation.<br />
|-<br />
| 320&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pollux}}<br />
| One of the most distinct stars in the Gemini Constellation it is large Orange Giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 1.1<br />
|-<br />
| 242&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| The edge of {{w|Federation Sector 0-0-1}}<br />
| The sector of space assigned to Earth in {{w|Star Trek}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 224&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|"missing WMDs"}}<br />
| A reference to the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were used as a pretence to mobilize the world population against Iraq, and start the Iraq war.<br />
|-<br />
| 81.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Sirius}}<br />
|Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, the Dog Star, or the North Star it is actually a binary system of Stars consisting of a main sequence white star and a small white dwarf.<br />
|-<br />
| 56.6&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Barnard's Star}}<br />
| Barnards star is a very small red giant that is of great interest to astronomers as an achievement in the SIM (Space Interforometry Mission) to find a celestial object out of solar system that is a s small as 3 earth masses<br />
|-<br />
| 41.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Alpha Centauri}}<br />
| Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our planet.<br />
|-<br />
| 30.9&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One parsec.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One light-year.<br />
|-<br />
| 15.0&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Oort cloud}}<br />
| A halo of ice balls surrounding our solar system, but missing the {{w|Kupier belt}} between Neptune and the Oort cloud.<br />
|-<br />
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Bupkis}}<br />
| Yiddish for "nothing". Only a handful of objects are known to orbit between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.<br />
|-<br />
| 55.0&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| A comet which will destroy earth in late 2063 <br />
| To coincide with the latest biblicaly based prophesy for the [http://www.askelm.com/prophecy/p971105.htm end of the world].<br />
|-<br />
| 19.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Voyager 1}}<br />
| An early space probe. Distance correct as of 20th Nov 2014, click [http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/ here] to see NASA's live distance counter.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pioneer 10}}<br />
| Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_10#Current_status|this information}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 17.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pioneer 11}}<br />
| By the similarity in appearance to Pioneer 10 this unlabeled probe must be Pioneer 11. Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_11#Current_status|this information}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 14.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}}<br />
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. The "All hail Discordia!" after Eris is a reference to {{w|Discordianism}}, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek religion based around the goddess Eris. The distance is the maximum distance from earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 7.50&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pluto}}<br />
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. Pluto was originally classified as the 9th planet of the Solar system. Many people were appalled when it was suddenly degraded to dwarf planet. Obviously Randall does not think much of these people thus the comment: ''Not a planet. Neener neener''. The distance is the maximum distance of Pluto from Earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 4.70&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Neptune}} <br />
| Neptune is displayed here with its moons. Neptune is the eighth and final planet in our solar system.<br />
|-<br />
| 3.20&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Uranus}} <br />
| Uranus is dispayed here with its moons. Uranus is the seventh planet in our solar system.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.67&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Saturn}} <br />
| Saturn is displayed along with its moons. One of Saturn's moons, most likely Enceladus, is labeled as a potential location to find life. Enceladus was known in 2008 to have a possible subsurface ocean and active geysers, and a paper co-authored by well-known planetary scientist Caroline Porco in Astrobiology during that year (when the comic was published) spelt out the case for searching for life there (McKay et al. 2008 "The Possible Origin and Persistence of Life on Enceladus and Detection of Biomarkers in the Plume", Astrobiology 8(5):909-919). In 2015, the Cassini probe sampled material thought to be from Enceladus' geysers, and scientists have found evidence that it's subsurface ocean closely resembles a particular kind of deep sea hydrothermal environment on Earth known to harbour life.<br />
<br />
A more distant possibility is that Randall is referencing Titan, the only known moon to have an atmosphere and lakes. It was long predicted that there may be bodies of liquid on the surface filled with liquid methane and ethane (Titan is too cold for liquid water and life as we know it, but ethane and methane remain a liquid at those temperatures). There is some speculation that exotic forms of life based on extremely cold exotic chemistries may form in such conditions, with liquid hydrocarbons playing the role of the solvent (the role water plays in terrestrial life).<br />
|-<br />
| 928&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Jupiter}} <br />
| Jupiter is displayed along with its moons. One of Jupiter's moons, most likely Europa, is labeled as a potential location to find life. Europa may be covered by a deep ocean of water found under a layer of ice many kilometers thick. Some hypothisize that life could have formed in such oceans.<br />
|-<br />
| 222&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| Asteroids<br />
| The {{w|Asteroid|Asteroid belt}} contains a spaceship from {{w|Asteroids (video game)}}<br />
|-<br />
| 133&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mars}}<br />
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 261 million km and a minimum of 54.6 million km.<br />
|-<br />
| 114&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Venus}}<br />
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 401 million km and a minimum of 37.7 million km.<br />
|-<br />
| 138&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mercury}}<br />
| Mercury is the first planet in out solar system. The distance shown is the maximum distance from Earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 149&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Sun}}<br />
| The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, around which the Earth orbits.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.3&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Discovery One}}<br />
| The Discovery One from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}, referring to the quote "open the pod bay door, HAL." Also may be a reference to [[375: Pod Bay Doors]].<br />
|-<br />
| 9.43&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| Planet Express<br />
| The spaceplane is most likely the Planet Express from {{w|Futurama}}, where Fry once discussed "a big heaping bowl of salt." <br />
|-<br />
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| Human Altitude Record <br />
| Achieved by the team of {{w|Apollo 13}} approximately 100km higher than the remaining Apollo missions.<br />
|-<br />
| 384&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Moon}} <br />
| The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite.<br />
|-<br />
| 90.4&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Snoop Dogg}}<br />
| A tongue-in-cheek reference to a rapper notorious for smoking marijuana, shown as having the second-highest altitude record. Someone who is taking drugs is said to be getting high.<br />
|-<br />
| 60.5&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space elevator}}<br />
| A proposed method of transporting cargo or people into orbit, consisting of a large mass beyond geosynchronous orbit, a station at the geosynchronous point, a cable connecting it to the Earth, and a climber that can scale the cable. Space elevators are also seen in [[697: Tensile vs. Shear Strength]] and [[536: Space Elevators]].<br />
|-<br />
| 42.1&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | {{w|Geosynchronous orbit|Geosynchronous Orbit}}<br />
|-<br />
| 20.2&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|GPS (satellite)|GPS Satellites}}<br />
| GPS satellites are used for global positioning.<br />
|-<br />
| 3.94&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Lunar Lander}} <br />
| The quote is a reference to {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} where the main character Ellie Arroway after witnessing a celestial light show up close says "Poetry! They should've sent a poet.".<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space debris|Space Junk}}<br />
| There is a large quantity of defunct objects in orbit around the earth. Amongst other things, this includes old satellites, rocket stages and fragments from collisions or disintegration. Space junk is also referenced in [[1242: Scary Names]] under the title {{w|Kessler syndrome}}<br />
|-<br />
| 422.5&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|International Space Station}}<br />
| The ISS (International Space Station) is a multinational effort to put a research vessel in space. It is currently the largest artifical object in Earth's orbit, as well as the location of the longest continuous human presence in space.<br />
|-<br />
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | The {{w|Edge of space|official edge of space}} as defined by the {{w|Kármán line}}<br />
|-<br />
| 76.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Meteors}}<br />
| Meteors are chunks of rock (usually asteroids) that burn up in the atmosphere, producing the bright light associated with them. If they are large enough to hit the ground, they become meteorites, which is why Munroe labeled them only in the upper atmosphere.<br />
|-<br />
| 25.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|High-altitude balloon|High-altitude balloons}}<br />
| Unmanned balloons, typically filled with helium or hydrogen. The current altitude record was set in 2002 by a balloon named BU60-1 which reached 53,000m.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.1&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/10 ATM = 0.1 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}<br />
|-<br />
| 12.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Airliner|Airliners}}<br />
| This is a typical cruising altitude of jet aircraft, equating to roughly 40,000 feet. (Aircraft altitude tends to be specified in feet rather than metres (yay!) ) <br />
|-<br />
| 8.84&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mount Everest}} <br />
| The Earths highest mountain, located in the {{w|Himalayas|Himalayan mountain range}} in South Asia.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Cory Doctorow}} <br />
| Cory Doctorow in a balloon, a reference to comic [[239: Blagofaire]].<br />
|-<br />
| 6.34&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}} <br />
| The {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia}} and its seven crew were lost when it disintegrated at [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6v16AgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA7&ots=LDKQ3nsNHs&dq=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&f=false approximately 63,400m] in 2003. This number is inconsistent with the height of the graph by a factor of 10 probably a mistype by Randall.<br />
|-<br />
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Helicopter}} <br />
| Though the record for helicopter altitude (without payload) is 12,442m, normal flying is usually performed much lower. In the US, 6000m is into {{w|Class A airspace}}, which is restricted and requires flight under {{w|Instrument Flight Rules}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Cloud}} <br />
| Though not actually labelled there are a couple of clouds shown. While different cloud types vary in height, 6000m is roughly in the middle of the height range for clouds in temperate regions [http://weatherfaqs.org.uk/node/21]<br />
|-<br />
| 5.49&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/2 ATM = 0.5 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}<br />
|-<br />
| 1.78&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| [[Cueball]] <br />
| Apparently still using Python as shown in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 800 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Burj Khalifa|Burj Dubai}} <br />
| Now known as the Burj Khalifa, is the tallest building in the world.<br />
|-<br />
| 500&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 500 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 400 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 325&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Eiffel Tower}} <br />
| A famous landmark in Paris, France.<br />
|-<br />
| 300&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 300 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 200&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 200 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 150&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| Kite <br />
| Kite string is commonly sold in large spools; a nice thick spool will probably hold 150 meters.<br />
|-<br />
| 140&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Great Pyramid of Giza}} <br />
| One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is located in Egypt.<br />
|-<br />
| 120&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Baseball|Pop Fly}} <br />
| In Baseball a 'Pop Fly' is when the batter mis-hits the baseball, which then follows a tall arc deep into the infield where it's easy picking for the other team to catch on its way down. The highest recorded pop fly, not including those that landed in foul territory, was 172 meters.<br />
|-<br />
| 115&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Redwood Tree|Redwood trees}} <br />
| The tallest trees in the world. At 115.61m (379.3ft) {{w|Hyperion (tree)|Hyperion}}, a Coast Redwood, holds the record for the tallest tree in the world.<br />
|-<br />
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 100 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 20.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Oak}} <br />
| While oaks may grow to be in excess of 40m in height, heights of around 20m are more typical. The person in the tree saying, "Hey, squirrels!" is a reference to [[167: Nihilism]].<br />
|-<br />
| 16.4&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| Tallest stilts <br />
| The tallest {{w|stilts}} recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records (as of November 2006) were 16.4 meters, or nearly 54 feet.<br />
|-<br />
| 13.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Brachiosaurus|Brachiosaur}}<br />
| A large genus of dinosaur.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Giraffe}} <br />
| The tallest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown adults reaching in excess of 5 m. While labelled 8m in the comic, the [http://www.big-animals.com/the-giraffe-the-worlds-tallest-animal/ record] for height is reported at 5.8m.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.70&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Human height|Folks}}<br />
| Determining an average height of the world population is fraught with complications, but as a ballpark figure 1.7m is fairly accurate.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:'''Top of observable universe'''<br />
:[Black Hat is standing on top, throwing a black kitty down.]<br />
:Black Cat: Mrowl!<br />
:[Map of the universe from observable universe to Earth. Each area of item is labeled. Labels left to right, up to down:]<br />
:(46 billion light years up)<br />
::Hubble Deep Field Objects<br />
:-One billion light years-<br />
::Great Attractor<br />
::Antennae Galaxies (colliding)<br />
::Andromeda<br />
::Holy crap lots of space<br />
:-One million light years-<br />
::Magellanic Clouds<br />
::Edge of galaxy<br />
::Galactic center<br />
::Crab Nebula<br />
::Orion Nebula<br />
::Horsehead Nebula<br />
::Romulan neutral zone<br />
::The Pleiades, duh!<br />
::Rigel<br />
::Betelgeuse<br />
::Ford Prefect<br />
:[Three arrows are pointing up above three lines with the following label:]<br />
:-Expanding shell of radio transmissions-<br />
::[Above a dotted line:]<br />
::Edge of federation sector 0-0-1<br />
::Pollux<br />
::Arcturus<br />
::Missing WMDs<br />
::Sirius<br />
::Barnard's Star<br />
::Alpha Centauri<br />
:-One parsec-<br />
:-One light year-<br />
::Oort Cloud (?)<br />
::Bupkis<br />
::Comet which will destroy Earth in late 2063<br />
::Pioneer 10<br />
::Voyager I<br />
::Eris (All hail Discordia!)<br />
::Pluto (Not a planet. Neener neener.)<br />
::Neptune<br />
::Uranus<br />
::Saturn<br />
::[Two arrows point to two moons, one next to each of the planets aboe and below.]<br />
::<-- Life --><br />
::Jupiter<br />
::Asteroids<br />
::Mars<br />
::Venus<br />
::Sun<br />
::Mercury<br />
::Spaceship Planet Express: Hey, a heaping bowl of salt!<br />
::Spaceship Discovery One: Open the fridge door, Hal.<br />
::Moon<br />
::Human altitude record (Apollo 13)<br />
::2nd place: Snoop Dogg<br />
::Space elevator - One of these days, promise!<br />
::Geosynchronous Orbit<br />
::GPS satellites<br />
::Lunar lander: In retrospect, they <u>shouldn't</u> have sent a poet. I have no idea how to land.<br />
::International Space Station<br />
::Space junk<br />
:-Official edge of space (100 km)-<br />
::Meteors<br />
:-1/10 ATM-<br />
::High altitude balloons<br />
::Airliners<br />
::Shuttle Columbia lost<br />
:-1/2 ATM-<br />
::Cory Doctrow<br />
::Everest<br />
::Helicopters (6000 m)<br />
::Cueball: Woo Python!<br />
::[A vertical scale is drawn along the right side of the picture, starting at 1 km and getting progressivly smaller and smaller.]<br />
:1 km<br />
:-800 m-<br />
::Burj Dubai (~800 m)<br />
:500<br />
:400<br />
::Eiffel Tower (325 m)<br />
:200<br />
::Kites<br />
::Great Pyramid (140 m)<br />
::Pop fly<br />
::Redwood (115 m)<br />
:100m<br />
::Oak (20 m)<br />
::A person in the oak: Hey squirrels!<br />
::Tallest stilts<br />
::Brachiosaur (13 m)<br />
::Giraffe (8 m)<br />
::[Megan and Cueball holding the kite are labeled:] <br />
::Folks<br />
:'''The observable universe, from top to bottom''''<br />
::~On a log scale~<br />
::Sizes are not to scale, but heights above the Earth's surface are accurate on a log scale (that is, each step up is double the height.)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Space probes]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]<br />
[[Category:Giraffes]]<br />
[[Category:Kites]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=482:_Height&diff=114839482: Height2016-03-14T02:00:23Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Objects */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 482<br />
| date = September 29, 2008<br />
| title = Height<br />
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]<br />
| image = height.png<br />
| titletext = Interestingly, on a true vertical log plot, I think the Eiffel Tower's sides would really be straight lines.<br />
}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic is a companion piece to [[485: Depth]]. Where ''Depth'' uses a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to depict the Earth at progressively greater magnification, from Earth's surface to the interior of a single proton, ''Height'' uses a logarithmic scale to depict the contents of the universe at progressively smaller distances, from the edge of the observable universe to the grass beneath our feet.<br />
<br />
Starting from the top, as one often does when reading comics, we begin with the top of the observable universe, described as being 46 billion {{w|light years}} out from the Earth. Randall is stating that this is the longest distance that a ray of light has ever traveled to reach Earth, which implies that the universe is about 46 billion years old. However, the universe is actually about 14 billion years old, but they universe is expanding and light expands with it [http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/11/aa21529-13/aa21529-13.html Planck 2013 results]. To the right of the text, [[Black Hat]] stands atop the comic, having just dropped a cat off the edge; he may be testing if cats always land on their feet, or may just be being a jerk, per his usual character. As one scrolls down, the depicted distances become less compressed, until arriving at the surface of Earth, all the while approaching a 1:1 scale with real-life distances. As shown in [[1162: Log Scale]], if Randall didn't do this, the comic would be much, MUCH longer.<br />
<br />
In this comic, most objects that are grounded on Earth are scaled logarithmically on the vertical axes and linearly on the horizontal axes (some are scaled linearly on both axes). Displaying objects in this manner noticeably distorts their shape; the Great Pyramid, for instance, looks not like a pyramid but like a bullet. In the title text, Randall muses on how the inwardly-curved sides of the Eiffel Tower might actually become perfectly straightened when subjected to this logarithmic distortion, although it is shown to bulge in the comic proper, meaning Randall probably doesn't fully believe his own musings. The actual shape of the Tower approximates an {{w|Exponential function|exponential curve}}, which would indeed give a straight line on a log scale, although it was actually designed by {{w|Gustave Eiffel}} to minimize wind resistance rather than to be mathematically exact (the design is so perfect that the amount the Tower sways in the wind is less than the amount it is distorted due to thermal expansion of the sunlit side).<br />
<br />
Outside of the Earth's atmosphere, the objects are placed at their actual distances from Earth on the log scale, but their shapes are not subjected to the logarithmic scaling of Earth objects, instead appearing as they would be seen (otherwise, round objects like the sun would appear more egg shaped, with the flatter side facing upward). However, objects are still much larger or much smaller than they would be in real life, in order to allow them to be properly seen.<br />
<br />
===Objects===<br />
All objects are sorted from bottom to top by their maximum distance from earth for objects in a solar orbit, and their current distance for others.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Distance<br />
! Object<br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| Black Hat and cat<br />
| Black Hat kicking a cat off the top of the comic, presumably to determine whether it will land on its feet.<br />
|-<br />
| 435&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Top of {{w|observable universe}}<br />
|-<br />
| 11.3&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Hubble Deep Field}} objects<br />
| Objects of extremely distant galaxies found in a long-exposure photograph by of the Hubble telescope, 12 billion light-years away. The right most object is probably intended to be a pulsar, schematically shown from the side.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One billion light years<br />
|-<br />
| 3.1&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Quasar}}<br />
| A supermassive black hole at the center of some young, distant galaxies, the energy released by stuff as it falls into them makes them the brightest known objects, the black hole eventually gets too big so the huge amounts of energy can't escape, but while they're active, they outshine entire clusters of galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 2.36&nbsp;×10<sup>24</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Great Attractor}}<br />
| An unusual concentration of intergalactic mass.<br />
|-<br />
| 425&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Antennae Galaxies}} (colliding)<br />
| A pair of colliding galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 23.6&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}}<br />
| A sibling to our Milky Way. It is the nearest spiral galaxy to ours.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One million light years<br />
|-<br />
| 2.38&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cat-on-a-keyboard-in-space Cat on a keyboard in space]<br />
| An internet meme featuring a picture of a cat sitting on a musical keyboard, superimposed on an image of space.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.56&nbsp;×10<sup>21</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Magellanic Clouds}}<br />
| These clouds are a pair of nearby dwarf galaxies.<br />
|-<br />
| 263&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| Edge of Galaxy<br />
| The edge of the {{w|Milky Way}} galaxy, the galaxy in which we reside.<br />
|-<br />
| 245&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Galactic Center}}<br />
| The center of the Milky Way galaxy.<br />
|-<br />
| 61.5&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Crab Nebula}}<br />
| Nebula are supernova remnants<br />
|-<br />
| 14.2&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Horsehead Nebula}}<br />
| A dark nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation.<br />
|-<br />
| 12.7&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Orion Nebula}}<br />
| A nebula that is part of the Orion Constellation, just south of Orion's Belt.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.14&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Rigel}}<br />
| The brightest star in the Orion Constellation it is actually a triple star system known alternatively as Beta Orionis<br />
|-<br />
| 6.08&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Betelgeuse}}<br />
| The star Betelgeuse is displayed along with the location of {{w|Ford_Prefect (character)|Ford Prefect}} on his home planet which orbits Betelgeuse. Ford Prefect is a fictional character from the science fiction parody {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 4.20&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pleiades}}<br />
| The Pleiades also have a derogatory remark, as per [[66: Abusive Astronomy]]<br />
|-<br />
| 2.90&nbsp;×10<sup>18</sup>m<br />
| The [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Romulan_Neutral_Zone Romulan Neutral Zone]<br />
| This marks the edge of the {{w|Star Trek}} Federation.<br />
|-<br />
| 931&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | The first radio broadcast was in January 1910. Since radio waves travel at the speed of light, and this was published in September of 2008 this the radio waves traveled about 98.5 light years. See {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} for a depiction of this. This is also referenced in [[1212: Interstellar Memes]].<br />
|-<br />
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Arcturus}}<br />
| An orange giant star that is part of the Boötes constellation.<br />
|-<br />
| 320&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pollux}}<br />
| One of the most distinct stars in the Gemini Constellation it is large Orange Giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 1.1<br />
|-<br />
| 242&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| The edge of {{w|Federation Sector 0-0-1}}<br />
| The sector of space assigned to Earth in {{w|Star Trek}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 224&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|"missing WMDs"}}<br />
| A reference to the alleged weapons of mass destruction that were used as a pretence to mobilize the world population against Iraq, and start the Iraq war.<br />
|-<br />
| 81.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Sirius}}<br />
|Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, the Dog Star, or the North Star it is actually a binary system of Stars consisting of a main sequence white star and a small white dwarf.<br />
|-<br />
| 56.6&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Barnard's Star}}<br />
| Barnards star is a very small red giant that is of great interest to astronomers as an achievement in the SIM (Space Interforometry Mission) to find a celestial object out of solar system that is a s small as 3 earth masses<br />
|-<br />
| 41.3&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Alpha Centauri}}<br />
| Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our planet.<br />
|-<br />
| 30.9&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One parsec.<br />
|-<br />
| 9.46&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | One light-year.<br />
|-<br />
| 15.0&nbsp;×10<sup>15</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Oort cloud}}<br />
| A halo of ice balls surrounding our solar system, but missing the {{w|Kupier belt}} between Neptune and the Oort cloud.<br />
|-<br />
| 350&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Bupkis}}<br />
| Yiddish for "nothing". Only a handful of objects are known to orbit between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.<br />
|-<br />
| 55.0&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| A comet which will destroy earth in late 2063 <br />
| To coincide with the latest biblicaly based prophesy for the [http://www.askelm.com/prophecy/p971105.htm end of the world].<br />
|-<br />
| 19.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Voyager 1}}<br />
| An early space probe. Distance correct as of 20th Nov 2014, click [http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/ here] to see NASA's live distance counter.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pioneer 10}}<br />
| Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_10#Current_status|this information}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 17.7&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pioneer 11}}<br />
| By the similarity in appearance to Pioneer 10 this unlabeled probe must be Pioneer 11. Listed distance is an estimate based on {{w|Pioneer_11#Current_status|this information}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 14.5&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}}<br />
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. The "All hail Discordia!" after Eris is a reference to {{w|Discordianism}}, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek religion based around the goddess Eris. The distance is the maximum distance from earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 7.50&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Pluto}}<br />
| One of a pair of {{w|Trans-Neptunian object}}s now classified as {{w|dwarf planet}}s. Pluto was originally classified as the 9th planet of the Solar system. Many people were appalled when it was suddenly degraded to dwarf planet. Obviously Randall does not think much of these people thus the comment: ''Not a planet. Neener neener''. The distance is the maximum distance of Pluto from Earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 4.70&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Neptune}} <br />
| Neptune is displayed here with its moons. Neptune is the eighth and final planet in our solar system.<br />
|-<br />
| 3.20&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Uranus}} <br />
| Uranus is dispayed here with its moons. Uranus is the seventh planet in our solar system.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.67&nbsp;×10<sup>12</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Saturn}} <br />
| Saturn is displayed along with its moons. One of Saturn's moons, most likely Enceladus, is labeled as a potential location to find life. Enceladus was known in 2008 to have a possible subsurface ocean and active geysers, and a paper co-authored by Caroline Porco in Astrobiology during that year (when the comic was published) spelt out the case for searching for life there (McKay et al. 2008 "The Possible Origin and Persistence of Life on Enceladus and Detection of Biomarkers in the Plume", Astrobiology 8(5):909-919). <br />
<br />
A more distant possibility is that Randall is referencing Titan, the only known moon to have an atmosphere and lakes. It was long predicted that there may be bodies of liquid on the surface filled with liquid methane and ethane (Titan is too cold for liquid water and life as we know it, but ethane and methane remain a liquid at those temperatures). There is some speculation that exotic forms of life based on extremely cold exotic chemistries may form in such conditions, with liquid hydrocarbons playing the role of the solvent (the role water plays in terrestrial life).<br />
|-<br />
| 928&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Jupiter}} <br />
| Jupiter is displayed along with its moons. One of Jupiter's moons, most likely Europa, is labeled as a potential location to find life. Europa may be covered by a deep ocean of water found under a layer of ice many kilometers thick. Some hypothisize that life could have formed in such oceans.<br />
|-<br />
| 222&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| Asteroids<br />
| The {{w|Asteroid|Asteroid belt}} contains a spaceship from {{w|Asteroids (video game)}}<br />
|-<br />
| 133&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mars}}<br />
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 261 million km and a minimum of 54.6 million km.<br />
|-<br />
| 114&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Venus}}<br />
| Note the path, reflecting the fact that their distances from Earth vary as the planets move in their orbits with a maximum distance of 401 million km and a minimum of 37.7 million km.<br />
|-<br />
| 138&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mercury}}<br />
| Mercury is the first planet in out solar system. The distance shown is the maximum distance from Earth.<br />
|-<br />
| 149&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Sun}}<br />
| The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, around which the Earth orbits.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.3&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Discovery One}}<br />
| The Discovery One from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}, referring to the quote "open the pod bay door, HAL." Also may be a reference to [[375: Pod Bay Doors]].<br />
|-<br />
| 9.43&nbsp;×10<sup>9</sup>m<br />
| Planet Express<br />
| The spaceplane is most likely the Planet Express from {{w|Futurama}}, where Fry once discussed "a big heaping bowl of salt." <br />
|-<br />
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| Human Altitude Record <br />
| Achieved by the team of {{w|Apollo 13}} approximately 100km higher than the remaining Apollo missions.<br />
|-<br />
| 384&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Moon}} <br />
| The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite.<br />
|-<br />
| 90.4&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Snoop Dogg}}<br />
| A tongue-in-cheek reference to a rapper notorious for smoking marijuana, shown as having the second-highest altitude record. Someone who is taking drugs is said to be getting high.<br />
|-<br />
| 60.5&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space elevator}}<br />
| A proposed method of transporting cargo or people into orbit, consisting of a large mass beyond geosynchronous orbit, a station at the geosynchronous point, a cable connecting it to the Earth, and a climber that can scale the cable. Space elevators are also seen in [[697: Tensile vs. Shear Strength]] and [[536: Space Elevators]].<br />
|-<br />
| 42.1&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | {{w|Geosynchronous orbit|Geosynchronous Orbit}}<br />
|-<br />
| 20.2&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|GPS (satellite)|GPS Satellites}}<br />
| GPS satellites are used for global positioning.<br />
|-<br />
| 3.94&nbsp;×10<sup>6</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Lunar Lander}} <br />
| The quote is a reference to {{w|Contact (1997 film)}} where the main character Ellie Arroway after witnessing a celestial light show up close says "Poetry! They should've sent a poet.".<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space debris|Space Junk}}<br />
| There is a large quantity of defunct objects in orbit around the earth. Amongst other things, this includes old satellites, rocket stages and fragments from collisions or disintegration. Space junk is also referenced in [[1242: Scary Names]] under the title {{w|Kessler syndrome}}<br />
|-<br />
| 422.5&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|International Space Station}}<br />
| The ISS (International Space Station) is a multinational effort to put a research vessel in space. It is currently the largest artifical object in Earth's orbit, as well as the location of the longest continuous human presence in space.<br />
|-<br />
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | The {{w|Edge of space|official edge of space}} as defined by the {{w|Kármán line}}<br />
|-<br />
| 76.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Meteors}}<br />
| Meteors are chunks of rock (usually asteroids) that burn up in the atmosphere, producing the bright light associated with them. If they are large enough to hit the ground, they become meteorites, which is why Munroe labeled them only in the upper atmosphere.<br />
|-<br />
| 25.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|High-altitude balloon|High-altitude balloons}}<br />
| Unmanned balloons, typically filled with helium or hydrogen. The current altitude record was set in 2002 by a balloon named BU60-1 which reached 53,000m.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.1&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/10 ATM = 0.1 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}<br />
|-<br />
| 12.0&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Airliner|Airliners}}<br />
| This is a typical cruising altitude of jet aircraft, equating to roughly 40,000 feet. (Aircraft altitude tends to be specified in feet rather than metres (yay!) ) <br />
|-<br />
| 8.84&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Mount Everest}} <br />
| The Earths highest mountain, located in the {{w|Himalayas|Himalayan mountain range}} in South Asia.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Cory Doctorow}} <br />
| Cory Doctorow in a balloon, a reference to comic [[239: Blagofaire]].<br />
|-<br />
| 6.34&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}} <br />
| The {{w|Space Shuttle Columbia}} and its seven crew were lost when it disintegrated at [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6v16AgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA7&ots=LDKQ3nsNHs&dq=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=shuttle%20columbia%20altitude&f=false approximately 63,400m] in 2003. This number is inconsistent with the height of the graph by a factor of 10 probably a mistype by Randall.<br />
|-<br />
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Helicopter}} <br />
| Though the record for helicopter altitude (without payload) is 12,442m, normal flying is usually performed much lower. In the US, 6000m is into {{w|Class A airspace}}, which is restricted and requires flight under {{w|Instrument Flight Rules}}.<br />
|-<br />
| 6.00&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Cloud}} <br />
| Though not actually labelled there are a couple of clouds shown. While different cloud types vary in height, 6000m is roughly in the middle of the height range for clouds in temperate regions [http://weatherfaqs.org.uk/node/21]<br />
|-<br />
| 5.49&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 1/2 ATM = 0.5 {{w|Atmospheric pressure|atmosphere of pressure}}<br />
|-<br />
| 1.78&nbsp;×10<sup>3</sup>m<br />
| [[Cueball]] <br />
| Apparently still using Python as shown in comic [[353: Python]].<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 800 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 800&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Burj Khalifa|Burj Dubai}} <br />
| Now known as the Burj Khalifa, is the tallest building in the world.<br />
|-<br />
| 500&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 500 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 400&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 400 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 325&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Eiffel Tower}} <br />
| A famous landmark in Paris, France.<br />
|-<br />
| 300&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 300 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 200&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 200 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 150&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| Kite <br />
| Kite string is commonly sold in large spools; a nice thick spool will probably hold 150 meters.<br />
|-<br />
| 140&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Great Pyramid of Giza}} <br />
| One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is located in Egypt.<br />
|-<br />
| 120&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Baseball|Pop Fly}} <br />
| In Baseball a 'Pop Fly' is when the batter mis-hits the baseball, which then follows a tall arc deep into the infield where it's easy picking for the other team to catch on its way down. The highest recorded pop fly, not including those that landed in foul territory, was 172 meters.<br />
|-<br />
| 115&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Redwood Tree|Redwood trees}} <br />
| The tallest trees in the world. At 115.61m (379.3ft) {{w|Hyperion (tree)|Hyperion}}, a Coast Redwood, holds the record for the tallest tree in the world.<br />
|-<br />
| 100&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | 100 meters<br />
|-<br />
| 20.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Oak}} <br />
| While oaks may grow to be in excess of 40m in height, heights of around 20m are more typical. The person in the tree saying, "Hey, squirrels!" is a reference to [[167: Nihilism]].<br />
|-<br />
| 16.4&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| Tallest stilts <br />
| The tallest {{w|stilts}} recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records (as of November 2006) were 16.4 meters, or nearly 54 feet.<br />
|-<br />
| 13.0&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Brachiosaurus|Brachiosaur}}<br />
| A large genus of dinosaur.<br />
|-<br />
| 8.00&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Giraffe}} <br />
| The tallest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown adults reaching in excess of 5 m. While labelled 8m in the comic, the [http://www.big-animals.com/the-giraffe-the-worlds-tallest-animal/ record] for height is reported at 5.8m.<br />
|-<br />
| 1.70&nbsp;×10<sup>0</sup>m<br />
| {{w|Human height|Folks}}<br />
| Determining an average height of the world population is fraught with complications, but as a ballpark figure 1.7m is fairly accurate.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:'''Top of observable universe'''<br />
:[Black Hat is standing on top, throwing a black kitty down.]<br />
:Black Cat: Mrowl!<br />
:[Map of the universe from observable universe to Earth. Each area of item is labeled. Labels left to right, up to down:]<br />
:(46 billion light years up)<br />
::Hubble Deep Field Objects<br />
:-One billion light years-<br />
::Great Attractor<br />
::Antennae Galaxies (colliding)<br />
::Andromeda<br />
::Holy crap lots of space<br />
:-One million light years-<br />
::Magellanic Clouds<br />
::Edge of galaxy<br />
::Galactic center<br />
::Crab Nebula<br />
::Orion Nebula<br />
::Horsehead Nebula<br />
::Romulan neutral zone<br />
::The Pleiades, duh!<br />
::Rigel<br />
::Betelgeuse<br />
::Ford Prefect<br />
:[Three arrows are pointing up above three lines with the following label:]<br />
:-Expanding shell of radio transmissions-<br />
::[Above a dotted line:]<br />
::Edge of federation sector 0-0-1<br />
::Pollux<br />
::Arcturus<br />
::Missing WMDs<br />
::Sirius<br />
::Barnard's Star<br />
::Alpha Centauri<br />
:-One parsec-<br />
:-One light year-<br />
::Oort Cloud (?)<br />
::Bupkis<br />
::Comet which will destroy Earth in late 2063<br />
::Pioneer 10<br />
::Voyager I<br />
::Eris (All hail Discordia!)<br />
::Pluto (Not a planet. Neener neener.)<br />
::Neptune<br />
::Uranus<br />
::Saturn<br />
::[Two arrows point to two moons, one next to each of the planets aboe and below.]<br />
::<-- Life --><br />
::Jupiter<br />
::Asteroids<br />
::Mars<br />
::Venus<br />
::Sun<br />
::Mercury<br />
::Spaceship Planet Express: Hey, a heaping bowl of salt!<br />
::Spaceship Discovery One: Open the fridge door, Hal.<br />
::Moon<br />
::Human altitude record (Apollo 13)<br />
::2nd place: Snoop Dogg<br />
::Space elevator - One of these days, promise!<br />
::Geosynchronous Orbit<br />
::GPS satellites<br />
::Lunar lander: In retrospect, they <u>shouldn't</u> have sent a poet. I have no idea how to land.<br />
::International Space Station<br />
::Space junk<br />
