Difference between revisions of "Talk:1684: Rainbow"

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While I agree that mentioning Noah is probably worthwhile, nothing in the comic directly indicates that Cueball is in fact Noah as opposed to just some random fellow talking to God. In the Genisis account (Genesis 9) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9&version=NIV God tells him about the covenant and the rainbow, rather than being asked about it - thus Cueball is clearly someone other than a person familiar with the whole deal. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 23:10, 24 May 2016 (UTC)
 
While I agree that mentioning Noah is probably worthwhile, nothing in the comic directly indicates that Cueball is in fact Noah as opposed to just some random fellow talking to God. In the Genisis account (Genesis 9) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9&version=NIV God tells him about the covenant and the rainbow, rather than being asked about it - thus Cueball is clearly someone other than a person familiar with the whole deal. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 23:10, 24 May 2016 (UTC)
 
:Perhaps, but most people only have a passing familiarity with the bible and many assume they have a greater knowledge than they do. Also the author has changed how things happen before for the sake of the comic. In the past we would have the official transcript to settle the matter but lately this hasn't been included. While the person in the comic may not be Noah I would say Noah is notable enough to reference and for the moment we should refer to him as Noah because it wouldn't serve to make the explanation clearer if we don't, it would just be pointless nitpicking which clutters up an otherwise alright explanation. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:43, 25 May 2016 (UTC)
 
:Perhaps, but most people only have a passing familiarity with the bible and many assume they have a greater knowledge than they do. Also the author has changed how things happen before for the sake of the comic. In the past we would have the official transcript to settle the matter but lately this hasn't been included. While the person in the comic may not be Noah I would say Noah is notable enough to reference and for the moment we should refer to him as Noah because it wouldn't serve to make the explanation clearer if we don't, it would just be pointless nitpicking which clutters up an otherwise alright explanation. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:43, 25 May 2016 (UTC)
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I feel like the section on "halos" is fairly irrelevant (and to a lesser extent the following section for the final panel). Cueball doesn't say he sees a ring AROUND the sun, he says "what about that faint third bow near the sun", "bow" being short for rainbow. He's seeing a third rainbow near the sun, probably faint because of being close to the sun in the sky. I believe the gag here isn't describing real life conditions, it's that god is rather incorrigable, constantly apologizing but never improving, continuously putting up apology rainbows. After all, even a second rainbow is rather uncommon. It's a silly image for Cueball to be seeing rainbows all over the sky. I think that's the gag, and the current explanation is just overthinking it. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.77|108.162.218.77]] 04:07, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Revision as of 04:07, 25 May 2016

How do I find the official transcript?Transuranium (talk) 11:00, 23 May 2016 (UTC)Transuranium

Most recent comics do not have official transcripts. Forrest (talk)11:13, 23 May 2016 (UTC)
But now there is one here ;-) Kynde (talk) 11:38, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Religion... geez. It's some weird stuff, huh. 108.162.219.10 17:05, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Now that XKCD adopts the voice of God, it's time to write him off and move elsewhere. 141.101.70.109 11:56, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Nice of you to decide for everyone. Just like god would do, right? 141.101.80.27 13:38, 23 May 2016 (UTC)
Word of God has appered before, as in Comic 224 or 258. 162.158.86.161 17:09, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

For the sake of doctrinal accuracy, God (assuming the comic is in fact referring to the Jewish God who set his war bow in the cloud after the Flood) never promised not to destroy the earth by fire. Christian theology (2 Peter 3:10) implies God fully intends to destroy the earth by fire - or at least by unprecedented universal nuclear fission. 108.162.221.87 11:59, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Good point, but for universal respect you should capitalise His pronouns. 141.101.70.109 12:16, 23 May 2016 (UTC)
Ok, really? So the bible says "I will destroy the earth by universal nuclear fission" ? I must have missed something on the first reading -- could you tell me the page number? 162.158.255.219 19:20, 23 May 2016 (UTC)
"And the elements shall melt with a fervent heat." 3500ºC is enought to melt everything, but when combined with Colossians 1:17 "in Him all things are held together" that implies he could stop holding things together - voila, every single element on the table separates into a soup of protons, neutrons, electrons, and enough free energy to destroy a universe - oh wait that's the point. Okay, so that's just speculation, but it sounds cool to watch. 108.162.221.87 11:48, 24 May 2016 (UTC)
It doesn't mention a nuclear catastrophe in so many words. It does mention a massive asteroid will destroy the planet and that angels will collapse the pillars of reality which are all the rules God built the universe on. It's actually an incredibly visual passage for such abstract concepts, wonderfully well written. Lackadaisical (talk) 20:31, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

When the conditions are right, various types of multiple rainbow may be visible. Rhubbarb (talk) 12:03, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Atmospheric optics enthusiast signing in. That's right. Although the "third faint bow near the sun" Cueball mentions might indeed refer to the 22° halo, another possibility is that he means the (very rare) tertiary or third-order rainbow. See wikipedia:Rainbow#Higher-order_rainbows. Here's a picture of one. 141.101.104.78 13:03, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Should we mention multiple rainbow discussion in today's What If?? Djbrasier (talk) 19:54, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Yes it is now included in the explanation. Given that the third panel halo has sun dogs it is not a third order rainbow that Noah sees though. --Kynde (talk) 13:14, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

There is nothing within the Bible to indicate that the earth was destroyed by fire before the flood. As already mentioned, there is mention in the Bible that God intends to destroy the world by fire in the future. Second Peter 3 contains a number of references to this, especially verses 7 and 10. note the phrase "and the elements will be dissolved (or melt) with fervent heat" which could mean nuclear holocaust, or worse. 162.158.2.230 04:19, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Regarding the what if. Does anyone now which video it is he will not make any reference to in the image with Megan touching the rainbow. It seems like it should be easy to find it, but unless it is the commercial for touching the rainbow (which shows nothing like in this picture), it does not seem to be easy to find. --Kynde (talk) 13:14, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

While I agree that mentioning Noah is probably worthwhile, nothing in the comic directly indicates that Cueball is in fact Noah as opposed to just some random fellow talking to God. In the Genisis account (Genesis 9) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9&version=NIV God tells him about the covenant and the rainbow, rather than being asked about it - thus Cueball is clearly someone other than a person familiar with the whole deal. J-beda (talk) 23:10, 24 May 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps, but most people only have a passing familiarity with the bible and many assume they have a greater knowledge than they do. Also the author has changed how things happen before for the sake of the comic. In the past we would have the official transcript to settle the matter but lately this hasn't been included. While the person in the comic may not be Noah I would say Noah is notable enough to reference and for the moment we should refer to him as Noah because it wouldn't serve to make the explanation clearer if we don't, it would just be pointless nitpicking which clutters up an otherwise alright explanation. Lackadaisical (talk) 00:43, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

I feel like the section on "halos" is fairly irrelevant (and to a lesser extent the following section for the final panel). Cueball doesn't say he sees a ring AROUND the sun, he says "what about that faint third bow near the sun", "bow" being short for rainbow. He's seeing a third rainbow near the sun, probably faint because of being close to the sun in the sky. I believe the gag here isn't describing real life conditions, it's that god is rather incorrigable, constantly apologizing but never improving, continuously putting up apology rainbows. After all, even a second rainbow is rather uncommon. It's a silly image for Cueball to be seeing rainbows all over the sky. I think that's the gag, and the current explanation is just overthinking it. - NiceGuy1 108.162.218.77 04:07, 25 May 2016 (UTC)