explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2825: Autumn and Fall

2023-09-07T09:20:16Z

108.162.216.74:

:Who calls it the "fall equinox"? I thought the equinoctes were always described as "vernal" and "autumnal"? [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 19:11, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

:: Americans sometimes call it the fall equinox casually [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.100|172.71.158.100]] 19:56, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

:: In American English, "fall equinox" contrasts with "spring equinox" in the same way "summer solstice" contrasts with "winter solstice." The Latinate names are "autumnal equinox," "hibernal solstice," "vernal equinox," and "estival solstice," but since British English lost its non-Latinate name for the fall, the term "autumnal equinox" has to do double duty. The Latinate names are rather more common for equinoxes than solstices, but all four names are used. Also used are "September equinox," "December solstice," "March equinox," and "June solstice" if the context doesn't let you commit to one hemisphere or the other. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 09:20, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

:WRT the alt text, perhaps this is a woosh moment, but "fall" isn't at all common in British parlance. We know it, but only as an Americanism of what we would just call "Autumn". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.19.103|172.68.19.103]] 20:55, 6 September 2023 (UTC)
:: That's the joke. Just as Americans don't typically use "autumn", the UK does not use "fall". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.12|172.69.34.12]] 21:45, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

What "type of five-season system shown in the comic"? The comic doesn't show five-season system. It shows EIGHT season system. We just only know names of five of them. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:17, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

: That's the point, though: if the English language had an 8-season system, we'd have 8 names for them — but we only have 5. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.225|162.158.110.225]] 07:05, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

856: Trochee Fixation

2021-06-23T17:49:32Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 856
| date = February 4, 2011
| title = Trochee Fixation
| image = trochee fixation.png
| titletext = If you Huffman-coded all the 'random' things everyone on the internet has said over the years, you'd wind up with, like, 30 or 40 bytes *tops*.
}}

==Explanation==

A {{w|trochee}} is a type of poetic {{w|foot (prosody)|foot}}. A foot is a measure in poetry; it consists of stressed beats and unstressed beats. A trochee is a foot that consists of one stressed beat followed by an unstressed beat. "Trochee" itself is an example of this as you stress the first syllable and don't stress the second syllable ("TROH-kee".)

Trochee fixation is supposedly caused by people experiencing rushes of {{w|dopamine}} when they hear or speak trochees during their youth. Due to the rush of dopamine, they become more fixated on trochees. In the endless quest for dopamine, they continue to search for trochees (typically on the internet) while also producing more places to encounter trochees meaning more fixation for others with the disorder. [[Megan]] proposes a "radical trocheeotomy" which appears to be a type of {{w|psychosurgery}} due to the erasing of memory. [[Cueball]] misinterprets Megan's intent as a "{{w|tracheotomy}}", which he mistakenly believes to be a removal of the girl's vocal cords, of which he is in favor.

Megan proceeds with the trocheeotomy, but luckily it does not have the intended effect. Though the previous trochees have been forcefully and unkindly removed, the girl immediately generates new ones: "BAN-jo," "TUR-tle," "JET-pack," "FER-ret," and so on. The correct way of removing the fixation would be to alter {{w|mesolimbic pathway}}. Megan, not realizing this, succumbs to attempting to removing the girl's trochee fixation via cranially-applied brick. Depending on how hard the girl is hit with the brick she may have memory loss and potentially forget all the trochees she knows, but if this method is carried out she will have significant brain damage and will likely start fixating on trochees that she hears.

There are references to {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}} and {{w|Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers}}, both of which are examples of actual, trochaic TV show titles. Additionally, there is a reference to sci/fi author {{w|Neal Stephenson}} who has written {{w|Snow Crash}}, {{w|Anathem}} and many other books.

"Jetpack ferret" could be a reference to [[20: Ferret]], although the ferret in question only had wings.

{{w|Huffman coding}} is a lossless data compression algorithm that works by organizing characters into a tree structure (called a Huffman tree) with the most used characters in a string closer to the top. The characters in the string are then replaced by the sequence of bits representing their place in the tree, allowing for characters that are used very often to be represented with only a handful of bits compared to the 16 or 32 bits usually needed (depending on the character set used). In highly repetitive data this can cut down the file size immensely, which is what Randall is implying by saying you would only end up with 30–40 bytes. Most of the "[[221: Random Number|random]]" stuff said on the Internet has been said before, and isn’t particularly random either, following predictable patterns.

