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We have an explanation for all 3236 xkcd comics, and only 65 (2%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic
| Creation |
 Title text: This xkcd.com update introduces a variety of new reading modes which can be activated through the menu. |
Explanation
This comic was created when modes were added to the xkcd website, allowing different viewing options. Some are normal, like light and dark mode, but others are more interesting, like airplane mode (see below).
The comic references one of the first lines of the bible, about God making light, but then a person on earth asks to turn on dark mode, referencing the new options.
Unlike most comics, the title text isn't really a joke, it merely explains that this was the comic that was published on the day this new feature was added. It also happened to be April Fool's Day.
MODES:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Light Mode | The default mode that the site was previously limited to. |
| Lighter Mode | The entire web page is overexposed, making colors wash out and reducing the contrast. |
| Dark Mode | A standard "white content on black background" dark mode. |
| Darkest Mode | Everything on the webpage turns completely black, sans the drop down menu which is merely a dark gray. |
| Blurry Mode | Blurs the entire webpage. |
| Grayscale Mode | Applies a standard grayscale conversion filter to the entire webpage. |
| Greyscale Mode | Like Grayscale Mode, but also changes the spelling of "math" in the slogan at the top of the page to "maths" (as in British English). |
| Dorian Greyscale Mode | Makes the webpage slowly turn grey. This refers to The Picture of Dorian Gray, in which the titular character has a portrait that slowly ages and fades out while the character stays young and handsome. |
| Space Opera Mode | Turns the entire page into a StarWars style opening scroll. |
| 3D Mode | Makes the comic render in anaglyphic stereoscopy. |
| Origami Mode | Rotates various pieces of the webpage. |
| Ink Mode | Recolors the webpage as if drawn in blue ink. |
| Spring Mode | Gives the comic a simple physics simulation, making it slightly rotate as the page is scrolled. |
| Antipodes Mode | Turns the entire webpage upside down. An antipode is the point on the Earth's surface directly opposite of another, but "The Antipodes" is also term used for Australia and New Zealand by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. Note: When the comic was first published this was labeled "Southern Hemisphere Mode". |
| Hacker Mode | Recolors the entire webpage in the stereotypical "green on black" hacker color scheme. |
| Screensaver Mode | Makes the comic float around on the webpage, bouncing as it hits the edges. |
| Modem Mode | Slowly reveals the comic top to bottom, as if slowly loading, accompanied with modem static audio playing. |
| Stained Glass Mode | Colors each closed area of the comic in a separate color. The colors vary each time this mode is selected. |
| Airplane Mode | Makes the comic fly around on the page, with a "NYOOM!" written next to it. This is unlike the usual use of "airplane mode" to refer to disabling the cellphone (or all RF) features of a mobile device. |
| Boat Mode | Makes the entire webpage tilt back and forth, emulating the way a boat rolls on the water. (A possible reference to the Footnote, which says "Remove your device from airplane mode and set it to Boat Mode). |
Transcript
[Panel 1. Black background with white caption boxes.]
Caption 1: And God said,
Caption 2: "Let there be light,"
[Panel 2. A bright explosion of light from a star in the center.]
Caption: And there was light.
[Panel 3. The star with bright rays of light is shown against the horizon of a planet.]
[Panel 4. The same planet horizon is shown with a clear sky above.]
Caption: God saw that the light was-
Voice from the planet: Can you add support for dark mode?
View comic discussionNew here?
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