:-Official edge of space (100 km)-<br />
::Meteors<br />
:-1/10 ATM-<br />
::High altitude balloons<br />
::Airliners<br />
::Shuttle Columbia lost<br />
:-1/2 ATM-<br />
::Cory Doctrow<br />
::Everest<br />
::Helicopters (6000 m)<br />
::Cueball: Woo Python!<br />
::[A vertical scale is drawn along the right side of the picture, starting at 1 km and getting progressivly smaller and smaller.]<br />
:1 km<br />
:-800 m-<br />
::Burj Dubai (~800 m)<br />
:500<br />
:400<br />
::Eiffel Tower (325 m)<br />
:200<br />
::Kites<br />
::Great Pyramid (140 m)<br />
::Pop fly<br />
::Redwood (115 m)<br />
:100m<br />
::Oak (20 m)<br />
::A person in the oak: Hey squirrels!<br />
::Tallest stilts<br />
::Brachiosaur (13 m)<br />
::Giraffe (8 m)<br />
::[Megan and Cueball holding the kite are labeled:] <br />
::Folks<br />
:'''The observable universe, from top to bottom''''<br />
::~On a log scale~<br />
::Sizes are not to scale, but heights above the Earth's surface are accurate on a log scale (that is, each step up is double the height.)<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Space probes]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]<br />
[[Category:Giraffes]]<br />
[[Category:Kites]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Blue_Eyes&diff=114620Talk:Blue Eyes2016-03-10T07:42:58Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>The solution here is different to Randall's solution, and I think is actually incorrect for two reasons that add confusion and prevented me from understanding the solution until I'd thought about Randall's solution and realised these are actually different. <br />
* It seems to falsely presume that the Guru is speaking to them each day, when this is explicitly not the case in the puzzle. <br />
* I also believe it is incorrect to state that the brown-eyed people can be disregarded. The solution is actually dependent on a *combination* of hypothesis testing and on theory of mind; not just one or the other. It matters that everyone is also thinking about what the brown-eyed people around them must be thinking, otherwise you can't explain why mistakes will not happen with brown-eyed people getting on the ferry when they're not supposed to, and screwing up everybody else's logic.<br />
- If you're on the island and you have blue eyes, there are two hypotheses: either there are 99 people with blue eyes or 100. If there are 99, then everyone one of those 99 people is thinking "either there are 98 people with blue eyes, or there are 99" (and therefore you do not have blue eyes). Blue-eyed people also know that if there are 99 of them, then the brown-eyed people are thinking, "Either there are 99 blue eyed people, or 100." If there are 100, then the brown eyed people are thinking, "Either there are 100, or 101". To summarise, blue eyed people are deciding between 99 or 100, and presuming that other blue eyed people are either suspecting there could be 98/99, or 99/100, while presuming that brown-eyed people are either suspecting there are 100/101, or 99/100.<br />
- If there are 99, then blue-eyes are thinking 98/99, and brown-eyes are thinking 99/100. Blue eyes will plan to leave if the 98th day passes and nobody has left, brown-eyes will plan to leave if the 99th day passes and nobody has left.<br />
- If there are 100, then blue-eyes are thinking 99/100, and brown-eyes are thinking 100/101. Blue eyes will plan to leave if the 99th day passes and nobody has left, brown-eyes will plan to leave if the 100th day passes and nobody has left.<br />
- So you know that if you have brown eyes, you'll watch all the blue-eyes leave on the 99th day. And you know that if you have blue eyes, you'll watch all the brown-eyed people hold back in case their day is the 101st. If you're allowed to leave, there will be no situation where brown-eyed people mistakenly leave on the 100th day, thus confusing things. If you're not allowed to leave, there'll be no reason for you to mistakenly make an attempt to leave on the 99th day.<br />
- Thinking about this fact - what the brown-eyed people are thinking - also reveals why the Guru's comment matters, and adds information, even though it should seem to most people as if no information is being added (because they can all already see that blue-eyed people exist). I think this is a key part of why the problem is so tricky. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 07:42, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it really incomplete on the grounds that Joel hasn't be identified? Explanations of comics 57-59 leave no more explanation of "Scott" than that he appears to be Randall's friend. The fact that we don't have a last name for him doesn't make either [[Scott]] or those comic explanations incomplete. Similarly, not have a full identifier for "Joel" in this one doesn't, in my opinion, warrant an incomplete tag. I'm removing the tag. If anyone object, revert it. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:22, 22 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The proof for this puzzle is incomplete, if not wrong. The theorem is too weak, it should be: "Theorem: N blue eyed people with Nth order knowledge of all N people being logicians, N people having blue eyes, and any blue eyed person will leave as soon as possible after deducing they have blue eyes, will be able to leave on the Nth day." This may seem pedantic, but it really gets to the heart of the problem, which is trying to illustrate the use of orders of knowledge. In the theorem as stated, just N blue eyed people will leave on the Nth day, the proof for the inductive steps does not hold. You need to further assume that the person is able to deduce the hypothesis (which should be proven). In other words, you say X-1 people would leave on the (X-1)th day by hypothesis, so the Xth person knows he can leave on the Xth day. But you did not prove that the Xth person can actually deduce this, namely that he has all the information necessary to do so. In the correctly stated hypothesis, you then need to show that N + 1 people with (N+1)th order knowledge of all those things can deduce that the N people would leave if it was just them, and further that N+1 people have (N+1)th order knowledge of all these things. This is very important, and holds true (Since N+1th order knowledge is equivalent to knowing the N people have the Nth order knowledge necessary to fulfill the hypothesis, and by symmetry if the N logicians can figure it out the (N+1)th can too. Also, they have (N+1)th order knowledge of people leaving as soon as they can and everyone being a logician since in the proper statement of the puzzle it should be noted this is common knowledge, and the guru makes the knowledge of someone having blue eyes common knowledge.). Then you have a full proof, since you have now included that they can actually deduce the inductive step. Again, this may seem pedantic, but is really necessary both to be correct and as it illustrates the key of the puzzle, namely the guru gives 100th order knowledge of someone having blue eyes (this is the main problem people have, realizing the concrete piece of information the guru gives). [[User:Jlangy|Jlangy]] ([[User talk:Jlangy|talk]]) 00:29, 9 July 2015<br />
<br />
<br />
What I don't follow here is that there's no clarification that the Guru is talking about someone different each time. Just because she says "I see someone with blue eyes" N times doesn't mean that there are N people with blue eyes; she could be talking about the same person every time, or each of two people half the time, etc. Can anyone clarify this?<br />
Thanks - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.47|108.162.218.47]] 13:20, 28 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
(EDIT: Observe the process of comprehension in action...or don't? I've been thinking about my own brain, with itself, long enough for one day, I'm tired.)<br />
So, maybe I am indeed just "dumb", as the wiki insists. Clearly, I do not have a perfect understanding of formal logic. But frankly, my read of this puzzle is that "formal logic" just enables you to jump to ridiculous conclusions.<br />
Let's theorize a simpler version of this puzzle. There are now only two people besides the Guru on the island, both with blue eyes. We'll call them Bill and Ted (totally bogus, I know). No matter how logical Bill and Ted might be, when Bill hears the Guru say "I see a person with blue eyes" to himself and Ted, and Bill has seen Ted's blue eyes himself, why would Bill assume anything about his own eye color? It would seem to Bill that Guru was just talking about Ted's eyes, and Ted would believe the reverse. Even knowing* that Ted would leave that night if Ted deduced he had blue eyes too, I still don't see why Bill would jump to the conclusion that the Guru was talking about him - he remains in the dark, as does Ted, and neither of them can be any more certain of anything than they previously were. Adding 98 more blue-eyed people, let alone doubling the island's population with irrelevant brown-eyers, hardly reduces the confusion.<br />
* This was the point at which I began to think I had understood it, but then I became unsure again. Like I said in the "edit", my brain is tired.<br />
--So, that settles it, I do not understand how the puzzle can be true, and I'm not convinced that it actually is. Knowing Randall is, in general, smarter than me...I still do not have the ability to completely accept that he's always right, or that I'm always wrong to ignorantly question his rightness. I have long maintained that certain well-respected "systems of knowledge", of which formal logic is a textbook example, have been respected too well for too long for not-good-enough reasons. To me, they seem to be founded on an assumption which is itself founded on nothing. I'm not trying to insult Randall or anyone else, I'm just utterly failing to comprehend. I will appreciate if anyone else attempts to educate me on the subject, but I may prove an intractable student, since I am unable to extend much faith or trust (or even, on a day where my mood is worse than today, the moderate degree of politeness as I've already managed) to a teacher. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.52|173.245.54.52]] 19:18, 30 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
In your simplified version of the puzzle, Bill sees Ted has blue eyes.<br><br />
Here's Bill reasoning:<br><br />
- Either my eyes are blue or not.<br><br />
- If my eyes are not blue, then Ted knows that his eyes are blue, because the Guru said at least one of us has blue eyes, and he'll leave the island tonight.<br><br />
- Let's wait. If Ted doesn't leave tonight, that means he doesn't know his eyes are blue, and therefore my hypothesis is false.<br><br />
When Bill sees Ted doesn't leave that night, he can deduce that he has blue eyes.<br><br />
Ted can do the same reasoning.<br><br />
After that first night, both will know they both have blue eyes.<br><br />
--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.5|108.162.228.5]] 14:09, 14 December 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Superrationality<br />
<br />
The solution relies on the fact that "at least 1 blue" is new information which triggers a cascade.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't the entire population of the island be able to conclude that everyone else on the island knows there is at least 1 blue eyed individual already?<br />
<br />
For example, every person on the island will see at least 99 blues and 99 browns. From this, they can assume that everyone else on the island can see at least 98 blues and 98 browns. Of course, the actual numbers will differ, but 98 is the lower limit for all perspectives.<br />
<br />
A blue will see 99 blues and 100 browns, so he will assume that all other blues can see at least 98 and all browns can see at least 99 blues. Similar logic for a brown or any observer.<br />
<br />
[[User:Flewk|Flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 09:26, 26 December 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1256:_Questions&diff=1146121256: Questions2016-03-10T06:22:55Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Section Four */ corrected some sillies</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1256<br />
| date = August 26, 2013<br />
| title = Questions<br />
| image = questions.png<br />
| titletext = To whoever typed 'why is arwen dying': GOOD. FUCKING. QUESTION.<br />
}}<br />
A larger version of the picture can be found in http://xkcd.com/1256/large/.<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Google}}, a rather popular internet search engine (which everyone uses), has a feature known as [https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/106230?hl=en autocomplete] that guesses at search queries before they are fully typed out. These guesses are generally made based on popular searches by other people. From time to time, a particularly strange or hilarious one may be found, as is evidenced in this comic.<br />
<br />
The largest pictured questions are: "Why are there slaves in the bible" and "Why are there ants in my laptop".<br />
<br />
All of the questions in the comic are "why" questions, so many of them are predicated on false assumptions, such as "Why are there pyramids on the moon". All these questions and many more (33,171 in total) can be found in http://xkcd.com/why.txt.<br />
<br />
Regarding the title text: in the Peter Jackson films of {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy}}, Arwen becomes sickly for unspecified reasons as the plot advances, apparently giving Aragorn a more personal reason to fight. The only explanation given is by Elrond, who says "As Sauron's power grows, her [Arwen's] strength wanes." This subplot is entirely absent from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings|original novels}}.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/faq#.2.1.21 IMDB]: <br /><blockquote><br />
Arwen, like her father (and brothers) is considered to be a Half-Elf, the result of a union between an Elf and a mortal human. The Half-Elven of Middle-earth get a choice, to remain immortal and return to the West (Valinor) or to become mortal and to die as humans do. Elrond chose to remain an Elf. Arwen (like her uncle Elros) chooses to become mortal in order to wed and remain with Aragorn. Elrond senses this; this is what he means when he says that Arwen is dying. It is the same as in The Last Unicorn, when the unicorn is given the form of a human woman and can feel that she is no longer immortal ("I can feel this body dying all around me"). According to Tolkien, though, after Aragorn dies in the year 120 (Fourth Age), Arwen returns to Lórien, where she dies by choice the following winter. </blockquote><br />
<br />
==Selected answers==<br />
The tables below have been created so as to split the comic into almost entirely arbitrary blocks, which have then been identified with similarly arbitrary numbers. As a general rule, section numbers work top to bottom, then right to left.<br />
===Illustrated Panels===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't my arms growing?||Arms stop growing because longer arms would not be a very useful way to spend resources. Human DNA has programmed the body to gradually ossify the growing arms and legs, closing the epiphyseal plate, at which point these extremities stop growing.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there ghosts?||There is no hard evidence of ghosts.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there squirrels?||Squirrels are the product of a long sequence of evolution, like any other animal. They persist because they effectively reproduce and compete for resources within their niche, but they are also the product of many circumstantial events that has led to them being the way they are.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is sex so important?||Sex is important because it is the primary method of reproduction in many different species. However, it can be of varying importance to different people (see [http://www.asexuality.org/home/?q=overview.html asexuality]).<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter? || In the {{w|Harry Potter}} universe {{w|guns}} do exist and are mentioned at the beginning of {{w|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}} when the news gives a warning that Sirius Black has one. Muggle technology (human inventions) are often looked down on by wizards - the majority of half-blooded wizards won't touch one, let alone a wizard extremist like {{w|Voldemort}}. Not only does any Muggle device more complex than a wristwatch interfere with magical artifacts, but wands are usually more versatile than most guns; a revolver can't shoot lightning, summon items or teleport its user. Finally, while Harry himself may or may not consider using firearms due to his Muggle upbringing, ''Harry Potter'' is set in the United Kingdom (which has stricter gun laws than, say, the United States).<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section One===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why do whales jump? || To the whale, it's like going into outer space!<br />
|-<br />
|Why are witches green? || See {{w|Wizard of Oz}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mirrors above beds?|| Often, these are used by couples to view themselves during coitus.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do I say Uh?||See ''[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/06/the_odd_body_language_fillers/ Why do we say 'um', 'er', or 'ah' when we hesitate in speaking?]''.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is sea salt better? || The question likely refers to the difference between common {{w|Fortified table salt}} and usually more expensive sea salt. While the major part of both of these is sodium chloride (NaCl) the idea behind the claim is the different composition mostly in regards to trace elements of sea salt compared to "normal" salt. Table salt's composition is often influenced by a country's health department and thus addition of trace elements is regulated. While these regulations are based on scientific studies there remain to be debates concerning the additions, such as iodine.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there trees in the middle of fields? || Many images of fields contain singular trees in the middle of them. While there exist such trees it is likely an artistic choice to give a more pleasing or aesthetically satisfying image compared to just a field. In modern agriculture those would in fact be quite troublesome since they are a hindrance to large machines used and a new tree would be unlikely to grow in a constantly worked field.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there not a Pokémon MMO? || {{w|Pokémon}} is a popular franchise, spanning game consoles, anime series, a trading card game, and many other things. Among fans, it is a frequent topic of discussion why a Pokémon {{w|massively multiplayer online game}} has not been officially announced by the series' developers {{w|Game Freak}}, as they often [http://www.dorkly.com/comic/52546/be-careful-what-you-wish-for predict] that such a game would be extremely popular, and bring in massive revenue for the company. However, if Game Freak were to develop a Pokémon MMO the MMOs would be strong competition against the console games and therefore reducing the Pokémon demographic significantly.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there laughing in TV shows? || Sitcoms were once filmed with an audience, so the actors could respond to their reactions. That's the historical reason why there were laughs in TV shows. The tradition continues, with the difference that now the laughter mostly comes from recorded tapes. See {{w|Laugh track}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there doors on the freeway?|| Highway/freeway {{w|noise barrier|noise barriers}} sometimes have doors in them to allow workers access to both sides of the barrier.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there so many svchost.exe running?||See {{w|svchost.exe}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there any countries in Antarctica? || {{w|Antarctica}} is the southern most continent and is by large covered in ice and in general pretty cold. While it is a regular target of tourists and researchers it also lacks native human inhabitants. At the moment, the territorial claims concerning Antarctica are mostly handled via the {{w|Antarctic Treaty System}}. In short there are a few countries who claim certain parts of the continent as their own in theory but so far it is considered neutral territory and most maps don't concern themselves with displaying the (in some regards disputed) territorial claims because they do not matter at this point in time. If there are ever any worthwhile resources discovered, this might change.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft?|| To add atmosphere and to give players hints when there is a dark cave nearby. See [http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Ambience Minecraft Wiki].<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there kicking in my stomach?||See ''[http://www.webmd.com/baby/fetal-movement-feeling-baby-kick Feeling Your Baby Kick]''. Here, ''stomach'' means ''abdomen''.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there two slashes after http?||See ''[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1220286/Sir-Tim-Berners-Lee-admits-forward-slashes-web-address-mistake.html Sir Tim Berners-Lee admits the forward slashes in every web address 'were a mistake']''.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there celebrities?||There are certain people who are more respected and well-known than other people, whether it be because of their acting career, major advancements to science, or a sex tape.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do snakes exist?|| The question is rather general and likely based on a widespread dislike for the reptilians. Be it due to their appearance, their spread, or the danger a few snakes pose to humans (often due to being venomous) many people have a dislike for snakes and would prefer them to not exist (similar to spiders).<br />
In regards to "why do snakes exist on earth?": Because evolution. Snakes fill a gap in the ecosystem as predators and hunt different species, including vermin. Snakes are in that regard similar to many other predatory animals. The question on why snakes developed with their distinct streamlined shape is still debated but {{w|snakes|likely it either provided an advantage when burrowing or swimming}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do oysters have pearls?||{{w|pearl|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside the shell, or an attack from outside, injuring the mantle tissue. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. Pearls are commonly viewed by scientists as a by-product of an adaptive immune system-like function.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why are ducks called ducks?||See {{w|Duck#Etymology}}. {{W|wikt:duck|According to Wiktionary}}, the noun ''duck'' can be traced back to the {{w|Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic}} word {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/dūkaną|''dūkaną''}} ("to dive, bend down"), and, in turn, the {{w|Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European}} {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/dʰewb-|''dʰewb-''}} ("deep, hollow"), which is the origin of the verb ''to duck''. The link between the noun and the verb comes from ducks' tendency to dive under water for short periods of time.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do they call it the clap?||An old folk remedy for {{w|gonorrhea}} was to clap on the sides of the penis.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are Kyle and Cartman friends?|| The question relates to the TV show {{w|South Park}}. Both are children living in the small titular town in Colorado. Cartman is widely accepted to a be very bad person, one of his many character flaws being his antisemitism. Kyle on the other hand is a Jew. However, both, along with two other kids, Stan and Kenny, are the core focus of the show (or used to be) and to some extent are considered to be friends. While there are episodes which show Cartman being not entirely a horrible person and him holding Kyle in a position of at least a worthy adversary, most of the time the question should be "Why is anyone friends with Cartman?" However, they most likely remain "friends" because they are in the same class at school and are therefore "forced" to be around one another.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there an arrow on Aang's head?||{{w|Avatar: The Last Airbender#Characters|Aang}} is the main character of the TV series {{w|Avatar the last Airbender|Avatar - The last Airbender}} and features as part of a large body spanning tattoo an arrow on his head. These tattoos are made to replicate the markings of one of the shows fictional animals, the air bison which are regarded as the original air benders. They are given to human air benders once they attain the status of masters. Because Aang acquired this status very early in life he was already tattooed accordingly.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are text messages blue?||This likely refers to imessage chat being blue. These messages are blue when sending a message to another apple device.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches on clothes?||Because some people buy them. Mustaches, especially handlebar-style mustaches, were a popular fad at the time of this comic.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches on cars?||Fuzzy pink mustaches are used to designate cars in the {{w|Lyft}} service.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches everywhere?||See {{w|Movember}}<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there so many birds in Ohio?||There are an estimated [http://oh.audubon.org/bsc/SOTB.html 400 bird species] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Ohio Ohio], but there are [http://www.jstor.org/discover/2419997sid=21104910103541&uid=4&uid=3739776&uid=2&uid=3739256 2.74 nesting pairs per acre].<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there so much rain in Ohio?|| {{w|lake_effect|Lake-effect}} rain develops in the same manner as lake-effect snow.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is Ohio weather so weird?||See {{w|Lake-effect snow}}.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Two===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there male and female bikes? || {{w|bicycle|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the top, resulting in a lower {{w|Frame geometry|standover height}} at the expense of compromised structural integrity, since this places a strong bending load in the seat tube, and bicycle frame members are typically weak in bending. This design, referred to as a '''''{{w|step-through frame}}''''' or as an ''open frame'', allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified way while wearing a skirt or dress.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why are there bridesmaids?||See {{w|Bridesmaid#Origin and history}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do dying people reach up?|| In many works of fiction dying people are regarded with an outstretched arm, grasping for unseen objects towards the sky. In all likelihood this originates in the idea of heaven as the place where (good) people go after death. People "reach for the light" which is seen when dying according to similar beliefs or possibly for already dead relatives or other associated people waiting for them. An alternative hypothesis is that they want to hug/touch their loved ones one last time.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't there varicose arteries?||Blood moves through veins due to irregular pressure from skeletal muscles combined with valves to control direction. In varicose veins these valves malfunction affecting blood flow. In arteries blood flow is produced directly from pressure caused by the heart.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are old Klingons different?|| {{w|Klingon Redesign|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>For {{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}} (1979), the Klingons were retconned and their appearance and behavior radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red gels and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges harkening to the Klingon's militaristic focus.[5] Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why is programming so hard?||Programming is the art of writing instructions for a computer to do. Since the computer has a limited set of instructions for you to use it involves a new way of thinking for many. It is also hard because the computer itself is not smart or adaptable to unexpected problems. For instance when a human is told to sort books in a shelf, he or she can do that despite there might be things in the way (he or she will just move it to the side). A computer will generally just crash if it doesn't have instructions on how to deal with the unexcepted problem.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there a 0 Ohm resistor?|| A resistor is usually designed to create a certain resistance, measured in {{w|Ohm}} in an electronic device. A 0 Ohm resistor seems pointless as it would only provide the same resistance as a normal cable. However, Wikipedia's {{w|Zero-ohm link}} article gives sufficient explanation.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do Americans hate soccer? || Soccer, or football in British English, is rather unpopular in the USA compared to most other regions of the world. Finding a particular reason behind the (dis)like for certain sports, apart from cultural spread, is difficult. One possible explanation is soccer's tendency to have far fewer points scored in an average game and a higher likelihood of draws compared to such things as American Football, basketball or baseball, which are far more popular. In how far this is a legitimate argument for regarding soccer as "less interesting" is up to debate.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do rhymes sound good?||The brain enjoys repetition especially in music.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do trees die?||Some common reasons include lack of water, lack of nitrogen in the soil and being chopped down.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there no sound on CNN?||Some stations broadcast a {{w|second audio program}}, an alternative sound track that your TV can be configured to use instead of the primary program. This is intended to be used for broadcasting in an alternate language, or for {{w|Descriptive Video Service}} to make a program accessible to the visually impaired. Many programs that don't actually use SAP will still broadcast an SAP that is identical to the primary program; however, this is not required. If your TV is configured to use SAP and a particular channel isn't broadcasting SAP at that time, there won't be any sound.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't Pokémon real?||Pokémon are fantasised creatures that were designed to produce an interesting battle mechanic in a game. Some of the pokémons abilities would be impossible on earth as we know it. For instance, Magcargo is hotter than the surface of the sun.<ref name="Bulbapedia Magcargo">http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Magcargo#Trivia</ref><br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't bullets sharp?||See {{w|Terminal ballistics}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do dreams seem so real?|| Most dreams occur during a stage known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). During REM, your brain is highly active and its wave pattern is the same as the wave patterns in a person who is awake. It should be noted that dreams can occur during other stages of sleep but most dreams that are vivid occur during the REM stage.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Three===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why do testicles move?|| The scrotum shrinks and expands to account for temperature changes. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there psychics?|| Because the world would be boring otherwise.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are hats so expensive?|| Hats can be expensive depending on the quality of material, size, location, and demand. A probable answer is that hats are simply difficult to make, causing high prices. Another likely cause is the fact that hats are not widely worn in much of the western world and people who do wear them often have far fewer than they have, for example, shirts, meaning that manufacturers cannot get the same economies of scale in production and distribution.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there caffeine in my shampoo?|| Because the producers want you to believe that caffeine penetrates the hair roots and thereby somehow protects it from negative testosterone impacts and from premature hair loss. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do your boobs hurt?|| The most probable reason is that your bra doesn't fit correctly. It could also be a hormone imbalance or awkwardly shaped breasts.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Four===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't economists rich? || Economists study how society organises resources. In order to become rich, in most cases one has to own a commodity that produces more wealth, such as a large company, or be related to somebody who has done so. In rare cases, a particularly lucky individual could become rich by having an unusually high paying job, such as a famous actor or sports star. Neither of these situations are likely for someone studying the field of economics.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do Americans call it soccer? || {{w|Association Football}} is called Soccer in the USA because {{w|American Football}} is the more popular version there. Of note is that the word "soccer" originates on British soil, to distinguish it from Rugby football aka "rugger".<br />
|-<br />
| Why are my ears ringing? || {{w|Tinnitus}}, or ringing of the ears, can result from stress, foreign objects in the ear, hearing damage, wax build up, or any other number of causes.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many Avengers? ||The number of Avengers has [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Avengers_members varied greatly] over the years and decades, each time with its own justification for why they need to work together, but the simplest answer is money. Cross-branding and cross-merchandising is successful to the brand and brings in new readers, plus creates a new franchise to profit from. <br />
|-<br />
|Why are the Avengers fighting the X Men || {{w|Avengers vs. X-Men}} was a 2012 Marvel crossover event that, like many other recent comic book events, had heroes fight other heroes. In this case, the {{w|Avengers (comics)|Avengers}} and the {{w|X-Men}} fought over the {{w|Phoenix Force (comics)|Phoenix Force}}, a godlike power that often possesses {{w|Jean Grey}} or her descendants (in this case, her alternate universe daughter Hope Summers). The Avengers believed the Phoenix Force is too powerful for humanity to control and wanted to contain it, while the X-Men believed the Phoenix was the messiah for mutants and could fix all of the Earth's problems.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers || Wolverine ''has'' been an Avenger, in some circumstances. e.g. in the {{w|The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes}} cartoon series, the episode ''New Avengers'' had Wolverine (along with Spiderman, War Machine, The Thing and Luke Cage and Iron Fist) substitute while the 'original' Avengers were unavailable to deal with the current crisis (which of course included the fate of the 'proper' Avengers). However, in general his anti-authority personality makes him a difficult team-member to field, and he has frequently disassociated himself even from the X-Men. But, in Avengers vs. X-Men (see above) Wolverine ''sided'' with The Avengers, and more modern treatments have even included the character in about as much a permanent a membership of the group as Logan is ever likely to have.<br />
<br />
But if the question is about why Wolverine didn't appear in {{w|The Avengers (2012 film)|''The Avengers''}}, the answer is that ''The Avengers'' is being produced by Marvel/Disney, while Fox still has the rights to the X-Men and all Marvel mutants in general. Unless there is studio agreement, the two properties cannot cross, except through complicated machinations. For example, there are plans to bring Avengers mainstays Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch to both the ''Avengers'' and ''X-Men'' franchises, but only the Fox films have the right to call them the children of Magneto, and Marvel/Disney cannot even identify them on-screen as "mutants".<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Five===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there ants in my laptop? || Ants usually come in your laptop when there are little crumbs of food. It is advised to get screen protectors.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Earth tilted? || The Earth's axial "tilt", wherein its axis of rotation is not perpendicular it its orbit, is a result of conservation of momentum when the Earth was formed, because not everything orbits in the same way. This is pure happenstance.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is space black? || What we call black is the absence of light. Space is mostly empty. Whe we look at a part of space where there is nothing that can reflect the stars' light, it consequently appears black to us.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is outer space so cold? || Space is not cold. There is no matter in space. However, most of space has very little radiation hitting it, so a person won't receive any energy, but will still radiate some away, resulting in a net loss of energy, colloquially "heat."<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there pyramids on the moon? || There are no pyramids on the moon.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is NASA shutting down? ||NASA isn't shutting down. This question might have something to do with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_2013 Government Shutdown of 2013] or perhaps due to the then-current shuttle program ending, but that is not the entirety of NASA.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section <strike>Spider</strike> Six===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there tiny spiders in my house?<br />
|rowspan="6"|During autumn in particular male spiders reaching maturing will set off to find a mate. By chance they may end up in your house. When encountering spiders in large numbers, it is more likely that they are young from the same female spider. Females lay {{w|Spider#Reproduction_and_life_cycle|up to 3,000}} eggs at a time. These questions also plays off of Munroe's longstanding fear of spiders, especially the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/8:_Red_spiders red spiders] mentioned in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Red_Spiders several early comics].<br />
|-<br />
| Why do spiders come inside? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there huge spiders in my house? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there lots of spiders in my house? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there spiders in my room? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many spiders in my room? <br />
|-<br />
| Why do spider bites itch? ||This mostly happens as an immune response to [http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/why-do-mosquito-bites-itch histamines] under the skin which are injected through saliva.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is dying so scary? ||Part of human nature is the fear of the unknown, and death is the ultimate unknown because it is not knowable until it's experienced, and there is nobody to report what the result was. This leaves it open to speculation, and many major religions are based on preparing ones soul for death. Also, dying would leave loved ones families with the responsibility of taking care of their remains and finances. And finally, most people don't want to die, living for as long as possible, possibly because the unknown is too unbearable to cope with. Still though several people are not afraid of death and dying, and recognize life is short and to cherish each moment while we can. Death is inevitable, so we should not fear it. In addition, it would be evolutionarily advantageous for our ancestors to have feared and avoided death. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there no GPS in laptops? ||It is not impossible for laptops to have a GPS, and some do. But there are [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/50907/are-there-gps-tracker-for-laptops design difficulties] that have to be overcome including battery draining, room within the crowded device to place a receiver, WiFi can give a location just as well, and the product casing could interfere with its ability to functional normally and receive the signals necessary to operate as intended. Some Dell computers have these, but the privacy one needs to give up to accept the terms and conditions makes it unfavorable. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do knees click? || Typical of other clicking and cracking of joints, this may be the sound of [http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/knee-cracks-pops ligaments tightening]. However do not rely on a wiki to diagnose a medical conditions. Consult a licensed physician. <br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there E grades? ||E grades [http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/e-f-grading-scale/ actually exist] in some districts, but they are rare. In their long and bizarre history, E was originally used where F is today (E was the lowest grade), but in those systems, students often received E's for an "Excellent" grade, creating much confusion. F was used in place instead and E was eliminated from a standard grading scale. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is isolation bad? ||Isolation is when a person deliberately secludes themselves away from others, often far-removed from society. This can happen in locations as small as a city apartment and as large as the open woods. People evolved as social animals and it is generally held that those who isolate themselves suffer from depression or other forms of psychological imbalance. Of course society can trigger many of these imbalances causing an individual to isolate themselves. Isolation is often seen as therapeutic so people can spend time with themselves constructively, often finding peace within themselves and through mediation. Monks and hermits generally live in solitude as well. Many people view a decision to be isolated as noble, and others as healthy. While general interaction is largely healthy, in the crowded modern world, isolation is neither good or bad; it depends on the person and what that isolation does to them. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do boys like me? ||Attraction comes in many forms: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, among others. Many people will lie about what they like about you to get something else (money, sex, etc.), but most are genuine. It is not possible to assert definitively why one person may like another person, and that is something that needs to be discussed openly and honestly with them and nobody else. <br />
|-<br />