Trochee and other types of poetry "feet" is the subject of [[1383: Magic Words]], and the trochaic form is explored further in [[1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]].

[http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/02/04/trochee-chart/ On the blog], Randall published statistics about the occurrence number of certain combinations (now obviously inaccurate).

==Transcript==
:Girl: Robot ninja! Pirate doctor laser monkey! Narwhal zombie badger hobo bacon kitty captain penguin raptor Jesus!

:Megan: We'd been seeing this brain damage for years, but only recently did our linguists identify the pattern behind it.

:Megan: The patients fixate on animals and types of people whose names are trochees (two syllables, with the accent on the first).

:The malfunction causes a rush of dopamine whenever these trochees are heard or spoken.
:[Chart shows "internet" and "brain," with arrows marked "trochees" traveling both ways between them. An arrow marked "dopamine" loops from the brain back to the brain.]

:The warning signs appear in childhood:
:[Child sits in front of TV.]
:Child: Yeah! Mighty teenage morphin' ninja power mutant turtle rangers!
:Social reinforcement focuses the fixation on a few dozen words.
:Cueball (off-panel): Is there a cure?

:[Girl is reclining under a big machine pointed at her face.]
:Megan: We're about to try a radical trocheeotomy.
:Cueball: Rip out her vocal chords? I'm in favor.
:Megan: No, we're modifying her vocabulary* to erase the words she's fixated on.
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Digitoneurolinguistic hacking! It's totally real! Ask Neal Stephenson.

:Megan: Either the gap will be filled by normal words, or she'll just generate a new set of trochees.
:Megan: Here goes.
:[She pulls the lever on a large panel.]
:''kachunk bzzzZZZZZZ''

:[Girl is waking up.]
:Girl: ...GzZhRmPh ...
:Girl ...banjo turtle!
:Girl: Jetpack ferret pizza lawyer! Dentist hamster wombat plumber turkey jester hindu cowboy hooker bobcat scrapple!
:Megan (off-panel): Sigh.
:Megan: Time for plan B.
:Cueball: Someone get a brick.

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

1808: Hacking

2020-06-22T19:29:01Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */ The words "you" and "only" in the prime-factor explanation were in backwards order. Only changed for readability!

{{comic
| number = 1808
| date = March 8, 2017
| title = Hacking
| image = hacking.png
| titletext = The dump also contains a list of millions of prime factors, a 0-day Tamagotchi exploit, and a technique for getting gcc and bash to execute arbitrary code.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is referencing an incident on the day before this comic was released, March 7, 2017, in which {{w|WikiLeaks}} exposed thousands of hacking exploits (thus the title) and programs from the {{w|CIA}} (see for instance this article: [https://www.wired.com/2017/03/wikileaks-cia-hacks-dump/ WikiLeaks Just Dumped a Mega-Trove of CIA Hacking Secrets]). Many of the tools that were in the leak were similar to publicly available tools, or not entirely unexpected, with several coming from sites such as {{w|StackOverflow}} and {{w|Reddit}}.

The main joke in this comic refers to the common practice of adding spaces between parts of an email address when publishing them on websites. For example, "john.doe@example.org" may be written as "john dot doe at example dot org". The purported goal of doing this is to thwart page scraping bots from {{w|Email address harvesting|harvesting the correct email addresses}} and prevent them from becoming the target of spam or being sold as address lists for email marketers.

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] tells [[Cueball]] that the CIA has a tool which can delete such spaces. Such a tool can fix the space and most likely convert the words "dot" and "at" into their respective symbols. This will overcome the problems faced by harvesting tools, and make these email addresses more prone to receive spam.

Cueball appears shocked to hear this news, but given the caption below, stating that this was one of the ''less dramatic revelations'' from the CIA hacking dump, this is likely sarcasm by Cueball (and [[Randall]]). In fact, it is quite simple to devise a program which detects and converts/removes such spaces; it's naive to believe that one can prevent e-mail addresses from being harvested just by writing the addresses with space or omitting @ etc. Some people might not realize that he's being sarcastic, though, and that misunderstanding might be part of the joke.

