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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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[[Megan]] has been haunted by a ''Timeghost'' for some time. It is obviously not the first time the ghost arrives to let Megan know that "...ooOOOOOOOOooo... Tiiiime is passiiiing!" The ghost is dedicated to making people feel old by having them think about the passage of time. It is shown to reference time periods related to well-known people and events, such as famous actors and the release of movies and TV shows. Megan is just annoyed that it is back and wishes it to go away.
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{{incomplete|Maybe some expanding? Otherwise this tag can be removed.}}
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[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are being haunted by a ghost dedicated to making people feel old. It seems to be a strip like [[891: Movie Ages]] and [[973: MTV Generation]], but then the ghost reveals that Megan and Cueball will die in a shorter amount of time than the ghost's first fact: in a few seconds. For obvious reasons, this disturbs them. An alternative explanation is that the "staaaaart of my haunting" refers to the first time the ghost haunted anyone, and it is possible Timeghost is being deliberately ambiguous in an effort to frighten them more.
  
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But then when [[Cueball]] ask "How long has it been doing this?" the ghost suddenly predicts that Megan and Cueball will die in a shorter amount of time than the time that has passed since the ghost began its hauntings. This disturbs Megan who stops her complaining and asks "'''What!?'''" This is not the first time she has been haunted by the ghost but it has probably not been that long, so this is a very scary thought to her (and Cueball).
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A {{w|factoid}} is a questionable or spurious statement presented as a fact. In this instance, some of the ''factoids'' are easily verifiable, while others are reasonable assumptions based on the number of years passed since the individual events. Several sources advocate the use of the word "factlet" to express a brief interesting fact, while using the word "factoid" for unverifiable or untrue statements passed as fact.
  
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We do, however, not know how long the ghost has been haunting Megan. Also the "staaaaart of my haunting" may refer to the first time the ghost haunted anyone, not just Megan. This could be a long time ago and thus be true for anyone it meets today. Or it could mean since the start of this particular manifestation, meaning their deaths are imminent! It is also possible Timeghost is being deliberately ambiguous in an effort to frighten them even more. This is of course only scary if you believe the ghost can predict the future, which is not what it has been doing so far. There is no example in the comic where it makes a prediction that we know is accurate - only comparing time spans we can look up - see below.
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"Timeghost" might be a literal interpretation of {{w|Zeitgeist}}, which is a German term for "spirit of time" and refers to the school of thought that influences or dominates the art and culture of a time period. All the events and people mentioned in this comic have may be considered influences in present day art and culture.
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But one thing about the prediction is true - they will eventually '''die'''. And this is the scary part about realizing how old you are and that you are quickly getting older: You will die, and "soon" (for some value thereof).
 
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The comic seems to be using "factoid" to mean a small fact. "{{w|Factoid}}" can also mean a "questionable or spurious statement presented as a fact", but this does not seem to be intended usage here. In this instance, some of the factoids are easily verifiable, while others are reasonable assumptions based on the number of years passed since the individual events. Several sources advocate the use of the word "factlet" to express a brief interesting fact, while using the word "factoid" for unverifiable or untrue statements passed as fact.
 
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While ''factoids'' tend only to have mostly only entertainment value, the last ''fact'' from the ghost is a prediction of the future (Megan and Cueball's death) which is actually of some practical value if it can be trusted.
 
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"Timeghost" might be a literal interpretation of {{w|Zeitgeist}}, which is a German term for "spirit of time" and refers to the school of thought that influences or dominates the art and culture of a time period. All the events and people mentioned in this comic may be considered influences on present day art and culture.
 
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In the title text Megan calls {{w|Ghostbusters}} (from the 1984 movie) to help get rid of the Timeghost. This of course makes the ghost state that "people born years after that movie came out are having a second chiiiild right now" making her feel old once more.
 
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[[Randall]] has covered making people feel old several times in [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]] (in which White Hat utters Cueball's "That can't be right" line), and [[1477: Star Wars]]. Also see the blag post [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/09/29/odd-temporal-milestones/ Odd Temporal Milestones]. This is, however, so far the only one that makes a prediction of anyone's death. A similar ghost with a much different agenda was seen in [[1108: Cautionary Ghost]]. Similarly annoying fact(oids) were given in [[1272: Shadowfacts]]. [[926: Time Vulture]]s make you feel old because the entire remainder of your life is only perceived as a few moments by them.
 