| Why don't boys like me? ||Similar to the answer above about what makes one desirable to another, there are an equal number of factors that make one unappealing. This can include everything from physical appearance to how one treats others. If a person is rude and unfriendly, most people find that not-conducive to healthy relationship and avoid the person who is asking. Not being liked by someone you like however does not mean you're wrong or are a bad person and in most cases has to do with the person you are asking about. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there always a Java update? ||[https://www.java.com/en/download/faq/whatis_java.xml Java] is a software that runs on most computers and mobile devices that is crucial to its security and stability. The reason why it always updates is because it needs to stay current with the ever-upgrading fleet of browsers, operating systems and software that supports Java. Additionally Java updates itself so each version can run optimally. Software coding and debugging is a never-ending process towards perfectly stable releases. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there red dots on my thighs? || This might be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petechia Petechia], which are broken blood vessels, however do not rely on a wiki to diagnose medical conditions. Consult a licensed physician. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is lying good? ||Lying and other forms of dishonesty is typically seen as bad because it lowers one's credibility and makes them less likely to be trusted in the future. It is almost always advantageous to tell the truth, as lies have a way of escalating as you need to keep expanding on the lie to cover your tracks. There are instances however where lying may be used in more noble circumstances. For example, if a friend asks your opinion on something they have made (such as a poem or painting) that you do not like, it is okay to tell them you like it because protecting their feelings and your relationship is more important than how you feel. Often military personnel are trained to keep national security secrets at all costs and will lie about what they know to save themselves and the country.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Seven===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there slaves in the bible? ||Slavery was viewed differently in the early years of human civilization before the contemporary moral and ethical conversations began centuries later. The Jewish legal system as presented in the bible [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slavery justified slavery] for a number of reasons, notably to pay off some sort of debt. Slaves were seen as property and their work provided value to the slave owner, but such a relationship was legally required to be temporary and slaves had some basic human rights. Similarly slave owners rationalized their ownership through scripture, pointing out that it was in the Bible and therefore okay with God -- without wishing to go off on a tangent, if you have to rationalize your system of slavery then it's probably illegal under historic Jewish law.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do twins have different fingerprints? || Fingerprints are not only from the DNA, but from the conditions in the womb which differ from child to child.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are Americans afraid of dragons? ||This question was the title of a [http://blogs.sfu.ca/courses/spring2012/engl387/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Why-are-Americans-Afraid-of-Dragons.docx 1974 essay] by Ursula K. LeGeuin in which she makes a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics semiotic] analysis of dragon mythology. She argues that our belief in dragons (and those outside of America as well) stems from childhood, much like other ferocious fictional creatures such as goblins and hobbits, but many hold onto these fears as a way of avoiding reality. In her closing argument, she writes, "They know that its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life they have let themselves be forced into living. They are afraid of dragons, because they are afraid of freedom."<br />
|-<br />
| Why is HTTPS crossed out in red? || The site accessed has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there a line through HTTPS? || The site accessed has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there a red line through HTTPS on Facebook? || Facebook has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is HTTPS important? || For security reasons, as a site with HTTPS has encrypted traffic.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Eight===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there swarms of gnats? || The reason gnats (and other creatures) tend to swarm together is likely a safety-in-numbers protection, and as a big gathering to find a mate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there phlegm? ||{{w|Phlegm#Phlegm|Phlegm}} is a thick, viscous fluid produced by the mucus membranes as a way to clear the airway and aids in the release of bacteria, disease and debris in those passages. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN || From a Minnesota Paper, [http://www.startribune.com/local/138902104.html the Star Tribune], "Laws prevent the city from poisoning the crows". "Duffy [ {{w|Steve Duffy}}, a co-owner of U.S. Bird Abatement Services, which has contracted with Rochester to get rid of the crows] isn't sure why Rochester has such a bad crow problem; probably a confluence of many bird-friendly conditions that has also made it a magnet for {{w|geese}}. He's seen worse cases, but called Rochester's situation 'hideous.'" And best of all, "The city has twice this winter hired experts to chase them off. They tried {{w|lasers}} and bullhorns — hey, get out of here, you crows — and even employed raptors to pick them off, one by one. That worked, for awhile." Unfortunately, they mean a {{w|bird of prey}}, not a {{w|velociraptor}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Psychic weak to Bug || In Pokémon, Pokémon of the psychic type like Mr. Mime are weak to three types of attacks: Ghost, Dark, and Bug. The general theory is that Psychic Pokémon, relying heavily on their thoughts for attacks, are weak to fears, which ghosts, darkness, and bugs can be classified as.<br />
|- <br />
| Why do children get cancer? ||{{w|Cancer}} is an aggressive and often fatal disease that has the potential to affect all humans as well as other organisms. There are multiple types of cancer, each with their own epidemiology, but children are not immune to succumbing to the horrific effects of the disease. Children are human beings and are subject to the same illnesses adults have, regardless of age, or their innocence. There is no divine or supernatural explanation for this. Simply put, life is a battle for all humans regardless of how small they are. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus? || {{w|Poseidon}} was the patron deity of the city of {{w|Troy}}, which after a 10 years siege by the Greeks fell due to {{w|Odysseus}}' list of the {{w|Trojan_Horse|Trojan horse}}. As the Greeks were returning home after the Trojan War, Oddyseus' ship accidentally landed on the island home of the cyclops Polyphemus, who imprisoned the crew and ate many of them. In order to escape, Odysseus blinded the cyclops. Poseidon, Polyphemus' father, was extremely angered by his son being blinded, so he cursed Odysseus' ship to prevent him from reaching his home in {{W|Ithaca}}. The adventures which Odysseus encountered during his quest for reaching Ithaca are the main theme of {{w|Homer|Homer's}} {{w|Odyssey}} The Odyssey also says that before sailing, the crew forgot to offer a sacrifice as was ordained.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there ice in space? || Space is {{w|Outer_space#Environment|Cold}}. The background radiation, which is used to measure the temperature of space's vacuum, is estimated at about 3K (−270&nbsp;°C; −454&nbsp;°F). Water freezes at 273.15 K (0&nbsp;°C; 32&nbsp;°F). Because the temperature in space is less than the freezing point of water, liquids freeze in space, turning into ice.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section <strike>Owl</strike> Nine===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl in my back yard? || Owls can be seen all over the world, and live in a wide variety of habitats. They are mainly noctural, and spend a large portion of the night hunting. The owl in your back yard is likely looking for food.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl outside my window? || As with the question above, the owl is likely to be hunting for food. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl on the dollar bill? || On the front of a dollar bill, near the upper right '1' is a tiny section of the design which can be seen to represent an owl. Conspiracy theorists will note that owls were symbolically linked to the Masons, while others will instead see a spider.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do owls attack people? || While owls and human often live in close proximity without problems, as with other species, owls may attack if they feel threatened. When people irritate or otherwise make owls feel unsafe, they retaliate with violence to protect themselves.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are AK47s so expensive? || The market value of an AK47 varies depending on where in the world you live. With strict gun control laws, obtaining an AK47 in the UK is likely to be more expensive due to the risks involved for those supplying the weapon. In ex-soviet countries and the middle east, AK47s are more plentiful, and hence the price is likely to be lower.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there helicopters circling my house? ||This question is likely a joke because it is so incongruous to the others in this section. The joke is that people would be Googling about owls attacking people and assault rifle prices, which could, ostensibly alert authorities to come to your house to arrest you. If this is not the case, then the helicopter could be there for myriad reasons. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Ten===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there gods? || All gods and goddesses are man made and are part of ancient and fictional mythology and folklore that are used to give spiritual guidance and explanations for phenomenons that were yet unexplained by natural processes. Men for example, were thought to be produced by Darwin, King of all Finches, by manipulating apes over millions on years.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there two Spocks? || This is probably a reference to the {{w|Star_Trek_(film)|2009 Star Trek movie}} in which the franchise was given a {{w|Reboot_(fiction)|continuity reboot}}. The modified setting is explained in-universe by time travel, with both the villain Nero and the original-timeline Spock being brought back from the 24th century to the 23rd, creating a timeline in which both older Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and the younger Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) coexist.<br />
<br />
Another possibility is that the question refers to the episode {{w|Mirror,_Mirror_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)|"Mirror, Mirror"}}, which mostly takes place in an alternate universe populated by ruthless versions of most of the characters (including Spock). <br />
|-<br />
| Why is Mt Vesuvius there? ||The simple answer is that volcanoes are created by interactions where the Earth's tectonic plates meet. These conditions only exist in a few places on Earth. <p>The question could also be asking, "why is Mt Vesuvius near such a heavily populated area?" Humans have lived near Vesuvius throughout history, due to its pleasant climate, rich soil, and proximity to other major cities. The Italian government [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jun/05/italy.sophiearie offers generous cash incentives] to move people away from the danger zone, but finds few takers.</p><p>This question could also be a reference to mountaineer {{w|George Mallory}}'s famous answer as to why he wanted to climb Mount Everest: "Because it's there."</p><br />
|-<br />
| Why do they say T minus? || Time before the launch of a spacecraft is denoted as T minus because the launch has not happened yet. Any time after the launched is stated without the minus, for example T 3 seconds, so time before the launch can be seen as "minus" time. The T stands for "Test" or "Time".<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there obelisks? || {{w|Obelisk}} article has more<br />
|-<br />
| Why are wrestlers always wet? || Professional wrestling is strenuous activity, whether its fake or not. Strenuous activity results in sweat, giving the bodyan appearance of being wet. Greco-roman wrestling and Turkish Oil Wrestling both involve oiling the body, giving a similar appearance.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are oceans becoming more acidic? || Due to the higher amount of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere, which dissolves in the oceans turning into carbonic acid - CO2+H2O=H2CO3 (see {{w|Ocean acidification}})<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Arwen dying? || {{w|Elf (Middle-Earth)#Death|Elves}} can die from grief .<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't my quail laying eggs? || Have you tried turning them off and on again?<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't my quail eggs hatching? || Problems in incubation, probably.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America? || ''Further information: {{w|United States military deployments}}''<p>This is a very interesting question, albeit one likely based on a regional misunderstanding. Presumably, this question is asked by Americans who assume that the existence of {{w|Category:Military facilities of the United States by country|U.S. military bases abroad}} is a general trend among countries, as opposed to being the rarity that it is. In fact, {{w|List of countries with overseas military bases|only a handful of other countries}} have military bases outside of their borders, and the three—{{w|France}}, the {{w|United Kingdom}}, and {{w|Russia}}—that have more than one or two are all countries that, like the United States, {{w|Allies of World War II|were on the winning side of World War II}}, have {{w|List of countries by military expenditures|massive military expenditures}}, and have {{w|United Nations Security Council veto power|UN Security Council vetoes}}. In other words, only the most militarily elite countries have bases overseas. The U.S. is unique, however, in that it has far more overseas bases than any other country (and, pretty much, far more of anything else than any other country, when it comes to the military), and in that {{w|List of United States military bases|it has bases in several other highly-industrialized nations}}, including {{w|List of United States Army installations in South Korea|South Korea}} and the United Kingdom, and, most notably, the World War II {{w|Axis powers}}: {{w|List of United States Army installations in Germany|Germany}}, {{w|United States Forces Japan|Japan}}, and {{w|List of United States Army installations in Italy|Italy}}. France, Russia, and the U.K.'s bases, on the other hand, are almost all within areas that they previously controlled.</p><p>These bases can be controversial in some countries, while in others they are a major source of economic and political stability. The U.S. traditionally justifies their presence as a necessary and crucial element in its efforts to promote peace domestically and worldwide. Despite their major role in {{w|U.S. foreign policy}}, and in the general political structure of the globe, the American public often largely ignores them, and they rarely become a major political issue (apart from an occasional mention by {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian presidential candidates}}).</p><p>So, essentially, the absence of foreign military bases within the U.S. is primarily because there aren't really any other countries in a position to place bases there. Ironically, although no battles in the traditional sense have been fought within the U.S. since the {{w|U.S. Civil War}} and the U.S. mainland has seen {{w|Mainland invasion of the United States|almost no military action}}, foreign air force bases might have been useful on September 11, 2001. (The {{w|attack on Pearl Harbor}} in 1941 was 18 years before Hawaii became a U.S. state, but Hawaii was still a fundamental part of the United States as it was an incorporated territory.)</p><p>There are, however, foreign troops stationed at some continental US military bases. For example RAF (British Royal Air Force) 39 Sqn and 361 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada flying Reaper and Predator drones. But this are not foreign military bases, they are just guests.</p><br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Eleven===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are my boobs itchy? ||It could be anything from dry skin to a rare life-threatening disease. Could also be related to pregnancy, PMS, or puberty. [http://www.just-health.net/Itchy-Breast.html Here's a thorough list] of possible causes and remedies.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are cigarettes legal? ||Despite the obvious detrimental affects nicotine has on health, like caffeine and alcohol, it is easy to regulate. Substances like marijuana and other drugs are mainly illegal because the government and regulatory agencies have no control over their production and distribution and therefore cannot profit from it. Nicotine however, which is the key ingredient in tobacco can be regulated and taxed and is. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there ducks in my pool? ||Most likely, they're looking for a place to mate. Which means you'll soon have baby ducks in your pool. Most migratory birds are protected by wildlife laws, so you want to prevent them from moving into your pool in the first place. The [http://www.dfwwildlife.org/duck.html DFW Wildlife Coalition] has some tips.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Jesus white? ||This is an ethnocentric viewpoint that varies throughout cultures. In African cultures he is portrayed as black. In short, whatever culture he is introduced to, those inhabitants will have him fit their own image. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there liquid in my ear? ||[http://www.healthline.com/symptom/discharge-from-ear It's called otorrhea], and can be caused by infection, trauma, or changes in pressure. A common cause is [http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/swimmers-ear/basics/definition/con-20014723 Swimmer's ear], an infection of the outer ear canal.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do Q tips feel good? ||The inner ear contains [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erectile_tissue erectile tissue] (as does your inner nose which is why sneezing feels good) so you are massing tissue which gets aroused upon stimulation. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do good people die? ||Everybody dies, but loved ones and ones who were known to make memorable or valuable contributions are mourned and revered more than a person who has left much pain to others as their legacy; we remember the good ones and that's why it hurts more. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are ultrasounds important? ||Ultrasound scans provide a great deal of information about a fetus, thus increasing the chances of a healthy birth. They have many other medical uses.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are ultrasound machines expensive? ||As hospital equipment goes, ultrasound machines are actually a bargain. [http://www.costowl.com/healthcare/healthcare-ultrasound-machine-costs.html A new ultrasound machine] costs about $20,000-$75,000, depending on features. Comparable devices are much more expensive: The [http://info.blockimaging.com/bid/84432/CT-Scanner-Price-Guide CT scanner] runs $90,000-$250,000, while the [http://www.ehow.com/about_4731161_much-do-mri-machines-cost.html MRI machine] easily goes over a million.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is stealing wrong? ||Stealing is theft and it is illegal. Taking something that is not yours without permission or payment hurts the livelihood of other individuals as well as damages their trust in others. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Vertical Questions===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there hell if god forgives? ||There is not a single answer to this question. The answer varies based on the religion and that religion's sect mixed with personal interpretations of that religions scripture and how a person decides to follow it. However the idea of what Hell will be like also varies. There is no one answer to this question, but the easiest explanation is that the individual did not pray hard enough, correctly, was not part of the right religion, and their forgiveness was contingent on something that the person either did not do or know to do (or say or think) <br />
|-<br />
| Why do iguanas die? ||All living things die, but iguanas may suffer from [http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/kidneyfailure.html kidney failure].<br />
|-<br />
| Why is GPS free? || GPS was originally developed by the U.S. military for its own use, not for commercial purposes. Once the satellites were launched and service began, anyone could receive the signals. Because it is a one-way transmission, there is no incremental cost to provide service to more users, and no practical way to prevent use without payment.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are trees tall? ||Tall is a relative term, and Redwoods are famous for their height - among the tallest in the world. The reason for this is, in part [http://www.nps.gov/redw/faqs.htm climate, fog, rain, good soil, few predators, among others].<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there female Mr. Mimes? || {{w|Mr. Mime}} is a Pokémon introduced in the first generation of the games, and despite its name, it can be either of a male or female gender. As the Pokémon was introduced before the concept of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gender gender in Pokémon games], it is likely that the people in charge of translating its Japanese name (Barrierd) did not take this into account during the process.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there lava? ||{{w|Lava}} is magma (molten rock) which is at the Earth's surface. Magma in the Earth comes from the melting of rock due to rising heat from deeper within the planet. {{w|Earth's internal heat budget|This heat}} is about half radiogenic and half primordial (left over from the formation and differentiation of the Earth). Most of the crust and mantle of the Earth is solid rock, but in places (usually controlled by plate tectonics, but {{w|Hawaii hotspot|not always}}) where the heat is high enough the minerals with lowest melting point start to melt and then migrate upwards towards the surface. This melt collects in {{w|Magma chamber|magma chambers}}, in which the magma may start to cool and crystallize. Sometimes it will crystallize completely, becoming an underground solid body called a pluton. Other times melt will keep migrating upwards until it reaches the surface and erupts as lava, forming a {{w|volcano}} or undersea vent.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is YKK on a zippers? || YKK Group is the name of a large group of Japanese manufacturing companies, which among other things manufacture a lot of zippers.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is life so boring? ||It is up to an individual to find meaning and interest in life. Monotony, predictability and lack of physical and intellectual stimulation would lead to a feeling of boredom. <br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts? ||Ghosts are a supernatural phenomenon that have not been empirically proven to exist. Those who believe in ghosts implicitly believe in a soul (of which a ghost is a materialization of), and it is a commonly held belief by religious institutions and ghost-hunters that animals do not have souls and thus dinosaurs would not have any either. <br />
|-<br />
|Why is there no king in England? || ''Note: For simplicity's sake, "England" here is being read as "United Kingdom." The various name changes, mergers, and splits of kingdoms are complicated.''<p>The basis for this question is that for the past several hundred years, there has almost always been a queen in England, the sole exceptions being when the king has not had a wife. However, there is a distinction between being the queen of England (that is to say, {{w|List of British monarchs|a monarch}}) and being the {{w|queen consort|queen ''consort''}} of England: The former refers to a woman who {{w|Succession to the British throne|succeeded to the throne}} in her own right, becoming sovereign, while the latter refers to the wife of the king. Both roles, though, are commonly referred to as "Queen of England," creating the impression that there is always such a person. The logical question, therefore, is why {{w|Elizabeth II}}'s husband, {{w|Prince Philip|Philip}}, is not considered the king of England. The answer lies in Britain's system of {{w|male-preference cognatic primogeniture}}, which causes the monarch of England to usually be a man, not a woman. As a result of this, British laws were generally built around the presumption that the monarch would be a man, and that said man would be married to a woman, [[223: Valentine's Day|comic 223]] be damned. Since the creation of the modern British throne in 1707, only two women have reigned as queen in their own right; it just so happens that these two women have been two of the most famous and longest-reigning monarchs in world history, {{w|Queen Victoria}} and Queen Elizabeth II. This fact may add to people's enhanced perception of the lack of a British king. Victoria and Elizabeth's respective consorts, {{w|Albert, Prince Consort|Albert}} and Philip, have been styled as princes&mdash;Albert as {{w|Prince Consort}} and Philip as "{{w|British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}}." Both were explicitly granted their titles by their wives, though Albert was already a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Philip had previously been a prince of Denmark and Greece, but had renounced both titles before marrying Elizabeth.</p><p>The title {{w|king consort}} also exists, but has never been used in the United Kingdom.</p><p>Notably, should {{w|Prince Charles}} succeed to his mother's throne, it has been announced that his wife, {{w|Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla}}, will be styled as {{w|princess consort}}, ''not'' as queen consort, just as she has declined the title {{w|Princess of Wales}}, which is strongly associated with Charles's first wife, {{w|Princess Diana|Diana}}. Assuming that Charles succeeds, this means that Britain will not have anyone referred to as "queen," after decades of not having anyone referred to as "king."</p><br />
|-<br />
| Why do I feel dizzy? ||Balance is achieved from fluids in the inner-ear, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizziness#Epidemiology dizziness] can have nearly a dozen causes.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are dogs afraid of fireworks? ||Loud noises can trigger their flight or fight responses when they are [http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/hyperdog/How-to-Keep-Your-Dog-Safe-and-Calm-During-Fireworks nervous].<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there weeks? || Weeks were originally important for religious reasons, primarily the requirement to observe a sabbath (day of rest) every seventh day. Today it is used to evenly divide months into equal pieces, much like the months divide a year. Similarly, hours and minutes divide a day.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1l3na7/questions/cbvigrd, answers to all the questions.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This strip is a rectangular word cloud, titled 'Questions found in Google autocomplete'. Embedded in the cloud are 5 single panels, with illustrated questions. These are described at the end. Questions are given in roughly columnar order. None of the questions have question marks.]<br />
<br />
:Questions found in Google Autocomplete<br />
<br />
:Why do whales jump<br />
:Why are witches green<br />
:Why are there mirrors above beds<br />
:Why do I say uh<br />
:Why is sea salt better<br />
:Why are there trees in the middle of fields<br />
:Why is there not a Pokemon MMO<br />
:Why is there laughing in TV shows<br />
:Why are there doors on the freeway<br />
:Why are there so many svchost.exe running<br />
:Why aren't there any countries in antarctica<br />
:Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft<br />
:Why is there kicking in my stomach<br />
:Why are there two slashes after HTTP<br />
:Why are there celebrities<br />
:Why do snakes exist<br />
:Why do oysters have pearls<br />
:Why are ducks called ducks<br />
:Why do they call it the clap<br />
:Why are Kyle and Cartman friends<br />
:Why is there an arraow on Aang's head<br />
:Why are text messages blue<br />
:Why are there mustaches on clothes<br />
:Why are there mustaches on cars<br />
:Why are there mustaches everywhere<br />
:Why are there so many birds in Ohio<br />
:Why is there so much rain in Ohio<br />
:Why is Ohio weather so weird<br />
:Why are there male and female bikes<br />
:Why are there bridesmaids<br />
:Why do dying people reach up<br />
:Why aren't there varicose arteries<br />
:Why are old Klingons different<br />
:Why is programming so hard<br />
:Why is there a 0 ohm resistor<br />
:Why do Americans hate soccer<br />
:Why do rhymes sound good<br />
:Why do trees die<br />
:Why is there no sound on CNN<br />
:Why aren't Pokemon real<br />
:Why aren't bullets sharp<br />
:Why do dreams seem so real<br />
:Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts<br />
:Why do iguanas die<br />
:Why do testicles move<br />
:Why are there psychics<br />
:Why are hats so expensive<br />
:Why is there caffeine in my shampoo<br />
:Why do your boobs hurt<br />
:Why aren't economists rich<br />
:Why do Americans call it soccer<br />
:Why are my ears ringing<br />
:Why are there so many Avengers<br />
:Why are the Avengers fighting the X men<br />
:Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers<br />
:Why are there ants in my laptop<br />
:Why is Earth tilted<br />
:Why is space black<br />
:Why is outer space so cold<br />
:Why are there pyramids on the moon<br />
:Why is NASA shutting down<br />
:Why is there Hell if God forgives<br />
:Why are there tiny spiders in my house<br />
:Why do spiders come inside<br />
:Why are there huge spiders in my house<br />
:Why are there lots of spiders in my house<br />
:Why are there spiders in my room<br />
:Why are there so many spiders in my room<br />
:Why do spider bites itch<br />
:Why is dying so scary<br />
:Why is there no GPS in laptops<br />
:Why do knees click<br />
:Why aren't there E grades<br />
:Why is isolation bad<br />
:Why do boys like me<br />
:Why don't boys like me<br />
:Why is there always a Java update<br />
:Why are there red dots on my thighs<br />
:Why is lying good<br />
:Why is GPS free<br />
:Why are trees tall<br />
:Why are there slaves in the Bible<br />
:Why do twins have different fingerprints<br />
:Why are Americans afraid of dragons<br />
:Why is there lava<br />
:Why are there swarms of gnats<br />
:Why is there phlegm<br />
:Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN<br />
:Why is psychic weak to bug<br />
:Why do children get cancer<br />
:Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus<br />
:Why is there ice in space<br />
:Why are there female Mr Mimes<br />
:Why is there an owl in my backyard<br />
:Why is there an owl outside my window<br />
:Why is there an owl on the dollar bill<br />
:Why do owls attack people<br />
:Why are AK47s so expensive<br />
:Why are there helicopters circling my house<br />
:Why are there gods<br />
:Why are there two Spocks<br />
:Why is Mt Vesuvius there<br />
:Why do they say T minus<br />
:Why are there obelisks<br />
:Why are wrestlers always wet<br />
:Why are oceans becoming more acidic<br />
:Why is Arwen dying<br />
:Why aren't my quail laying eggs<br />
:Why aren't my quail eggs hatching<br />
:Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America<br />
:Why is life so boring<br />
:Why are my boobs itchy<br />
:Why are cigarettes legal<br />
:Why are there ducks in my pool<br />
:Why is Jesus white<br />
:Why is there liquid in my ear<br />
:Why do Q tips feel good<br />
:Why do good people die<br />
:Why are ultrasounds important<br />
:Why are ultrasound machines expensive<br />
:Why is stealing wrong<br />
:Why is YKK on all zippers<br />
:Why is HTTPS crossed out in red<br />
:Why is there a line through HTTPS<br />
:Why is there a red line through HTTPS on Facebook<br />
:Why is HTTPS important<br />
:Why are there weeks<br />
:Why do I feel dizzy<br />
:Why are dogs afraid of fireworks<br />
:Why is there no king in England<br />
<br />
:[We see Cueball from the torso up, with arms outstretched.]<br />
:Cueball: Why aren't my arms growing<br />
<br />
:[Megan stands with a grey ghost on either side of her.]<br />
:Megan: Why are there ghosts<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy stands, looking at a squirrel.]<br />
:Beret Guy: Why are there squirrels<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands.]<br />
:Cueball: Why is sex so important.<br />
<br />
:[We see Ponytail from the torso up.]<br />
:Ponytail: Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:LOTR]]<br />
[[Category:Pokémon]]<br />
[[Category:Google Search]]<br />
[[Category:Squirrels]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1256:_Questions&diff=1146091256: Questions2016-03-10T06:18:59Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Illustrated Panels */ Previous answer for "squirrels" was actually a tautology. Trust me, I'm an evolutionary biologist.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1256<br />
| date = August 26, 2013<br />
| title = Questions<br />
| image = questions.png<br />
| titletext = To whoever typed 'why is arwen dying': GOOD. FUCKING. QUESTION.<br />
}}<br />
A larger version of the picture can be found in http://xkcd.com/1256/large/.<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Google}}, a rather popular internet search engine (which everyone uses), has a feature known as [https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/106230?hl=en autocomplete] that guesses at search queries before they are fully typed out. These guesses are generally made based on popular searches by other people. From time to time, a particularly strange or hilarious one may be found, as is evidenced in this comic.<br />
<br />
The largest pictured questions are: "Why are there slaves in the bible" and "Why are there ants in my laptop".<br />
<br />
All of the questions in the comic are "why" questions, so many of them are predicated on false assumptions, such as "Why are there pyramids on the moon". All these questions and many more (33,171 in total) can be found in http://xkcd.com/why.txt.<br />
<br />
Regarding the title text: in the Peter Jackson films of {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy}}, Arwen becomes sickly for unspecified reasons as the plot advances, apparently giving Aragorn a more personal reason to fight. The only explanation given is by Elrond, who says "As Sauron's power grows, her [Arwen's] strength wanes." This subplot is entirely absent from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings|original novels}}.<br />
<br />
From [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/faq#.2.1.21 IMDB]: <br /><blockquote><br />
Arwen, like her father (and brothers) is considered to be a Half-Elf, the result of a union between an Elf and a mortal human. The Half-Elven of Middle-earth get a choice, to remain immortal and return to the West (Valinor) or to become mortal and to die as humans do. Elrond chose to remain an Elf. Arwen (like her uncle Elros) chooses to become mortal in order to wed and remain with Aragorn. Elrond senses this; this is what he means when he says that Arwen is dying. It is the same as in The Last Unicorn, when the unicorn is given the form of a human woman and can feel that she is no longer immortal ("I can feel this body dying all around me"). According to Tolkien, though, after Aragorn dies in the year 120 (Fourth Age), Arwen returns to Lórien, where she dies by choice the following winter. </blockquote><br />
<br />
==Selected answers==<br />
The tables below have been created so as to split the comic into almost entirely arbitrary blocks, which have then been identified with similarly arbitrary numbers. As a general rule, section numbers work top to bottom, then right to left.<br />
===Illustrated Panels===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't my arms growing?||Arms stop growing because longer arms would not be a very useful way to spend resources. Human DNA has programmed the body to gradually ossify the growing arms and legs, closing the epiphyseal plate, at which point these extremities stop growing.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there ghosts?||There is no hard evidence of ghosts.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there squirrels?||Squirrels are the product of a long sequence of evolution, like any other animal. They persist because they effectively reproduce and compete for resources within their niche, but they are also the product of many circumstantial events that has led to them being the way they are.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is sex so important?||Sex is important because it is the primary method of reproduction in many different species. However, it can be of varying importance to different people (see [http://www.asexuality.org/home/?q=overview.html asexuality]).<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter? || In the {{w|Harry Potter}} universe {{w|guns}} do exist and are mentioned at the beginning of {{w|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}} when the news gives a warning that Sirius Black has one. Muggle technology (human inventions) are often looked down on by wizards - the majority of half-blooded wizards won't touch one, let alone a wizard extremist like {{w|Voldemort}}. Not only does any Muggle device more complex than a wristwatch interfere with magical artifacts, but wands are usually more versatile than most guns; a revolver can't shoot lightning, summon items or teleport its user. Finally, while Harry himself may or may not consider using firearms due to his Muggle upbringing, ''Harry Potter'' is set in the United Kingdom (which has stricter gun laws than, say, the United States).<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section One===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why do whales jump? || To the whale, it's like going into outer space!<br />
|-<br />
|Why are witches green? || See {{w|Wizard of Oz}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mirrors above beds?|| Often, these are used by couples to view themselves during coitus.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do I say Uh?||See ''[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/06/the_odd_body_language_fillers/ Why do we say 'um', 'er', or 'ah' when we hesitate in speaking?]''.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is sea salt better? || The question likely refers to the difference between common {{w|Fortified table salt}} and usually more expensive sea salt. While the major part of both of these is sodium chloride (NaCl) the idea behind the claim is the different composition mostly in regards to trace elements of sea salt compared to "normal" salt. Table salt's composition is often influenced by a country's health department and thus addition of trace elements is regulated. While these regulations are based on scientific studies there remain to be debates concerning the additions, such as iodine.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there trees in the middle of fields? || Many images of fields contain singular trees in the middle of them. While there exist such trees it is likely an artistic choice to give a more pleasing or aesthetically satisfying image compared to just a field. In modern agriculture those would in fact be quite troublesome since they are a hindrance to large machines used and a new tree would be unlikely to grow in a constantly worked field.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there not a Pokémon MMO? || {{w|Pokémon}} is a popular franchise, spanning game consoles, anime series, a trading card game, and many other things. Among fans, it is a frequent topic of discussion why a Pokémon {{w|massively multiplayer online game}} has not been officially announced by the series' developers {{w|Game Freak}}, as they often [http://www.dorkly.com/comic/52546/be-careful-what-you-wish-for predict] that such a game would be extremely popular, and bring in massive revenue for the company. However, if Game Freak were to develop a Pokémon MMO the MMOs would be strong competition against the console games and therefore reducing the Pokémon demographic significantly.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there laughing in TV shows? || Sitcoms were once filmed with an audience, so the actors could respond to their reactions. That's the historical reason why there were laughs in TV shows. The tradition continues, with the difference that now the laughter mostly comes from recorded tapes. See {{w|Laugh track}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there doors on the freeway?|| Highway/freeway {{w|noise barrier|noise barriers}} sometimes have doors in them to allow workers access to both sides of the barrier.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there so many svchost.exe running?||See {{w|svchost.exe}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there any countries in Antarctica? || {{w|Antarctica}} is the southern most continent and is by large covered in ice and in general pretty cold. While it is a regular target of tourists and researchers it also lacks native human inhabitants. At the moment, the territorial claims concerning Antarctica are mostly handled via the {{w|Antarctic Treaty System}}. In short there are a few countries who claim certain parts of the continent as their own in theory but so far it is considered neutral territory and most maps don't concern themselves with displaying the (in some regards disputed) territorial claims because they do not matter at this point in time. If there are ever any worthwhile resources discovered, this might change.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft?|| To add atmosphere and to give players hints when there is a dark cave nearby. See [http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Ambience Minecraft Wiki].<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there kicking in my stomach?||See ''[http://www.webmd.com/baby/fetal-movement-feeling-baby-kick Feeling Your Baby Kick]''. Here, ''stomach'' means ''abdomen''.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there two slashes after http?||See ''[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1220286/Sir-Tim-Berners-Lee-admits-forward-slashes-web-address-mistake.html Sir Tim Berners-Lee admits the forward slashes in every web address 'were a mistake']''.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there celebrities?||There are certain people who are more respected and well-known than other people, whether it be because of their acting career, major advancements to science, or a sex tape.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do snakes exist?|| The question is rather general and likely based on a widespread dislike for the reptilians. Be it due to their appearance, their spread, or the danger a few snakes pose to humans (often due to being venomous) many people have a dislike for snakes and would prefer them to not exist (similar to spiders).<br />