The title text lists three other undramatic (fictitious) hacking exploits which sound more interesting, but are still more or less useless, and certainly not dramatic news. They are:
#Millions of {{w|prime factors}}: The security of the {{w|RSA (cryptosystem)|RSA cipher}} relies on the difficulty of finding prime factors for a large number. But just having those numbers without any other context means you only have millions of {{w|Prime number|prime numbers}}. This is useless like having a list of millions of passwords without any further information.
#A {{w|0-day exploit}} for {{w|Tamagotchi}}: A 0-day exploit is an exploit of which the manufacturer is not (yet) aware. 0-days are very valuable to hackers since defenses against them have not yet been developed. However, an exploit for a Tamagotchi is likely useless because they are very low-end entertainment devices that do not contain microphones or cameras, and usually don't have access to any networks. This may also be a play on words, as Tamagotchi are notoriously difficult to keep alive for more than zero days.
#A way to get {{w|GNU_Compiler_Collection|gcc}} and {{w|Bash_(Unix_shell)|bash}} to execute arbitrary code: ''Unintentional'' execution of arbitrary code is serious vulnerability that allows attackers to do whatever they choose on a victim's computer. However the examples given here merely describe the ''intended'' purpose of the tools: gcc is a {{w|compiler}}, so preparing arbitrary code is its main purpose, and bash is a {{w|Shell script|Unix shell}}, so executing arbitrary code is also one of its primary functions.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is writing on her laptop at her desk while Cueball looks over her shoulder.]
:Ponytail: You know how sometimes people put a space in their email address to make it harder to harvest?
:Cueball: Yeah?
:Ponytail: ''They have a tool that can delete the space!''
:Cueball: Oh my god.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Less-dramatic revelations from the CIA hacking dump

==Trivia==
*This is the second comic in a row (after [[1807: Listening]]) about how computers can be misused and also the second in a row where Cueball is with Ponytail rather than [[Megan]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]

2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart

2020-01-06T17:17:03Z

108.162.216.74: added an explanation of the title text

{{comic
| number = 2251
| date = January 6, 2020
| title = Alignment Chart Alignment Chart
| image = alignment_chart_alignment_chart.png
| titletext = I would describe my personal alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created using the [[User:DgbrtBOT|BOT template]]. Needs explanations of each alignment chart, and probably some editing for clarity.}}

"Alignment" and "alignment charts" come from the the tabletop game ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. Every character has an {{w|Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment}}, which is a sort of a personality archetype or general description of morality. The most widely used alignment system was introduced in the ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set}}'' in 1977 and has been reused in many (but not all) subsequent editions of the game. This system uses two perpendicular axes, each axis having three words; the alignment of a particular character is a combination of one word from each axis (for a total of nine categories). The two axes are:
* Lawful/neutral/chaotic: this axis says whether a character is strongly devoted to, indifferent about, or categorically opposed to following the rule of the law.
* Good/neutral/evil: this axis says whether a character is generally inclined to commit good deeds or evil deeds.
For example, a character's alignment can be "chaotic neutral". Being classified as "chaotic" means they're very prone to acting on emotions, they don't care what is allowed and what is prohibited, and their actions often go against things like tradition and chain of command. Being classified as "neutral" (on the second axis) means that their deeds and character are not strongly good nor evil; either they have a balance of both, or they rarely do anything that can be clearly labelled as one or the other. There are nine possible alignments - any combination of the two axes is allowed. A character with the "neutral neutral" alignment is called a true neutral.

The use of the term chaotic in a personality alignment context is different to the term in a physics concept. In physics, {{w|chaos theory|chaos}} refers to unpredictable outcomes following emergent behaviours that are sensitive to small changes in underlying conditions. Similarly, lawful can be considered to follow deterministic physical behaviours. Hitting pool balls with a pool cue is deterministic, it follows the deterministic Newtonian laws of motion. Hitting your opponent with a pool cue is chaotic, the end state of the ensuing brawl is unpredictable.

An alignment chart is a grid that divides the alignments, usually for the purpose of putting descriptions or particular characters on it. Alignment charts are frequently used as a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart meme template], where humorous or absurdist things are organized into different alignments. In addition to the "classic" Dungeons and Dragons alignment chart, there are a number of variant alignment charts in use as meme templates. Many keep the three-by-three grid structure but replace the lawful-neutral-chaotic and good-neutral-evil axes with others, such as [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gay-bi-lesbian-distinguished-functional-disaster distinguished-functional-disaster vs. gay-bi-lesbian] and [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/edgy-depressed-dumbass-bitch-thot-bastard edgy-depressed-dumbass vs. bitch-thot-bastard]. Some alignment charts use other systems of classification, like the [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart McDonald's alignment chart], which is a {{w|Ternary_plot|ternary diagram}}, a way of plotting data points by the relative proportions of three components in them on a triangular plot.

