explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2468: Inheritance

2021-06-07T16:52:07Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2468
| date = May 26, 2021
| title = Inheritance
| image = inheritance.png
| titletext = People ask me whether I feel any moral qualms about the source of the points, but if he hadn't introduced factory farming to Agricola, someone else would have.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GRANDMOTHER WRITING HER VICTORY POINT WILL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is in reference to {{w|Strategy game|strategy board games}}, which often score players on some type of point system based on a variety of possible achievements. The joke in this comic is that Cueball has a massive sum of points that were not scored in the current game but rather handed down from his grandfather. Board games do not normally include an inheritance from previous sessions{{Citation needed}}, in contrast to real life where some people become wealthy by inheriting vast sums of money from ancestors. Such inheritances tend to lead to 'successes' in life for those who have done little, if anything, to earn their wealth. Cueball offers to distribute a trifling fraction of his points to the other players, teasing them, but he will still have an insurmountable advantage. Despite his 'generosity', no one wants to play a game that they have no chance of winning. The value of his score, 10,019, seems to indicate that he "earned" 19 points during the course of the game (less than his competitors) and then added 10,000 from his 'inheritance'.

Some board games do include a "legacy" mechanic where players who have played the game previously (and thus benefit from meta knowledge) can be granted additional items or challenges to keep the game interesting for them, but not usually to the point of breaking the game's balance. As well, gifting these achievements to anyone else is seen as absurd.

The comic may be a reference to {{w|Category:Economic simulation board games
|economic simulation board games}} like {{w|Monopoly (game)|''Monopoly''}}, which was created as a critique to capitalism; in this case, no one can win the game against people who start out with a large amount of accumulated wealth. See also the '[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/a-small-loan-of-a-million-dollars Small Loan of a Million Dollars]' trope of a profile in which the author or subject discusses the simple tricks they used to retire early or buy a house, often involving a [https://twitter.com/macaulaybalkan/status/1398805590030241792 hurried admission] of financial assistance from a family member.

The title text asks Cueball if he has any moral qualms over the source of these points, then indicates his grandfather's fortune was made through {{w|factory farming}} in the farm-themed board game {{w|Agricola_(board_game)|''Agricola''}}. Factory farming is a broad term for applying mass-production techniques to agriculture, treating both plants and animals as commodities to be processed as efficiently as possible. These techniques are condemned, at least in some circles, as being cruel to livestock, in addition to having serious environmental and land-use implications, among other criticisms. The implication is that Cueball's grandfather somehow managed to introduce an immoral and/or socially harmful mechanic into a board game, greatly enriching himself and his heirs. This echoes another concern about inherited wealth: that the source of the money may have been unethical, but the heirs still get to enjoy the advantages, without considering themselves accountable for the harm. Cueball brushes off this criticism with the claim that the change was inevitable, which is a common response to analogous real-life concerns.

It could also be a reference to inheritance in programming, where a class truly inherits everything from its 'ancestors'. Similarly, it could be a reference to evolution in biology; in evolution, an individual with beneficial traits is more likely to survive to have offspring, and the offspring accumulate the beneficial traits (“points”) of their “ancestors”, making them more likely to survive and “win”. The game Agricola was previously mentioned in [[696: Strip Games]] and [[778: Scheduling]].

This comic possibly alludes to a 100 percent inheritance tax, as such one is effectively employed between each round of a board game - no points are carried over between rounds. In extension, Randall's position might be that only a 100 percent inheritance tax can ensure that everybody begins the "game" - namely his or her life - in a fair manner, and with the same possibilities. Though in practice this too would be unfair, as those who get more points in the game will still give their extra points to the people they want to see succeed along with them, they would just have to make sure they do it while still playing the game.

==Transcript==

:[Ponytail, White Hat, Megan, and Cueball are playing a board game. There are drinks on the table. Ponytail is writing something]

:Ponytail: Let's see...I got 31, you have 28, 35 for you, and-
:Cueball: -I've got 10,019.
:Ponytail: *Sigh*
:Cueball: Hey, add another 20 to everyone, on me!
:White Hat: ''I hate this''.

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:No one wants to play board games with me ever since I inherited 4,000,000 victory points from my grandfather.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Board games]]

2471: Hippo Attacks

2021-06-02T23:00:57Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */ start

{{comic
| number = 2471
| date = June 2, 2021
| title = Hippo Attacks
| image = hippo_attacks.png
| titletext = It's cool how, when there's a number lots of people are curious about, but which isn't easy to measure, some random guess will get cited everywhere and become the universally quoted value. Unrelatedly, did you know there are 850 trillion waves in the ocean?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HIPAA-VIOLATING HIPPO. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|HIPPA}} (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is an American law that was enacted in 1996 that regulates healthcare information in the United States. One of the most commonly cited provisions from HIPPA is the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which regulates the use and disclosure of protected health information.

In this comic, Cueball and Megan are discussing the number of {{w|hippopotamus}} attacks, which are unverified. The punchline comes with the pun of "hippo violation" to "HIPPA violation".

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball sits at his computer desk, facing left. Megan stands behind him.]
:Cueball: I hate unsourced statistics.
:Cueball: ''This'' viral post says hippos kill 2,900 people a year, but ''this'' random listicle says 500.
:Megan: Makes sense.
:Megan: Publishing the real number would be a hippo violation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

2471: Hippo Attacks

2021-06-02T22:55:38Z

108.162.215.124: /* Transcript */ categories

Talk:2335: Photo Deposit

2020-07-25T19:06:12Z

108.162.215.124:

Depositing cash through a smartphone app was one of the silliest and most useful features in GTA V. Unfortunately, depositing money would not duplicate it. Presumably the characters in the game are very honest and trustworthy, destroying any cash instantly after scanning it in. This honesty is to be expected from thieving killers such as these.

You can also withdraw cash via the app. How that works is beyond me.

--[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 23:38, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

A frequent joke in "The Goon Show" on 1950s British radio was the offer of a printed photograph of usually a small sum of money, treated as the photograph actually having value itself. Sometimes it's a phonograph disc. And sometimes the money represented turns out to be a forgery. In a less silly context, the photograph might be considered as an I.O.U., as evidence that the money exists and will be paid... which is what a banknote is, really. But in practice someone influencing you with pictures of money might be dishonest. Bank advertising for instance.

Wikipedia's article on "The Goon Show running jokes" (!) doesn't mention money photographs, although there is a reference to handing out pictures of Queen Victoria, especially in historical stories. Pictures of Queen Victoria may be on older money, but these ones don't seem to be.

Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.26|141.101.98.26]] 08:18, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
: Search for "photo"(graph) in http://www.thegoonshow.net/scripts_show.asp?title=s06e07_foiled_by_president_fred for the instant(s) that came straight to my mind, being recently broadcast. (I assume you're familiar with LSD?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 09:38, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

"Other nations ... have started introducing plastic banknotes" Lol. Australia had *finished* introducing plastic bank notes 30 years ago. [https://csiropedia.csiro.au/polymer-banknotes/] [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 01:43, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

Hmm. How much money would that be? Say each photo is 4MB and your upload speed is 25 or so Mb/s. Each upload would take about 1.3 secs. We'll round up to 1.5. To keep it simple, we'll say that they have a stack of bills, and are able to scan each new bill within those 1.5 seconds. Now, if the bank allows you to upload $100 bills, without any rate limiting, you'd be able to make $400/min (the same as the what if article, weird). Which means that in six hours, they could make $144,000 dollars! Of course, this is mostly guesswork, but it should be somewhere in the ballpark.
Could be a little more: Smaller photos, better network.
Or a lot less: Most people don't have $144,000 in cash ready at a moment's notice, and scanning could take more than 1.5 secs.
Of course, if this was a feature that was announced, and they had time to prepare....
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.102|108.162.245.102]] 04:11, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
: $100*(60/1.5)sec = $4000 per min, or $1.44 million in 6 hours. You forgot that there are 2 phones, so double that. Also, you wouldn't need ALL the money, you (or an assistant) can take the money already scanned to another bank and swap it for new cash, repeat. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.123.173|162.158.123.173]] 17:57, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