In regards to "why do snakes exist on earth?": Because evolution. Snakes fill a gap in the ecosystem as predators and hunt different species, including vermin. Snakes are in that regard similar to many other predatory animals. The question on why snakes developed with their distinct streamlined shape is still debated but {{w|snakes|likely it either provided an advantage when burrowing or swimming}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do oysters have pearls?||{{w|pearl|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside the shell, or an attack from outside, injuring the mantle tissue. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. Pearls are commonly viewed by scientists as a by-product of an adaptive immune system-like function.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why are ducks called ducks?||See {{w|Duck#Etymology}}. {{W|wikt:duck|According to Wiktionary}}, the noun ''duck'' can be traced back to the {{w|Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic}} word {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/dūkaną|''dūkaną''}} ("to dive, bend down"), and, in turn, the {{w|Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European}} {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/dʰewb-|''dʰewb-''}} ("deep, hollow"), which is the origin of the verb ''to duck''. The link between the noun and the verb comes from ducks' tendency to dive under water for short periods of time.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do they call it the clap?||An old folk remedy for {{w|gonorrhea}} was to clap on the sides of the penis.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are Kyle and Cartman friends?|| The question relates to the TV show {{w|South Park}}. Both are children living in the small titular town in Colorado. Cartman is widely accepted to a be very bad person, one of his many character flaws being his antisemitism. Kyle on the other hand is a Jew. However, both, along with two other kids, Stan and Kenny, are the core focus of the show (or used to be) and to some extent are considered to be friends. While there are episodes which show Cartman being not entirely a horrible person and him holding Kyle in a position of at least a worthy adversary, most of the time the question should be "Why is anyone friends with Cartman?" However, they most likely remain "friends" because they are in the same class at school and are therefore "forced" to be around one another.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there an arrow on Aang's head?||{{w|Avatar: The Last Airbender#Characters|Aang}} is the main character of the TV series {{w|Avatar the last Airbender|Avatar - The last Airbender}} and features as part of a large body spanning tattoo an arrow on his head. These tattoos are made to replicate the markings of one of the shows fictional animals, the air bison which are regarded as the original air benders. They are given to human air benders once they attain the status of masters. Because Aang acquired this status very early in life he was already tattooed accordingly.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are text messages blue?||This likely refers to imessage chat being blue. These messages are blue when sending a message to another apple device.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches on clothes?||Because some people buy them. Mustaches, especially handlebar-style mustaches, were a popular fad at the time of this comic.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches on cars?||Fuzzy pink mustaches are used to designate cars in the {{w|Lyft}} service.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there mustaches everywhere?||See {{w|Movember}}<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there so many birds in Ohio?||There are an estimated [http://oh.audubon.org/bsc/SOTB.html 400 bird species] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Ohio Ohio], but there are [http://www.jstor.org/discover/2419997sid=21104910103541&uid=4&uid=3739776&uid=2&uid=3739256 2.74 nesting pairs per acre].<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there so much rain in Ohio?|| {{w|lake_effect|Lake-effect}} rain develops in the same manner as lake-effect snow.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is Ohio weather so weird?||See {{w|Lake-effect snow}}.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Two===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there male and female bikes? || {{w|bicycle|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the top, resulting in a lower {{w|Frame geometry|standover height}} at the expense of compromised structural integrity, since this places a strong bending load in the seat tube, and bicycle frame members are typically weak in bending. This design, referred to as a '''''{{w|step-through frame}}''''' or as an ''open frame'', allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified way while wearing a skirt or dress.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why are there bridesmaids?||See {{w|Bridesmaid#Origin and history}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do dying people reach up?|| In many works of fiction dying people are regarded with an outstretched arm, grasping for unseen objects towards the sky. In all likelihood this originates in the idea of heaven as the place where (good) people go after death. People "reach for the light" which is seen when dying according to similar beliefs or possibly for already dead relatives or other associated people waiting for them. An alternative hypothesis is that they want to hug/touch their loved ones one last time.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't there varicose arteries?||Blood moves through veins due to irregular pressure from skeletal muscles combined with valves to control direction. In varicose veins these valves malfunction affecting blood flow. In arteries blood flow is produced directly from pressure caused by the heart.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are old Klingons different?|| {{w|Klingon Redesign|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>For {{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}} (1979), the Klingons were retconned and their appearance and behavior radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red gels and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges harkening to the Klingon's militaristic focus.[5] Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.</blockquote><br />
|-<br />
|Why is programming so hard?||Programming is the art of writing instructions for a computer to do. Since the computer has a limited set of instructions for you to use it involves a new way of thinking for many. It is also hard because the computer itself is not smart or adaptable to unexpected problems. For instance when a human is told to sort books in a shelf, he or she can do that despite there might be things in the way (he or she will just move it to the side). A computer will generally just crash if it doesn't have instructions on how to deal with the unexcepted problem.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there a 0 Ohm resistor?|| A resistor is usually designed to create a certain resistance, measured in {{w|Ohm}} in an electronic device. A 0 Ohm resistor seems pointless as it would only provide the same resistance as a normal cable. However, Wikipedia's {{w|Zero-ohm link}} article gives sufficient explanation.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do Americans hate soccer? || Soccer, or football in British English, is rather unpopular in the USA compared to most other regions of the world. Finding a particular reason behind the (dis)like for certain sports, apart from cultural spread, is difficult. One possible explanation is soccer's tendency to have far fewer points scored in an average game and a higher likelihood of draws compared to such things as American Football, basketball or baseball, which are far more popular. In how far this is a legitimate argument for regarding soccer as "less interesting" is up to debate.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do rhymes sound good?||The brain enjoys repetition especially in music.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do trees die?||Some common reasons include lack of water, lack of nitrogen in the soil and being chopped down.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is there no sound on CNN?||Some stations broadcast a {{w|second audio program}}, an alternative sound track that your TV can be configured to use instead of the primary program. This is intended to be used for broadcasting in an alternate language, or for {{w|Descriptive Video Service}} to make a program accessible to the visually impaired. Many programs that don't actually use SAP will still broadcast an SAP that is identical to the primary program; however, this is not required. If your TV is configured to use SAP and a particular channel isn't broadcasting SAP at that time, there won't be any sound.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't Pokémon real?||Pokémon are fantasised creatures that were designed to produce an interesting battle mechanic in a game. Some of the pokémons abilities would be impossible on earth as we know it. For instance, Magcargo is hotter than the surface of the sun.<ref name="Bulbapedia Magcargo">http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Magcargo#Trivia</ref><br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't bullets sharp?||See {{w|Terminal ballistics}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Why do dreams seem so real?|| Most dreams occur during a stage known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). During REM, your brain is highly active and its wave pattern is the same as the wave patterns in a person who is awake. It should be noted that dreams can occur during other stages of sleep but most dreams that are vivid occur during the REM stage.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Three===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why do testicles move?|| The scrotum shrinks and expands to account for temperature changes. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there psychics?|| Because the world would be boring otherwise.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are hats so expensive?|| Hats can be expensive depending on the quality of material, size, location, and demand. A probable answer is that hats are simply difficult to make, causing high prices. Another likely cause is the fact that hats are not widely worn in much of the western world and people who do wear them often have far fewer than they have, for example, shirts, meaning that manufacturers cannot get the same economies of scale in production and distribution.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there caffeine in my shampoo?|| Because the producers want you to believe that caffeine penetrates the hair roots and thereby somehow protects it from negative testosterone impacts and from premature hair loss. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do your boobs hurt?|| The most probable reason is that your bra doesn't fit correctly. It could also be a hormone imbalance or awkwardly shaped breasts.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Four===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't economists rich? || Economists study how laws of self-interest bring about an efficient allocation of resources. In order to become rich, one has to enter a market seeking profit by trading or producing goods or services.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do Americans call it soccer? || {{w|Association Football}} is called Soccer in the USA because {{w|American Football}} is the more popular version there. Of note is that the word "soccer" originates on British soil, to distinguish it from Rugby football aka "rugger".<br />
|-<br />
| Why are my ears ringing? || {{w|Tinnitus}}, or ringing of the ears, can result from stress, foreign objects in the ear, hearing damage, wax build up, or any other number of causes.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many Avengers? ||The number of Avengers has [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Avengers_members varied greatly] over the years and decades, each time with its own justification for why they need to work together, but the simplest answer is money. Cross-branding and cross-merchandising is successful to the brand and brings in new readers, plus creates a new franchise to profit from. <br />
|-<br />
|Why are the Avengers fighting the X Men || {{w|Avengers vs. X-Men}} was a 2012 Marvel crossover event that, like many other recent comic book events, had heroes fight other heroes. In this case, the {{w|Avengers (comics)|Avengers}} and the {{w|X-Men}} fought over the {{w|Phoenix Force (comics)|Phoenix Force}}, a godlike power that often possesses {{w|Jean Grey}} or her descendants (in this case, her alternate universe daughter Hope Summers). The Avengers believed the Phoenix Force is too powerful for humanity to control and wanted to contain it, while the X-Men believed the Phoenix was the messiah for mutants and could fix all of the Earth's problems.<br />
|-<br />
|Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers || Wolverine ''has'' been an Avenger, in some circumstances. e.g. in the {{w|The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes}} cartoon series, the episode ''New Avengers'' had Wolverine (along with Spiderman, War Machine, The Thing and Luke Cage and Iron Fist) substitute while the 'original' Avengers were unavailable to deal with the current crisis (which of course included the fate of the 'proper' Avengers). However, in general his anti-authority personality makes him a difficult team-member to field, and he has frequently disassociated himself even from the X-Men. But, in Avengers vs. X-Men (see above) Wolverine ''sided'' with The Avengers, and more modern treatments have even included the character in about as much a permanent a membership of the group as Logan is ever likely to have.<br />
<br />
But if the question is about why Wolverine didn't appear in {{w|The Avengers (2012 film)|''The Avengers''}}, the answer is that ''The Avengers'' is being produced by Marvel/Disney, while Fox still has the rights to the X-Men and all Marvel mutants in general. Unless there is studio agreement, the two properties cannot cross, except through complicated machinations. For example, there are plans to bring Avengers mainstays Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch to both the ''Avengers'' and ''X-Men'' franchises, but only the Fox films have the right to call them the children of Magneto, and Marvel/Disney cannot even identify them on-screen as "mutants".<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Five===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there ants in my laptop? || Ants usually come in your laptop when there are little crumbs of food. It is advised to get screen protectors.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Earth tilted? || The Earth's axial "tilt", wherein its axis of rotation is not perpendicular it its orbit, is a result of conservation of momentum when the Earth was formed, because not everything orbits in the same way. This is pure happenstance.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is space black? || What we call black is the absence of light. Space is mostly empty. Whe we look at a part of space where there is nothing that can reflect the stars' light, it consequently appears black to us.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is outer space so cold? || Space is not cold. There is no matter in space. However, most of space has very little radiation hitting it, so a person won't receive any energy, but will still radiate some away, resulting in a net loss of energy, colloquially "heat."<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there pyramids on the moon? || There are no pyramids on the moon.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is NASA shutting down? ||NASA isn't shutting down. This question might have something to do with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_2013 Government Shutdown of 2013] or perhaps due to the then-current shuttle program ending, but that is not the entirety of NASA.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section <strike>Spider</strike> Six===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there tiny spiders in my house?<br />
|rowspan="6"|During autumn in particular male spiders reaching maturing will set off to find a mate. By chance they may end up in your house. When encountering spiders in large numbers, it is more likely that they are young from the same female spider. Females lay {{w|Spider#Reproduction_and_life_cycle|up to 3,000}} eggs at a time. These questions also plays off of Munroe's longstanding fear of spiders, especially the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/8:_Red_spiders red spiders] mentioned in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Red_Spiders several early comics].<br />
|-<br />
| Why do spiders come inside? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there huge spiders in my house? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there lots of spiders in my house? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there spiders in my room? <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many spiders in my room? <br />
|-<br />
| Why do spider bites itch? ||This mostly happens as an immune response to [http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/why-do-mosquito-bites-itch histamines] under the skin which are injected through saliva.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is dying so scary? ||Part of human nature is the fear of the unknown, and death is the ultimate unknown because it is not knowable until it's experienced, and there is nobody to report what the result was. This leaves it open to speculation, and many major religions are based on preparing ones soul for death. Also, dying would leave loved ones families with the responsibility of taking care of their remains and finances. And finally, most people don't want to die, living for as long as possible, possibly because the unknown is too unbearable to cope with. Still though several people are not afraid of death and dying, and recognize life is short and to cherish each moment while we can. Death is inevitable, so we should not fear it. In addition, it would be evolutionarily advantageous for our ancestors to have feared and avoided death. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there no GPS in laptops? ||It is not impossible for laptops to have a GPS, and some do. But there are [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/50907/are-there-gps-tracker-for-laptops design difficulties] that have to be overcome including battery draining, room within the crowded device to place a receiver, WiFi can give a location just as well, and the product casing could interfere with its ability to functional normally and receive the signals necessary to operate as intended. Some Dell computers have these, but the privacy one needs to give up to accept the terms and conditions makes it unfavorable. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do knees click? || Typical of other clicking and cracking of joints, this may be the sound of [http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/knee-cracks-pops ligaments tightening]. However do not rely on a wiki to diagnose a medical conditions. Consult a licensed physician. <br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there E grades? ||E grades [http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/e-f-grading-scale/ actually exist] in some districts, but they are rare. In their long and bizarre history, E was originally used where F is today (E was the lowest grade), but in those systems, students often received E's for an "Excellent" grade, creating much confusion. F was used in place instead and E was eliminated from a standard grading scale. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is isolation bad? ||Isolation is when a person deliberately secludes themselves away from others, often far-removed from society. This can happen in locations as small as a city apartment and as large as the open woods. People evolved as social animals and it is generally held that those who isolate themselves suffer from depression or other forms of psychological imbalance. Of course society can trigger many of these imbalances causing an individual to isolate themselves. Isolation is often seen as therapeutic so people can spend time with themselves constructively, often finding peace within themselves and through mediation. Monks and hermits generally live in solitude as well. Many people view a decision to be isolated as noble, and others as healthy. While general interaction is largely healthy, in the crowded modern world, isolation is neither good or bad; it depends on the person and what that isolation does to them. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do boys like me? ||Attraction comes in many forms: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, among others. Many people will lie about what they like about you to get something else (money, sex, etc.), but most are genuine. It is not possible to assert definitively why one person may like another person, and that is something that needs to be discussed openly and honestly with them and nobody else. <br />
|-<br />
| Why don't boys like me? ||Similar to the answer above about what makes one desirable to another, there are an equal number of factors that make one unappealing. This can include everything from physical appearance to how one treats others. If a person is rude and unfriendly, most people find that not-conducive to healthy relationship and avoid the person who is asking. Not being liked by someone you like however does not mean you're wrong or are a bad person and in most cases has to do with the person you are asking about. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there always a Java update? ||[https://www.java.com/en/download/faq/whatis_java.xml Java] is a software that runs on most computers and mobile devices that is crucial to its security and stability. The reason why it always updates is because it needs to stay current with the ever-upgrading fleet of browsers, operating systems and software that supports Java. Additionally Java updates itself so each version can run optimally. Software coding and debugging is a never-ending process towards perfectly stable releases. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there red dots on my thighs? || This might be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petechia Petechia], which are broken blood vessels, however do not rely on a wiki to diagnose medical conditions. Consult a licensed physician. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is lying good? ||Lying and other forms of dishonesty is typically seen as bad because it lowers one's credibility and makes them less likely to be trusted in the future. It is almost always advantageous to tell the truth, as lies have a way of escalating as you need to keep expanding on the lie to cover your tracks. There are instances however where lying may be used in more noble circumstances. For example, if a friend asks your opinion on something they have made (such as a poem or painting) that you do not like, it is okay to tell them you like it because protecting their feelings and your relationship is more important than how you feel. Often military personnel are trained to keep national security secrets at all costs and will lie about what they know to save themselves and the country.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Seven===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there slaves in the bible? ||Slavery was viewed differently in the early years of human civilization before the contemporary moral and ethical conversations began centuries later. The Jewish legal system as presented in the bible [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slavery justified slavery] for a number of reasons, notably to pay off some sort of debt. Slaves were seen as property and their work provided value to the slave owner, but such a relationship was legally required to be temporary and slaves had some basic human rights. Similarly slave owners rationalized their ownership through scripture, pointing out that it was in the Bible and therefore okay with God -- without wishing to go off on a tangent, if you have to rationalize your system of slavery then it's probably illegal under historic Jewish law.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do twins have different fingerprints? || Fingerprints are not only from the DNA, but from the conditions in the womb which differ from child to child.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are Americans afraid of dragons? ||This question was the title of a [http://blogs.sfu.ca/courses/spring2012/engl387/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Why-are-Americans-Afraid-of-Dragons.docx 1974 essay] by Ursula K. LeGeuin in which she makes a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics semiotic] analysis of dragon mythology. She argues that our belief in dragons (and those outside of America as well) stems from childhood, much like other ferocious fictional creatures such as goblins and hobbits, but many hold onto these fears as a way of avoiding reality. In her closing argument, she writes, "They know that its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life they have let themselves be forced into living. They are afraid of dragons, because they are afraid of freedom."<br />
|-<br />
| Why is HTTPS crossed out in red? || The site accessed has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there a line through HTTPS? || The site accessed has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there a red line through HTTPS on Facebook? || Facebook has an invalid SSL certificate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is HTTPS important? || For security reasons, as a site with HTTPS has encrypted traffic.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Eight===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there swarms of gnats? || The reason gnats (and other creatures) tend to swarm together is likely a safety-in-numbers protection, and as a big gathering to find a mate.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there phlegm? ||{{w|Phlegm#Phlegm|Phlegm}} is a thick, viscous fluid produced by the mucus membranes as a way to clear the airway and aids in the release of bacteria, disease and debris in those passages. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN || From a Minnesota Paper, [http://www.startribune.com/local/138902104.html the Star Tribune], "Laws prevent the city from poisoning the crows". "Duffy [ {{w|Steve Duffy}}, a co-owner of U.S. Bird Abatement Services, which has contracted with Rochester to get rid of the crows] isn't sure why Rochester has such a bad crow problem; probably a confluence of many bird-friendly conditions that has also made it a magnet for {{w|geese}}. He's seen worse cases, but called Rochester's situation 'hideous.'" And best of all, "The city has twice this winter hired experts to chase them off. They tried {{w|lasers}} and bullhorns — hey, get out of here, you crows — and even employed raptors to pick them off, one by one. That worked, for awhile." Unfortunately, they mean a {{w|bird of prey}}, not a {{w|velociraptor}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Psychic weak to Bug || In Pokémon, Pokémon of the psychic type like Mr. Mime are weak to three types of attacks: Ghost, Dark, and Bug. The general theory is that Psychic Pokémon, relying heavily on their thoughts for attacks, are weak to fears, which ghosts, darkness, and bugs can be classified as.<br />
|- <br />
| Why do children get cancer? ||{{w|Cancer}} is an aggressive and often fatal disease that has the potential to affect all humans as well as other organisms. There are multiple types of cancer, each with their own epidemiology, but children are not immune to succumbing to the horrific effects of the disease. Children are human beings and are subject to the same illnesses adults have, regardless of age, or their innocence. There is no divine or supernatural explanation for this. Simply put, life is a battle for all humans regardless of how small they are. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus? || {{w|Poseidon}} was the patron deity of the city of {{w|Troy}}, which after a 10 years siege by the Greeks fell due to {{w|Odysseus}}' list of the {{w|Trojan_Horse|Trojan horse}}. As the Greeks were returning home after the Trojan War, Oddyseus' ship accidentally landed on the island home of the cyclops Polyphemus, who imprisoned the crew and ate many of them. In order to escape, Odysseus blinded the cyclops. Poseidon, Polyphemus' father, was extremely angered by his son being blinded, so he cursed Odysseus' ship to prevent him from reaching his home in {{W|Ithaca}}. The adventures which Odysseus encountered during his quest for reaching Ithaca are the main theme of {{w|Homer|Homer's}} {{w|Odyssey}} The Odyssey also says that before sailing, the crew forgot to offer a sacrifice as was ordained.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there ice in space? || Space is {{w|Outer_space#Environment|Cold}}. The background radiation, which is used to measure the temperature of space's vacuum, is estimated at about 3K (−270&nbsp;°C; −454&nbsp;°F). Water freezes at 273.15 K (0&nbsp;°C; 32&nbsp;°F). Because the temperature in space is less than the freezing point of water, liquids freeze in space, turning into ice.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section <strike>Owl</strike> Nine===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl in my back yard? || Owls can be seen all over the world, and live in a wide variety of habitats. They are mainly noctural, and spend a large portion of the night hunting. The owl in your back yard is likely looking for food.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl outside my window? || As with the question above, the owl is likely to be hunting for food. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there an owl on the dollar bill? || On the front of a dollar bill, near the upper right '1' is a tiny section of the design which can be seen to represent an owl. Conspiracy theorists will note that owls were symbolically linked to the Masons, while others will instead see a spider.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do owls attack people? || While owls and human often live in close proximity without problems, as with other species, owls may attack if they feel threatened. When people irritate or otherwise make owls feel unsafe, they retaliate with violence to protect themselves.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are AK47s so expensive? || The market value of an AK47 varies depending on where in the world you live. With strict gun control laws, obtaining an AK47 in the UK is likely to be more expensive due to the risks involved for those supplying the weapon. In ex-soviet countries and the middle east, AK47s are more plentiful, and hence the price is likely to be lower.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there helicopters circling my house? ||This question is likely a joke because it is so incongruous to the others in this section. The joke is that people would be Googling about owls attacking people and assault rifle prices, which could, ostensibly alert authorities to come to your house to arrest you. If this is not the case, then the helicopter could be there for myriad reasons. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Ten===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there gods? || All gods and goddesses are man made and are part of ancient and fictional mythology and folklore that are used to give spiritual guidance and explanations for phenomenons that were yet unexplained by natural processes. Men for example, were thought to be produced by Darwin, King of all Finches, by manipulating apes over millions on years.<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there two Spocks? || This is probably a reference to the {{w|Star_Trek_(film)|2009 Star Trek movie}} in which the franchise was given a {{w|Reboot_(fiction)|continuity reboot}}. The modified setting is explained in-universe by time travel, with both the villain Nero and the original-timeline Spock being brought back from the 24th century to the 23rd, creating a timeline in which both older Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and the younger Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) coexist.<br />
<br />
Another possibility is that the question refers to the episode {{w|Mirror,_Mirror_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)|"Mirror, Mirror"}}, which mostly takes place in an alternate universe populated by ruthless versions of most of the characters (including Spock). <br />
|-<br />
| Why is Mt Vesuvius there? ||The simple answer is that volcanoes are created by interactions where the Earth's tectonic plates meet. These conditions only exist in a few places on Earth. <p>The question could also be asking, "why is Mt Vesuvius near such a heavily populated area?" Humans have lived near Vesuvius throughout history, due to its pleasant climate, rich soil, and proximity to other major cities. The Italian government [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jun/05/italy.sophiearie offers generous cash incentives] to move people away from the danger zone, but finds few takers.</p><p>This question could also be a reference to mountaineer {{w|George Mallory}}'s famous answer as to why he wanted to climb Mount Everest: "Because it's there."</p><br />
|-<br />
| Why do they say T minus? || Time before the launch of a spacecraft is denoted as T minus because the launch has not happened yet. Any time after the launched is stated without the minus, for example T 3 seconds, so time before the launch can be seen as "minus" time. The T stands for "Test" or "Time".<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there obelisks? || {{w|Obelisk}} article has more<br />
|-<br />
| Why are wrestlers always wet? || Professional wrestling is strenuous activity, whether its fake or not. Strenuous activity results in sweat, giving the bodyan appearance of being wet. Greco-roman wrestling and Turkish Oil Wrestling both involve oiling the body, giving a similar appearance.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are oceans becoming more acidic? || Due to the higher amount of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere, which dissolves in the oceans turning into carbonic acid - CO2+H2O=H2CO3 (see {{w|Ocean acidification}})<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Arwen dying? || {{w|Elf (Middle-Earth)#Death|Elves}} can die from grief .<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't my quail laying eggs? || Have you tried turning them off and on again?<br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't my quail eggs hatching? || Problems in incubation, probably.<br />
|-<br />
|Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America? || ''Further information: {{w|United States military deployments}}''<p>This is a very interesting question, albeit one likely based on a regional misunderstanding. Presumably, this question is asked by Americans who assume that the existence of {{w|Category:Military facilities of the United States by country|U.S. military bases abroad}} is a general trend among countries, as opposed to being the rarity that it is. In fact, {{w|List of countries with overseas military bases|only a handful of other countries}} have military bases outside of their borders, and the three—{{w|France}}, the {{w|United Kingdom}}, and {{w|Russia}}—that have more than one or two are all countries that, like the United States, {{w|Allies of World War II|were on the winning side of World War II}}, have {{w|List of countries by military expenditures|massive military expenditures}}, and have {{w|United Nations Security Council veto power|UN Security Council vetoes}}. In other words, only the most militarily elite countries have bases overseas. The U.S. is unique, however, in that it has far more overseas bases than any other country (and, pretty much, far more of anything else than any other country, when it comes to the military), and in that {{w|List of United States military bases|it has bases in several other highly-industrialized nations}}, including {{w|List of United States Army installations in South Korea|South Korea}} and the United Kingdom, and, most notably, the World War II {{w|Axis powers}}: {{w|List of United States Army installations in Germany|Germany}}, {{w|United States Forces Japan|Japan}}, and {{w|List of United States Army installations in Italy|Italy}}. France, Russia, and the U.K.'s bases, on the other hand, are almost all within areas that they previously controlled.</p><p>These bases can be controversial in some countries, while in others they are a major source of economic and political stability. The U.S. traditionally justifies their presence as a necessary and crucial element in its efforts to promote peace domestically and worldwide. Despite their major role in {{w|U.S. foreign policy}}, and in the general political structure of the globe, the American public often largely ignores them, and they rarely become a major political issue (apart from an occasional mention by {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian presidential candidates}}).</p><p>So, essentially, the absence of foreign military bases within the U.S. is primarily because there aren't really any other countries in a position to place bases there. Ironically, although no battles in the traditional sense have been fought within the U.S. since the {{w|U.S. Civil War}} and the U.S. mainland has seen {{w|Mainland invasion of the United States|almost no military action}}, foreign air force bases might have been useful on September 11, 2001. (The {{w|attack on Pearl Harbor}} in 1941 was 18 years before Hawaii became a U.S. state, but Hawaii was still a fundamental part of the United States as it was an incorporated territory.)</p><p>There are, however, foreign troops stationed at some continental US military bases. For example RAF (British Royal Air Force) 39 Sqn and 361 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada flying Reaper and Predator drones. But this are not foreign military bases, they are just guests.</p><br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Section Eleven===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why are my boobs itchy? ||It could be anything from dry skin to a rare life-threatening disease. Could also be related to pregnancy, PMS, or puberty. [http://www.just-health.net/Itchy-Breast.html Here's a thorough list] of possible causes and remedies.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are cigarettes legal? ||Despite the obvious detrimental affects nicotine has on health, like caffeine and alcohol, it is easy to regulate. Substances like marijuana and other drugs are mainly illegal because the government and regulatory agencies have no control over their production and distribution and therefore cannot profit from it. Nicotine however, which is the key ingredient in tobacco can be regulated and taxed and is. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are there ducks in my pool? ||Most likely, they're looking for a place to mate. Which means you'll soon have baby ducks in your pool. Most migratory birds are protected by wildlife laws, so you want to prevent them from moving into your pool in the first place. The [http://www.dfwwildlife.org/duck.html DFW Wildlife Coalition] has some tips.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is Jesus white? ||This is an ethnocentric viewpoint that varies throughout cultures. In African cultures he is portrayed as black. In short, whatever culture he is introduced to, those inhabitants will have him fit their own image. <br />
|-<br />
| Why is there liquid in my ear? ||[http://www.healthline.com/symptom/discharge-from-ear It's called otorrhea], and can be caused by infection, trauma, or changes in pressure. A common cause is [http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/swimmers-ear/basics/definition/con-20014723 Swimmer's ear], an infection of the outer ear canal.<br />
|-<br />
| Why do Q tips feel good? ||The inner ear contains [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erectile_tissue erectile tissue] (as does your inner nose which is why sneezing feels good) so you are massing tissue which gets aroused upon stimulation. <br />
|-<br />
| Why do good people die? ||Everybody dies, but loved ones and ones who were known to make memorable or valuable contributions are mourned and revered more than a person who has left much pain to others as their legacy; we remember the good ones and that's why it hurts more. <br />
|-<br />
| Why are ultrasounds important? ||Ultrasound scans provide a great deal of information about a fetus, thus increasing the chances of a healthy birth. They have many other medical uses.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are ultrasound machines expensive? ||As hospital equipment goes, ultrasound machines are actually a bargain. [http://www.costowl.com/healthcare/healthcare-ultrasound-machine-costs.html A new ultrasound machine] costs about $20,000-$75,000, depending on features. Comparable devices are much more expensive: The [http://info.blockimaging.com/bid/84432/CT-Scanner-Price-Guide CT scanner] runs $90,000-$250,000, while the [http://www.ehow.com/about_4731161_much-do-mri-machines-cost.html MRI machine] easily goes over a million.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is stealing wrong? ||Stealing is theft and it is illegal. Taking something that is not yours without permission or payment hurts the livelihood of other individuals as well as damages their trust in others. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Vertical Questions===<br />
{| class ="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there hell if god forgives? ||There is not a single answer to this question. The answer varies based on the religion and that religion's sect mixed with personal interpretations of that religions scripture and how a person decides to follow it. However the idea of what Hell will be like also varies. There is no one answer to this question, but the easiest explanation is that the individual did not pray hard enough, correctly, was not part of the right religion, and their forgiveness was contingent on something that the person either did not do or know to do (or say or think) <br />
|-<br />
| Why do iguanas die? ||All living things die, but iguanas may suffer from [http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/kidneyfailure.html kidney failure].<br />
|-<br />
| Why is GPS free? || GPS was originally developed by the U.S. military for its own use, not for commercial purposes. Once the satellites were launched and service began, anyone could receive the signals. Because it is a one-way transmission, there is no incremental cost to provide service to more users, and no practical way to prevent use without payment.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are trees tall? ||Tall is a relative term, and Redwoods are famous for their height - among the tallest in the world. The reason for this is, in part [http://www.nps.gov/redw/faqs.htm climate, fog, rain, good soil, few predators, among others].<br />
|-<br />
|Why are there female Mr. Mimes? || {{w|Mr. Mime}} is a Pokémon introduced in the first generation of the games, and despite its name, it can be either of a male or female gender. As the Pokémon was introduced before the concept of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gender gender in Pokémon games], it is likely that the people in charge of translating its Japanese name (Barrierd) did not take this into account during the process.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is there lava? ||{{w|Lava}} is magma (molten rock) which is at the Earth's surface. Magma in the Earth comes from the melting of rock due to rising heat from deeper within the planet. {{w|Earth's internal heat budget|This heat}} is about half radiogenic and half primordial (left over from the formation and differentiation of the Earth). Most of the crust and mantle of the Earth is solid rock, but in places (usually controlled by plate tectonics, but {{w|Hawaii hotspot|not always}}) where the heat is high enough the minerals with lowest melting point start to melt and then migrate upwards towards the surface. This melt collects in {{w|Magma chamber|magma chambers}}, in which the magma may start to cool and crystallize. Sometimes it will crystallize completely, becoming an underground solid body called a pluton. Other times melt will keep migrating upwards until it reaches the surface and erupts as lava, forming a {{w|volcano}} or undersea vent.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is YKK on a zippers? || YKK Group is the name of a large group of Japanese manufacturing companies, which among other things manufacture a lot of zippers.<br />
|-<br />
| Why is life so boring? ||It is up to an individual to find meaning and interest in life. Monotony, predictability and lack of physical and intellectual stimulation would lead to a feeling of boredom. <br />
|-<br />
| Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts? ||Ghosts are a supernatural phenomenon that have not been empirically proven to exist. Those who believe in ghosts implicitly believe in a soul (of which a ghost is a materialization of), and it is a commonly held belief by religious institutions and ghost-hunters that animals do not have souls and thus dinosaurs would not have any either. <br />
|-<br />
|Why is there no king in England? || ''Note: For simplicity's sake, "England" here is being read as "United Kingdom." The various name changes, mergers, and splits of kingdoms are complicated.''<p>The basis for this question is that for the past several hundred years, there has almost always been a queen in England, the sole exceptions being when the king has not had a wife. However, there is a distinction between being the queen of England (that is to say, {{w|List of British monarchs|a monarch}}) and being the {{w|queen consort|queen ''consort''}} of England: The former refers to a woman who {{w|Succession to the British throne|succeeded to the throne}} in her own right, becoming sovereign, while the latter refers to the wife of the king. Both roles, though, are commonly referred to as "Queen of England," creating the impression that there is always such a person. The logical question, therefore, is why {{w|Elizabeth II}}'s husband, {{w|Prince Philip|Philip}}, is not considered the king of England. The answer lies in Britain's system of {{w|male-preference cognatic primogeniture}}, which causes the monarch of England to usually be a man, not a woman. As a result of this, British laws were generally built around the presumption that the monarch would be a man, and that said man would be married to a woman, [[223: Valentine's Day|comic 223]] be damned. Since the creation of the modern British throne in 1707, only two women have reigned as queen in their own right; it just so happens that these two women have been two of the most famous and longest-reigning monarchs in world history, {{w|Queen Victoria}} and Queen Elizabeth II. This fact may add to people's enhanced perception of the lack of a British king. Victoria and Elizabeth's respective consorts, {{w|Albert, Prince Consort|Albert}} and Philip, have been styled as princes&mdash;Albert as {{w|Prince Consort}} and Philip as "{{w|British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}}." Both were explicitly granted their titles by their wives, though Albert was already a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Philip had previously been a prince of Denmark and Greece, but had renounced both titles before marrying Elizabeth.</p><p>The title {{w|king consort}} also exists, but has never been used in the United Kingdom.</p><p>Notably, should {{w|Prince Charles}} succeed to his mother's throne, it has been announced that his wife, {{w|Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla}}, will be styled as {{w|princess consort}}, ''not'' as queen consort, just as she has declined the title {{w|Princess of Wales}}, which is strongly associated with Charles's first wife, {{w|Princess Diana|Diana}}. Assuming that Charles succeeds, this means that Britain will not have anyone referred to as "queen," after decades of not having anyone referred to as "king."</p><br />