This comic claims to be a meta-alignment chart, where nine "alignment charts" are themselves sorted into the nine Dungeons and Dragons alignments, following the use of alignment charts to humorously classify abstract concepts. However, these "alignment charts" are mostly diagrams used in academic classifications, which are being treated as if they were blank meme templates. There are two levels of absurdity here: first, the idea of using these technical scientific diagrams to classify things they were never intended to, like fictional characters or how people bag their bread, and second, the conflation of chaos as a physics concept and an assigned moral weights as it applies to each of these classification systems.

The title text describes Randall's alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid" which references the true neutral, neutral good, lawful good, and lawful neutral charts in the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart. Lawful is the left side of an alignment chart, heterozygous is the top right or bottom left of a Punnet Square, silty is the bottom right of a soil chart, and liquid is the top right of a phase diagram. As such, the title test describes Randall's alignment as between Lawful Neutral and Neutral Good on this chart.

{| class="wikitable"
!Alignment
!Chart
!Explanation
|-
|Lawful Good
|{{w|Soil texture|Soil chart}}
|This chart shows the USDA classification of soil types by their relative proportions of sand, clay and silt. The chart is a ternary diagram (very common in geology), so soils with more clay plot towards the upper corner, soils with more sand to the bottom left, and soils with more silt to the bottom right. This chart has been used humorously as an alignment chart ([https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/8wakd4/anakin_soil_reference_chart/ for example]) and may have been the inspiration for Randall to use scientific diagrams as alignment charts. In addition to being Lawful Good, this grid cell is also the upper left cell of the chart and will be read first, making it a good place to put this chart as a "jumping off point".
|-
|Neutral Good
|{{w|Punnett square}}
| (quote from wikipedia article, but should have been obvious. Oh, yeah - we're all tech nerds, not biologists!) "The Punnett square is a square diagram that is used to predict the genotypes of a particular cross or breeding experiment. It is named after Reginald C. Punnett, who devised the approach. The diagram is used by biologists to determine the probability of an offspring having a particular genotype. The Punnett square is a tabular summary of possible combinations of maternal alleles with paternal alleles.[1] These tables can be used to examine the genotypical outcome probabilities of the offspring of a single trait (allele), or when crossing multiple traits from the parents. The Punnett square is a visual representation of Mendelian inheritance. It is important to understand the terms "heterozygous", "homozygous" …” These refer to the pairs of alleles in an organism’s genotype, indicating mixed or same alleles, respectively. Randall later uses “heterozygous” in the title text. Note that it is possible for a phenotype to be expressed the same between some heterozygotes and homozygotes, e.g., persons with genotypes heterozygous ”Ao” and homozygous “AA” will both express blood type A.
So, the Punnett Square is a good chart because it is both a simple and true geometric predictor of inheritance, but it tends to neutral because of complicating factors such as polygenic inheritance; these and other factors will cause genotypic frequency to deviate from expected 1:2:1 patterns.
|
|-
|Chaotic Good
|{{w|IPA vowel chart with audio|IPA vowel chart }}
|This chart shows the relationship between different vowels according to the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. As different vowel sounds are created by changes in different parts of the mouth, it can be considered chaotic.
|-
|Lawful Neutral
|Phase diagram
|A {{w|phase diagram}} shows the temperature and pressure points where a material changes phase. The diagram included is of an unknown material that has a solid, liquid, and gas phase. Phase diagrams are useful as the relationship is not always linear. For example, the air pressure of Mars is such that there is no temperature at which liquid water can exist. Water exists as ice until the temperature reaches a point where it sublimates directly into steam.

Phase diagrams follow the laws of physics, so are inherently lawful.
|-
|True Neutral
|Alignment chart
|All alignment charts are neutral unless humans contaminate them.
|-
|Chaotic Neutral
|CIE chromacity diagram
|The {{w|chromacity}} diagram is typically used to help determine a color temperature given the typical RGB intensities of light. Low color temperatures tend to be associated with 'softer' lights that are easier on the eyes, whereas 'higher' color temperatures are associated with 'harder' light that are perceived as brighter. Given that color temperature as defined by the chromacity diagram has nothing to do with the actual color temperature of a blackbody as defined by Physics, it is chaotic. Also, the official specification for CIE is behind a paywall and defined by private organizations, making it more chaotic.
|
|-
|Lawful Evil
|Political compass
|Political Compass [https://www.politicalcompass.org/] separates out left-right thinking into economic and social political thought. For example, Gandhi and Stalin supposedly both had similar economic perspectives (collectivist) but radically different social perspectives (authoritarian vs libertarian).