The feature of depositing check is this new or old... Is it something from before or after the Corona outbreak? It is a smart feature to avoid visits to banks during the pandemic - also the money thing, which of course is not realistic irl. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:19, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
:depositing checks by smartphone is old, going back to 2018 if not earlier, and the depositing of currency could be realistic if bills used blockchain ledger entries instead of easily guessed serial numbers and everyone verified every currency transaction against the blockchain every time (this would end counterfeiting as a side effect). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 09:53, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
::Yes but that entirely defeats the purpose of cash, if you have to verify every transaction against a database. Also blockchain is entirely unnecessary. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 06:11, 22 July 2020 (UTC)
:The Chase app started allowing deposits ten years ago. See this article from ten years ago today: https://phys.org/news/2010-07-banking-deposit-smart-phone-photo.html [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 03:44, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Is it by the way illegal to even take a picture of banknote? I know printing one out is... Even if only one side and not very good quality. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:27, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
:if taking pictures of banknotes is illegal then bank security cameras (and security cameras in many retail establishments and casinos) are routinely breaking the law. Also, aren’t change machines taking a picture as part of their anti-counterfeiting circuits? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 09:58, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
::Even printing banknote is legal if you follow some rules. I read that you need to make it bigger than 150% or smaller than 75% of real size, although details may vary depending on country. Of course, doesn't change the fact that your graphics program might refuse to work with that image and your printer may refuse to print it. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:39, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

I know it's acceptable in the 'colonial' idiom, but seeing "cheques" spelt as "checks" always confuses me for a micromoment. As well as imagining a test/verification being somehow a bartered service, I'm only just getting past it also being a bill-of-fare (in the UK we may pay a bill with a cheque, over there you can pay a check with a bill). But carry on carrying on! I'll get my coat. (If I can find the coat-check.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.100|162.158.159.100]] 10:01, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
:Yes, we need to spell it as "chex" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.123.173|162.158.123.173]] 17:46, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Why is cryptocurrency in there, it seems tangential at best? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:01, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
:The more paranoid (or stand-offish for their own good reasons) Crypto users might not even connect bitwallets electronically but pass a transaction-code by other means (retyped from hardcopy, or rescan an on-screen generated QR, depending on requirements) and then rely upon the decentralised 'audit book' checking and authorising that transaction with minimal{{Citation needed}} risk of subsequent tracing-and-linking-together by The Man/whoever. I think it's both far too paranoid ''and'' not paranoid enough, in equal measure, if you're trying to keep your associations off-grid, but it seems there are those who seem to like doing it that way. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.222|141.101.98.222]] 20:35, 21 July 2020 (UTC)
:cryptocurrency seems relevant, as the subject is about transmitting currency electronically and 'crypto' is about the closest thing you can get to real electronic cash [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.162|162.158.75.162]] 15:21, 23 July 2020 (UTC) Sam

The explanation seems excessive, given how obvious the joke is. [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 04:58, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Curse my memory over ~10-15years! I vaguely remember a traveler focused bank that accepted cash deposits. They'd add the amount to your account, you could spend it and they'd cover the costs, and if you didn't have the bills submitted to one of their locations across the globe within a certain amount of time they'd rip you a new one in fees. The photos had to be perfect, and even then they were up for review and could be rejected by a human who didn't like the background it was sitting on. I remember my parents only ever used it once and needed my help understanding it so it was just right. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.34|108.162.216.34]] 18:50, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

This reminds me of that time Domino's allowed you to earn points to a free pizza by taking pictures of pizza. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.44|172.69.34.44]] 22:34, 22 July 2020 (UTC)
:When you got your free Pepperoni from that, did they put the slices on in the EURion pattern? ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.71|162.158.154.71]] 23:03, 22 July 2020 (UTC)
::I didn't actually do that. I'd rather eat somewhere else. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.124|108.162.215.124]] 19:06, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

I wonder if Randall is subtly responding to the current coin shortage in the US, and the following wave of conspiracy theorists call it as a sign of an oncoming "cashless society" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.162|162.158.75.162]] 15:21, 23 July 2020 (UTC) Sam
:I hadn't heard about that, what states or news agencies are talking about that? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.210|108.162.216.210]] 18:02, 24 July 2020 (UTC)

2337: Asterisk Corrections

2020-07-25T01:23:55Z

108.162.215.124:

{{comic
| number = 2337
| date = July 25, 2020
| title = Asterisk Corrections
| image = asterisk_corrections.png
| titletext = I like trying to make it as hard as possible. "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty. *witchcraft"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WITCH. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. *BOT}}
This is a text messaging interface. Someone asks the current user what his weekend plans are. This person replies that he is riding a horse on the beach at dawn.
Then, he corrects this sentence.

*EAT: This hints he is going to eat a horse on the beach at dawn, which is inhumane.
*3AM: This says he rides at 3AM, when everyone is asleep, instead of at dawn.
*Couch: This means he will be on a couch instead of a horse.
*Pizza: This implies he eats a pizza instead of a couch/horse.

Taken together, the corrections are likely intended to be "I'm gonna eat a pizza on the couch at 3AM"

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A screenshot of a text messaging app.
Other user: Do you have any weekend plans?
User of this device: I'm gonna ride a horse on the beach at dawn
*Eat
*3AM
*Couch
*Pizza
Caption: I like how we can do corrections in text chat by appending words with asterisks and our brains just figure out where they go.

{{comic discussion}}

2336: Campfire Habitable Zone

2020-07-23T01:24:10Z

108.162.215.124:

{{comic
| number = 2336
| date = July 23, 2020
| title = Campfire Habitable Zone
| image = campfire_habitable_zone.png
| titletext = Oh no, my marshmallow became tidally locked!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FIRE-PROOF ORBITING SMORE-MAKING ROBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2308: Mount St. Helens

2020-05-19T16:46:43Z

108.162.215.124: cmt

I'm just excited that he mentioned my home state [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.251|108.162.246.251]] 16:20, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

I suspect the wiggles in all the hand-drawn lines are actually more than the changes in height of the various mountains, and almost certainly not correlated to the actual changes in height, since this is all unknown. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:56, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

This comic needs to be translated to non-retard units [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.212|162.158.155.212]] 07:41, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
:We can't expect everyone to be scientifically literate enough to understand measuring things with the planck length, superior though it may be. Besides, these are American mountains, so they're measured in American units. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.251|108.162.246.251]] 16:20, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
:It's pretty common to measure things in years. And while measuring in 20 year gaps isn't normal, I wouldn't call it retarded, especially when they're probably chosen for a good visual spacing. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:54, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
::Maybe he meant feet, which is not a SI unit. I guess the user got the wrong feet out of bed this morning? ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:04, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
:All twentyish attoparsecs, you mean? (Yanks like using measures that give them bigger numbers. Feet instead of metres, inches instead of metres (or feet-and-inches), pounds instead of kilos (or stones-and-kilos), US gallons instead of UK ones, the wrong sort of billion/etc. :P ) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.76|162.158.159.76]] 11:22, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

Could be linked to sudden changes to covid-19 charts due to lockdowns [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.222|162.158.34.222]] 12:12, 19 May 2020 (UTC)
:It might have been inspired by the art installation where someone cut off the peak (one inch of rock) of Scafell Pike.

According to the wikipedia article, "The eruption ejected more than one cubic mile (4.2 km^3) of material." That's going to be billions of tonnes, rather than the thousands mentioned in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.31|162.158.154.31]] 15:23, 19 May 2020 (UTC) I don't think I'm going to be able to contribute here any more if I keep having to provide free training for Google's image recognition of weird American street scenes. What's a "crosswalk" and what does it look like anyway?
: A "crosswalk" is a "{{w|pedestrian crossing}}" in other types of English). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.124|108.162.215.124]] 16:46, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

2308: Mount St. Helens

2020-05-19T16:45:22Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */ clarify ranking

{{comic
| number = 2308
| date = May 18, 2020
| title = Mount St. Helens
| image = mount_st_helens.png
| titletext = It's a good mountain but it really peaked in the 80s.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AN OVERBLOWN MOUNTAIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic marks the 40 year anniversary of the {{w|1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens|May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens}} that killed 57 people. It was a Monday so a normal release day could be used to mark this event.

It shows a graph of the height of the mountains in the {{w|Washington (state)|state of Washington}} as a function of time over the last 100 years. The only mountain to change its height significantly over this time period is {{w|Mount St. Helens}}, which the comic is named after. It is also the only black line as all other (30?) lines are gray.

Mount St. Helens is a {{w|volcano}} that famously and explosively erupted in 1980. Thousands of tons of earth were thrown from one face of the mountain and slid into the surrounding countryside. After it was over, the peak of Mount St. Helens was no longer the 5th highest in the {{w|Washington (state)|state of Washington}}, having lost approximately 1,300 feet (400 m) in height (from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) pre-explosion to 8,363 ft (2,549 m) post-explosion).