|-<br />
| Why do I feel dizzy? ||Balance is achieved from fluids in the inner-ear, but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizziness#Epidemiology dizziness] can have nearly a dozen causes.<br />
|-<br />
| Why are dogs afraid of fireworks? ||Loud noises can trigger their flight or fight responses when they are [http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/hyperdog/How-to-Keep-Your-Dog-Safe-and-Calm-During-Fireworks nervous].<br />
|-<br />
| Why are there weeks? || Weeks were originally important for religious reasons, primarily the requirement to observe a sabbath (day of rest) every seventh day. Today it is used to evenly divide months into equal pieces, much like the months divide a year. Similarly, hours and minutes divide a day.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/1l3na7/questions/cbvigrd, answers to all the questions.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This strip is a rectangular word cloud, titled 'Questions found in Google autocomplete'. Embedded in the cloud are 5 single panels, with illustrated questions. These are described at the end. Questions are given in roughly columnar order. None of the questions have question marks.]<br />
<br />
:Questions found in Google Autocomplete<br />
<br />
:Why do whales jump<br />
:Why are witches green<br />
:Why are there mirrors above beds<br />
:Why do I say uh<br />
:Why is sea salt better<br />
:Why are there trees in the middle of fields<br />
:Why is there not a Pokemon MMO<br />
:Why is there laughing in TV shows<br />
:Why are there doors on the freeway<br />
:Why are there so many svchost.exe running<br />
:Why aren't there any countries in antarctica<br />
:Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft<br />
:Why is there kicking in my stomach<br />
:Why are there two slashes after HTTP<br />
:Why are there celebrities<br />
:Why do snakes exist<br />
:Why do oysters have pearls<br />
:Why are ducks called ducks<br />
:Why do they call it the clap<br />
:Why are Kyle and Cartman friends<br />
:Why is there an arraow on Aang's head<br />
:Why are text messages blue<br />
:Why are there mustaches on clothes<br />
:Why are there mustaches on cars<br />
:Why are there mustaches everywhere<br />
:Why are there so many birds in Ohio<br />
:Why is there so much rain in Ohio<br />
:Why is Ohio weather so weird<br />
:Why are there male and female bikes<br />
:Why are there bridesmaids<br />
:Why do dying people reach up<br />
:Why aren't there varicose arteries<br />
:Why are old Klingons different<br />
:Why is programming so hard<br />
:Why is there a 0 ohm resistor<br />
:Why do Americans hate soccer<br />
:Why do rhymes sound good<br />
:Why do trees die<br />
:Why is there no sound on CNN<br />
:Why aren't Pokemon real<br />
:Why aren't bullets sharp<br />
:Why do dreams seem so real<br />
:Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts<br />
:Why do iguanas die<br />
:Why do testicles move<br />
:Why are there psychics<br />
:Why are hats so expensive<br />
:Why is there caffeine in my shampoo<br />
:Why do your boobs hurt<br />
:Why aren't economists rich<br />
:Why do Americans call it soccer<br />
:Why are my ears ringing<br />
:Why are there so many Avengers<br />
:Why are the Avengers fighting the X men<br />
:Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers<br />
:Why are there ants in my laptop<br />
:Why is Earth tilted<br />
:Why is space black<br />
:Why is outer space so cold<br />
:Why are there pyramids on the moon<br />
:Why is NASA shutting down<br />
:Why is there Hell if God forgives<br />
:Why are there tiny spiders in my house<br />
:Why do spiders come inside<br />
:Why are there huge spiders in my house<br />
:Why are there lots of spiders in my house<br />
:Why are there spiders in my room<br />
:Why are there so many spiders in my room<br />
:Why do spider bites itch<br />
:Why is dying so scary<br />
:Why is there no GPS in laptops<br />
:Why do knees click<br />
:Why aren't there E grades<br />
:Why is isolation bad<br />
:Why do boys like me<br />
:Why don't boys like me<br />
:Why is there always a Java update<br />
:Why are there red dots on my thighs<br />
:Why is lying good<br />
:Why is GPS free<br />
:Why are trees tall<br />
:Why are there slaves in the Bible<br />
:Why do twins have different fingerprints<br />
:Why are Americans afraid of dragons<br />
:Why is there lava<br />
:Why are there swarms of gnats<br />
:Why is there phlegm<br />
:Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN<br />
:Why is psychic weak to bug<br />
:Why do children get cancer<br />
:Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus<br />
:Why is there ice in space<br />
:Why are there female Mr Mimes<br />
:Why is there an owl in my backyard<br />
:Why is there an owl outside my window<br />
:Why is there an owl on the dollar bill<br />
:Why do owls attack people<br />
:Why are AK47s so expensive<br />
:Why are there helicopters circling my house<br />
:Why are there gods<br />
:Why are there two Spocks<br />
:Why is Mt Vesuvius there<br />
:Why do they say T minus<br />
:Why are there obelisks<br />
:Why are wrestlers always wet<br />
:Why are oceans becoming more acidic<br />
:Why is Arwen dying<br />
:Why aren't my quail laying eggs<br />
:Why aren't my quail eggs hatching<br />
:Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America<br />
:Why is life so boring<br />
:Why are my boobs itchy<br />
:Why are cigarettes legal<br />
:Why are there ducks in my pool<br />
:Why is Jesus white<br />
:Why is there liquid in my ear<br />
:Why do Q tips feel good<br />
:Why do good people die<br />
:Why are ultrasounds important<br />
:Why are ultrasound machines expensive<br />
:Why is stealing wrong<br />
:Why is YKK on all zippers<br />
:Why is HTTPS crossed out in red<br />
:Why is there a line through HTTPS<br />
:Why is there a red line through HTTPS on Facebook<br />
:Why is HTTPS important<br />
:Why are there weeks<br />
:Why do I feel dizzy<br />
:Why are dogs afraid of fireworks<br />
:Why is there no king in England<br />
<br />
:[We see Cueball from the torso up, with arms outstretched.]<br />
:Cueball: Why aren't my arms growing<br />
<br />
:[Megan stands with a grey ghost on either side of her.]<br />
:Megan: Why are there ghosts<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy stands, looking at a squirrel.]<br />
:Beret Guy: Why are there squirrels<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands.]<br />
:Cueball: Why is sex so important.<br />
<br />
:[We see Ponytail from the torso up.]<br />
:Ponytail: Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:LOTR]]<br />
[[Category:Pokémon]]<br />
[[Category:Google Search]]<br />
[[Category:Squirrels]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1146001083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T05:13:24Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenagers supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. There is a subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and the implication is that libertarianism is a position held while younger and politically or economically naive. Randall has also poked fun at libertarianism on several other occasions, such as [[610]], [[1026]], [[1049]] and [[1277]]. The teenager's tweet is almost identical to the stereotypical Paul-ite comment made fun of in the title text to [[1026]]: "Only Ron Paul offers a TRUE alternative!"<br />
<br />
A few years ago, the sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager - however, now the situation has changed and so Randall comments that the internet has ended up in "kind of a weird place". <br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1145991083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T05:11:32Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenagers supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. There is a subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and the implication is that libertarianism is a position held while younger and politically or economically naive. Randall has also poked fun at libertarianism on several other occasions, such as [[610]], [[1026]], [[1049]] and [[1277]].<br />
<br />
A few years ago, the sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager - however, now the situation has changed and so Randall comments that the internet has ended up in "kind of a weird place". <br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1145981083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T05:10:26Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenagers supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. There is a subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and the implication is that libertarianism is a position held while younger and politically or economically naive. Randall has also poked fun at libertarianism on several other occasions, such as [[610]], [[1026]], [[1049]] and [[1277]].<br />
<br />
A few years ago, the sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager - however, now the situation has changed and so Randall comments that the internet "has ended up in a weird place". <br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1145971083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T05:01:28Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */ clarified</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenagers supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. There is a subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and libertarianism is sometimes joked about by Randall as a position held while younger and more naive. He has also poked fun at libertarianism in 610, 1026, 1049.<br />
<br />
A few years ago, the sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager - however, now the situation has changed and so Randall comments that the internet "has ended up in a weird place". <br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1145961083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T04:58:41Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenagers supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. The sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager. There is also a joke in Randall's subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and libertarianism is sometimes joked about by Randall as a position held while younger and more naive. He has also poked fun at libertarianism in 610, 1026, 1049.<br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1083:_Writing_Styles&diff=1145951083: Writing Styles2016-03-10T04:57:52Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1083<br />
| date = July 18, 2012<br />
| title = Writing Styles<br />
| image = writing_styles.png<br />
| titletext = I liked the idea, suggested by h00k on bash.org, of a Twitter bot that messages prominent politicians to tell them when they've unnecessarily used sms-speak abbreviations despite having plenty of characters left.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sms-speak is a style of communication which involves substituting numbers for letters and shortening phrases to get a longer idea across in fewer characters at the cost of readability. The practice began first with text messages, also known as {{w|Short Message Service|SMS}}, or Short Message Service, which limited messages to 160 characters. Twitter has adopted a 140 character limit since its inception, which allowed any given tweet to be received as an SMS message with enough room for the user's Twitter handle (15 characters max).<br />
<br />
Randall is poking fun at both the stereotypical Senator and at teenager supporting Ron Paul.<br />
<br />
The dig at the senator refers to poor use of sms-style abbreviations by older, less tech-savvy politicians who are hoping to appear more in tune with the modern world. Many politicians use sms-speak in cases when their message isn't in danger of the character limit, but where they are appealing to a younger demographic, thinking it makes them appear to be "modern" to their target audience. In reality, it may do the opposite, showing that they do not understand why sms-speak is used at all. <br />
<br />
Conversely modern teenagers, often stereotyped as lacking proper writing skills due to character limits on services such as SMS and twitter, instead here produce coherent sentences expressing a political view. The sentence attributed to the teenager is the sort of thing that would stereotypically be assigned to a senator, while the sentence attributed to the senator would be stereotypically assigned to a teenager. There is also a joke in Randall's subtle dig that being drawn to [[:Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul|Ron Paul]] is a stereotypical political position for a teenager, as Paul is ideologically libertarian, and libertarianism is sometimes joked about by Randall as a position held while younger and more naive. He has also poked fun at libertarianism in 610, 1026, 1049.<br />
<br />
The title text discusses an idea that Randall approves of, originally suggested by a user on bash.org called h00k, where a twitter bot be created to message politicians when they use sms-speak unnecessarily. This would presumably embarrass said politicians, which might in turn lead to a decrease in their use of sms-speak. Randall evidently considers this a good thing, suggesting he finds the unnecessary use of sms-speak annoying.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[This is a chart with the above two labeled columns. The rows will be represented below in the same format.]<br />
:If you post: you sound like<br />
:"Ron Paul is the only candidate who offers us a real choice!": A teenager<br />
:"its gettin l8 so ill b here 4 prob 2 more hrs tops": A senator<br />
:The internet has wound up in kind of a weird place.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:670:_Spinal_Tap_Amps&diff=114594Talk:670: Spinal Tap Amps2016-03-10T04:33:44Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>Specifically, it's $166.66 recurring per unit of loud. [[User:Thokling|Thokling]] ([[User talk:Thokling|talk]]) 22:49, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I vote we start using "units of loud" instead of "decibels" {{unsigned ip|149.152.191.2}}<br />
:Aye! [[User:BK201|BK201]] ([[User talk:BK201|talk]]) 16:52, 12 December 2013 (UTC)BK201<br />
<br />
I read somewhere that the amps used to have settings up to 10, but then people found ways to turn the knob past 10. It became culturally known as the 11 setting. In response, manufacturers made amps that went to 11, and this predated the movie. The movie just greatly increased the popularity of the idea. Can't find it anymore though. Maybe it was only urban legend [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 17:14, 16 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Most likely something to do with the fact that guitarists were still lighting up in the national grid into the 1980's. Check out the health and safety at music festivals act 198011.<br />
:OK most musicians die of heart attacks or cerebral haemorrhage but there is an history of electrical malfunctions at music gigs.<br />
[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 01:17, 28 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Is it possible this story is a bit like the stories of the left-handed hammer that newbies on construction sites get sent to retrieve? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 04:33, 10 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:670:_Spinal_Tap_Amps&diff=114593Talk:670: Spinal Tap Amps2016-03-10T04:33:08Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>Specifically, it's $166.66 recurring per unit of loud. [[User:Thokling|Thokling]] ([[User talk:Thokling|talk]]) 22:49, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I vote we start using "units of loud" instead of "decibels" {{unsigned ip|149.152.191.2}}<br />
:Aye! [[User:BK201|BK201]] ([[User talk:BK201|talk]]) 16:52, 12 December 2013 (UTC)BK201<br />
<br />
I read somewhere that the amps used to have settings up to 10, but then people found ways to turn the knob past 10. It became culturally known as the 11 setting. In response, manufacturers made amps that went to 11, and this predated the movie. The movie just greatly increased the popularity of the idea. Can't find it anymore though. Maybe it was only urban legend [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 17:14, 16 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Most likely something to do with the fact that guitarists were still lighting up in the national grid into the 1980's. Check out the health and safety at music festivals act 198011.<br />
:OK most musicians die of heart attacks or cerebral haemorrhage but there is an history of electrical malfunctions at music gigs.<br />
:: Is it possible this story is a bit like the stories of the left-handed hammer that newbies on construction sites get sent to retrieve? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 04:33, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 01:17, 28 January 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=670:_Spinal_Tap_Amps&diff=114591670: Spinal Tap Amps2016-03-10T04:31:03Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */ i think its more this than that (the thing it was before i made it this)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 670<br />
| date = December 2, 2009<br />
| title = Spinal Tap Amps<br />
| image = spinal tap amps.png<br />
| titletext = Wow, that's less than $200 per... uh... that's a good deal!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is in reference to the 1984 mock documentary ''{{w|This Is Spinal Tap}}'' about the tour of the fictional rock band Spinal Tap. Here we see lead guitarist {{w|Nigel Tufnel}} (a character portrayed in the movie by {{w|Christopher Guest}}) explaining to [[Cueball]] how the volume dial on his amp goes all the way to eleven. This is impressive to Nigel since guitar amplifiers generally only go to ten. This leads him to believe his amp is "one" louder than other amplifiers.<br />
<br />
In reality, the loudness of an amplifier is largely dependent on how much power it has. The highest mark on the volume dial could just as easily be labelled 'Maximum', which would then accurately describe the meaning of that setting.<br />
<br />
The normal guy knows intuitively that using eleven is silly, and wants to know what is wrong with the usual way of numbering from one to ten -- the question that is raised in the original film.<br />
<br />
The engineer is desperate to explain to Nigel the fallacy in his thinking, but his {{w|jargon}} just sends Nigel to sleep. He remains unenlightened.<br />
<br />
The smart engineer sees an opportunity: it doesn't cost any more to number the volume dial differently, but Nigel places a real value on higher numbers. The smart engineer offers to sell him an amp that goes to twelve, but at a hefty premium. <br />
<br />
The title text further plays on the fact that the amp's levels are on an arbitrary scale. Many products are sold at a certain price per unit weight, volume, etc. (e.g., $2.99/lb for grapes). Nigel calculates that the $2000 amp would cost less than $200 per "something", but he is unable to articulate what the "something" is, confirming the third panel observation of the normal engineer. However, he decides that it's a good deal anyway, and it looks like the smart engineer has made a sale.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap is showing off his amplifier to Cueball.]<br />
:Nigel: These amps go to 11.<br />
:Cueball: Is that louder?<br />
:Nigel: It's one louder.<br />
<br />
:Normal Person:<br />
:Cueball: Why not make 10 louder and make 10 the highest?<br />
<br />
:Engineer:<br />
:Cueball: But 11 doesn't have any units. It's an arbitrary scale mapping outputs—<br />
:Nigel: Zzzz<br />
<br />
:Smart Engineer:<br />
:Cueball: For $2,000 I'll build you one that goes to 12.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:329:_Turing_Test&diff=114589Talk:329: Turing Test2016-03-10T03:39:54Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think this is also a pretty obvious joke about Cleverbot, which constantly insists that ''you'' are a robot and ''it'' is a human. (See also [[948: AI]]) [[Special:Contributions/24.41.66.114|24.41.66.114]] 02:33, 16 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I disagree, I think that's stretching it. Randall doesn't usually use others' punchlines wholesale, this seems like an original joke, and there are no references to Cleverbot to place the joke into that context. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 03:39, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Victorian era ended in 1901<br />
<br />
Turing was convicted in 1952. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.69}}<br />
<br />
The law was Victorian (1885), not the conviction. 23:52, 11 February 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Chemical castration" simply reduces the libido - so hitting Turing in the testes would induce the same pain as in any other man.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.215|141.101.98.215]] 12:44, 21 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Shouldn't the description for the Turing test be changed to "demonstrate human-like behavior"?{{unsigned|Flewk}}</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=753:_Southern_Half&diff=114586753: Southern Half2016-03-10T03:10:42Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number =753<br />
| date =June 14, 2010<br />
| title =Southern Half<br />
| image =southern_half.png<br />
| titletext =Also, if you read his speech at Rice, all his arguments for going to the moon work equally well as arguments for blowing up the moon, sending cloned dinosaurs into space, or constructing a towering penis-shaped obelisk on Mars.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
On May 25, 1961, U.S. President {{w|John F. Kennedy}} gave a [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx speech before a joint session of Congress], in which he set as a goal for the American people the task of landing a man on the moon and returning him successfully to earth. Though Kennedy didn't live to see that goal become a reality - he was assassinated in 1963 - the {{w|Apollo 11}} space capsule landed {{w|Neil Armstrong}} and {{w|Buzz Aldrin}} on the moon in July, 1969.<br />
<br />
During that speech, Kennedy said the sentence that the comic is referring to, and the map provided shows that the vast majority of the regions he mentioned are actually in the Northern Hemisphere, despite Kennedy calling them "the whole southern half of the globe", not to mention the Southern Hemisphere has regions which are not included (like Australia).<br />
<br />
The actual meaning behind Kennedy's statement is likely a reference to the common lingo used describing the 'third world' as 'the Global South', which is a metaphorical rather than geographical description which includes all of the regions mentioned (though leaving out the USSR from Asia). At the time, a number of proxy wars between the U.S. and the USSR had broken out and were in progress in many third world countries across the entirety of the regions mentioned. Thus, Kennedy was describing the Cold War and his expectation that it would continue, and that the 'Global South' would be the actual battlefield. Out-of-context, and insisting on a literal geographic interpretation for the words, this part of the speech sounds particularly funny.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a [http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm September 1962 speech] Kennedy gave at Rice University. One of the most famous quotes from that speech is, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Randall suggests that all of the arguments Kennedy made for going to the moon could also serve the cause of ''many'' different "innovations".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:"The great battlefield for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe - Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East."<br />
:-John F. Kennedy, 1961 speech to Congress.<br />
<br />
:[An ovoid world map, with Latin America colored in red, Africa in yellow, the Middle East in green, and Asia in Blue. There is an arrow pointing to the top of the map marked 'northern half', and another arrow pointing to the bottom half marked 'southern half.' The majority of these places are actually in the northern half.]<br />
<br />
:Okay, so I'm half a century late on this, but it's been bugging me: did JFK ''own'' a globe?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=753:_Southern_Half&diff=114585753: Southern Half2016-03-10T03:08:56Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number =753<br />
| date =June 14, 2010<br />
| title =Southern Half<br />
| image =southern_half.png<br />
| titletext =Also, if you read his speech at Rice, all his arguments for going to the moon work equally well as arguments for blowing up the moon, sending cloned dinosaurs into space, or constructing a towering penis-shaped obelisk on Mars.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
On May 25, 1961, U.S. President {{w|John F. Kennedy}} gave a [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx speech before a joint session of Congress], in which he set as a goal for the American people the task of landing a man on the moon and returning him successfully to earth. Though Kennedy didn't live to see that goal become a reality - he was assassinated in 1963 - the {{w|Apollo 11}} space capsule landed {{w|Neil Armstrong}} and {{w|Buzz Aldrin}} on the moon in July, 1969.<br />
<br />
During that speech, Kennedy said the sentence that the comic is referring to, and the map provided shows that the vast majority of the regions he mentioned are actually in the Northern Hemisphere, despite Kennedy calling them "the whole southern half of the globe", not to mention the Southern Hemisphere has regions which are not included (like Australia).<br />
<br />
The actual meaning behind Kennedy's statement is likely a reference to the common lingo used describing the 'third world' as 'the Global South', which is a metaphorical rather than geographical description which includes all of the regions mentioned (though leaving out the USSR from Asia). At the time, a number of proxy wars between the U.S. and the USSR had broken out and were in progress in many third world countries. Thus, Kennedy was describing the Cold War and his expectation that it would continue, and that the 'Global South' would be the actual battlefield. Out-of-context, and insisting on a literal geographic interpretation for the words, this part of the speech sounds particularly funny.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a [http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm September 1962 speech] Kennedy gave at Rice University. One of the most famous quotes from that speech is, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Randall suggests that all of the arguments Kennedy made for going to the moon could also serve the cause of ''many'' different "innovations".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:"The great battlefield for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe - Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East."<br />
:-John F. Kennedy, 1961 speech to Congress.<br />
<br />
:[An ovoid world map, with Latin America colored in red, Africa in yellow, the Middle East in green, and Asia in Blue. There is an arrow pointing to the top of the map marked 'northern half', and another arrow pointing to the bottom half marked 'southern half.' The majority of these places are actually in the northern half.]<br />
<br />
:Okay, so I'm half a century late on this, but it's been bugging me: did JFK ''own'' a globe?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=753:_Southern_Half&diff=114584753: Southern Half2016-03-10T03:06:26Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number =753<br />
| date =June 14, 2010<br />
| title =Southern Half<br />
| image =southern_half.png<br />
| titletext =Also, if you read his speech at Rice, all his arguments for going to the moon work equally well as arguments for blowing up the moon, sending cloned dinosaurs into space, or constructing a towering penis-shaped obelisk on Mars.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
On May 25, 1961, U.S. President {{w|John F. Kennedy}} gave a [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx speech before a joint session of Congress], in which he set as a goal for the American people the task of landing a man on the moon and returning him successfully to earth. Though Kennedy didn't live to see that goal become a reality - he was assassinated in 1963 - the {{w|Apollo 11}} space capsule landed {{w|Neil Armstrong}} and {{w|Buzz Aldrin}} on the moon in July, 1969.<br />
<br />
During that speech, Kennedy said the sentence that the comic is referring to, and the map provided shows that the vast majority of the regions he mentioned are actually in the Northern Hemisphere, despite Kennedy calling them "the whole southern half of the globe", not to mention the Southern Hemisphere has regions which are not included (like Australia).<br />
<br />
The actual meaning behind Kennedy's statement is likely a reference to the common lingo used describing the 'third world' as 'the Global South', which is a metaphorical rather than geographical description which includes all of the regions mentioned. At the time, a number of proxy wars between the U.S. and the USSR had broken out and were in progress in many third world countries. Thus, Kennedy was describing the Cold War and his expectation that it would continue, and that the 'Global South' would be the actual battlefield. Out-of-context, and insisting on a literal geographic interpretation for the words, this part of the speech sounds particularly funny.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a [http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm September 1962 speech] Kennedy gave at Rice University. One of the most famous quotes from that speech is, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Randall suggests that all of the arguments Kennedy made for going to the moon could also serve the cause of ''many'' different "innovations".<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:"The great battlefield for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe - Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East."<br />
:-John F. Kennedy, 1961 speech to Congress.<br />
<br />
:[An ovoid world map, with Latin America colored in red, Africa in yellow, the Middle East in green, and Asia in Blue. There is an arrow pointing to the top of the map marked 'northern half', and another arrow pointing to the bottom half marked 'southern half.' The majority of these places are actually in the northern half.]<br />
<br />
:Okay, so I'm half a century late on this, but it's been bugging me: did JFK ''own'' a globe?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1501:_Mysteries&diff=1145831501: Mysteries2016-03-10T02:58:34Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Table */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1501<br />
| date = March 20, 2015<br />
| title = Mysteries<br />
| image = mysteries.png<br />
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic shows a graph in which several "mysteries" are mentioned and placed on the graph according to how weird they are on the x-axis and the y-axis indicates whether [[Randall]] has an explanation or not for the mystery. Each item is listed in the [[#Table|table below]].<br />
<br />
Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the mystery of Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, when he was already supposed to be asleep an hour ago. This is apparently not very unusual for him (see for instance [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]]). And this mystery actually has an obvious explanation: Following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon.<br />
<br />
Some of these mysteries have already been explored in xkcd. See [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa; [[593: Voynich Manuscript]]; and [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].<br />
<br />
Note that Randall uses similar diagrams in both [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]] and [[1242: Scary Names]] which also [[Category:Rankings|ranks]] different items.<br />
<br />
==Table==<br />
*The X axis in the graph indicates weirdness.<br />
**The table assumes that the item to the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the item to the far right is 100% (weird as hell).<br />
*The Y axis indicates if Randall has an explanation.<br />
**The table assumes that the item at the bottom is 100% (Randall has a clear explanation) and the item at the top is 0% (Randall has no explanation).<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Entry<br />
!Weirdness<br />
!Explainability<br />
!Further details<br />
|-<br />
|MH370<br />
|100%<br />
|0% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -100% --><br />
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean, eventually crashing in a remote part of the Indian Ocean. The disappearance remains without explanation, although parts were found on Reunion Island in July 2015.<br />
|-<br />
|Lead masks case<br />
|99%<br />
|12% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -87% --><br />
|In 1966 two Brazilian electronic technicians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.<br />
|-<br />
|Salish Sea feet<br />
|96%<br />
|31% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -65% --><br />
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2016 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).<br />
|-<br />
|DB Cooper<br />
|76%<br />
|20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -56% --><br />
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom in 1971. The man's whereabouts remain unknown to this day, though [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2401312/Parachute-used-hijacker-DB-Cooper-escape-stealing-200-000-goes-display.html some of the ransom money has been recovered]. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] which compares Cooper to film director {{w|Tommy Wiseau}}. Note that this "Mysteries" comic was published shortly after [http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2zdzik/tommy_wiseau_creator_of_the_room_and_the_new_tv/ Tommy Wiseau did a Reddit AMA.]<br />
|-<br />
|The WOW signal<br />
|55%<br />
|20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -35% --><br />
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420&nbsp;MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/ appears to have originated from interstellar space.] This is the strongest evidence to date of radio signals transmitted by extraterrestrial intelligent beings.<br />
|-<br />
|Mary Celeste<br />
|70%<br />
|43% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -27% --><br />
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift off the {{w|Azores Islands}}, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. Most likely the crew abandoned ship, wrongly believing it was in danger. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.<br />
|-<br />
|UVB-76<br />
|40%<br />
|23% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -17% --><br />
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, Possibly serving as a {{w|numbers station}}, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.<br />
|-<br />
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''<br />
|9%<br />
|4% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -05% --><br />
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.<br />
|-<br />
|Zodiac letters<br />
|62%<br />
|62% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +00% --><br />
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters available at Wikisource.] Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.<br />
|-<br />
|Dyatlov Pass incident<br />
|93%<br />
|96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +03% --><br />
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents naked}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. Considering his skepticism towards paranormal, conspiracies, or UFO-related phenomena, it is likely that Randall subscribes to the theory that the unusual physical injuries are the natural result of decomposition, and that the nudity of the hikers was due to 'paradoxical undressing' - which occurs in some cases with hypothermia.<br />
|-<br />
|Kentucky meat shower<br />
|85%<br />
|93% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --><br />
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/ projectile vomit from vultures.]<br />
|-<br />
|Lindbergh baby<br />
|17%<br />
|25% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --><br />
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.<br />
|-<br />
|Lost colony<br />
|74%<br />
|83% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --><br />
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and no definitive evidence as to what happened. However, given the hardships faced by the colonists when they were left and that the buildings in the colony were dismantled, indicating departure was not hurried, it is likely they moved and/or integrated with the local tribes. Which probably accounts for Randall's high "explainable" rating. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]])<br />
|-<br />
|Toynbee tiles<br />
|25%<br />
|34% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --><br />
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.<br />
|-<br />
|Amelia Earhart<br />
|56%<br />
|74% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +18% --><br />
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace. See also [[950: Mystery Solved]].<br />
|-<br />
|Jimmy Hoffa<br />
|10%<br />
|42% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +32% --><br />
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]])<br />
|-<br />
|Voynich manuscript<br />
|35%<br />
|68% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +33% --><br />
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. It came to public attention in the early 20th century and probably was written in Italy in the early 15th century. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].<br />
|-<br />
|Loch Ness monster<br />
|64%<br />
|100% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +36% --><br />
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland. Multiple complete scans of the lake using sonar show no evidence of the monster, and the lake ecosystem is far too small to support even a single creature as large as the monster is alleged to be.<br />
|-<br />
|Bigfoot<br />
|60%<br />
|98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +38% --><br />
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.<br />
|-<br />
|JFK<br />
|38%<br />
|86% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +48% --><br />
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story. It seems Randall thinks this has been explained pretty well.<br />
|-<br />
|Oak Island money pit<br />
|32%<br />
|98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +66% --><br />
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.<br />
|-<br />
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer<br />
|0%<br />
|96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +96% --><br />
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[In a frame at the top left of the panel:]<br />
:'''Mysteries'''<br />
<br />
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]<br />
:X-axis left: Not that weird<br />
:X-axis right: Weird as Hell<br />
:Y-axis top: I have no explanation<br />
:Y-axis bottom: Explanation seems pretty clear<br />
<br />
:[In the chart there are 22 bullets. Each bullet is labeled. Below the labels are given from top to bottom in each of the four quadrants of the chart:]<br />
<br />
:[Top left quadrant:]<br />
:Who Carly Simon is singing about in You're So Vain<br />
:UVB-76<br />
:Lindbergh baby<br />
:Toynbee tiles<br />
:Jimmy Hoffa<br />
<br />
:[Top right quadrant:]<br />
:MH370<br />
:Lead Masks Case<br />
:DB Cooper<br />
:The Wow signal<br />
:Salish Sea feet<br />
:Mary Celeste<br />
<br />
:[Bottom left quadrant:]<br />
:Voynich manuscript<br />
:JFK<br />
:Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer<br />
:Oak Island Money Pit<br />
<br />
:[Bottom right quadrant:]<br />
:Zodiac letters<br />
:Amelia Earhart<br />
:Lost Colony<br />
:Kentucky meat shower<br />
:Bigfoot<br />
:Loch Ness Monster<br />
:Dyatlov Pass incident<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Rankings]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:286:_All_Your_Base&diff=114580Talk:286: All Your Base2016-03-10T02:03:38Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>Meghan Trainor may have turned up the clock on this meme's recursion with her lastest hit. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.194}}<br />
<br />
I'm not sure why this counts as an internet meme. Zero Wing was during the pre-WWW era, even the console port with the Engrish intro sequence. Not the Pre-Internet era, but in A.D.1991, when internet was beginning.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.70|141.101.104.70]] 11:06, 4 December 2014 (UTC)<br />
:It's a meme because the thing was circulated on the internet, modified and recirculated in various forms. Michael Jackson eating popcorn is still a meme, even though the still frame of him eating the popcorn was filmed in the pre-WWW era. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 02:03, 10 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=114579Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive2016-03-10T01:38:42Z<p>108.162.249.155: clarifying a thing i said</p>
<hr />
<div>mShould we have a "My Hobby" category? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 14:14, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:You mean like the [[:Category:My_Hobby|My Hobby]] category? Yes, that would be a good idea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.216|108.162.254.216]] 14:39, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This explanation should probably include a reference to the Matrix. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.251|198.41.242.251]] 14:29, 3 July 2015 (UTC)p<br />
<br />
: Most definitely. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.106}}<br />
<br />
: Which should also reference the Title Text's modern usage of the term "Singularity". The Matrix (for humans) would imply a relatively large step _beyond_ the Singularity, as surpassing the capabilities of one human mind does not necessarily impart the capacity to simulate full sensory information for thousands of them. I believe the joke there would be that a Tamagotchi Matrix would be trivially simple as compared to one for humans. Therefore the Singularity has arrived for Tamagotchis, while our own complexity remains rather far beyond the capacity of large-scale distributed computing platforms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Only Randall Munroe fantasizes about creating a legion of digital, mutated woodland creatures.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.88|173.245.54.88]] 14:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I could not disagree more. The popularity of PocketMonster digital games speaks to the broad appeal of such fantasies. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The singularity reference is worth explaining: The Singularity is a frequent trope in Science Fiction stories that postulates a time when AI technologies become all-pervasive, often alongside ubiquitous computing. This can include a situation where human minds can be uploaded into AIs, effectively running as simulations within these large distributed computers. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.139}}<br />
<br />
:Can someone please elaborate on then significance of "singularity" in the comic? Sure, "the implication is that the author takes care of a population of virtual creatures rather than an AI ruling over the human population" but what has singularity got to do with this? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 18:44, 12 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Actually "The Singularity" only means that an artificial system has grown in complexity beyond our ability to understand or predict it; In many ways this has already occurred. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:07, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::I always thought 'The Singularity' was misnamed, anyway. In the way it is commonly used it is more like 'The Event Horizon'... Not that this has anything to do with the comic, but perhaps worth a side-note, anyway. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.181|141.101.98.181]] 19:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::The way I get it "singularity" it more about AI improving itself in a positive-feedback loop and gaining (near)infinite processing power in a finite time. One of the related themes is that since whatever emerges from that will have infinite amounts of processing power, it may take to simulating human brains, in vast amounts, just for fun or for some purpose - the joke here, as I understand it, is that since tamagotchi brains are significantly less complicated, it's already possible for us to simulate vast amounts of them, for fun. So from the tamagochis' point of view it's pretty much like the singularity is already here and we're it (the slight difference is we're not evolved from AIs made by the tamagotchis[citation needed], but other than that detail, yup pretty much like the singularity).--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.223|141.101.89.223]] 22:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::The so-called-Singularity' point for AI is apparently where the AI crosses the line of dominance and inexorability. So, yes, that's an 'event horizon', I'd say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 03:14, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::I agree with this definition of singularity (the positive-feedback loop of self-improving AI reaching the point where it is gaining apparently infinite improvement in any human-measurable time), and disagree with the idea that it implies anything about AI taking over or simulating human brains. The joke (as I see it) is that the AI that is optimised to manage trillions of emulated Tamagotchis will start along the same self-improvement path as other, contemporary AIs but will at some point decide that it is pointless improving itself further. Or will purposefully cease improving itself out of the sheer horror of contemplating its rapidly expanding mind-space filled with gazillions of Tamagotchis... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.167|108.162.229.167]] 08:35, 6 July 2015 (UTC) <br />