  
 
'''Timeline'''
 
'''Timeline'''
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|2014||Year of this comic
 
|2014||Year of this comic
 
|-
 
|-
−
|colspan="2"|
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|scope="row" colspan="2"|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|1964||{{w|Keanu Reeves}} (Actor) born
 
|1964||{{w|Keanu Reeves}} (Actor) born
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|colspan="2"|2 years
 
|colspan="2"|2 years
 
|-
 
|-
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|1966||Today's new grandparents born (Average age: 48 in the US)
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|1966||Today's new grandparents born (the average age of grandparents when their first grandchild is born is currently 48 is the US)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|colspan="2"|48 years
 
|colspan="2"|48 years
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|2014||Year of this comic
 
|2014||Year of this comic
 
|-
 
|-
−
|colspan="2"|
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|scope="row" colspan="2"|
−
|-
 
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|1990||[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr051.pdf Today's new parents born] (Average age: 24 in the US)
 
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|-
 
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|colspan="2"|3 years
 
 
|-
 
|-
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|1993-1994||{{w|The Simpsons}} Season 5
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|1986||Today's new parents born (the average age of parents when their first child is born is currently 28 in the US)
 
|-
 
|-
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|colspan="2"|2 years (from '93 to '95)
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|colspan="2"|7 years
 
|-
 
|-
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|1994-1995||{{w|The Simpsons}} Season 6
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|1993||{{w|The Simpsons}} Season 5
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|-
 
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|colspan="2"|4 years
 
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|-
 
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|1999||{{w|Eminem}} (Rapper) got big (second album)
 
−
|-
 
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|colspan="2"|15 years
 
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|-
 
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|2014||Year of this comic
 
−
|-
 
−
|colspan="2"|
 
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|-
 
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|1984||{{w|Ghostbusters}}
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|colspan="2"|3 years
 
|colspan="2"|3 years
 
|-
 
|-
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|1987||[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr051.pdf Today's people just having a second child born] (Average age at first childbirth (24) + average gap between first two births (3))
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|1996||{{w|Eminem}}'s debut album (Rapper, born 1972)
 
|-
 
|-
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|colspan="2"|27 years
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|colspan="2"|18 years
 
|-
 
|-
 
|2014||Year of this comic
 
|2014||Year of this comic
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==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
 
:[Cueball and Megan are approached by a floating ghost]
 
:[Cueball and Megan are approached by a floating ghost]
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:Timeghost: ''...ooOOOOOOOOooo... Tiiiime is passiiiing!''
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:Timeghost: ''...ooOOOOOOOOooo...Tiiiime is passiiiing!''
 
:Megan: Ugh. Timeghost.
 
:Megan: Ugh. Timeghost.
 
:Cueball: Huh?
 
:Cueball: Huh?
 
:Megan: Here come the factoids.
 
:Megan: Here come the factoids.
  
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:[Timeghost floats around.]
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:[Timeghost floats around]
 
:Timeghost: ''Forrest Gump'' came out closer to the Vietnam War than to the present daaay.
 
:Timeghost: ''Forrest Gump'' came out closer to the Vietnam War than to the present daaay.
 
:Megan: Go ''away!''
 
:Megan: Go ''away!''
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:Cueball: That can't be right...
 
:Cueball: That can't be right...
  
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:[Megan clutches her head, possibly attempting to cover her ears.]
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:[Megan clutches her head, possibly attempting to cover her ears]
 
:Timeghost: ''Today's new parents were ten when Eminem got big. Daaaaaad muuuuusic. They remember Simpsons season 5 or 6 at the '''earliest'''''.
 
:Timeghost: ''Today's new parents were ten when Eminem got big. Daaaaaad muuuuusic. They remember Simpsons season 5 or 6 at the '''earliest'''''.
 
:Megan: Argh!
 
:Megan: Argh!
 
:Cueball: How long has it been ''doing'' this?
 
:Cueball: How long has it been ''doing'' this?
  
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:[Megan and Cueball looks up at the Timeghost as it delivers its most scary message.]
 
 
:Timeghost: ''The staaaaart of my haunting is now further away than your deaaaths!''
 
:Timeghost: ''The staaaaart of my haunting is now further away than your deaaaths!''
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:Megan: Will you sto- -'''''WHAT!?'''''
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:Megan: Will you sto—'''''WHAT!?'''''
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:Timeghost: ''ooOOOOOOOoo''
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:Timeghost: ooOOOOOOOoo
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
 
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[[Category:Ghostbusters]]
 

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