Currently, the 5 highest {{w|List of mountain peaks of Washington (state)|mountain peaks in Washington State}} are {{w|Mount Rainier}} (at 14,411 ft or 4,392 m), {{w|Mount Adams (Washington)|Mount Adams}}, {{w|Mount Baker}}, {{w|Glacier Peak}}, and {{w|Bonanza Peak (Washington)|Bonanza Peak}}. As shown in the comic, Mount St. Helens was the 5th highest, but now has fallen to #52 (using a {{w|topographic prominence}} cut-off of 300 m (984 feet)). Only mountains above 8,000 feet (2,438 m) are included, with the graph topping at 15,000 feet (4,572 m), 600 feet (182 m) above the highest mountain. There are 92 peaks above 8000 feet in the state, so not all are included and the lines are not really distinct below 9000 feet. Seems like there are less than 30 lines drawn. Of course it says Mountains not Mountain peaks, but there are only four mountain ranges in Washington with peaks above 8000, so he must mean peaks!

Technically, the other mountains may be fluctuating in height as well, due to erosion or the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, but this phenomenon should not be visible on the time-scale and vertical resolution that Randall has plotted.  Precision GPS measurements of various peaks in Washington have only been available since 2010, and it's likely that the primarily volcanic mountains of Washington experience significant but comparatively slight variations throughout the year due to snowfall, melt, or the pressure of swelling magma inside volcanic cores. These changes go largely unmeasured, while the mountains continue to appear equally physically unchanging and imposing both in person and from a distance.
Source: [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-tall-is-rainier-really/ Seattle Times]

The title text is a play on the term “peak” meaning both the highest point of a mountain and also the optimal, most famous or most impressive stage of a trend. for instance: "The band Rolling Stones really peaked in the 80s."

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shows with close to 30 horizontal gray lines which seem not to change much, if any, as they go from left to right. Only the top 6 gray lines are distinctly separated from others. The top line is way above the second line which again is far above the next two that are close together. Two more close together is somewhat further down, and just below them the rest of the lines follow in close proximity down to the bottom of the graph. A single black line is also shown. It begins as the fifth highest line, just above the two last mentioned above. It is as all other lines going horizontally, but only for three fifth of the way across the graph, then it immediately drops down well below most of the other lines (at 1980) and levels off, continuing on its horizontal path. There is a caption above the graph, and both Y-axis and X-axis has labels. For the Y-axis there is a tick for every label, for the X-axis only every 2nd tick has a label. A unit is given on the top label on the Y-axis.]

:[Caption above graph:]
:Heights of mountains in Washington State
:Over time

:[X-axis:]
:1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

:[Y-axis:]
:15,000
::feet
:14,000
:13,000
:12,000
:11,000
:10,000
:9,000
:8,000

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]

2308: Mount St. Helens

2020-05-19T10:28:53Z

108.162.215.124: I came back to fix some minor grammatical issues and a typo in my submissions. Really good work on this article everyone!

{{comic
| number = 2308
| date = May 18, 2020
| title = Mount St. Helens
| image = mount_st_helens.png
| titletext = It's a good mountain but it really peaked in the 80s.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AN OVERBLOWN MOUNTAIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic marks the 40 year anniversary of the {{w|1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens|May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens}} that killed 57 people. It was a Monday so a normal release day could be used to mark this event.

It shows a graph of the height of the mountains in the {{w|Washington (state)|state of Washington}} as a function of time over the last 100 years. The only mountain to change it's hight significantly over this time period is {{w|Mount St. Helens}}, which the comic is named after. It is also the only black line as all other (30?) lines are gray.

Mount St. Helens is a {{w|volcano}} that famously and explosively erupted in 1980. Thousands of tons of earth were thrown from one face of the mountain and slid into the surrounding countryside. After it was over, the peak of Mount St. Helens was no longer the 5th highest in the {{w|Washington (state)|state of Washington}}, having lost approximately 1,300 feet (400 m) in height (from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) pre-explosion to 8,363 ft (2,549 m) post-explosion).

Currently, the 5 highest {{w|List of mountain peaks of Washington (state)|mountain peaks in Washington State}} are {{w|Mount Rainier}} (at 14,411 ft or 4,392 m), {{w|Mount Adams (Washington)|Mount Adams}}, {{w|Mount Baker}}, {{w|Glacier Peak}}, and {{w|Bonanza Peak (Washington)|Bonanza Peak}}. As shown in the comic, Mount St. Helens was the 5th highest, but now has fallen to #52. Only mountains above 8,000 feet (2,438 m) is included, with the graph topping at 15,000 feet (4,572 m), 600 feet (182 m) above the highest mountain. There are 92 peaks above 8000 feet in the state, so not all are included and the lines are not really be distinct below 9000 feet. Seems like there are less than 30 lines drawn. Of course it says Mountains not Mountain peaks, but there are only four mountain ranges in Washington with peaks above 8000, so he must mean peaks!

Technically, the other mountains may be fluctuating in height as well, due to erosion or the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, but this phenomenon is not visible on the time-scale that Randall has plotted.  Precision GPS measurements of various peaks in Washington have only been available since 2010, and it's likely that the primarily volcanic mountains of Washington experience significant but comparatively slight variations throughout the year due to snowfall, melt, or the pressure of swelling magma inside volcanic cores. These changes go largely unmeasured, while the mountains continue to appear equally physically unchanging and imposing both in person and from a distance.
Source: [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-tall-is-rainier-really/ Seattle Times]

The title text is a play on the term “peak” meaning both the highest point of a mountain and also the optimal, most famous or most impressive stage of a trend. for instance: "The band Rolling Stones really peaked in the 80s."

This may be the first comic since March, that can in no way be linked to the ongoing {{w|2019–2 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} and {{w|COVID-19}}. Most other comics since March has been part of a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the pandemic, and those few not directly linked to it, could have been inspired by it.

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shows with close to 30 horizontal gray lines which seem not to change much, if any, as they go from left to right. Only the top 6 gray lines are distinctly separated from others. The top line is way above the second line which again is far above the next two that are close together. Two more close together is somewhat further down, and just below them the rest of the lines follow in close proximity down to the bottom of the graph. A single black line is also shown. It begins as the fifth highest line, just above the two last mentioned above. It is as all other lines going horizontally, but only for three fifth of the way across the graph, then it immediately drops down well below most of the other lines (at 1980) and levels off, continuing on its horizontal path. There is a caption above the graph, and both Y-axis and X-axis has labels. For the Y-axis there is a tick for every label, for the X-axis only every 2nd tick has a label. A unit is given on the top label on the Y-axis.]

:[Caption above graph:]
:Heights of mountains in Washington State
:Over time

:[X-axis:]
:1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

:[Y-axis:]
:15,000
::feet
:14,000
:13,000
:12,000
:11,000
:10,000
:9,000
:8,000

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]

1652: Conditionals

2020-05-10T07:23:51Z

108.162.215.124: /* Transcript */ caption

{{comic
| number = 1652
| date = March 7, 2016
| title = Conditionals
| image = conditionals.png
| titletext = 'If you're done being pedantic, we should get dinner.' 'You did it again!' 'No, I didn't.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the many different uses of {{w|conditional}} statements in human languages, such as those marked by the English word "if". The most obvious kind of conditional is a statement about conditions and consequences (i.e. {{w|causality}}). An expression such as "If A, then B" amounts to asserting that, if A is true, then B is also true is called {{w|conditional probability}}:

"If it rains, then the air gets cleaner." (a general law or observation)
"If it rains, then they'll cancel the event." (a prediction)

This kind of '''simple conditional''' statement is the most common case, and has been adapted for use in computer programming and formal logic. But consider the following statement:

"If Seattle is always rainy, Beijing is smoggy just as often."

This kind of "bleached conditional" doesn't at all assert that, if the left statement is true, the right one needs to be true. Rather, it's just a way of introducing the right statement (taken as novel) by comparing it with the left one (taken for granted). "As everyone knows, Seattle is always rainy, right? Well, Beijing is smoggy just as often".

So conditionals in language are more varied than those of conditionals when used in {{w|Strict conditional|logic}} or {{w|Conditional (computer programming)|programming}}. Another kind of linguistic conditional is as follows:

"There are biscuits in the sideboard if you want some."