:::::No no no no, re: the definition. "Singularity" is a mathematical point where you can no longer make meaningful predictions - this is the metaphor that is being used. The singularity of a black hole (or the big bang) is supposed to be unknowable because the physical laws we understand in normal situations can no longer be applied. This is a separate (and unrelated) concept to the "event horizon" - I think they're being conflated here. If you're beyond the event horizon, you can still model, predict and understand whats going on around you. If you're at the singularity, you can't. So the metaphor of the technological singularity is just that AI will grow so complex that we will no longer be able to predict its behaviour (ironically, the concept of "The Singularity" then proceeds directly to a prediction of its behaviour; i.e. that therefore it will reproduce itself en masse and become capable of manipulating events to effectively take over the world and control history from that point onward). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:02, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Someone needs to get on this and create a BOINC project or something. In all seriousness though, I wonder how many Tamagotchis you could simulate at once on the average home computer. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 14:55, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: First you'd need to actually make a 100% accurate Tamagotchi Simulator/Emulator. There's a Tamagotchi P1 (original 1996 model) simulator that exists out there but it's of unknown provenance, touchy and probably (I wouldn't know for sure since the code isn't available) inaccurate. Likely the best way to at least determine the behavior of a Tamagotchi on the low level would be to decompile Namco Bandai's discontinued free Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. android app, which has a Tamagotchi P1 Simulator mode. One would assume, being the original developers, they can create a 100% accurate simulation. Having that code to refer to, one could probably eventually code an accurate simulator. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 19:37, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: See [[http://hackaday.com/2013/05/24/tamagotchi-rom-dump-and-reverse-engineering/]] - Tamagotchi chip programming has already been reverse engineered. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.224|108.162.254.224]] 20:03, 7 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm very tired, and have been looking at something complicated for a long time - so may be seeing patterns where there are none - but is Randall [http://googleresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/deepdream-code-example-for-visualizing.html? satirising Google here?] [[User:Bish|Bish]] ([[User talk:Bish|talk]]) 22:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Saying that you may see patterns where there are none you link the output of a machine that sees patterns where there are none. Well done, have an Internet. [[User:Matega|Matega]] ([[User talk:Matega|talk]]) 11:52, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone explain the reasoning behind the last part "and keeps them all constantly fed and happy"? Is it to counter past digital suffering? The real world? Personal reasons? I don't get it at all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:35, 5 July 2015 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:38, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: You're making it way too complicated. Keeping the digital pet healthy and happy is just the point of the game. Providing a challenge (albeit a minor one since it's a very simple game) to the computer is the point of the exercise. Just simulating them and letting them die would be easy as hell, a matter of running a number of processes at once and then ignoring them. You're being way too philosophical about this, your question is something along the lines of "Why program a chess playing computer to win?" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Noting that The Matrix (with its obvious parallels here) was allegedly made ''imperfect'' because the humans living in the early iterations of the 'perfect world' started to rebel against the unbelievable perfection. How long until the Tamagotchi start doing this? So we need to reprogram our array to keep them ''not'' so constantly fed and happy, to avoid rejection. And then, at some point(s), TamaNeo... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:15, 6 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone make this? Along with specs for the virus aquarium? K, Tnx. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.63|173.245.48.63]] 06:02, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: If I didn't have a bunch of other projects I should be paying attention to, I would. As I said above (I really need to make an account >.>) creating a Tamagotchi Simulator would probably involve decompiling and analyzing the android source code to the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, and then coding a simulator based on it. Which shouldn't be particularly difficult, given the relatively simple game logic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: The code for the Tamagotchi TamaGo and Friends has been extracted ([http://www.kwartzlab.ca/2013/05/first-glimpse-soul-tamagotchi/], [http://natashenka.ca/tamagotchi-friends-code-dump/]) and it can be run in browsers with the help of JavaScript (I forget where the site is though) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 04:56, 16 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::: Someone's did it, http://tamahive.spritesserver.nl/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 03:27, 22 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::: Nice writeup at [http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/ http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/] [[User:Codehead|Codehead]] ([[User talk:Codehead|talk]]) 15:38, 25 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::: Also [http://spritesmods.com/?art=tamasingularity]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 07:19, 14 December 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Every other explanation I've ever seen of The Singularity conflicts with this one. This one indicates computers becoming intelligent enough to take control, like with The Matrix or the Terminator movies, which makes it a rather negative thing we should want to avoid. Every OTHER explanation I've seen paints it as something to look forward to, describing The Singularity as being the point when computers become sophisticated enough as to allow humans to transfer their consciousness into a computer, thus extending our lifespans theoretically infinitely (an example of this version would be one particular episode of Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon calculates that he will not live long enough to see The Singularity, and laments this. I believe past xkcd comics have likewise used this version) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.17|162.158.60.17]] 06:16, 14 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:There are a number of sci-fi concepts conflated together when people talk about "The Singularity". Technically, the Singularity is the point at which the behaviour of AI becomes so sophisticated (relative to a human brain) that we are no longer able to predict it's behaviour, motives, etc. Thus is could then dominate history from that point onward in such a way that we can't predict anything that happens afterward (quite frankly, I think it is a pretty silly idea that makes some grandiose assumptions about the nature of intelligence, and is usually written by people with little idea of how history has proceeded in the past, but it is an interesting source of sci-fi stories at least). This is often combined, in sci-fi, with the ideas of "post-humanism", where people link themselves into technology to a degree that fundamentally changes what "the human experience" is. One manifestation of that is the idea that everyone will link themselves into a virtual reality and history will effectively end via a different method (the logic is that if you have AIs capable of outsmarting human brains, then you have AIs capable of containing sim,ulated human brains within themselves, hence: virtual world). Whether or not the Singularity is good or bad is irrelevant - the point of the metaphor is just that it is *unpredictable*. "Blindsight" by Peter Watts shows a future where the Singularity is disturbing and probably bad overall. The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks, in contrast, show a future where the Singularity is overwhelmingly good, and in fact the machines help us to achieve galactic communism. So the bad/good aspect of it just depends on what kind of novel you feel like writing. For a third perspective, check out Kim Stanley Robinson's "2312"... he is skeptical of the concept of The Singularity, and his super-sophisticated AIs impact humanity in quite a different way.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:09, 10 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=1145781546: Tamagotchi Hive2016-03-10T01:21:07Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1546<br />
| date = July 3, 2015<br />
| title = Tamagotchi Hive<br />
| image = tamagotchi_hive.png<br />
| titletext = The Singularity happened, but not to us.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A part of the "[[My Hobby]]" series, this describes a distributed computing network using an automated system to simultaneously run trillions of Tamagotchis. As with most of the "My Hobby" series, the concept would work, and is closely connected to real world activities, but twisted enough to make it inherently absurd.<br />
<br />
A {{w|Tamagotchi}} is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game from 1996. Ostensibly for children, they had appeal for people of all ages. The characters are colorful and simplistically designed creatures based on animals, objects, or people. Beginning with the 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection, a second wave of Tamagotchi toys emerged, featuring a different graphic design by JINCO and gameplay which elaborated upon the first generations. However, the story behind the games remained the same: Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited an egg on Earth to see what life was like, and it is up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature. The creature goes through several stages of growth, and will develop differently depending on the care the player provides, with better care resulting in an adult creature that is smarter, happier, and requires less attention. Gameplay can vary widely between models, and some models, such as TamagoChu, require little to no care from the player. Tamagotchi has a shrinking fan base.<br />
<br />
{{w|Distributed computing}} is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems. A distributed system is a software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. The components interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal. Examples of distributed systems vary from {{w|Service-oriented architecture|service-oriented architecture}} based systems to {{w|multiplayer online games}} to {{w|peer-to-peer}} applications. Distributed computing is often used for tasks that require resources which would otherwise be impossible or prohibitively expensive to manage with single computers. This may include large {{w|Bitcoin network}} mining operations, the {{w|Worldwide LHC Computing Grid}} or, yes, running trillions of simultaneous Tamagotchis using an AI protocol. That said, using AI to keep trillions of Tamagotchis perfectly taken care of is a complete waste of time; the whole point of Tamagotchi is the challenge of caring for the digital pet yourself.<br />
<br />
"The Singularity" in the title text refers to the {{w|technological singularity}}; a concept prevalent in science fiction and discussions of artificial intelligence (AI). The idea is that AI would become so sophisticated compared to a human brain that no human would be able to predict its behaviour, motivations etc from that point onward, and potentially human history after that point would therefore become unpredictable, as AIs would play dominant roles in determining its direction. It uses the metaphor of a mathematical "singularity", which is a point where established rules can no longer apply (for example, in a black hole or during the Big Bang, physical conditions are such that the physical laws we use can no longer meaningfully predict what happens). An AI that is more sophisicated than a human brain could presumably then simulate human brains within itself, making it possible to upload human consciousness into a machine-simulated environment (see {{w|simulated reality}} and the {{w|simulation hypothesis}}). Thus, much science fiction that is based on the idea of The Singularity also focuses on the creation of a virtual world that much of the human race decides to plug itself into, much like the Tamagotchi Hive that Randall has created. Randall's mind, and the processing power in his computer, is far greater than any individual Tamagotchi mind, so simulating Tamagotchis becomes trivial for Randall, and no Tamagotchi could predict or control its own history with Randall around, in a humorous analogy with the Singularity concept.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby<br />
:[A tree graph of Tamagotchis.]<br />
:Running a massive distributed computing project that simulates trillions and trillions of Tamagotchis and keeps them all constantly fed and happy<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=1145771546: Tamagotchi Hive2016-03-10T01:18:43Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* Explanation */ cleaned up singularity explanation</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1546<br />
| date = July 3, 2015<br />
| title = Tamagotchi Hive<br />
| image = tamagotchi_hive.png<br />
| titletext = The Singularity happened, but not to us.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A part of the "[[My Hobby]]" series, this describes a distributed computing network using an automated system to simultaneously run trillions of Tamagotchis. As with most of the "My Hobby" series, the concept would work, and is closely connected to real world activities, but twisted enough to make it inherently absurd.<br />
<br />
A {{w|Tamagotchi}} is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game from 1996. Ostensibly for children, they had appeal for people of all ages. The characters are colorful and simplistically designed creatures based on animals, objects, or people. Beginning with the 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection, a second wave of Tamagotchi toys emerged, featuring a different graphic design by JINCO and gameplay which elaborated upon the first generations. However, the story behind the games remained the same: Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited an egg on Earth to see what life was like, and it is up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature. The creature goes through several stages of growth, and will develop differently depending on the care the player provides, with better care resulting in an adult creature that is smarter, happier, and requires less attention. Gameplay can vary widely between models, and some models, such as TamagoChu, require little to no care from the player. Tamagotchi has a shrinking fan base.<br />
<br />
{{w|Distributed computing}} is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems. A distributed system is a software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. The components interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal. Examples of distributed systems vary from {{w|Service-oriented architecture|service-oriented architecture}} based systems to {{w|multiplayer online games}} to {{w|peer-to-peer}} applications. Distributed computing is often used for tasks that require resources which would otherwise be impossible or prohibitively expensive to manage with single computers. This may include large {{w|Bitcoin network}} mining operations, the {{w|Worldwide LHC Computing Grid}} or, yes, running trillions of simultaneous Tamagotchis using an AI protocol. That said, using AI to keep trillions of Tamagotchis perfectly taken care of is a complete waste of time; the whole point of Tamagotchi is the challenge of caring for the digital pet yourself.<br />
<br />
"The Singularity" in the title text refers to the {{w|technological singularity}}; a concept prevalent in science fiction and discussions of artificial intelligence (AI). The idea is that AI would become so sophisticated compared to a human brain that no human would be able to predict its behaviour, motivations etc from that point onward, and potentially human history after that point would therefore become unpredictable, as AIs would play dominant roles in determining its direction. It uses the metaphor of a mathematical "singularity", which is a point where established rules can no longer apply (for example, in a black hole or during the Big Bang, physical conditions are such that the physical laws we use can no longer meaningfully predict what happens). An AI that is more sophisictaed than a human brain could presumably then simulated human brains within itself, making it possible to upload human consciousness to a virtual/machine environment. Thus, much science fiction based on the idea of The Singularity also focuses on the creation of a virtual world that much of the human race decides to plug itself into, much like the Tamagotchi Hive that Randall has created. See {{w|simulated reality}} and the {{w|simulation hypothesis}}. Randall's mind, and the processing power in his computer, is far greater than any individual Tamagotchi mind, so simulating Tamagotchis becomes trivial for Randall, and no Tamagotchi could predict or control its own history with Randall around, in an analogy with the Singularity concept.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby<br />
:[A tree graph of Tamagotchis.]<br />
:Running a massive distributed computing project that simulates trillions and trillions of Tamagotchis and keeps them all constantly fed and happy<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=114576Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive2016-03-10T01:09:58Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>mShould we have a "My Hobby" category? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 14:14, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:You mean like the [[:Category:My_Hobby|My Hobby]] category? Yes, that would be a good idea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.216|108.162.254.216]] 14:39, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This explanation should probably include a reference to the Matrix. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.251|198.41.242.251]] 14:29, 3 July 2015 (UTC)p<br />
<br />
: Most definitely. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.106}}<br />
<br />
: Which should also reference the Title Text's modern usage of the term "Singularity". The Matrix (for humans) would imply a relatively large step _beyond_ the Singularity, as surpassing the capabilities of one human mind does not necessarily impart the capacity to simulate full sensory information for thousands of them. I believe the joke there would be that a Tamagotchi Matrix would be trivially simple as compared to one for humans. Therefore the Singularity has arrived for Tamagotchis, while our own complexity remains rather far beyond the capacity of large-scale distributed computing platforms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Only Randall Munroe fantasizes about creating a legion of digital, mutated woodland creatures.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.88|173.245.54.88]] 14:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: I could not disagree more. The popularity of PocketMonster digital games speaks to the broad appeal of such fantasies. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The singularity reference is worth explaining: The Singularity is a frequent trope in Science Fiction stories that postulates a time when AI technologies become all-pervasive, often alongside ubiquitous computing. This can include a situation where human minds can be uploaded into AIs, effectively running as simulations within these large distributed computers. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.139}}<br />
<br />
:Can someone please elaborate on then significance of "singularity" in the comic? Sure, "the implication is that the author takes care of a population of virtual creatures rather than an AI ruling over the human population" but what has singularity got to do with this? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 18:44, 12 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Actually "The Singularity" only means that an artificial system has grown in complexity beyond our ability to understand or predict it; In many ways this has already occurred. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:07, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::I always thought 'The Singularity' was misnamed, anyway. In the way it is commonly used it is more like 'The Event Horizon'... Not that this has anything to do with the comic, but perhaps worth a side-note, anyway. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.181|141.101.98.181]] 19:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::The way I get it "singularity" it more about AI improving itself in a positive-feedback loop and gaining (near)infinite processing power in a finite time. One of the related themes is that since whatever emerges from that will have infinite amounts of processing power, it may take to simulating human brains, in vast amounts, just for fun or for some purpose - the joke here, as I understand it, is that since tamagotchi brains are significantly less complicated, it's already possible for us to simulate vast amounts of them, for fun. So from the tamagochis' point of view it's pretty much like the singularity is already here and we're it (the slight difference is we're not evolved from AIs made by the tamagotchis[citation needed], but other than that detail, yup pretty much like the singularity).--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.223|141.101.89.223]] 22:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::The so-called-Singularity' point for AI is apparently where the AI crosses the line of dominance and inexorability. So, yes, that's an 'event horizon', I'd say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 03:14, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::I agree with this definition of singularity (the positive-feedback loop of self-improving AI reaching the point where it is gaining apparently infinite improvement in any human-measurable time), and disagree with the idea that it implies anything about AI taking over or simulating human brains. The joke (as I see it) is that the AI that is optimised to manage trillions of emulated Tamagotchis will start along the same self-improvement path as other, contemporary AIs but will at some point decide that it is pointless improving itself further. Or will purposefully cease improving itself out of the sheer horror of contemplating its rapidly expanding mind-space filled with gazillions of Tamagotchis... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.167|108.162.229.167]] 08:35, 6 July 2015 (UTC) <br />
:::::No no no no, re: the definition. "Singularity" is a mathematical point where you can no longer make meaningful predictions - this is the metaphor that is being used. The singularity of a black hole (or the big bang) is supposed to be unknowable because the physical laws we understand in normal situations can no longer be applied. This is a separate (and unrelated) concept to the "event horizon" - I think they're being conflated here. If you're beyond the event horizon, you can still model, predict and understand whats going on around you. If you're at the singularity, you can't. So the metaphor of the technological singularity is just that AI will grow so complex that we will no longer be able to predict its behaviour (ironically, the concept of "The Singularity" then proceeds directly to a prediction of its behaviour; i.e. that therefore it will reproduce itself en masse and become capable of manipulating events to effectively take over the world and control history from that point onward). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:02, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Someone needs to get on this and create a BOINC project or something. In all seriousness though, I wonder how many Tamagotchis you could simulate at once on the average home computer. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 14:55, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: First you'd need to actually make a 100% accurate Tamagotchi Simulator/Emulator. There's a Tamagotchi P1 (original 1996 model) simulator that exists out there but it's of unknown provenance, touchy and probably (I wouldn't know for sure since the code isn't available) inaccurate. Likely the best way to at least determine the behavior of a Tamagotchi on the low level would be to decompile Namco Bandai's discontinued free Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. android app, which has a Tamagotchi P1 Simulator mode. One would assume, being the original developers, they can create a 100% accurate simulation. Having that code to refer to, one could probably eventually code an accurate simulator. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 19:37, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: See [[http://hackaday.com/2013/05/24/tamagotchi-rom-dump-and-reverse-engineering/]] - Tamagotchi chip programming has already been reverse engineered. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.224|108.162.254.224]] 20:03, 7 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm very tired, and have been looking at something complicated for a long time - so may be seeing patterns where there are none - but is Randall [http://googleresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/deepdream-code-example-for-visualizing.html? satirising Google here?] [[User:Bish|Bish]] ([[User talk:Bish|talk]]) 22:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: Saying that you may see patterns where there are none you link the output of a machine that sees patterns where there are none. Well done, have an Internet. [[User:Matega|Matega]] ([[User talk:Matega|talk]]) 11:52, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone explain the reasoning behind the last part "and keeps them all constantly fed and happy"? Is it to counter past digital suffering? The real world? Personal reasons? I don't get it at all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:35, 5 July 2015 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:38, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: You're making it way too complicated. Keeping the digital pet healthy and happy is just the point of the game. Providing a challenge (albeit a minor one since it's a very simple game) to the computer is the point of the exercise. Just simulating them and letting them die would be easy as hell, a matter of running a number of processes at once and then ignoring them. You're being way too philosophical about this, your question is something along the lines of "Why program a chess playing computer to win?" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Noting that The Matrix (with its obvious parallels here) was allegedly made ''imperfect'' because the humans living in the early iterations of the 'perfect world' started to rebel against the unbelievable perfection. How long until the Tamagotchi start doing this? So we need to reprogram our array to keep them ''not'' so constantly fed and happy, to avoid rejection. And then, at some point(s), TamaNeo... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:15, 6 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone make this? Along with specs for the virus aquarium? K, Tnx. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.63|173.245.48.63]] 06:02, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: If I didn't have a bunch of other projects I should be paying attention to, I would. As I said above (I really need to make an account >.>) creating a Tamagotchi Simulator would probably involve decompiling and analyzing the android source code to the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, and then coding a simulator based on it. Which shouldn't be particularly difficult, given the relatively simple game logic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: The code for the Tamagotchi TamaGo and Friends has been extracted ([http://www.kwartzlab.ca/2013/05/first-glimpse-soul-tamagotchi/], [http://natashenka.ca/tamagotchi-friends-code-dump/]) and it can be run in browsers with the help of JavaScript (I forget where the site is though) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 04:56, 16 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::: Someone's did it, http://tamahive.spritesserver.nl/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 03:27, 22 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::: Nice writeup at [http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/ http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/] [[User:Codehead|Codehead]] ([[User talk:Codehead|talk]]) 15:38, 25 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::: Also [http://spritesmods.com/?art=tamasingularity]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 07:19, 14 December 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Every other explanation I've ever seen of The Singularity conflicts with this one. This one indicates computers becoming intelligent enough to take control, like with The Matrix or the Terminator movies, which makes it a rather negative thing we should want to avoid. Every OTHER explanation I've seen paints it as something to look forward to, describing The Singularity as being the point when computers become sophisticated enough as to allow humans to transfer their consciousness into a computer, thus extending our lifespans theoretically infinitely (an example of this version would be one particular episode of Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon calculates that he will not live long enough to see The Singularity, and laments this. I believe past xkcd comics have likewise used this version) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.17|162.158.60.17]] 06:16, 14 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:There are a number of sci-fi concepts conflated together when people talk about "The Singularity". Technically, the Singularity is the point at which the behaviour of AI becomes so sophisticated (relative to a human brain) that we are no longer able to predict it's behaviour, motives, etc. Thus is could then dominate history from that point onward in such a way that we can't predict anything that happens afterward. This is often combined, in sci-fi, with the ideas of "post-humanism", where people link themselves into technology to a degree that fundamentally changes what "the human experience" is. One manifestation of that is the idea that everyone will link themselves into a virtual reality and history will effectively end via a different method (the logic is pretty sloppy tbh). Whether or not the Singularity is good or bad is irrelevant - the point of the metaphor is just that it is *unpredictable*. "Blindsight" by Peter Watts shows a future where the Singularity is disturbing and probably bad overall. The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks, in contrast, show a future where the Singularity is overwhelmingly good, and in fact the machines help us to achieve galactic communism. So the bad/good aspect of it just depends on what kind of novel you feel like writing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:09, 10 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1546:_Tamagotchi_Hive&diff=114575Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive2016-03-10T01:02:08Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
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<div>mShould we have a "My Hobby" category? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 14:14, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:You mean like the [[:Category:My_Hobby|My Hobby]] category? Yes, that would be a good idea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.216|108.162.254.216]] 14:39, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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This explanation should probably include a reference to the Matrix. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.251|198.41.242.251]] 14:29, 3 July 2015 (UTC)p<br />
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: Most definitely. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.106}}<br />
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: Which should also reference the Title Text's modern usage of the term "Singularity". The Matrix (for humans) would imply a relatively large step _beyond_ the Singularity, as surpassing the capabilities of one human mind does not necessarily impart the capacity to simulate full sensory information for thousands of them. I believe the joke there would be that a Tamagotchi Matrix would be trivially simple as compared to one for humans. Therefore the Singularity has arrived for Tamagotchis, while our own complexity remains rather far beyond the capacity of large-scale distributed computing platforms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Only Randall Munroe fantasizes about creating a legion of digital, mutated woodland creatures.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.88|173.245.54.88]] 14:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: I could not disagree more. The popularity of PocketMonster digital games speaks to the broad appeal of such fantasies. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:03, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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The singularity reference is worth explaining: The Singularity is a frequent trope in Science Fiction stories that postulates a time when AI technologies become all-pervasive, often alongside ubiquitous computing. This can include a situation where human minds can be uploaded into AIs, effectively running as simulations within these large distributed computers. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.139}}<br />
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:Can someone please elaborate on then significance of "singularity" in the comic? Sure, "the implication is that the author takes care of a population of virtual creatures rather than an AI ruling over the human population" but what has singularity got to do with this? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 18:44, 12 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Actually "The Singularity" only means that an artificial system has grown in complexity beyond our ability to understand or predict it; In many ways this has already occurred. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.152|108.162.221.152]] 15:07, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::I always thought 'The Singularity' was misnamed, anyway. In the way it is commonly used it is more like 'The Event Horizon'... Not that this has anything to do with the comic, but perhaps worth a side-note, anyway. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.181|141.101.98.181]] 19:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::The way I get it "singularity" it more about AI improving itself in a positive-feedback loop and gaining (near)infinite processing power in a finite time. One of the related themes is that since whatever emerges from that will have infinite amounts of processing power, it may take to simulating human brains, in vast amounts, just for fun or for some purpose - the joke here, as I understand it, is that since tamagotchi brains are significantly less complicated, it's already possible for us to simulate vast amounts of them, for fun. So from the tamagochis' point of view it's pretty much like the singularity is already here and we're it (the slight difference is we're not evolved from AIs made by the tamagotchis[citation needed], but other than that detail, yup pretty much like the singularity).--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.223|141.101.89.223]] 22:35, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::The so-called-Singularity' point for AI is apparently where the AI crosses the line of dominance and inexorability. So, yes, that's an 'event horizon', I'd say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 03:14, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::I agree with this definition of singularity (the positive-feedback loop of self-improving AI reaching the point where it is gaining apparently infinite improvement in any human-measurable time), and disagree with the idea that it implies anything about AI taking over or simulating human brains. The joke (as I see it) is that the AI that is optimised to manage trillions of emulated Tamagotchis will start along the same self-improvement path as other, contemporary AIs but will at some point decide that it is pointless improving itself further. Or will purposefully cease improving itself out of the sheer horror of contemplating its rapidly expanding mind-space filled with gazillions of Tamagotchis... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.167|108.162.229.167]] 08:35, 6 July 2015 (UTC) <br />
:::::No no no no, re: the definition. "Singularity" is a mathematical point where you can no longer make meaningful predictions - this is the metaphor that is being used. The singularity of a black hole (or the big bang) is supposed to be unknowable because the physical laws we understand in normal situations can no longer be applied. This is a separate (and unrelated) concept to the "event horizon" - I think they're being conflated here. If you're beyond the event horizon, you can still model, predict and understand whats going on around you. If you're at the singularity, you can't. So the metaphor of the technological singularity is just that AI will grow so complex that we will no longer be able to predict its behaviour (ironically, the concept of "The Singularity" then proceeds directly to a prediction of its behaviour; i.e. that therefore it will reproduce itself en masse and become capable of manipulating events to effectively take over the world and control history from that point onward). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:02, 10 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Someone needs to get on this and create a BOINC project or something. In all seriousness though, I wonder how many Tamagotchis you could simulate at once on the average home computer. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 14:55, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: First you'd need to actually make a 100% accurate Tamagotchi Simulator/Emulator. There's a Tamagotchi P1 (original 1996 model) simulator that exists out there but it's of unknown provenance, touchy and probably (I wouldn't know for sure since the code isn't available) inaccurate. Likely the best way to at least determine the behavior of a Tamagotchi on the low level would be to decompile Namco Bandai's discontinued free Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. android app, which has a Tamagotchi P1 Simulator mode. One would assume, being the original developers, they can create a 100% accurate simulation. Having that code to refer to, one could probably eventually code an accurate simulator. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 19:37, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: See [[http://hackaday.com/2013/05/24/tamagotchi-rom-dump-and-reverse-engineering/]] - Tamagotchi chip programming has already been reverse engineered. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.224|108.162.254.224]] 20:03, 7 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm very tired, and have been looking at something complicated for a long time - so may be seeing patterns where there are none - but is Randall [http://googleresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/deepdream-code-example-for-visualizing.html? satirising Google here?] [[User:Bish|Bish]] ([[User talk:Bish|talk]]) 22:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: Saying that you may see patterns where there are none you link the output of a machine that sees patterns where there are none. Well done, have an Internet. [[User:Matega|Matega]] ([[User talk:Matega|talk]]) 11:52, 4 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone explain the reasoning behind the last part "and keeps them all constantly fed and happy"? Is it to counter past digital suffering? The real world? Personal reasons? I don't get it at all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:35, 5 July 2015 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.116|108.162.229.116]] 14:38, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: You're making it way too complicated. Keeping the digital pet healthy and happy is just the point of the game. Providing a challenge (albeit a minor one since it's a very simple game) to the computer is the point of the exercise. Just simulating them and letting them die would be easy as hell, a matter of running a number of processes at once and then ignoring them. You're being way too philosophical about this, your question is something along the lines of "Why program a chess playing computer to win?" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Noting that The Matrix (with its obvious parallels here) was allegedly made ''imperfect'' because the humans living in the early iterations of the 'perfect world' started to rebel against the unbelievable perfection. How long until the Tamagotchi start doing this? So we need to reprogram our array to keep them ''not'' so constantly fed and happy, to avoid rejection. And then, at some point(s), TamaNeo... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:15, 6 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone make this? Along with specs for the virus aquarium? K, Tnx. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.63|173.245.48.63]] 06:02, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
: If I didn't have a bunch of other projects I should be paying attention to, I would. As I said above (I really need to make an account >.>) creating a Tamagotchi Simulator would probably involve decompiling and analyzing the android source code to the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, and then coding a simulator based on it. Which shouldn't be particularly difficult, given the relatively simple game logic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.119|108.162.220.119]] 20:29, 5 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: The code for the Tamagotchi TamaGo and Friends has been extracted ([http://www.kwartzlab.ca/2013/05/first-glimpse-soul-tamagotchi/], [http://natashenka.ca/tamagotchi-friends-code-dump/]) and it can be run in browsers with the help of JavaScript (I forget where the site is though) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 04:56, 16 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::: Someone's did it, http://tamahive.spritesserver.nl/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 03:27, 22 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::: Nice writeup at [http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/ http://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/building-the-infinite-matrix-of-tamagotchis/] [[User:Codehead|Codehead]] ([[User talk:Codehead|talk]]) 15:38, 25 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::: Also [http://spritesmods.com/?art=tamasingularity]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.147|108.162.245.147]] 07:19, 14 December 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Every other explanation I've ever seen of The Singularity conflicts with this one. This one indicates computers becoming intelligent enough to take control, like with The Matrix or the Terminator movies, which makes it a rather negative thing we should want to avoid. Every OTHER explanation I've seen paints it as something to look forward to, describing The Singularity as being the point when computers become sophisticated enough as to allow humans to transfer their consciousness into a computer, thus extending our lifespans theoretically infinitely (an example of this version would be one particular episode of Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon calculates that he will not live long enough to see The Singularity, and laments this. I believe past xkcd comics have likewise used this version) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.17|162.158.60.17]] 06:16, 14 February 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:705:_Devotion_to_Duty&diff=114464Talk:705: Devotion to Duty2016-03-09T05:15:36Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