No one would understand this statement as meaning "if you want biscuits, they'll magically pop up in the sideboard". The if-clause ("if you want some") doesn't specify the conditions in which the then-clause ("there are biscuits") is true. Rather, it describes the conditions in which it's ''relevant''. We can paraphrase it as: "If you want biscuits, then you'll be interested in knowing that there are some in the sideboard". If A is true, then it's relevant for us to talk of B. This construction is known to linguists as '''relevance conditionals''', or "biscuit conditionals", due to {{w|J.L. Austin|J.L. Austin's}} discussion based on the example above.

The humor in the comic is based on the difference between simple conditionals and relevance conditionals. [[Cueball]] gets a chat message on his phone to a social event: "I'll be in your city tomorrow if you want to hang out." This is an everyday relevance conditional, with a meaning like: "if you want to hang out, then it's relevant for you to know that I'll be in your city tomorrow".

However, Cueball interprets it as a simple conditional, just as in formal logic. Under this interpretation, the message amounts to a claim that, if it's true that Cueball wants to hang out, then it's also true his conversation partner will be in his city. Cueball is willfully forcing this interpretation, due to his belief that simple conditionals are the only "proper" ones. That is, he's being a {{w|pedant}}. A pedant is a person who is excessively concerned with formalism, accuracy, and precision.

Under this deliberate misreading, if it's true that Cueball wants to hang out, then we automatically know the other person's location. But if Cueball does ''not'' want to hang out, we don't know anything about their location; they could be in the city or anywhere else. Since the person is only "guaranteed" to be in the city if Cueball wants to hang out, he asks them where they will be if he doesn't.

The other person then makes an excuse to drop their invitation, apparently tiring of his pedantry. Hence in the caption Cueball/[[Randall]] observes that being pedantic with regard to conditionals is likely to make your friends disinclined to hang out with you. So he tries not to be pedantic about it.

In the title text, the initiator of the conversation presents another "If A, then B" conditional: "If you're done being pedantic, we should get dinner". In most contexts, this kind of "If you're done being X" utterance marks relevance conditionals. Cueball assumes so, and answers "You did it again!". But the reply is "No, I didn't." Which means that ''this'' time they're actually using a simple conditional; because, if Cueball isn't done being a pedant, then they think it's a bad idea to have dinner together. And since Cueball was not finished being pedantic about conditionals, then the last no, would probably also end up being a no to having dinner.

The title text (and partly the subject of the comic) is literally a reference to [[725: Literally]], '''''if''' you know what I mean.''

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is shown texting on a phone with a friend. Above him in light gray rectangles with indentations pointing left are the two text messages from his friend, and between them in dark a gray rectangle with an indentation pointing right is Cueball's message.]
:Friend (text): I'll be in your city tomorrow if you want to hang out.
:Cueball (text): But where will you be if I ''don't'' want to hang out?!
:Friend (text): You know, I just remembered I'm busy.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Why I try not to be pedantic about conditionals.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-17T12:20:22Z

108.162.215.124: there's no way randall intended the explanation that i deleted

{{comic
| number = 1942
| date = January 15, 2018
| title = Memorable Quotes
| image = memorable_quotes.png
| titletext = "Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Finish adding the explanations for all quotes, and make sure none of the explanations are pithy or self-evident.}}
This comic "helpfully" provides random quotes to be used by anyone as {{w|blurb}}s, online reviews, motivational quotes or similar short bits of text. Either the webcomic xkcd or its creator Randall Munroe may be quoted using any of the provided lines, as stated at the top of the comic.

In particular, their "usefulness" lies in the fact that almost any of them can be applied to almost any situation. This is achieved by making each quote not really about anything in particular, aside from the fact that they are quotes. This is in contrast to typical quotes, which are never quite this aware that they will be quoted, but this is to be expected when the lines here were made solely for being quoted.

These self-aware quotes are, on a meta level, jokes about quotations generally. Most of Randall's quotes either sabotage the quoting work, reference some aspect of quotes as used in practice, or both---and it can be both when the aspects referenced are about twisting people's words to look like they agree with you.

The title-text does not have an ending quote mark, so "- Randall Munroe" is part of the quote, and possibly everything in xkcd after that until the next ending quote.

==Table==
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! Quote !! Explanation
|-
|''"I disagree strongly with whatever work this quote is attached to."''
|Quotes are often used in publications and documents to make it seem like the person saying the quote agrees with the book's or document's message. This quote would be impossible to be used in such a way.
|-
|''"This quote was taken out of context."''
|Quotes are commonly taken out of context in order to make a (fallicious) point. Randall predicted this and wrote a line that would point this out directly if used as a quote.
|-
|''"This quote is often falsely attributed to {{w|Mark Twain}}."''
|Many quotes are misquoted as being said by famous people (such as [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mark_Twain#Misattributed Mark Twain], [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss#Misattributed Dr. Seuss], or [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein#Misattributed Albert Einstein]). If this quote was attributed to Mark Twain, however, it would be immediately clear that either it wasn't said by him, or he was lying at the time.
|-
|''"I'm being quoted to introduce something, but I have no idea what it is and certainly don't endorse it."''
|This is likely the case for many famous, widely admired people who are often quoted for all sorts of arguments, even diametrically opposed ones.
|-
|''"This quote is very memorable."''
|This is likely not the case; this quote itself is very forgettable, being a very short and bland quote in a list of far more interesting quotes. However, the irony of this simple quote stating it’s memorableness may be enough to get it stuck in your head, making it a sort of self fulfilling prophecy.
|-
|''"I wrote this book, and the person quoting me here is taking credit for it."''
|The quote is sabotaging the work that uses it.
|-
|''"This entire thing is the quote, not just the part in quote marks." [Quote marks, brackets, and editor's note are all in the original. —Ed.]''
|
The quote itself is referencing how sometimes quotes include mistakes or typographical oddities that may make the reader worry a mistake has been made by the quoting author. An editor's note can be included to assure the original was like that.

The quote also references the potential for ambiguity when quoting a quote that includes a fake editor’s note such as this (one that is actually by the author, not the editor). A quote that does that makes it harder to provide an actual editor’s note about the quote, because it could be unclear who wrote each editor’s note. Such problems of clarity can be solved using different formatting or typographical techniques such as footnotes. Programming languages avoid this type of ambiguity by using {{w|escape characters}}.
|-
|''"Websites that collect quotes are full of mistakes and never check original sources."''
|Websites that collect quotes are infamous for not checking sources. This has been parodied in many ways.
|-
|''"This quote will be the only part of this presentation you remember."''
|Quotes are used because they summarize succinct ideas into a memorable, pithy phrase. It is a common experience for them to be so memorable that they are the only part you remember from a given presentation, especially if the presentation was weak.
|-
|''"Oooh, look at me, I looked up a quote!"''
|Quotes are used to add weight, wit, or authority to a work. If your quote doesn't quite manage this, however, then the inclusion of the quote might just look like you're trying to impress people.
|-
|''"If you're doing a text search in this document for the word 'butts,' the good news is that it's here, but the bad news is that it only appears in this unrelated quote."''
|This would probably occur if you decided to follow Randall's advice and include this quote in your work.
|-
|''"Wait, what if these quote marks are inside out, so everything in the rest of the document is the quotation and ''this'' part isn't? ''Duuuuude.''"''
|The quote imitates the stereotype of strange revelations being made by hippies, typically ones on drugs. If it were true, it would mean that whoever wrote the quoting work would be stealing the entire thing from somewhere, with the exception of these two weird sentences pointing it out.
|-
|''"The editors of ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' are a bunch of cowards who don't have the guts to print this."''
|The author of this quote is apparently making a desperate attempt to get a quote published by challenging the editors of ''{{w|Bartlett's Familiar Quotations}}''.
|-
|''"This quote only looks profound when it's in a script font over a sunset."''
|Inspirational quotes are often set in a fancy font above a picture of a sunset, mountain range, beach, etc. to make them look more profound. This quote suggests that, without such formatting, it looks boring and average.
|-
|''"I don't do a lot of public speaking, so I looked up a memorable quote to start my speech, and this is what I found. OK, you're staring at me blankly, but this whole thing is a quote. I know that sounds confusing, but... you know what, never mind."''
|People often begin speeches with a memorable quote. This quote attempts to explain that it is being used as such, but it fails and gives up.
|-
|''"Sent from my iPhone"''
|This is the default email signature on an {{w|iPhone}}. Quoting this would lead the reader to think that you typed the preceding work on your phone.
|-
|''"Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
|Appears in the title text. Randall Munroe is saying that because there's no ending quotation mark, the rest of the book this quote is in is part of Randall's quote, including, weirdly, the piece of text after what the quote should be specifying that Randall has also said his name.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Needs some formatting}}
:Looking for a quote for something?
:Here are some for general use.

:They can be attributed to xkcd or Randall Munroe as needed.

:"I disagree strongly with whatever work this quote is attached to."
:"This quote was taken out of context."
:"This quote is often falsely attributed to Mark Twain."
:"I'm being quoted to introduce something, but I have no idea what it is and certainly don't endorse it."
:"This quote is very memorable."
:"I wrote this book, and the person quoting me here is taking credit for it."
:"This entire thing is the quote, not just the part in quote marks." [quote marks, brackets, and editor's note are all in the original. -ED.]
:"Websites that collect quotes are full of mistakes and never check original sources."
:"This quote will be the only part of this presentation you remember."
:"Oooh, look at me, I looked up a quote!"
:"If you're doing a text search in this document for the word 'butts,' the good news is that it's here, but the bad news is that it only appears in this unrelated quote."
:"Wait, what if these quote marks are inside out, so everything in the rest of the document is the quotation and ''this'' part isn't? ''Duuuuude."
:"The editors of ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' are a bunch of cowards who don't have the guts to print this."
:"This quote only looks profound when it's in a script font over a sunset."
:"I don't do a lot of public speaking, so I looked up a memorable quote to start my speech, and this is what I found. OK, you're staring at me blankly, but this whole thing is a quote. I know that sounds confusing, but... You know what, never mind!"
:"Sent from my iPhone."

{{comic discussion}}

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-15T12:33:40Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-15T12:30:05Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1942
| date = January 15, 2018
| title = Memorable Quotes
| image = memorable_quotes.png
| titletext = "Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This Quote has nothing to do with the comic. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic "helpfully" provides random quotes to be used by anyone as {{w|blurb}}s, online reviews, motivational quotes or similar short bits of text. Either the webcomic xkcd or its creator Randall Munroe may be quoted using any of the provided lines, as stated in the top of the comic.

In particular, their "usefulness" lies in the fact that almost any of them can be applied to almost any situation. This is achieved by making each quote not really about anything in particular, aside from the fact that they are quotes. This is in contrast to real quotes, which are never quite this aware that they will be quoted, but this is to be expected when the lines here were made solely for being quoted.

These self-aware quotes are, on a meta level, jokes about quotations generally. Most of Randall's quotes either sabotage the quoting work, reference some aspect of quotes as used in practice, or both---and it can be both when the aspects referenced are about twisting people's words to look like they agree with you.

''I disagree strongly...'' It is possible to quote someone who disagrees strongly with you in a way that looks like they do.

''This quote was taken out of context.'' It is just as possible to take a quote out of context to make your argument look good.

''I'm being quoted...'' This is likely the case for many famous, widely admired people who are often quoted for all sorts of arguments, even diametrically opposed ones.

''This quote is very memorable.'' One hopes this to be the case.

''I wrote this book...'' The quote is sabotaging the work that uses it.

''This entire thing...'' The quote itself is referencing how sometimes quotes include mistakes or typographical oddities that may make the reader worry a mistake has been made by the quoting author. An editor's note can be included to assure the original was like that.

''Websites that...'' This is probably true of quote collection websites.

''Oooh...'' Quotes are used to add weight, wit, or authority to a work. If your quote doesn't quite manage this, however, then the inclusion of the quote might just look like you're trying to impress people.

''If you're doing...'' This would probably occur if you decided to follow Randall's advice and include this quote in your work.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-15T12:29:36Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1942
| date = January 15, 2018
| title = Memorable Quotes
| image = memorable_quotes.png
| titletext = "Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This Quote has nothing to do with the comic. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic "helpfully" provides random quotes to be used by anyone as {{w|blurb}}s, online reviews, motivational quotes or similar short bits of text. Either the webcomic xkcd or its creator Randall Munroe may be quoted using any of the provided lines, as stated in the top of the comic.

In particular, their "usefulness" lies in the fact that almost any of them can be applied to almost any situation. This is achieved by making each quote not really about anything in particular, aside from the fact that they are quotes. This is in contrast to real quotes, which are never quite this aware that they will be quoted, but this is to be expected when the lines here were made solely for being quoted.

These self-aware quotes are, on a meta level, jokes about quotations generally. Most of Randall's quotes either sabotage the quoting work, reference some aspect of quotes as used in practice, or both---and it can be both when the aspects referenced are about twisting people's words to look like they agree with you.

''I disagree strongly...'' It is possible to quote someone who disagrees strongly with you in a way that looks like they do.

''This quote was taken out of context." It is just as possible to take a quote out of context to make your argument look good.

''I'm being quoted...'' This is likely the case for many famous, widely admired people who are often quoted for all sorts of arguments, even diametrically opposed ones.

''This quote is very memorable.'' One hopes this to be the case.

''I wrote this book...'' The quote is sabotaging the work that uses it.

''This entire thing...'' The quote itself is referencing how sometimes quotes include mistakes or typographical oddities that may make the reader worry a mistake has been made by the quoting author. An editor's note can be included to assure the original was like that.

''Websites that...'' This is probably true of quote collection websites.

''Oooh...'' Quotes are used to add weight, wit, or authority to a work. If your quote doesn't quite manage this, however, then the inclusion of the quote might just look like you're trying to impress people.

''If you're doing...'' This would probably occur if you decided to follow Randall's advice and include this quote in your work.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-15T12:29:09Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1942
| date = January 15, 2018
| title = Memorable Quotes
| image = memorable_quotes.png
| titletext = "Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This Quote has nothing to do with the comic. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic "helpfully" provides random quotes to be used by anyone as {{w|blurb}}s, online reviews, motivational quotes or similar short bits of text. Either the webcomic xkcd or its creator Randall Munroe may be quoted using any of the provided lines, as stated in the top of the comic.

In particular, their "usefulness" lies in the fact that almost any of them can be applied to almost any situation. This is achieved by making each quote not really about anything in particular, aside from the fact that they are quotes. This is in contrast to real quotes, which are never quite this aware that they will be quoted, but this is to be expected when the lines here were made solely for being quoted.

These self-aware quotes are, on a meta level, jokes about quotations generally. Most of Randall's quotes either sabotage the quoting work, reference some aspect of quotes as used in practice, or both---and it can be both when the aspects referenced are about twisting people's words to look like they agree with you.

''I disagree strongly...'' It is possible to quote someone who disagrees strongly with you in a way that looks like they do.
''This quote was taken out of context." It is just as possible to take a quote out of context to make your argument look good.
''I'm being quoted...'' This is likely the case for many famous, widely admired people who are often quoted for all sorts of arguments, even diametrically opposed ones.
''This quote is very memorable.'' One hopes this to be the case.
''I wrote this book...'' The quote is sabotaging the work that uses it.
''This entire thing...'' The quote itself is referencing how sometimes quotes include mistakes or typographical oddities that may make the reader worry a mistake has been made by the quoting author. An editor's note can be included to assure the original was like that.
''Websites that...'' This is probably true of quote collection websites.
''Oooh...'' Quotes are used to add weight, wit, or authority to a work. If your quote doesn't quite manage this, however, then the inclusion of the quote might just look like you're trying to impress people.
''If you're doing...'' This would probably occur if you decided to follow Randall's advice and include this quote in your work.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-15T12:13:43Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1942
| date = January 15, 2018
| title = Memorable Quotes
| image = memorable_quotes.png
| titletext = "Since there's no ending quote mark, everything after this is part of my quote. —Randall Munroe
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This Quote has nothing to do with the comic. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic "helpfully" provides random quotes to be used by anyone as {{w|blurb}}s, online reviews, motivational quotes or similar short bits of text. Either the webcomic xkcd or its creator Randall Munroe may be quoted using any of the provided lines, as stated above.

In particular, their "usefulness" lies in the fact that almost any of them can be applied to almost any situation. This is achieved by making each quote not really about anything in particular, aside from the fact that they are quotes, or that Randall is being quoted. This is in contrast to real quotes, which are never quite this aware that they will be quoted---but then again, the set of lines in the comic was written for the sole purpose of being used for quotations.