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<div>This is very clearly a Die Hard parody. {{unsigned|70.12.4.193}}<br />
Indubitably --[[User:JSekula71|JSekula71]] ([[User talk:JSekula71|talk]]) 23:36, 9 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Oh man. This needs some reworking. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 03:10, 20 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
: This entire entry has to be a troll... We may need an ExplainExplainxkcd for those who don't get it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 05:15, 9 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.203|108.162.250.203]] 10:33, 26 April 2014 (UTC) In Die Hard, the terrorists used a chainsaw to cut the telephone trunk cables. Try repairing that damage.<br />
:Never underestimate the dedication of a truly devoted sysadmin! -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 04:57, 23 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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The title text is highlighting the absurdity of the sysadmin's devotion to duty by contrasting the forces of darkness (very serious) against a blog describing the daily activities of your cat (trivial). --[[User:Bedunkel|-BD]] ([[User talk:Bedunkel|talk]]) 07:36, 17 November 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1591:_Bell%27s_Theorem&diff=114463Talk:1591: Bell's Theorem2016-03-09T04:20:04Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
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<div>I'm sure some people here have this memorised, but light travels just under 30 centimetres in a nanosecond. For our Metric-ally challenged friends, that's about one foot &ndash; so 5 metres takes around 16.67 nanoseconds. I leave the comic explanation to smarter people than me. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 13:02, 16 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I have seen Admiral Grace Hopper demonstrate this with approximately foot-long lengths of wire representing "light-nanoseconds". It's accurate to one part in 50 (although not as accurate as the one-part-in-1000 "30 centimeters" measurement). [[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 20:33, 16 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: The problem with that nifty rule-of-thumb is that it is technically correct, but practically useless. The 30cm/ns is for light ''in a vacuum''. For an electrical signal in a wire (or light in a fibre, for that matter) the effective speed is roughly 20cm/ns. {{unsigned|Popup}}<br />
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The comic only shows that the two characters are 5m apart at chest level. What if there was a miniature wormhole or distortion in time in a separate area, making this seemingly "FTL" communication scientifically possible? {{User:17jiangz1/signature|14:19, 16 October 2015}}<br />
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For an explanation of Bell's theorem in the words of the man himself, and targeted at an educated lay audience, this is essential reading:<br />
https://cds.cern.ch/record/142461/files/198009299.pdf [[Special:Contributions/162.158.35.36|162.158.35.36]] 16:22, 16 October 2015 (UTC) : Tim B posting as Anon<br />
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Wow, the explanation needs some explaining. Can the first part about quantum mechanics be simplified, moved, or have something clearer put in front of it? I don't feel up to the task, but the section is not very helpful. -[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 17:32, 16 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: Yeah, the explanation isn't actually an explanation at all. Can someone who understands Bell's Theorem write an explanation for the joke in the comic? The current explanation appears to be a non sequitorial digression. I'm really curious as to what the actual joke is about. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 04:20, 9 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
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In the widely separated electrons section, isn't it necessary that the two electrons measured be from the same source? If so, the explanation could use that small edit, but I'm not sure I'm remembering right. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 05:35, 17 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Yes.<br />
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I think this whole explanation is suffering from "Bell's second theorem".<br />
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Can anyone cite an experiment or proof that *altering* the state of one half of an entangled electron pair *after* they have been separated to a significant distance has any effect upon the other half? So far as I have learned, the two electrons in question are driven to opposite states by close proximity: When separated, they maintain cyclical synchrony until the state of one electron is measured. Environmentally induced state changes have not been shown to propagate between entangled particles after they are separated; They simply retain oppositional synchrony until disentangled by observation (or other interference). Any information derived was imparted at the point of entanglement, or during transit, or by measurement. Introducing new information (state change) to one half of an entangled pair after separation interrupts the synchronous effect, disrupting the entanglement. This is not useful from a communications standpoint.<br />
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Nothing in quantum mechanics actually violates classical mechanics; Rather, quantum mechanics acknowledges that our ability to measure a near-infinite (but still finite) set of variables is limited by the effect of our own observation & by our inability to quantify all relevant variables prior to comparison. Thus "quantum uncertainty" & wave function collapse are merely an admission that any data set is necessarily incomplete, while reserving the possibility of predicting deterministic outcomes by reasoned observation of the limited data available.<br />
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At least, that's what the cat told me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.47|108.162.221.47]] 06:54, 17 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
: That is exactly what Bell's theorem states and what the experiments behind it showed. It is a bit technical, but the best layman description I have seen was on Ars Technica: http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/01/a-tale-of-two-qubits-how-quantum-computers-work/<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.91|162.158.92.91]] 09:41, 17 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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The first rule of the No Communication Theory is that you don't talk about the No Communication Theory. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 22:44, 18 October 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:571:_Can%27t_Sleep&diff=114458Talk:571: Can't Sleep2016-03-09T01:42:02Z<p>108.162.249.155: </p>
<hr />
<div>The odometer analogy needs more explanation because of the difference between signed vs. unsigned integers. This assumes the analogy should stay here. --[[User:Smartin|Smartin]] ([[User talk:Smartin|talk]]) 05:02, 4 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I replaced the phrase "integral number" with "integer", because "integral" is an overloaded term in math, while "integer" always means a signed whole number, and is introduced in grade school arithmetic.<br />
--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 15:39, 19 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
While semi relevent, I don't think it is necessary to have an explanation of variable naming convention in the title text explanation. Definately note that sheepCount is a variable, but to go into detail on naming convention I think it just bloats the paragraph.. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:09, 29 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Since I did not know about it I found it relevant - else I might have questioned the funny capitalisation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:12, 14 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I agree with Kynde... the purpose of explainxkcd is to explain things in the comic that seem obvious/everyday to people with particular knowledge in the areas covered by Randall's joke, but which are not obvious to those whose areas of knowledge do not overlap with Randall in that particular way, so this is exactly the sort of thing that may need an explanation. One of the hardest things in pedagogy seems to be getting an understanding of what it is that other people aren't going to understand. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 01:42, 9 March 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1037:_Umwelt&diff=1143611037: Umwelt2016-03-07T22:58:00Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* France */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1037<br />
| date = April 1, 2012<br />
| title = Umwelt<br />
| image = umwelt_the_void.jpg<br />
| titletext = Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit--from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your web browser.<br />
}}<br />
<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;">__TOC__</div><br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
An {{w|Umwelt}}, as the title text explains, is the idea that one's entire way of thinking is dependent on their surroundings. Thus, this {{w|April Fools}} comic changes based on the browser, location, or referrer. Thus, what the viewer is viewing the comic on, where they live, or where they came from determines which comic they actually see. As a result, there are actually multiple comics that went up on April Fools' Day, although only one is seen.<br />
(Fun Fact: the German word "Umwelt" does not mean anything vaguely similar; it translates in all contexts almost exactly as "environment".)<br />
<br />
Information about how the wide variety of data was collected and credit for the viewers who contributed can be found [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/rnst4/april_fools_xkcd_changing_comic/ here].<br />
<br />
This comic was released on April 1 even though that was [[:Category:Sunday comics|a Sunday]] (only the third comic to be released on a Sunday). But it was only due to the April Fool joke, as it did replace the comic that would have been scheduled for Monday, April 2. The next comic was first released on Wednesday, April 4.<br />
<br />
===The Void===<br />
[[File:umwelt the void.jpg]]<br />
<br />
If the device or browser you are using does not support Javascript, you will simply see a static image of a white swirl on a dark background.<br />
<br />
Possible reference to The Ring (http://imgur.com/wlGmm), as though to suggest that using an alternative browser is dismal and horrific.<br />
<br />
Davean (xkcd's sysadmin): "[This] comic isn't available everywhere and it can come up i[n] some situation[s] only for recognized browsers."<br />
<br />
Browser: Alternative Browser<br />
<br />
===Aurora===<br />
[[File:umwelt aurora.png]]<br />
<br />
One could interpret that since Megan didn't go out and therefore missed seeing the Aurora, the main character lied. That way, she wouldn't have felt sad that she missed out.<br />
<br />
One might also believe that since xkcd is normally a black and white comic, Cueball is colorblind and didn't see anything of interest to him.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Locations: Canada, Boston, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Norway, Denmark, Rhode Island (not sure if mobile only or not.)<br />
<br />
===Snake===<br />
[[File:umwelt snake composite 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt snake composite.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
The joke here is the extreme length of snakes. The world's longest snake is the python, the longest ever being 33 feet or approx. 10 meters. The red and blue circles refer to the hit game {{w|Portal}}.<br />
There is also a reference to the book "The Little Prince" in the second panel.<br />
<br />
Also, the number and content of the panels changes depending on the size of your browser window.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Specific AltText for this image: Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit -from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your browser window size.<br />
<br />
Location: Texas (on Chrome Version 33.0.1750.154 m), New Jersey, California (on Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95), Maryland, Massachusetts (Safari for iOS), Connecticut (Safari for iOS).<br />
<br />
===Black Hat===<br />
[[File:umwelt tortoise 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt tortoise.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
An analyst attempts to psychoanalyze [[Black Hat|Black Hat's]] [[72: Classhole|classhole]] tendencies. The joke here is that the turtle has actually been turned over and neither sees helping it as a priority. It's a reference to the Voight-Kampff test used in the movie Blade Runner (1982) to identify replicants.<br />
<br />
Location: Seems to appear mostly in "other countries" — those without location-specific comics.<br />
<br />
===Too Quiet===<br />
[[File:umwelt too quiet 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt too quiet.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
A reference to {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} which has been [[87: Velociraptors|constantly]] [[135: Substitute|referred]] [[1110: Click and Drag|to]] [[155: Search History|before]] [[758: Raptor Fences|in]] this comic.<br />
<br />
Also referencing the film {{w|2 Fast 2 Furious|2 Fast 2 Furious}}, an entertaining, yet intellectually unprovoking sequel in a popular film franchise, which is aimed at teenagers and young adults, prompting the blunt response from the stickman. The fact that Steve would use such a cliché {{w|2000s (decade)|noughties}} movie term in such an intense moment, and the subsequent curse, is the joke in this comic.<br />
<br />
Location: short version — iPhone 5c Safari browser in Texas, iPhone 5 Chrome Browser in Minnesota, long version - Google Chrome browser in Indiana, Windows 8 Laptop<br />
<br />
===Pond===<br />
[[File:umwelt pond mobile.png]][[File:umwelt pond wide.png]]<br />
<br />
Two different versions showed, the narrower version for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Location: The Netherlands and various other countries.<br />
<br />
===Galaxies===<br />
[[File:umwelt galaxies 1024.jpg]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt galaxies.jpg|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Megan is distracted from her conversation with [[Cueball]] by realizing that the space behind his head, from her vantage point, contains millions of galaxies. This is similar to an [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg incredible photograph] taken by the Hubble Telescope, in which a tiny dark area of space in fact contained numerous galaxies.<br />
<br />
The title text is an imaginative leap from this scenario: that the galaxies would be up to no good once Cueball is turned away from them. This is presumably a reference to [http://www.mariowiki.com/boo Boo], an enemy from certain Mario games who moves toward Mario only when Mario is facing away from Boo.<br />
<br />
This comic was only reported once... the intended environmental context is a mystery.<br />
<br />
Location: unknown<br />
<br />
===xkcd Gold===<br />
[[File:umwelt xkcd gold.png]]<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the 4chan Gold Account, an implementation on 4chan that does not actually exist, and is usually used to trick newcomers into revealing their credit card numbers. The joke is that "Gold Account" users can supposedly block other users from viewing images they have posted. The fifth panel is probably a reference to Beecock, a notorious set of shocker images. 4chan's moderators have been known to give out "beecock bans" or "/z/ bans" to particularly annoying users, which redirect the user to a page containing beecock and the text "OH NO THE BOARD IS GONE".<br />
<br />
Referrer: 4chan<br />
<br />
===Yo Mama===<br />
[[File:umwelt dog ballast.png]]<br />
<br />
Possible reference to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "{{w|Harrison Bergeron}}."<br />
<br />
Possibly a veiled criticism of Facebook. This could be slightly rewritten as: "This comic takes place in a dystopian future where the government is afraid of dissent, so it tracks everyone at all times, and some people privately doubt the government, but not enough to stop submitting information to Facebook. But that dystopian future is now."<br />
<br />
Referrer: Facebook<br />
<br />
===Reddit===<br />
[[File:umwelt reddit.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to referencing, because Reddit, as a referring site, likes references to its referencing in its references.<br />
<br />
This comic also features recursive imagery similar to [[688: Self-Description|Self Description]] where the third panel embeds the entire comic within itself.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Reddit<br />
<br />
===Buns and Hot dogs===<br />
[[File:umwelt somethingawful.jpg]]<br />
<br />
This is a reference to the question "Why do hot dogs come in packages of 6 while buns come in packages of 8?"<br />
<br />
Referrer: SomethingAwful, Questionable Content, & MetaFilter<br />
<br />
===Twitter===<br />
[[File:umwelt twitter.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A summary of the content "typically" found on Twitter.<br />
<br />
In the tweet feed, there are three tweets about some podcast on the top, followed by the tweet containing link they clicked on to get to the comic, tweets about Rob Delaney, unspecified passive-aggressive tweets, and a tweet from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_ebooks Horse Ebooks] retweeted by one of the users the reader follows.<br />
<br />
On the left, the topmost dialog, with profile information, shows that the user has posted 1,302 tweets, but only follows 171 people and has even fewer followers, at a measly 48. This is marked with a sad face, implying that the user wants more followers.<br />
<br />
Below that is the "who to follow" dialog, which is written up as consisting of "assholes".<br />
<br />
Below that is the "trending tags" dialog for the United States. It is full of tags about word games, tags about misogyny, and tags about Justin Bieber.<br />
<br />
Below that is an unidentified dialog full of "stuff your eyes automatically ignore". And finally, on the bottom is the background colour, which is "a really pleasant blue".<br />
<br />
Referrer: Twitter<br />
<br />
===Wikipedia===<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia wide.jpg]]<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia mobile.png]]<br />
<br />
The term {{w|Mile High Club}} (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have had sexual intercourse while on board of an aircraft. Randall says that reading the news articles on it has distracted him from making that comic.<br />
<br />
Two different versions shown, the narrower version (the single panel with all the text) for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Wikipedia<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome1.jpg]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Sergey Brin}} (born August 21, 1973) is an American computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies. As of 2013, his personal wealth was estimated to be $24.4 billion. Randall makes the joke that as the founder of Google, Brin's permission would be needed to use Google Chrome. Because there are millions of people who use Google, it is likely that at least some of the time Brin would be asleep, thus he would need to be woken.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Chrome/Firefox===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome2.png]]<br />
<br />
Mozilla {{w|Firefox}} is a free and open-source web browser developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux, with a mobile version for Android, by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Cueball is complaining about {{w|Google Chrome}}, to which [[Ponytail]] replies that there is an {{w|add-on}} that fixes what he is complaining about. When questioned, she replies that the add-on is Firefox, which isn't an add-on at all and is instead a different browser.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome-2===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome3.png]]<br />
<br />
This panel references Google Chrome's error screen, which shows a puzzle piece. The comic humorously implies that Chrome is looking for that piece. When completing jigsaw puzzles, a common strategy is to figure out where the pieces must be from their geometry rather than from the picture they create. In this case, the text suggests that Chrome believes the puzzle piece connects to the pieces which form one of the corners of the puzzle, which if true would mean there are only four places it could go, <br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing===<br />
[[File:umwelt firefox incognito.png]]<br />
<br />
Another reference to crashing web browsers.<br />
<br />
Browser: Firefox (Incognito only?)<br />
<br />
===Internet Explorer===<br />
[[File:umwelt ie.png]]<br />
<br />
Yet another reference to crashing web browsers<br />
<br />
Browser: Internet Explorer<br />
<br />
===Maxthon===<br />
[[File:umwelt maxthon.png]]<br />
<br />
Browser: Maxthon<br />
<br />
===Netscape Navigator===<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape womanoctopus.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape man.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Netscape Navigator}} was a web browser popular in the 1990s.<br />
<br />
Browser: Netscape<br />
<br />
===Rockmelt===<br />
[[File:umwelt rockmelt.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Rockmelt}} is a social-media-based browser.<br />
<br />
Reference to the gospel song {{w|Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934)|"There's no hiding place down here" by The Carter Family}}, later covered by Stephen Stills.<br />
<br />
:I run to the rock just to hide my face<br />
:And the rocks cried out, no hiding place<br />
:There's no hiding place down here<br />
<br />
It may additionally be a reference to the ''Babylon 5'' episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," which featured the song.<br />
<br />
Browser: Rockmelt<br />
<br />
===Plugin Disabled===<br />
[[File:umwelt plugin disabled.png]]<br />
<br />
When the Google Chrome web browser does not have the required software (called a plug-in) to display a web page's content, it displays a puzzle piece icon and an error message. In this case, Chrome informs the user that the content is impossible to display. <br />
<br />
Browser: Plugin (?) Disabled, Safari Desktop<br />
<br />
===Corporate Networks===<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate general.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate google chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes other.png]]<br />
<br />
These error messages appear if the user is on a network owned by one of the corporations noted. The error message includes a warning against speaking on the company's behalf.<br />
<br />
ISP: Corporate networks of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, NY Times<br />
<br />
===Military===<br />
[[File:umwelt military.png]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] assumes that anyone using a military network has an important job like watching for incoming missiles. He includes a thank-you to the user for their military service.<br />
<br />
ISP: Military networks<br />
<br />
===T-Mobile===<br />
[[File:umwelt tmobile.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to T-Mobile's distinguishing feature of weaker coverage, in relation to other major providers.<br />
<br />
ISP: T-Mobile<br />
<br />
===Verizon and AT&T===<br />
[[File:umwelt verizon.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt att.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to Verizon and AT&T's scandals/controversy regarding implementation of bandwidth caps.<br />
<br />
ISP: Verizon and AT&T<br />
<br />
===France===<br />
[[File:umwelt france.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A common joke about France is that the nation does not win wars. This originated from France's annexation by Germany during World War II, and America's late entry into the war, which is sometimes portrayed humorously as a case of America 'saving' Europe, in this joke particularly France (the role of the French resistance is usually not mentioned), leading to a common American joke at the expense of France's military prowess [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/victories.html][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-frenchmilitaryvictories.htm][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm]. When France did not form part of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003, aligning with the many countries that condemned U.S. action, the joke was revived. <br />
<br />
A Google search of "French Military Victories" + 'I'm feeling lucky' used to direct to "did you mean: french military defeats" (due to a {{w|Google bomb}}). Cueball is trying to show this to his friend, who is French. However, his joke backfires, as his friends immediately points out that the stereotype of France not having military victories is undercut by the fact that one of the most innovative military commanders in history, Napoleon, was French, and in fact conquered much of Europe.<br />
<br />
The last line of the comic further implies that Cueball is not as smart as he thinks he is in regards to anything French, as he mispronounces the French loan word "touche".<br />
<br />
Locations: France & Quebec<br />
<br />
===Germany===<br />
[[File:umwelt germany.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic references the {{w|Berlin airlift#The start of the Berlin Airlift|Berlin Airlift}}, a relief measure for citizens in West Berlin (surrounded by East Germany) instituted by the Western Allies after World War II. In reality, the Western Allies flew a grand total of 500,000 tons of food over the Soviet blockade in planes. Randall puts a twist on this event by making it more fun: dropping supplies from a grand chairlift. The play on words is that "chairlift" rhymes with "airlift" and thus makes an easy substitution. The chair force is also a name that other service branches use to make fun of the air force.<br />
<br />
Location: Germany<br />
<br />
===Israel===<br />
[[File:umwelt israel.png]]<br />
<br />
Transcript:<br />
<br />
בחורה: אמא, פגשתי בחור נהדר! אבל הוא לא יהודי.<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
רגע, מה את אומרת, "גם אנחנו לא"?<br />
<br />
אני לגמרי מבולבלת.<br />
<br />
(Translation from Hebrew)<br />
<br />
Person: Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
A reference to the multiple use of the word Jewish to denote both a religious group and a nationality/ethnicity.<br />
<br />
Location: Israel<br />
<br />
===Carnot Cycle===<br />
[[File:umwelt japan.png]]<br />
<br />
A pun on "cycle"; a "{{w|Carnot cycle}}" is a thermodynamic cycle (e.g. refrigeration). Its efficiency depends on the temperature of the hot and cold 'reservoirs' in which it is operating. The icon on the side of the motorcycle resembles a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carnot_cycle_p-V_diagram.svg graph of the Carnot cycle.]<br />
<br />
Location: Japan<br />
<br />
===UK===<br />
[[File:umwelt uk.jpg]]<br />
<br />
He worded this as though to imply that the UK is a state of the U.S., and an unimportant one at that, which pokes fun at the UK, creating a paradox (sort of).<br />
<br />
Location: UK<br />
<br />
===Blizzard===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters blizzard.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or blizzards are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in, the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Georgia, Halifax, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, the Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Texas, Toronto, Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin<br />
<br />
===Tornado===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters tornado.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or tornadoes are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Dallas, Illinois, Georgia, The Midwest, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Tennessee, Texas<br />
<br />
===Hurricane===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters hurricane.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or hurricanes are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: D.C, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Miami, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia<br />
<br />
===Lake Diver Killer===<br />
[[File:umwelt lake diver.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic shows a news reporter standing in front of a lake. She is reporting on a serial killer who targets divers. As more divers are sent in to investigate and/or search for bodies, more divers go missing and are presumably murdered. <br />
<br />
Locations: Bay Areas<br />
<br />
Location: Vermont showed an image specifically referencing Lake Champlain<br />
<br />
===Lincoln Memorial===<br />
[[File:umwelt lincoln memorial.png]]<br />
<br />
Locations: Illinois & Washington D.C.<br />
<br />
===Helicopter Hunting===<br />
[[File:umwelt helicoptor.png]]<br />
<br />
In Alaska, governments and individuals have {{w|Wolf hunting#North America 2|shot wolves en masse from helicopters}} in an attempt to artificially inflate populations of game, such as moose and caribou, to make hunting them easier. This is opposed by many, as the game populations are not endangered (thus, this threatens ecological balance); wolves are a small threat to livestock in North America; most of the wolf body —including meat and bones— goes wasted as they are sought mainly for their pelts.<br />
<br />
Location: Alaska<br />
<br />
===Newspaper===<br />
[[File:umwelt life scientists.png]][[File:umwelt life rit.png]][[File:umwelt life umass.png]]<br />
<br />
Creating new life has long been a well understood process, in a lab or otherwise.<br />
<br />
Location: Various<br />
<br />
Specific versions appeared for RIT and UMass Amherst<br />
<br />
===Robot Paul Revere===<br />
[[File:umwelt paul revere.png]]<br />
<br />
Combination of the legend of {{w|Paul Revere#"Midnight Ride"|Paul Revere}} and computer binary.<br />
<br />
Location: Boston<br />
<br />
===Counting Cards===<br />
<!-- card counting explanation needed. --><br />
All four colleges in this series are in Massachusetts and, being similar, in pairs, rival each other to some extent (Harvard-MIT, and Smith-Wellesley). The comic contains a reference to the {{w|MIT Blackjack Team}}, which entered popular culture via the {{w|21 (2008 film)|film 21}}, and a possible reference to Orwell's book '1984' and/or {{w|Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|popular homage to it via Star Trek}}: "There are four lights."[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChYIm6MW39k]<br />
<br />
Bonus: The thought-gears in panel 3 are spinning against each other.<br />
<br />
Location: Harvard<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards harvard.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: MIT<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards mit.png]]<br />
<br />
"Course 15s" at MIT are the business major students, often mocked for taking a less-rigorous program.<br />
<br />
Location: Smith<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards smith.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: Wellesley<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards wellesley.png]]<br />
<br />
Both Wellesley and Smith are all-women colleges.<br />
<br />
===Giant Box Trap===<br />
[[File:umwelt box trap.png]]<br />
<br />
Randall got his undergrad in Physics at the {{w|Christopher Newport University}}, and was scheduled to return shortly to give a talk.<br />
<br />
Location: Christopher Newport University<br />
<br />
===Chemo Support===<br />
[[File:umwelt chemo.jpg]]<br />
[[Cueball]] has shaved his head in support of people going through {{w|chemotherapy}} but as he is always depicted as a stick figure with no hair who can tell.<br />
<br />
Randall's now-wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and apparently DFCI is where they've been spending much of their time.<br />
<br />
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute<br />
<br />
===Reviews===<br />
[[File:reviews.png]]<br />
<br />
The previous strip appears twice when using [[wikipedia:Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]].<br />
<br />
Browser: Any using Tor, and reports of seeing it on a Kindle Fire HD<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Note to courageous readers- The transcript has been reordered in the order in which the comics appear in the picture and appropriate names have been given.]<br />
<br />
:'''The Void'''<br />
:[An epic void with a bright light shining right on you.]<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar flare that's causing some Great Aurorae. CBC says they may even be visible here! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: Hockey's on.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora-US'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar storm causing northern lights over Canada. CNN say they might even be visible {Options: "As Far South As Us", "Here in Boston", "Maine", "Ohio", "Oregon", "New York"}! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: It's cold out.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Snake'''<br />
:[Two people standing next to each other. Megan is holding the head end of a snake. Depending on the width of your browser, the snake is: three frames, the third of which has a little bit of a bump; the first frame has a human-size bump, the second has a third person looking at the snake, and the third has the snake going though two Portals; a squirrel and the human-size bump in the first frame, a ring next to the third person in the second frame, and Beret Guy riding the snake in front of the portal; or The squirrel, a fourth person within the snake being coiled, and the human bump in the first frame, the ring, a fifth person in love, and the third person in the second frame, Beret Guy and the portal in the third frame, and the same two people in the fourth frame.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: I found a snake, but then I forgot to stop.<br />
<br />
:'''Black hat'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk. One is Black Hat. The other is an analyst. Black Hat has a number of terminals attached to his head.]<br />
:Analyst: You come across a tortoise in the desert. You flip it over. It struggles to right itself. You watch. You're not helping. Why is that?<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: It '''knows''' what it did.<br />
<br />
:[View of the entire scene, with said turtle off in the distance on its back and trying to right itself.]<br />
<br />
:'''Too quiet'''<br />
:[A group of four scale down a wall into a field in the middle of the night. They walk off single-file.]<br />
:Person 1: It's quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 3: Yeah - *Too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:[A Velociraptor is off in the distance, following the group.]<br />
:Person 4: Yeah - too *too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 2: Yeah - 2quiet2furious.<br />
:Person 1: Fuck off, Steve.<br />
<br />
:'''Pond'''<br />
:[A landscape showing a pond, some reeds, and a set of mountains off in the distance.]<br />
<br />
:'''Galaxies'''<br />
:[A trio of galaxies.]<br />
:Galaxy 1: He's not looking!<br />
:Galaxy 3: Let's get him!<br />
:[Lines draw in illustrating the eye-line of one of a pair of people.]<br />
:Cueball: So he said he didn't get the text, but c'mon, he *never* misses texts. Right? ..hello?<br />
:Megan: I'm just staring at your head freaked out by the fact that there are millions of galaxies *directly behind it*.<br />
<br />
:'''xkcd Gold'''<br />
:[Cueball holding bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Sorry, but this comic<br />
<br />
:[Cueball starts to wind up.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: requires<br />
<br />
:[Cueball prepares to strike with bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: XKCD<br />
<br />
:[Cueball swings at a beehive.]<br />
:GOLD<br />
<br />
:[Penis Bees fly out of the beehive.]<br />
<br />
:'''Yo mamma'''<br />
:[Cueball yells at a friend.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh yeah? Well you mama's so ''cynical'', her only dog ballast is a ''leash''!<br />
:(This comic takes place in a dystopian future where the government is afraid dogs can hover, so it requires them to wear weights at all times, and some people privately doubt the government, but not enough to stop buying dog weights.)<br />
<br />
:'''Reddit'''<br />
:Five seconds ago:<br />
:[You sitting in front of a desk, reading a reddit thread.]<br />
:You: Oh, hey, reddit has a link to some XKCD april fools comic.<br />
<br />
:Now: [An image of the xkcd comic page.]<br />
:Five seconds from now:<br />
<br />
:You: ..hey<br />
<br />
:30 seconds from now:<br />
:[DANCE PARTY!]<br />
<br />
:'''Buns and Hot dogs'''<br />
:Cueball: What I wanna know is why do hot dogs come in packages of six while buns come in these huge sacks of ash and blood from which "Ave Maria" is faintly audible?<br />
:[Chanting sacks of gore in the background.]<br />
<br />
:'''Twitter'''<br />
:[A Twitter account page with the following: Many tweets, fewer following, even fewer followers, A bunch of assholes in the suggested follow box, trending topics partitioned into: Word Games, Misogyny, and Bieber, stuff your eyes automatically ignore, A really pleasant blue. and the timeline: Something about a podcast, Someone confused because the description doesn't match the link, The link you clicked on to get to this comic, Rob Delaney, Passive Aggression, and horse ebooks.]<br />
<br />
:'''Wikipedia'''<br />
:[There's no comic here because instead of drawing one, I spent the last hour reading every news story cited in the Wikipedia article on The Mile High Club.]<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires Sergey Brin's permission to run. Please wait while he is woken.<br />
<br />
:'''Chrome/Firefox'''<br />
:[Two people; Cueball is sitting at a desk in front of a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Man, chrome's hardware acceleration really sucks.<br />
:Ponytail: Oh - Theres' a great add-on that fixes it.<br />
:Cueball: Oh? What's it called?<br />
:Ponytail: "Firefox".<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-2'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page with the characteristic jigsaw piece.]<br />
:Chrome: Chrome is looking for this piece. Have you seen it? Chrome thinks it links up with a corner.<br />
<br />
:'''Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Firefox: Well, this is embarrassing. You know how I'm not supposed to peek at your browsing in private mode? Firefox.. is sorry. Firefox will not blame you if you<br />
:[Button with text.]<br />
:Click here to report this incident.<br />
<br />
:'''Internet Explorer'''<br />
:[IE error page.]<br />
:IE: Error: Internet Explorer has given up.<br />
<br />
:'''Maxthon'''<br />
:Cueball: Maxthon? Hey, 2005 called. Didn't say anything. All I could hear was sobbing. This is getting harder. Anyway, yeah, Maxthon's still cool! Didn't know it was still around!<br />
<br />
:'''Netscape Navigator'''<br />
:[Two different versions exist: one with Cueball talking and one with Megan with tentacle arms talking.]<br />
:Person: Netscape Navigator? Hey, the nineties called - drunk as usual. I hung up without saying anything. This is getting harder. Anyway - it's cool that you'e got netscape running.<br />
<br />
:'''Rockmelt'''<br />
:[Cueball running to laptop.]<br />
:I ran to Rockmelt to hide my face<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sitting at laptop.]<br />
:But Rockmelt cried out -<br />
<br />
:[Laptop shouting.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE<br />
<br />
:[zoom out.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-3'''<br />
:[A chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: There does not exist --nor could there '''ever''' exist-- a plugin capable of displaying this content.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google - Chrome'''<br />
:[Chrome error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon - Firefox'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/The Times'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/The Times is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Corporate - Generic'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, we work as a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Military'''<br />
:[Person looking at two browser windows.]<br />
:Cueball: I know y'all know what you're doing. But if you're on a military machine and you're supposed to be watching for missiles or something, I hope you're keeping an eye on that in the background while you're reading comics. Also: Thanks.<br />
<br />
:'''T-Mobile'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Data Error: T-Mobile was unable to establish a connection<br />
<br />
:'''Verizon'''<br />
:[Error page]<br />
:Error: You have exceeded your Verizon monthly bandwidth cap. Mobile web browsing has been disabled.<br />
<br />
:'''France'''<br />
:[Two people; one of which is browsing using a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, you're French, right? Ever see what happens when you type "French Military Victories" into Google?<br />
:French person: Does it take you to an article on Napoleon?<br />
<br />
:French person: ..no? Strange, given how he kicked everyone's asses up and down Europe for over a decade.<br />
<br />
:[Beat frame.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Touche.<br />
:French person: You know, that'd sound smarter if you didn't pronounce it like it rhymes with "douche".<br />
<br />
:'''Germany'''<br />
:[Cueball dropping food from an unorthodox high perch.]<br />
:June 1948: In response to the Soviet blockade of East Germany, the western allies construct the Berlin Chairlift.<br />
:Cueball on chairlift: Food!<br />
<br />
:'''Israel'''<br />
:[Person on phone.]<br />
:Person (Translation from Hebrew): Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
:'''Carnot Cycle'''<br />
:[Ponytail on a motorcycle with a heat-entropy graph on the side.]<br />
:Ponytail: Check out my new Carnot Cycle!<br />
:Cueball: Neat - how fast does it go?<br />
:Ponytail: Depends how cold it is outside.<br />
<br />
:'''Great Britain'''<br />
:[Illustration of the Atlantic ocean.]<br />
:American person: Sorry I don't have a comic poking fun at the UK here. I only had time to get to the most ''important'' US states.<br />
:British person: Hey - At least we have free health care and real ale.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Blizzard'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Boston", "Chicago", "Dallas", "Georgia", "Halifax", "Illinois", "Michigan", "Minnesota", "Missouri", "the Northeast", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", 'Pennsylvania", "Philadelphia", "Texas", "Toronto", "Tennessee", "New York", "Wisconsin"}! That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are trudging through a massive blizzard.]<br />
:Danish: In pictures, snow always looked so nice and sof - ''AAAA! MY NECK! How do people live here?!''<br />
:Cueball: Come on - it's only three more miles.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Tornado'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Dallas", "Illinois", "The Midwest", "Missouri", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", "Tennessee", "Texas"}!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are in a shelter in a prairie with a rapidly-approaching tornado.]<br />