These self-aware quotes are, on a meta level, jokes about quotations generally. Most quotes either sabotage the quoted work, reference some aspect of quotes as used in practice, or both---and it can be both when the aspects referenced are about quoting people and twisting their words to look like they agree with you.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

1902: State Borders

2017-11-24T09:19:13Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1902
| date = October 13, 2017
| title = State Borders
| image = state_borders.png
| titletext = A schism between the pro-panhandle and anti-panhandle factions eventually led to war, but both sides spent too much time working on their flag designs to actually do much fighting.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, graphic designers take control of the United States, but the only thing they do is to change the state and national borders, using primarily aesthetic criteria. State and national borders have generally emerged from some combination of political decisions, natural boundaries, control of natural resources, and, to some degree, from chance. As the comic implies, some borders originally resulted from surveying errors, but became encoded by law and tradition, and thus were never changed.

Despite the caption's rather blasé reaction to the graphic designers' master plan, the changes they propose could be rather tumultuous. Political boundaries are difficult to change because rewriting them places entire populations in different states or even different countries. Even within the US, changing a population from one state to another has serious implications. A different state means different laws, tax obligations, public benefits, business regulations, infrastructure support, etc. It would also mean that control of some very substantial natural resources would be transferred from one state to another. More significantly, the suggestion to cede portions of the US to Canada and Mexico would be a much bigger deal, forcing residents of those areas to either leave their homes, businesses, and communities or surrender their current nationality and apply for citizenship in another country. The joke behind the comic is that graphic designers would tend to ignore these practical concerns and pay more attention to a map looking orderly.

This comic hints at the fact that it is indeed Randall who wants to see these changes made.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Proposed change !! Explanation
|-
| Give to Canada || {{w|Minnesota}} has a small northern exclave (the {{w|Northwest Angle}}) which is sparsely populated (with only about 60 residents), and is accessible from the rest of the US only via the {{w| Lake of the Woods}} or by travelling through Canada. This land being part of the US is the result of a geographic error during the original negotiations over the border, and its irregularity would naturally bother someone concerned with clean and logical boundaries. The new borders suggest giving this territory to Canada to simplify the state and national border.
|-
| This should be {{w|Wisconsin}} || {{w|Michigan}} is divided into two parts by {{w|Lake Michigan}}. The graphic designers suggest eliminating a boundary line by assigning the upper peninsula of Michigan to Wisconsin. The upper peninsula of Michigan was given to Michigan as part of a compromise to end the {{w|Toledo War}}.
|-
| Move Long Island to NJ or CT, or make it its own state || {{w|Connecticut}} and {{w|New Jersey}} are very close to each other but don't actually border, separated only a few miles by {{w|New York State}}. {{w|Long Island}} is part of New York State, which visibly juts out into the Atlantic (extending so far to the east that it gives New York a maritime border with Rhode Island) and apparently drives graphic designers crazy who see an association with New Jersey or Connecticut or even becoming its own state more logical than being a part of New York State. This would have some issues, not least of which is that Long Island contains two of {{w|New York City}}'s five boroughs ({{w|Brooklyn}} and {{w|Queens}}) and more than half the city's population.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the eastern border of New York, northern border of Massachusetts, and northern border of Connnecticut || Straighten the eastern border of New York from New York City to the southern tip of Lake Champlain, straighten the northern border of Massachusetts, and straighten the northern border of Connecticut.
|-
|-
| Align to Grid || Most of the Western states are variations on "Let's have a large box", but there's something a bit irregular about them. Never fear, the Design Team has fixed! In the process, they've also changed the border between Idaho and Montana from a natural boundary following the Continental Divide into an arbitrary squiggle.
|-
| Clean Up (Maryland/Ohio/Pennsylvania/Virginia/West Virginia) || Maryland's western panhandle and both of West Virginia's to the east and north would be smoothed out to have nice, straight, shorter lines. The Mason-Dixon Line that forms the current border between Maryland and Pennsylvania would also be extended east to the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware, which the latter in real life cuts into Pennsylvania a little bit via the {{w|Twelve Mile Circle}}.
|-
|Enlarge Rhode Island & Delaware || {{w|Rhode Island}} and {{w|Delaware}}, the two {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area#Area_by_state.2Fterritory|smallest U.S. states by area}}, are often difficult to make out on a map of the United States.
Expanding Delaware to occupy the entire {{w|Delmarva_Peninsula|Delmarva peninsula}} eliminates some boundary lines the designers apparently consider excessively fiddly, as well as solving another "Michigan" problem, as the "VA" of "Delmarva" refers to its {{w|Eastern Shore of Virginia|Eastern Shore}}, which is separated from the rest of Virginia by the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The two parts of Virginia are connected by the {{w|Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel}}, while Maryland's two bay shores are connected by U.S. Route 50. Of course, it is not possible to create more coastline on Rhode Island, as it is an island with a fixed size, and no legal jurisdiction can change that. {{Citation Needed}}

Expanding Rhode Island eastward would make it easier to see on a map. Giving the former {{w|Plymouth Colony}} to Rhode Island would have the additional advantage of making Massachusetts a more neatly rectangular state.
|-
| If we're going to have a panhandle, why not commit to it? || {{w|Oklahoma}} has a "panhandle" to its west, which is a kind of {{w|Salient (geography)|Salient}}. The obvious fix would be to give it to Texas. In a twist, the graphic designers suggest extending it even further, across the northern parts of {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. This would make the {{w|Four Corners Monument}} obsolete, since Arizona and New Mexico would no longer border {{w|Utah}} and {{w|Colorado}} respectively, let alone all four states sharing a corner.
|-
| Fix this thing || The border of {{w|Missouri}} cuts into {{w|Arkansas}}, in the so-called {{w|Missouri Bootheel}}. The Design Team has awarded that piece to {{w|Arkansas}}, straightening the border.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Kentucky}}/{{w|Virginia}} || Virginia's western border is shifted east to align it with the borders to the north and south, forming a continuous line along the {{w|Appalachian_Mountains|Appalachians}}.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Nevada}}/{{w|Arizona}} || Continue the line of Utah's western border and Arizona's far northwestern border south (replacing part of the {{w|Colorado River}} boundary), transferring part of Arizona's {{w|Mohave_County,_Arizona|Mohave county}} to Nevada.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Texas}}/{{w|Oklahoma}}/{{w|Arkansas}}/{{w|Louisiana}} || Square off {{w|Southwest Arkansas}}, and move {{w|Lousiana's}} northwest border to meet up, presumably because square corners are better.
|-
| Clean up (Arizona/New Mexico/Texas) || One of {{w|New Mexico}}'s borders should be extended into a single line. This results in ceding some land to Mexico, having {{w|El Paso}} split across New Mexico and Texas, and Highway 62 alternating between two states.
|-
| Straighten to fix survey errors (Tennessee) || {{w|Tennessee}}'s southern border is supposed to be the 35th parallel north, but due to surveying errors made in the 19th Century the marked border is one mile south of that line. At many times since, Georgia has sought to fix this by various means (at least partly because doing so would net them some rights to the water from the Tennessee River) including bringing its case to the US Supreme Court - with the Design Team in charge, they wouldn't need those lawyers any more. Farther westward, Tennessee's actual southern border suddenly juts south at the Tennessee River between Alabama and Mississippi - again, the Design Team would rather see it smoothed out. Tennessee's northern border with Kentucky has similar hitches that prevent it from being a straight line that the Design Team wants to address.
|-
| Good Curve! Keep. (Florida/Georgia/South Carolina) || The only thing the design team likes already about the shape of the US is the shape of the Atlantic coast in northern {{w|Florida}}, Georgia, and {{w|South Carolina}}, as it seems to bend into the US smoothly. Unfortunately for them, the curve is coastline; whether or not we get to keep it is up to the whims of Mother Nature.
|-
| Let's be honest, this should be Canada too || {{w|Southeast Alaska}} should be given to {{w|Canada}}, presumably because it more neatly fits with {{w|British Columbia}}. This is slightly problematic, as the current state capital, {{w|Juneau}}, is within this section. However, the state capital could be returned to its previous location, Anchorage.
|-
| Why should Florida get Alabama's coastline? It has plenty. ||
The {{w|Florida Panhandle}} borders southern {{w|Alabama}} denying the state all but a sliver of coastline. Given that Florida already has an abundance of coast, the Graphic Designers consider the present arrangement unfair. Ceding the Florida counties west of the {{w|Apalachicola River}} has actually been {{w|Florida_Panhandle#Alabama_annexation_proposals|raised since the 19th century}}. This change would have the additional benefit of more neatly aligning Florida's western border with that of neighboring {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}}.
|}