:Danish: AAAA CLOSE THE SHELTER DOOR!<br />
:Cueball: Say the magic words...<br />
:Danish: THIS PLACE IS THE WORST!<br />
:Cueball: Thank you.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Hurricane'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "D.C", "Florida", "Houston", "Miami", "New Jersey", "North Carolina", "South Carolina", "Virgina"}! That was huge!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
<br />
:[Both are in the middle of a hurricane. Danish is grabbing onto a signpost to avoid being swept away.]<br />
:Danish: AAAAA WHAT THE SHIIIIT!<br />
:Cueball: Calm down - this is barely a category 2.<br />
<br />
:'''Lake Diver Killer'''<br />
:[TV Field Reporter in front of a cordoned-off lake.]<br />
:Reporter: Police divers searching the bay say they have recovered the body of another victim of the "Lake Diver Killer."<br />
:Reporter: During the search, three more divers were reported missing.<br />
<br />
:'''Washington'''<br />
:[The statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.]<br />
:In this Marble Prison As in the nightmares of the nation they tried to devour<br />
:The nanobots that constituted Abraham Lincoln<br />
:Are entombed forever.<br />
<br />
:'''Alaska'''<br />
:[A person with a gun chasing a helicopter on the back of a wolf in a snowy Alaskan field.]<br />
:Some people hunt wolves from helicopters. I hunt helicopters from a wolf.<br />
<br />
:'''Life in lab'''<br />
:[Newspaper headline.]<br />
:Scientists/UMass Amherst students/RIT students create life in lab<br />
:[Caption under picture of scientists.]<br />
:"The trick was fuckin'"<br />
<br />
:'''American Revolution'''<br />
:Robot Paul Revere: Remember: Zero if by land, One if by sea.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I see their admission standards have been slipping.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT Course 15c'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I *knew* we shouldn't have picked course 15s.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''Smith/Wellesley'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of Smith/Wellesley students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: We should've gone with Wellesley/Smith.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''CNU'''<br />
:[Person unsuspectingly strolls under a giant box trap controlled by a Trible.]<br />
:I worry that CNU only invited me back as a ruse because they realized I never turned in my final paper and want my diploma back. But if it turns out it's for real, I'll see you Wednesday at the Ferguson!<br />
<br />
:'''Dana Farber'''<br />
:[Cueball, pointing towards head.]<br />
:Cueball: Check it out - In support of people going through chemo, I shaved my head.<br />
:Lots of love to everyone reading this at Dana Farber. Cancer sucks. If you are new to DCFI, there's a great little garden on the third floor of the yawkey if you need somewhere quiet to just sit for a little bit and breathe.<br />
<br />
:'''Reviews'''<br />
:Shopping before online reviews:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a store. Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. There is another lamp on the table behind them.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: And affordable.<br />
:Cueball: Let's get it.<br />
:Megan Ok! <br />
<br />
:Shopping now:<br />
:[Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. Megan looks at her phone.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: It's got 1 1/2 stars on Amazon. Reviews all say to avoid that brand.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are now both looking at their phones.]<br />
:Cueball: This one has good reviews.<br />
:Megan: Wait, one guy says when he plugged it in, he got a metallic taste in his mouth and his cats went deaf.<br />
:Cueball: Eek. What about- ...no, review points out it resembles a uterus.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is still looking at his phone, Megan has hers at her side.]<br />
:Cueball: Ok, I found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews. Her lamps start at 1,300 Francs and she's only reachable by ski lift.<br />
:Megan: You know, our room looks fine in the dark.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Reddit user [http://www.reddit.com/user/SomePostMan SomePostMan] created a [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/t6wmh/all_umwelt_1037_comics_in_two_imgur_albums/ post] that collected all of the Umwelt comics and added explanations. Much of his information is now included in this wiki.<br />
<br />
*The transcript section for this comic also included a note alluding to its extreme length:<br />
: [ [Two people...] ] ((..wait.. <scrolls through a listing of everything> oh goddammit Randall. Thanks a bunch, dude. I better get a raise for typing out all this)) <br />
: [Two people standing next to each other. One is holding the head end of a snake...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]<br />
[[Category:Penis]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]<br />
[[Category:April fools' comics]]<br />
[[Category:Your Mom]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]</div>108.162.249.155https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1037:_Umwelt&diff=1143581037: Umwelt2016-03-07T22:49:57Z<p>108.162.249.155: /* France */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1037<br />
| date = April 1, 2012<br />
| title = Umwelt<br />
| image = umwelt_the_void.jpg<br />
| titletext = Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit--from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your web browser.<br />
}}<br />
<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;">__TOC__</div><br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
An {{w|Umwelt}}, as the title text explains, is the idea that one's entire way of thinking is dependent on their surroundings. Thus, this {{w|April Fools}} comic changes based on the browser, location, or referrer. Thus, what the viewer is viewing the comic on, where they live, or where they came from determines which comic they actually see. As a result, there are actually multiple comics that went up on April Fools' Day, although only one is seen.<br />
(Fun Fact: the German word "Umwelt" does not mean anything vaguely similar; it translates in all contexts almost exactly as "environment".)<br />
<br />
Information about how the wide variety of data was collected and credit for the viewers who contributed can be found [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/rnst4/april_fools_xkcd_changing_comic/ here].<br />
<br />
This comic was released on April 1 even though that was [[:Category:Sunday comics|a Sunday]] (only the third comic to be released on a Sunday). But it was only due to the April Fool joke, as it did replace the comic that would have been scheduled for Monday, April 2. The next comic was first released on Wednesday, April 4.<br />
<br />
===The Void===<br />
[[File:umwelt the void.jpg]]<br />
<br />
If the device or browser you are using does not support Javascript, you will simply see a static image of a white swirl on a dark background.<br />
<br />
Possible reference to The Ring (http://imgur.com/wlGmm), as though to suggest that using an alternative browser is dismal and horrific.<br />
<br />
Davean (xkcd's sysadmin): "[This] comic isn't available everywhere and it can come up i[n] some situation[s] only for recognized browsers."<br />
<br />
Browser: Alternative Browser<br />
<br />
===Aurora===<br />
[[File:umwelt aurora.png]]<br />
<br />
One could interpret that since Megan didn't go out and therefore missed seeing the Aurora, the main character lied. That way, she wouldn't have felt sad that she missed out.<br />
<br />
One might also believe that since xkcd is normally a black and white comic, Cueball is colorblind and didn't see anything of interest to him.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Locations: Canada, Boston, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Norway, Denmark, Rhode Island (not sure if mobile only or not.)<br />
<br />
===Snake===<br />
[[File:umwelt snake composite 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt snake composite.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
The joke here is the extreme length of snakes. The world's longest snake is the python, the longest ever being 33 feet or approx. 10 meters. The red and blue circles refer to the hit game {{w|Portal}}.<br />
There is also a reference to the book "The Little Prince" in the second panel.<br />
<br />
Also, the number and content of the panels changes depending on the size of your browser window.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Specific AltText for this image: Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit -from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your browser window size.<br />
<br />
Location: Texas (on Chrome Version 33.0.1750.154 m), New Jersey, California (on Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95), Maryland, Massachusetts (Safari for iOS), Connecticut (Safari for iOS).<br />
<br />
===Black Hat===<br />
[[File:umwelt tortoise 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt tortoise.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
An analyst attempts to psychoanalyze [[Black Hat|Black Hat's]] [[72: Classhole|classhole]] tendencies. The joke here is that the turtle has actually been turned over and neither sees helping it as a priority. It's a reference to the Voight-Kampff test used in the movie Blade Runner (1982) to identify replicants.<br />
<br />
Location: Seems to appear mostly in "other countries" — those without location-specific comics.<br />
<br />
===Too Quiet===<br />
[[File:umwelt too quiet 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt too quiet.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
A reference to {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} which has been [[87: Velociraptors|constantly]] [[135: Substitute|referred]] [[1110: Click and Drag|to]] [[155: Search History|before]] [[758: Raptor Fences|in]] this comic.<br />
<br />
Also referencing the film {{w|2 Fast 2 Furious|2 Fast 2 Furious}}, an entertaining, yet intellectually unprovoking sequel in a popular film franchise, which is aimed at teenagers and young adults, prompting the blunt response from the stickman. The fact that Steve would use such a cliché {{w|2000s (decade)|noughties}} movie term in such an intense moment, and the subsequent curse, is the joke in this comic.<br />
<br />
Location: short version — iPhone 5c Safari browser in Texas, iPhone 5 Chrome Browser in Minnesota, long version - Google Chrome browser in Indiana, Windows 8 Laptop<br />
<br />
===Pond===<br />
[[File:umwelt pond mobile.png]][[File:umwelt pond wide.png]]<br />
<br />
Two different versions showed, the narrower version for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Location: The Netherlands and various other countries.<br />
<br />
===Galaxies===<br />
[[File:umwelt galaxies 1024.jpg]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt galaxies.jpg|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Megan is distracted from her conversation with [[Cueball]] by realizing that the space behind his head, from her vantage point, contains millions of galaxies. This is similar to an [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg incredible photograph] taken by the Hubble Telescope, in which a tiny dark area of space in fact contained numerous galaxies.<br />
<br />
The title text is an imaginative leap from this scenario: that the galaxies would be up to no good once Cueball is turned away from them. This is presumably a reference to [http://www.mariowiki.com/boo Boo], an enemy from certain Mario games who moves toward Mario only when Mario is facing away from Boo.<br />
<br />
This comic was only reported once... the intended environmental context is a mystery.<br />
<br />
Location: unknown<br />
<br />
===xkcd Gold===<br />
[[File:umwelt xkcd gold.png]]<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the 4chan Gold Account, an implementation on 4chan that does not actually exist, and is usually used to trick newcomers into revealing their credit card numbers. The joke is that "Gold Account" users can supposedly block other users from viewing images they have posted. The fifth panel is probably a reference to Beecock, a notorious set of shocker images. 4chan's moderators have been known to give out "beecock bans" or "/z/ bans" to particularly annoying users, which redirect the user to a page containing beecock and the text "OH NO THE BOARD IS GONE".<br />
<br />
Referrer: 4chan<br />
<br />
===Yo Mama===<br />
[[File:umwelt dog ballast.png]]<br />
<br />
Possible reference to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "{{w|Harrison Bergeron}}."<br />
<br />
Possibly a veiled criticism of Facebook. This could be slightly rewritten as: "This comic takes place in a dystopian future where the government is afraid of dissent, so it tracks everyone at all times, and some people privately doubt the government, but not enough to stop submitting information to Facebook. But that dystopian future is now."<br />
<br />
Referrer: Facebook<br />
<br />
===Reddit===<br />
[[File:umwelt reddit.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to referencing, because Reddit, as a referring site, likes references to its referencing in its references.<br />
<br />
This comic also features recursive imagery similar to [[688: Self-Description|Self Description]] where the third panel embeds the entire comic within itself.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Reddit<br />
<br />
===Buns and Hot dogs===<br />
[[File:umwelt somethingawful.jpg]]<br />
<br />
This is a reference to the question "Why do hot dogs come in packages of 6 while buns come in packages of 8?"<br />
<br />
Referrer: SomethingAwful, Questionable Content, & MetaFilter<br />
<br />
===Twitter===<br />
[[File:umwelt twitter.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A summary of the content "typically" found on Twitter.<br />
<br />
In the tweet feed, there are three tweets about some podcast on the top, followed by the tweet containing link they clicked on to get to the comic, tweets about Rob Delaney, unspecified passive-aggressive tweets, and a tweet from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_ebooks Horse Ebooks] retweeted by one of the users the reader follows.<br />
<br />
On the left, the topmost dialog, with profile information, shows that the user has posted 1,302 tweets, but only follows 171 people and has even fewer followers, at a measly 48. This is marked with a sad face, implying that the user wants more followers.<br />
<br />
Below that is the "who to follow" dialog, which is written up as consisting of "assholes".<br />
<br />
Below that is the "trending tags" dialog for the United States. It is full of tags about word games, tags about misogyny, and tags about Justin Bieber.<br />
<br />
Below that is an unidentified dialog full of "stuff your eyes automatically ignore". And finally, on the bottom is the background colour, which is "a really pleasant blue".<br />
<br />
Referrer: Twitter<br />
<br />
===Wikipedia===<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia wide.jpg]]<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia mobile.png]]<br />
<br />
The term {{w|Mile High Club}} (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have had sexual intercourse while on board of an aircraft. Randall says that reading the news articles on it has distracted him from making that comic.<br />
<br />
Two different versions shown, the narrower version (the single panel with all the text) for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Wikipedia<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome1.jpg]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Sergey Brin}} (born August 21, 1973) is an American computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies. As of 2013, his personal wealth was estimated to be $24.4 billion. Randall makes the joke that as the founder of Google, Brin's permission would be needed to use Google Chrome. Because there are millions of people who use Google, it is likely that at least some of the time Brin would be asleep, thus he would need to be woken.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Chrome/Firefox===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome2.png]]<br />
<br />
Mozilla {{w|Firefox}} is a free and open-source web browser developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux, with a mobile version for Android, by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Cueball is complaining about {{w|Google Chrome}}, to which [[Ponytail]] replies that there is an {{w|add-on}} that fixes what he is complaining about. When questioned, she replies that the add-on is Firefox, which isn't an add-on at all and is instead a different browser.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome-2===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome3.png]]<br />
<br />
This panel references Google Chrome's error screen, which shows a puzzle piece. The comic humorously implies that Chrome is looking for that piece. When completing jigsaw puzzles, a common strategy is to figure out where the pieces must be from their geometry rather than from the picture they create. In this case, the text suggests that Chrome believes the puzzle piece connects to the pieces which form one of the corners of the puzzle, which if true would mean there are only four places it could go, <br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing===<br />
[[File:umwelt firefox incognito.png]]<br />
<br />
Another reference to crashing web browsers.<br />
<br />
Browser: Firefox (Incognito only?)<br />
<br />
===Internet Explorer===<br />
[[File:umwelt ie.png]]<br />
<br />
Yet another reference to crashing web browsers<br />
<br />
Browser: Internet Explorer<br />
<br />
===Maxthon===<br />
[[File:umwelt maxthon.png]]<br />
<br />
Browser: Maxthon<br />
<br />
===Netscape Navigator===<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape womanoctopus.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape man.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Netscape Navigator}} was a web browser popular in the 1990s.<br />
<br />
Browser: Netscape<br />
<br />
===Rockmelt===<br />
[[File:umwelt rockmelt.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Rockmelt}} is a social-media-based browser.<br />
<br />
Reference to the gospel song {{w|Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934)|"There's no hiding place down here" by The Carter Family}}, later covered by Stephen Stills.<br />
<br />
:I run to the rock just to hide my face<br />
:And the rocks cried out, no hiding place<br />
:There's no hiding place down here<br />
<br />
It may additionally be a reference to the ''Babylon 5'' episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," which featured the song.<br />
<br />
Browser: Rockmelt<br />
<br />
===Plugin Disabled===<br />
[[File:umwelt plugin disabled.png]]<br />
<br />
When the Google Chrome web browser does not have the required software (called a plug-in) to display a web page's content, it displays a puzzle piece icon and an error message. In this case, Chrome informs the user that the content is impossible to display. <br />
<br />
Browser: Plugin (?) Disabled, Safari Desktop<br />
<br />
===Corporate Networks===<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate general.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate google chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes other.png]]<br />
<br />
These error messages appear if the user is on a network owned by one of the corporations noted. The error message includes a warning against speaking on the company's behalf.<br />
<br />
ISP: Corporate networks of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, NY Times<br />
<br />
===Military===<br />
[[File:umwelt military.png]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] assumes that anyone using a military network has an important job like watching for incoming missiles. He includes a thank-you to the user for their military service.<br />
<br />
ISP: Military networks<br />
<br />
===T-Mobile===<br />
[[File:umwelt tmobile.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to T-Mobile's distinguishing feature of weaker coverage, in relation to other major providers.<br />
<br />
ISP: T-Mobile<br />
<br />
===Verizon and AT&T===<br />
[[File:umwelt verizon.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt att.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to Verizon and AT&T's scandals/controversy regarding implementation of bandwidth caps.<br />
<br />
ISP: Verizon and AT&T<br />
<br />
===France===<br />
[[File:umwelt france.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A common joke about France is that the nation does not win wars. This originated from France's annexation by Germany during World War II, and America's late entry into the war, which is sometimes portrayed humorously as a case of America 'saving' Europe, in this joke particularly France (the role of the French resistance is usually not mentioned). When France did not form part of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003, aligning with the many countries that condemned U.S. action, the joke was revived. The stereotype of France not having military victories is undercut (both in reality and in the comic) by the fact that one of the most innovative military commanders in history, Napoleon, was French, and in fact conquered much of Europe.<br />
<br />
A Google search of "French Military Victories" + 'I'm feeling lucky' used to direct to "did you mean: french military defeats" (due to a {{w|Google bomb}}), referencing the joke:[http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/victories.html][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-frenchmilitaryvictories.htm][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm]<br />
<br />
The last line of the comic further implies that Cueball is not as smart as he thinks he is in regards to anything French, as he mispronounces the French loan word "touche".<br />
<br />
Locations: France & Quebec<br />
<br />
===Germany===<br />
[[File:umwelt germany.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic references the {{w|Berlin airlift#The start of the Berlin Airlift|Berlin Airlift}}, a relief measure for citizens in West Berlin (surrounded by East Germany) instituted by the Western Allies after World War II. In reality, the Western Allies flew a grand total of 500,000 tons of food over the Soviet blockade in planes. Randall puts a twist on this event by making it more fun: dropping supplies from a grand chairlift. The play on words is that "chairlift" rhymes with "airlift" and thus makes an easy substitution. The chair force is also a name that other service branches use to make fun of the air force.<br />
<br />
Location: Germany<br />
<br />
===Israel===<br />
[[File:umwelt israel.png]]<br />
<br />
Transcript:<br />
<br />
בחורה: אמא, פגשתי בחור נהדר! אבל הוא לא יהודי.<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
רגע, מה את אומרת, "גם אנחנו לא"?<br />
<br />
אני לגמרי מבולבלת.<br />
<br />
(Translation from Hebrew)<br />
<br />
Person: Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
A reference to the multiple use of the word Jewish to denote both a religious group and a nationality/ethnicity.<br />
<br />
Location: Israel<br />
<br />
===Carnot Cycle===<br />
[[File:umwelt japan.png]]<br />
<br />
A pun on "cycle"; a "{{w|Carnot cycle}}" is a thermodynamic cycle (e.g. refrigeration). Its efficiency depends on the temperature of the hot and cold 'reservoirs' in which it is operating. The icon on the side of the motorcycle resembles a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carnot_cycle_p-V_diagram.svg graph of the Carnot cycle.]<br />
<br />
Location: Japan<br />
<br />
===UK===<br />
[[File:umwelt uk.jpg]]<br />
<br />
He worded this as though to imply that the UK is a state of the U.S., and an unimportant one at that, which pokes fun at the UK, creating a paradox (sort of).<br />
<br />
Location: UK<br />
<br />
===Blizzard===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters blizzard.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or blizzards are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in, the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Georgia, Halifax, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, the Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Texas, Toronto, Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin<br />
<br />
===Tornado===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters tornado.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or tornadoes are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Dallas, Illinois, Georgia, The Midwest, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Tennessee, Texas<br />
<br />
===Hurricane===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters hurricane.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or hurricanes are harsher conditions to live under.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: D.C, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Miami, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia<br />
<br />
===Lake Diver Killer===<br />
[[File:umwelt lake diver.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic shows a news reporter standing in front of a lake. She is reporting on a serial killer who targets divers. As more divers are sent in to investigate and/or search for bodies, more divers go missing and are presumably murdered. <br />
<br />
Locations: Bay Areas<br />
<br />
Location: Vermont showed an image specifically referencing Lake Champlain<br />
<br />
===Lincoln Memorial===<br />
[[File:umwelt lincoln memorial.png]]<br />
<br />
Locations: Illinois & Washington D.C.<br />
<br />
===Helicopter Hunting===<br />
[[File:umwelt helicoptor.png]]<br />
<br />
In Alaska, governments and individuals have {{w|Wolf hunting#North America 2|shot wolves en masse from helicopters}} in an attempt to artificially inflate populations of game, such as moose and caribou, to make hunting them easier. This is opposed by many, as the game populations are not endangered (thus, this threatens ecological balance); wolves are a small threat to livestock in North America; most of the wolf body —including meat and bones— goes wasted as they are sought mainly for their pelts.<br />
<br />
Location: Alaska<br />
<br />
===Newspaper===<br />
[[File:umwelt life scientists.png]][[File:umwelt life rit.png]][[File:umwelt life umass.png]]<br />
<br />
Creating new life has long been a well understood process, in a lab or otherwise.<br />
<br />
Location: Various<br />
<br />
Specific versions appeared for RIT and UMass Amherst<br />
<br />
===Robot Paul Revere===<br />
[[File:umwelt paul revere.png]]<br />
<br />
Combination of the legend of {{w|Paul Revere#"Midnight Ride"|Paul Revere}} and computer binary.<br />
<br />
Location: Boston<br />
<br />
===Counting Cards===<br />
<!-- card counting explanation needed. --><br />
All four colleges in this series are in Massachusetts and, being similar, in pairs, rival each other to some extent (Harvard-MIT, and Smith-Wellesley). The comic contains a reference to the {{w|MIT Blackjack Team}}, which entered popular culture via the {{w|21 (2008 film)|film 21}}, and a possible reference to Orwell's book '1984' and/or {{w|Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|popular homage to it via Star Trek}}: "There are four lights."[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChYIm6MW39k]<br />
<br />
Bonus: The thought-gears in panel 3 are spinning against each other.<br />
<br />
Location: Harvard<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards harvard.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: MIT<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards mit.png]]<br />
<br />
"Course 15s" at MIT are the business major students, often mocked for taking a less-rigorous program.<br />
<br />
Location: Smith<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards smith.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: Wellesley<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards wellesley.png]]<br />
<br />
Both Wellesley and Smith are all-women colleges.<br />
<br />
===Giant Box Trap===<br />
[[File:umwelt box trap.png]]<br />
<br />
Randall got his undergrad in Physics at the {{w|Christopher Newport University}}, and was scheduled to return shortly to give a talk.<br />
<br />
Location: Christopher Newport University<br />
<br />
===Chemo Support===<br />
[[File:umwelt chemo.jpg]]<br />
[[Cueball]] has shaved his head in support of people going through {{w|chemotherapy}} but as he is always depicted as a stick figure with no hair who can tell.<br />
<br />
Randall's now-wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and apparently DFCI is where they've been spending much of their time.<br />
<br />
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute<br />
<br />
===Reviews===<br />
[[File:reviews.png]]<br />
<br />
The previous strip appears twice when using [[wikipedia:Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]].<br />
<br />
Browser: Any using Tor, and reports of seeing it on a Kindle Fire HD<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Note to courageous readers- The transcript has been reordered in the order in which the comics appear in the picture and appropriate names have been given.]<br />
<br />
:'''The Void'''<br />
:[An epic void with a bright light shining right on you.]<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar flare that's causing some Great Aurorae. CBC says they may even be visible here! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: Hockey's on.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora-US'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar storm causing northern lights over Canada. CNN say they might even be visible {Options: "As Far South As Us", "Here in Boston", "Maine", "Ohio", "Oregon", "New York"}! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: It's cold out.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Snake'''<br />
:[Two people standing next to each other. Megan is holding the head end of a snake. Depending on the width of your browser, the snake is: three frames, the third of which has a little bit of a bump; the first frame has a human-size bump, the second has a third person looking at the snake, and the third has the snake going though two Portals; a squirrel and the human-size bump in the first frame, a ring next to the third person in the second frame, and Beret Guy riding the snake in front of the portal; or The squirrel, a fourth person within the snake being coiled, and the human bump in the first frame, the ring, a fifth person in love, and the third person in the second frame, Beret Guy and the portal in the third frame, and the same two people in the fourth frame.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: I found a snake, but then I forgot to stop.<br />
<br />
:'''Black hat'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk. One is Black Hat. The other is an analyst. Black Hat has a number of terminals attached to his head.]<br />
:Analyst: You come across a tortoise in the desert. You flip it over. It struggles to right itself. You watch. You're not helping. Why is that?<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: It '''knows''' what it did.<br />
<br />
:[View of the entire scene, with said turtle off in the distance on its back and trying to right itself.]<br />
<br />
:'''Too quiet'''<br />
:[A group of four scale down a wall into a field in the middle of the night. They walk off single-file.]<br />
:Person 1: It's quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 3: Yeah - *Too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:[A Velociraptor is off in the distance, following the group.]<br />
:Person 4: Yeah - too *too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 2: Yeah - 2quiet2furious.<br />
:Person 1: Fuck off, Steve.<br />
<br />
:'''Pond'''<br />
:[A landscape showing a pond, some reeds, and a set of mountains off in the distance.]<br />
<br />
:'''Galaxies'''<br />
:[A trio of galaxies.]<br />
:Galaxy 1: He's not looking!<br />
:Galaxy 3: Let's get him!<br />
:[Lines draw in illustrating the eye-line of one of a pair of people.]<br />
:Cueball: So he said he didn't get the text, but c'mon, he *never* misses texts. Right? ..hello?<br />
:Megan: I'm just staring at your head freaked out by the fact that there are millions of galaxies *directly behind it*.<br />
<br />
:'''xkcd Gold'''<br />
:[Cueball holding bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Sorry, but this comic<br />
<br />
:[Cueball starts to wind up.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: requires<br />
<br />
:[Cueball prepares to strike with bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: XKCD<br />
<br />
:[Cueball swings at a beehive.]<br />
:GOLD<br />
<br />
:[Penis Bees fly out of the beehive.]<br />
<br />
:'''Yo mamma'''<br />
:[Cueball yells at a friend.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh yeah? Well you mama's so ''cynical'', her only dog ballast is a ''leash''!<br />
:(This comic takes place in a dystopian future where the government is afraid dogs can hover, so it requires them to wear weights at all times, and some people privately doubt the government, but not enough to stop buying dog weights.)<br />
<br />
:'''Reddit'''<br />
:Five seconds ago:<br />
:[You sitting in front of a desk, reading a reddit thread.]<br />
:You: Oh, hey, reddit has a link to some XKCD april fools comic.<br />
<br />
:Now: [An image of the xkcd comic page.]<br />
:Five seconds from now:<br />
<br />
:You: ..hey<br />
<br />
:30 seconds from now:<br />
:[DANCE PARTY!]<br />
<br />
:'''Buns and Hot dogs'''<br />
:Cueball: What I wanna know is why do hot dogs come in packages of six while buns come in these huge sacks of ash and blood from which "Ave Maria" is faintly audible?<br />
:[Chanting sacks of gore in the background.]<br />
<br />
:'''Twitter'''<br />
:[A Twitter account page with the following: Many tweets, fewer following, even fewer followers, A bunch of assholes in the suggested follow box, trending topics partitioned into: Word Games, Misogyny, and Bieber, stuff your eyes automatically ignore, A really pleasant blue. and the timeline: Something about a podcast, Someone confused because the description doesn't match the link, The link you clicked on to get to this comic, Rob Delaney, Passive Aggression, and horse ebooks.]<br />
<br />
:'''Wikipedia'''<br />
:[There's no comic here because instead of drawing one, I spent the last hour reading every news story cited in the Wikipedia article on The Mile High Club.]<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires Sergey Brin's permission to run. Please wait while he is woken.<br />
<br />
:'''Chrome/Firefox'''<br />
:[Two people; Cueball is sitting at a desk in front of a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Man, chrome's hardware acceleration really sucks.<br />
:Ponytail: Oh - Theres' a great add-on that fixes it.<br />
:Cueball: Oh? What's it called?<br />
:Ponytail: "Firefox".<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-2'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page with the characteristic jigsaw piece.]<br />
:Chrome: Chrome is looking for this piece. Have you seen it? Chrome thinks it links up with a corner.<br />
<br />
:'''Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Firefox: Well, this is embarrassing. You know how I'm not supposed to peek at your browsing in private mode? Firefox.. is sorry. Firefox will not blame you if you<br />
:[Button with text.]<br />
:Click here to report this incident.<br />
<br />
:'''Internet Explorer'''<br />
:[IE error page.]<br />
:IE: Error: Internet Explorer has given up.<br />
<br />
:'''Maxthon'''<br />
:Cueball: Maxthon? Hey, 2005 called. Didn't say anything. All I could hear was sobbing. This is getting harder. Anyway, yeah, Maxthon's still cool! Didn't know it was still around!<br />
<br />
:'''Netscape Navigator'''<br />
:[Two different versions exist: one with Cueball talking and one with Megan with tentacle arms talking.]<br />
:Person: Netscape Navigator? Hey, the nineties called - drunk as usual. I hung up without saying anything. This is getting harder. Anyway - it's cool that you'e got netscape running.<br />
<br />
:'''Rockmelt'''<br />
:[Cueball running to laptop.]<br />
:I ran to Rockmelt to hide my face<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sitting at laptop.]<br />
:But Rockmelt cried out -<br />
<br />
:[Laptop shouting.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE<br />
<br />
:[zoom out.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-3'''<br />
:[A chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: There does not exist --nor could there '''ever''' exist-- a plugin capable of displaying this content.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google - Chrome'''<br />
:[Chrome error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon - Firefox'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/The Times'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/The Times is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Corporate - Generic'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, we work as a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Military'''<br />
:[Person looking at two browser windows.]<br />
:Cueball: I know y'all know what you're doing. But if you're on a military machine and you're supposed to be watching for missiles or something, I hope you're keeping an eye on that in the background while you're reading comics. Also: Thanks.<br />
<br />
:'''T-Mobile'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Data Error: T-Mobile was unable to establish a connection<br />
<br />
:'''Verizon'''<br />
:[Error page]<br />
:Error: You have exceeded your Verizon monthly bandwidth cap. Mobile web browsing has been disabled.<br />
<br />
:'''France'''<br />
:[Two people; one of which is browsing using a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, you're French, right? Ever see what happens when you type "French Military Victories" into Google?<br />
:French person: Does it take you to an article on Napoleon?<br />
<br />
:French person: ..no? Strange, given how he kicked everyone's asses up and down Europe for over a decade.<br />
<br />
:[Beat frame.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Touche.<br />
:French person: You know, that'd sound smarter if you didn't pronounce it like it rhymes with "douche".<br />
<br />
:'''Germany'''<br />
:[Cueball dropping food from an unorthodox high perch.]<br />
:June 1948: In response to the Soviet blockade of East Germany, the western allies construct the Berlin Chairlift.<br />
:Cueball on chairlift: Food!<br />
<br />
:'''Israel'''<br />
:[Person on phone.]<br />
:Person (Translation from Hebrew): Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
:'''Carnot Cycle'''<br />
:[Ponytail on a motorcycle with a heat-entropy graph on the side.]<br />
:Ponytail: Check out my new Carnot Cycle!<br />
:Cueball: Neat - how fast does it go?<br />
:Ponytail: Depends how cold it is outside.<br />
<br />
:'''Great Britain'''<br />
:[Illustration of the Atlantic ocean.]<br />
:American person: Sorry I don't have a comic poking fun at the UK here. I only had time to get to the most ''important'' US states.<br />
:British person: Hey - At least we have free health care and real ale.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Blizzard'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Boston", "Chicago", "Dallas", "Georgia", "Halifax", "Illinois", "Michigan", "Minnesota", "Missouri", "the Northeast", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", 'Pennsylvania", "Philadelphia", "Texas", "Toronto", "Tennessee", "New York", "Wisconsin"}! That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are trudging through a massive blizzard.]<br />
:Danish: In pictures, snow always looked so nice and sof - ''AAAA! MY NECK! How do people live here?!''<br />
:Cueball: Come on - it's only three more miles.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Tornado'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Dallas", "Illinois", "The Midwest", "Missouri", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", "Tennessee", "Texas"}!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are in a shelter in a prairie with a rapidly-approaching tornado.]<br />
:Danish: AAAA CLOSE THE SHELTER DOOR!<br />
:Cueball: Say the magic words...<br />
:Danish: THIS PLACE IS THE WORST!<br />
:Cueball: Thank you.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Hurricane'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "D.C", "Florida", "Houston", "Miami", "New Jersey", "North Carolina", "South Carolina", "Virgina"}! That was huge!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
<br />
:[Both are in the middle of a hurricane. Danish is grabbing onto a signpost to avoid being swept away.]<br />
:Danish: AAAAA WHAT THE SHIIIIT!<br />
:Cueball: Calm down - this is barely a category 2.<br />
<br />
:'''Lake Diver Killer'''<br />
:[TV Field Reporter in front of a cordoned-off lake.]<br />
:Reporter: Police divers searching the bay say they have recovered the body of another victim of the "Lake Diver Killer."<br />
:Reporter: During the search, three more divers were reported missing.<br />
<br />
:'''Washington'''<br />
:[The statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.]<br />
:In this Marble Prison As in the nightmares of the nation they tried to devour<br />
:The nanobots that constituted Abraham Lincoln<br />
:Are entombed forever.<br />
<br />
:'''Alaska'''<br />
:[A person with a gun chasing a helicopter on the back of a wolf in a snowy Alaskan field.]<br />
:Some people hunt wolves from helicopters. I hunt helicopters from a wolf.<br />
<br />
:'''Life in lab'''<br />
:[Newspaper headline.]<br />
:Scientists/UMass Amherst students/RIT students create life in lab<br />
:[Caption under picture of scientists.]<br />
:"The trick was fuckin'"<br />
<br />
:'''American Revolution'''<br />
:Robot Paul Revere: Remember: Zero if by land, One if by sea.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I see their admission standards have been slipping.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT Course 15c'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I *knew* we shouldn't have picked course 15s.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''Smith/Wellesley'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of Smith/Wellesley students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: We should've gone with Wellesley/Smith.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''CNU'''<br />
:[Person unsuspectingly strolls under a giant box trap controlled by a Trible.]<br />
:I worry that CNU only invited me back as a ruse because they realized I never turned in my final paper and want my diploma back. But if it turns out it's for real, I'll see you Wednesday at the Ferguson!<br />
<br />
:'''Dana Farber'''<br />
:[Cueball, pointing towards head.]<br />
:Cueball: Check it out - In support of people going through chemo, I shaved my head.<br />
:Lots of love to everyone reading this at Dana Farber. Cancer sucks. If you are new to DCFI, there's a great little garden on the third floor of the yawkey if you need somewhere quiet to just sit for a little bit and breathe.<br />
<br />
:'''Reviews'''<br />
:Shopping before online reviews:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a store. Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. There is another lamp on the table behind them.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: And affordable.<br />
:Cueball: Let's get it.<br />
:Megan Ok! <br />
<br />
:Shopping now:<br />
:[Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. Megan looks at her phone.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: It's got 1 1/2 stars on Amazon. Reviews all say to avoid that brand.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are now both looking at their phones.]<br />
:Cueball: This one has good reviews.<br />
:Megan: Wait, one guy says when he plugged it in, he got a metallic taste in his mouth and his cats went deaf.<br />
:Cueball: Eek. What about- ...no, review points out it resembles a uterus.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is still looking at his phone, Megan has hers at her side.]<br />
:Cueball: Ok, I found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews. Her lamps start at 1,300 Francs and she's only reachable by ski lift.<br />
:Megan: You know, our room looks fine in the dark.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Reddit user [http://www.reddit.com/user/SomePostMan SomePostMan] created a [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/t6wmh/all_umwelt_1037_comics_in_two_imgur_albums/ post] that collected all of the Umwelt comics and added explanations. Much of his information is now included in this wiki.<br />
<br />
*The transcript section for this comic also included a note alluding to its extreme length:<br />
: [ [Two people...] ] ((..wait.. <scrolls through a listing of everything> oh goddammit Randall. Thanks a bunch, dude. I better get a raise for typing out all this)) <br />
: [Two people standing next to each other. One is holding the head end of a snake...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Puns]]</div>108.162.249.155