In the title text, the graphic designers have a civil war between the ones that favor "panhandles" in the borders, such as the Oklahoma one which is enlarged in the map, the Florida one which is removed in the map, and maybe others such as the Texas region known as the "Texas panhandle". However, as graphic designers, they get too caught up in making the flag designs for their faction to actually fight. Randall has shown interest for vexillology (the study of flags) in the past.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[An outline map of the United States is shown, including state boundaries. The following edit marks are shown in red text:]
:[Minnesota's Northwest Angle is circled] Give to Canada
:[Border between Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula is crossed out] This should be Wisconsin
:[New York's Long Island is circled, with arrows and question marks pointing to New Jersey and Connecticut] Move Long Island to NJ or CT or make it its own state
:[New York's eastern border has been straightened]
:[Wyoming's western border is moved to align with that of Colorado. The Montana/Idaho and Idaho/Utah borders are extended to reach the new border. Similarly, Colorado's eastern border is moved to align with that of Wyoming, and the Nebraska/Kansas border has been extended] Align to grid
:[West Virginia's northern panhandle has been given to Ohio and part of its eastern panhandle has been given to Maryland. In return, Western Maryland has been given to West Virginia. The altogether effect is that West Virginia and Maryland have more compact shapes] Clean Up
:[Rhode Island has been enlarged to encompass southeastern Massachusetts, and Delaware now takes up the entire Delmarva Peninsula] Enlarge Rhode Island & Delaware
:[The Oklahoma Panhandle has been extended west until it reaches Nevada, taking the northernmost parts of Arizona and New Mexico with it] If we're going to have a panhandle, why not commit to it?
:[The Missouri Bootheel has been given to Arkansas] Fix this thing
:[The part of Virginia west of the Appalachian Mountains has been given to Kentucky]
:[The southwestern and eastern borders of Nevada have been extended into Arizona until they meet a point. A part of California is slightly extended to reach the revised border]
:[Parts of Arizona and New Mexico have been ceded to Mexico, and part of Texas has been given to New Mexico, so that the southern borders of Arizona and New Mexico and the northern border of the Trans-Pecos area of Texas collectively form a straight line] Clean Up
:[Parts of northeastern Texas have been given to Arkansas and Louisiana]
:[The northern and southern borders of Tennessee have been straightened] Straighten to fix survey errors
:[A line has been traced along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida] Good curve! Keep.
:[Alaska's southeastern panhandle has been circled] Let's be honest - this should be Canada, too.
:[The Alabama/Florida border has been erased, and Alabama's eastern border has been extended south until it meets the Gulf of Mexico] Why should Florida get Alabama's coastline? It has plenty.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:It was scary when graphic designers seized control of the country, but it turned out they just wanted to fix some things about the state borders that had always bothered them. 

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

31: Barrel - Part 5

2017-11-24T09:11:21Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 31
| date = November 16, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 5
| image = barrel_part_5.jpg
| titletext = Too good not to happen.
}}

==Explanation==
This gives a happy ending to the [[:Category:Barrel|Barrel series]]. The flying ferret is from [[20: Ferret]]. The humor is derived from the juxtaposition of two unlike elements - in this case, the contemplative and even dark nature of the Barrel series being resolved through the timely intervention of a comical flying mammal.

Said mammal could also be interpreted as a symbol of hope and following your dreams, seeing as in its original appearance, its powers of flight were just that: a dream. However, the dream becomes reality to save a child from an endless sea of hopelessness.

The series is probably inspired by the novella {{w|The Little Prince}} by {{w|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry}}. [[Randall]] is well known to be a fan of this book.

Somewhere between the release of the first ferret comic in October 2005 and the re-release of that comic (and all the other from [[LiveJournal]] in 2005) on New Year's Day 2006 on the new xkcd site, Randall's brother's ferret died - as given by the new RIP comment in the title text. The sad comment in the title text of [[25: Barrel - Part 4]] ":(" implying harm to the boy along with this RIP comment may imply that the boy has died and joined the ferret (in flying to Heaven). However, this line of reasoning only makes sense if the ferret actually died before the release of the Part 4 comic at the end of October and this comic, which were released in the middle of November 2005, 1½ month before the new title text were made public.

This is the last in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] who is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character was in a barrel in part 1-3.

After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on xkcd it has been clear that the original [[Ferret]] story should also be included as part of the barrel series.

The full series can be found [[:Category:Barrel|here]]. But below they are listed in the order Randall has put them in his collection linked to above:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Boy floating on piece of driftwood in ocean.]

:[Zoomed out view of boy floating on piece of driftwood in ocean.]

:[Ferret with airplane wings and tail above the ocean.]

:[The empty ocean.]

:[Flying ferret carrying the boy to safety.]

:[Ocean with ferret carrying boy in distance, sun on the horizon.]

==Trivia==
*This was the 33rd comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[28: Elefino]].
**The next was [[32: Pillar]].
*This comic kept its original title: "Barrel - Part 5"
**The first since [[16: Monty Python -- Enough]] (called "Support Surreal Humor" originally) that had a title without mentioning the week day.
**Also the last until the comics began being released also on xkcd (the second of these [[46: Secrets]], nine comics later).
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "The [[Ferret|ferret]] got to fly, in the end!"
**The link took the reader to the first ferret comic.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 33]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Barrel|06]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 06]]
[[Category:Ferret]]

1216: Sticks and Stones

2017-11-24T09:07:13Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1216
| date = May 24, 2013
| title = Sticks and Stones
| image = sticks and stones.png
| titletext = Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Sticks and Stones (nursery rhyme)|Sticks and Stones}}, which goes as follows:
<blockquote>Sticks and stones may break my bones 
But words will never hurt me.</blockquote>
is a nursery rhyme said, often by parents and with some variation, to persuade an individual, usually a child, to ignore any name calling or mean taunts that were said by others in an attempt to hurt the individual's feelings.

The comic challenges this sentiment when the child responds that, although words can't harm you physically, they can change how you feel, and isn't that the most important thing of all? [[Cueball]] obviously sees the simple truth in this, but tries to deflect by claiming that the world really isn't that bad. The child refers again to the rhyme, observing that the physical world can be harsh enough, because there are things like sticks and stones that break your bones and presumably people who use them as weapons to do so. Or yet worse, that someone would think up such a gruesome saying in the first place. Upon reflection, Cueball agrees that this image is actually horrific.

The title text is rather dark, and is probably a reference to the currently active bullying and shaming culture. None of us deserves to be beaten or stoned, but words are powerful enough to make us think that we do.

In the long tradition of the science of the obvious, recent studies (for example: [http://www.pnas.org/content/108/15/6270.full?sid=758b38cc-b399-4d22-9c37-3c074cf321b Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain]) have shown that, in fact, the brain's reactions to physical pain and emotional rejection are somewhat similar and even feed into each other.

==Transcript==
:Child: Did you hear what he said about me!?
:Cueball: Well, remember: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words—

:Child: —can make someone else feel happy or sad, which is literally the only thing that matters in this stupid world?

:[Brief pause.]

:Child: Right?
:Cueball: The world isn't ''that'' bad.
:Child: Explain the line about sticks and stones?
:Cueball: ...OK, maybe it's kind of horrific.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-15T16:39:46Z

108.162.215.124:

{{comic
| number = 1890
| date = September 15, 2017
| title = What to Bring
| image = what_to_bring.png
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Bare necessities, could use elaboration. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A table based on variations of the phrase "never bring a knife to a gun fight", an idiom usually attributed to either {{w|Elmer Keith}} or ''{{w|The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables}}''. The colors indicate a Yes (green) or No (red) answer.

The third and fourth columns describe fighting (extinguishing) two types of fires -- wood and oil. Neither should be battled with knives or guns.{{Citation needed}}

The last column of the table is based on reactions to an {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}}, which should be extinguished by removing the oxygen (such as by covering it with a lid). Attempting to apply water to an oil fire will result in a very large, dangerous flame.

The point of the this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." Currently political comic Bill Maher is fond of describing US the Democratic party in that way. Randall may be commenting on the fact that by being adequately armed, one contributes to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_escalation conflict escalation]. The green squares in the comic are all in diagonal except for "bringing a gun to a knife fight," which is clearly marked as being unreasonable in the illustration. The two last green squares are about putting ''out'' a fire, not starting a conflict. While the comic is vague and subject to interpretation, it is possible that Randall may be subtly giving his opining about the virtues of restraint.

{| class="wikitable"
! Should you bring ... to ...
! scope="col"| a knife fight
! scope="col"| a gun fight
! scope="col"| a wood fire
! scope="col"| an oil fire
|-
! scope="row"| a knife
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.
| No. If you bring a knife to a gunfight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage.
| No. Attempting to fight a wood fire with a knife will lead to you being burned.
| No. Attempting to fight an oil fire will lead to you being burned, in addition to causing metallic scrapes.
|-
! scope="row"| a gun
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage.
| Yes*. Bringing a gun to a gunfight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting either a wood or an oil fire is an ineffective way of extinguishing them.{{Citation needed}}
|-
! scope="row"| water
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman with water will serve only to agitate your opponent.
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs, aggravating the situation even more.
|-
! scope="row"| a lid
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate said knife-wielder. There's a possibility that your attacker may be momentarily stunned by the surrealism of the situation, but even that will only buy you about a ten-foot running start. Though a metal lid with the right sort of handle could be a buckler used as a defence.
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would require a lid bigger than can possibly be considered 'brought with'.
| Yes. An oil fire is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stovetop oil fires generally spawn in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal.
|}

* While the chart states you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1676: Full-Width Justification

2016-05-04T19:55:52Z

108.162.215.124: fix typo

{{comic
| number = 1676
| date = May 4, 2016
| title = Full-Width Justification
| image = full_width_justification.png
| titletext = Gonna start bugging the Unicode consortium to add snake segment characters that can be combined into an arbitrary-length non-breaking snake.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|hasty & impatient placeholder. Still an early draft; needs citations, fact-checking, and it also needs the Wikipedia links to be fixed.}}
The comic refers to an irritating problem in laying out text to fit from edge to edge, the problem of {{w|justification (typesetting)|justification}}, where you want multiple-line text to line up on the left side (common), the right side (less common), or both sides, which is commonly called full justification. This strip is dealing with how to make text fit such that it lines up on both sides while still looking good. Sometimes, as before a long word like "[[:wikt:deindustrialization|deindustrialization]]," there's no universal good way to make the typography work. It is a difficult problem to make text look good and be easily legible especially in a narrow space, with the biggest issue being how to handle words that are too long to fit nicely.

The comic shows several solutions to this problem, some realistic and others less so, but each unsatisfying. "'''Giving up'''" is ugly, leaving a line break which doesn't fit with the rest. "'''Letter spacing'''" looks pretty confusing as people may think it is an acronym. "'''Hyphenation'''" is also confusing as it often leaves two partial non-words ("deindus-" looks like an independent, unfamiliar word, pronounced "dayn-duss", whereas "trialization" seems like something having to do with trials, whether legal or tests), it requires more work on the reader's end to mentally recombine it into one word, and there are rules to follow on exactly where it is acceptable to split a word; nevertheless, this is the most common way of handling those extreme cases. "'''Stretching'''" is unnatural, probably hard to code or render, unfamiliar and quite ugly. Adding "'''Filler'''" words, a radical solution, could easily make the writing worse (in the case of the example, making the tone too informal), however it might be reasonable if the filler words are added by a human rather than by an automated process, especially if that human is the same one that wrote the original words. Finally, adding a meaningless image like "'''Snakes'''", just long enough to fill the extra space, is a novel (and quite bizarre) solution which probably wouldn't actually be used by a serious typographer.{{Citation needed}}

The title text suggests that in order to facilitate this last method of "solving" the problem, the {{w|Unicode Consortium}}, the organization in charge of the common text standard {{w|Unicode}}, should add "snake-building characters" (similar in concept to the existing {{w|Box Drawing}} block), to allow variable-length snake images to be used as filling. Currently, there are two Unicode snakes, xF40D (🐍) and x1DC2 (᷂). The latter is a diacritical mark used in Americanist phonetic notation to indicate lenis (weak) articulation.

The use of the phrase "non-breaking" in the title text is a play on {{w|non-breaking space}} and implies that an automatic line break could not be inserted after a snake segment; the whole snake would shift down if it were too wide to fit on a given line. This suggestion would likely be rejected; the Unicode consortium is very specific about which characters are added{{Citation needed}}, and always require a good reason{{Citation needed}} before adding a character or set of characters to the standard. Strange decisions by the consortium have previously been referenced in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]], [[1513: Code Quality]], and [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]].

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels:]
:Strategies for full-width justification

:[Below the caption is a column with six boxes, each showing a different "strategy" for justification which is annotated beside it. Here the annotation is written at the top and the text below. The top and bottom of the text is cut of in the middle, but as it can be "read" this is written anyway. Only for hyphenation does an extra word appear at the end. In the last with snakes, a snake is drawn to cover the entire space from the end of between to the right border.]

:Giving up
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Letter spacing
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::b  e   t   w   e  e   n
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Hyphenation
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between deindus-
::trialization and the
::growth of ecological

:Stretching
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::<big><big><big>between</big></big></big>
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Filler
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between crap like
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

:Snakes
::their famous paper
::on the relationship
::between 🐍 [a snake filling the gap]
::deindustrialization
::and the growth of

==Trivia==
*The full text (with alternate changes) reads:
::''...their famous paper on the relationship between [crap like]/[ 🐍 ] deindustrialization and the growth of [ecological]...''
*An approach not depicted is to treat justification as part of a global typesetting strategy which allows words to move between lines even where this is not locally optimal. This approach is used by {{w|TeX}}.
*In Arabic, it is common to stretch the lines connecting letters as a relatively elegant and satisfying resolution to this problem. This trick is called "{{w|kashida}}" (كشيدة). There does in fact exist a Unicode character, U+0640: (ـ), to help with this: using it to extend "كشيدة" would result in something like "كشـــــــــــيدة" (which, incidentally, looks a lot like a snake).
*Jim Chapman, developer of Windows 10 e-reader app Freda, [http://www.teleread.com/xkcd-and-full-justification-by-snake/#comment-62118 has announced] the next version of Freda will incorporate snake-justification.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Animals]]

809: Los Alamos

2015-06-01T16:03:02Z

108.162.215.124: /* Explanation */ Steve never actually appears in comic 1532, just Ponytail yelling accusingly!

{{comic
| number = 809
| date = October 22, 2010
| title = Los Alamos
| image = los_alamos.png
| titletext = The test didn't (spoiler alert) destroy the world, but the fact that they were even doing those calculations makes theirs the coolest jobs ever.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the {{w|Manhattan Project}} at {{w|Los Alamos, New Mexico}}, where in 1945 their development of the first nuclear weapon had progressed to the point that they were going explode "The Gadget" at {{w|Trinity Site}}. There was genuine concern that some unexpected result was possible, including the scenario about the atmosphere igniting. The scientists were almost certain that it would either work as expected, or just be a dud, but were unable to rule out several other scenarios. The test proceeded, and it worked as expected.

The joke part at the end is a reference to a common {{w|mnemonic}} device for basic {{w|trigonometric}} functions, namely identifying the relationships of ''sine'', ''cosine'', and ''tangent'' with respect to the lengths of a right triangle's edges: '''s'''in = '''o'''pposite over '''h'''ypotenuse, '''c'''os = '''a'''djacent over '''h'''ypotenuse, and '''t'''an = '''o'''pposite over '''a'''djacent (in other words, SOH CAH TOA.) "Steve" becomes concerned by the seriousness of the situation, and wants to make sure that he has not made a mistake on stuff that should be ''very'' elementary to a scientist in his position. (To our knowledge, "Steve" is not a reference to any specific scientist in the real life Manhattan Project)

"Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds." – {{w|Robert Oppenheimer}}, Lead scientist on bomb project, quoting Hindu scripture after the successful test. There are very few jobs where one can say that with seriousness, as pointed out in the title text.

Steve is referred to in comic [[1532]], where his miscalculations screw up the trajectory of the {{w|New Horizons}} space probe, sending it to earth instead of Pluto.

==Transcript==
:[Three stick figures stand in front of a few graphs and scientific looking pictures. One of them has hair.]
:Los Alamos, 1945...
:Cueball: We have a decision. If we've done our math right, this test will unleash heaven's fire and make us as gods.

:Cueball: But it's possible we made a mistake, and the heat will ignite the atmosphere, destroying the planet in a cleansing conflagration.

:Steve: Wow. Um. Question: Just to double-check— although I'm 99% sure—

:Steve: Is it "SOH CAH TOA" or "COH SAH TOA"?
:Cueball: ''Oh, for the love of...'' can someone redo Steve's work?
:Hairy: I don't want to do the test anymore.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]