As politicians make the laws, this is inherently lawful. Attempting to represent all politics in terms of two very general axes is a gross oversimplification, which is likely why it is listed as evil.

Like the USDA soil chart, the political compass has actually been [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/political-compass used as an alignment chart], largely as a mockery of it.
|-
|Neutral Evil
|{{w|QAPF diagram|QAPF rock diagram}}
|This diagram is used to classify coarse-grained felsic (low magnesium and iron) igneous rocks by the relative volumes of the minerals quartz, alkali feldspars, plagioclase feldspars, and feldspathoids in the rock. It consists of two ternary diagrams - quartz and feldspathoid minerals cannot coexist (they will react to form feldspars) so only three of these components will be in any given rock. Rocks in the upper triangle of the diagram contain quartz, with rocks with more quartz plotting closer to the top, while rocks in the lower triangle contain feldspathoids, with rocks with more feldspathoids plotting lower. Rocks closer to the left corner of the diagram contain more alkali feldspar and rocks closer to the right corner contain more plagioclase feldspar. The field on the diagram for granite is labeled in the comic, but each area outlined on the diagram has it's own rock name (monzonite, syenite, granodiorite, etc.). All the rocks that the QAPF diagram is used to classify look superficially like granite, but their chemistry, mineralogy, and origin differ.
The QAPF diagram and the names of the more obscure rock types on it can be somewhat arcane, which may be why it is considered evil here.
|-
|Chaotic Evil
|Omnispace classifier
|The other eight diagrams shown in this comic, squished together into one, with the shapes of the diagrams corresponding to those of the originals. Probably self-referential humour, in that the diagram created for this comic is considered to be chaotically evil.
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Charts]]

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2016-04-06T02:38:17Z

108.162.216.74: /* comma error in 2nd to last paragraph fixed */

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}

==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when it is your partner's alarm, and they are slow to wake up and even then have difficulty figuring out how to turn the alarm off. This comic takes this situation to a ridiculous extreme, from whence the comic derives its humor, especially when paired with the title describing this situation as a "Typical Morning Routine". Of course the typical could refer only to the part of the "routine" until the phone is dropped into an air vent.

In this comic, [[Hairy]] with morning hair is shown using his phone as his alarm clock. Another unseen person is sharing the bed with Hairy and growing more irate as Hairy's alarm continues beeping.

Even simple actions like turning off a {{w|smartphone}} alarm can be easily fumbled by a just-awakened groggy person. In this case, Hairy accidentally exited the alarm app without stopping the alarm. In some OSes, simply exiting the app doesn't close it, requiring you to use the app switcher to close it.

After giving up on shutting down the alarm the usual way, Hairy, in annoyance, decides to remove the battery, which will disable the phone's entire operation. However, while trying to remove the battery in the dark, he accidentally drops his device down an {{w|air vent}} next to the bed. While the vent is covered by a grille, it is apparently coarse enough (or perhaps missing a few pieces, creating a large hole) to allow the phone to pass through if it falls at a particular location and angle. Also, the vent apparently does not descend very far before bending, allowing the phone to survive the fall intact.

As of when this comic was posted, [[Randall]] uses both iOS and Android according to [[1508: Operating Systems]] - although there is no reason to be certain that the character in this comic is using the same operating systems as Randall. However, the fact that Hairy tries to remove the battery strongly suggests it cannot be an iOS device, given that all iOS devices have non-removable batteries.

If he were a little handy, Hairy might be able to open the vent and retrieve the phone - or perhaps not, if the phone slid further into the ventwork or Hairy lacked the necessary tools. Instead of trying to physically recover the phone, Hairy attempts to remotely {{w|Brick (electronics)|brick}} the phone from his laptop, permanently disabling all its functions (including the alarm app).

This attempt fails because Hairy had accidentally put the device into {{w|airplane mode}} before dropping his phone, thereby cutting off all {{w|wireless}} communications with the device and preventing any attempt at remote control. Airplane mode also has the unfortunate (in this situation) side effect of increasing the phone's battery life (though playing loud sounds incessantly should still limit it to a day or so, notwithstanding the pessimistic assessment of Hairy's companion).

Rather than finding a solution to the problem with the phone, Hairy proposes that they just move out instead.

Relevant for the title text: There is a semi-common logic puzzle involving a ping-pong ball falling down a pipe with a kink in it. In this puzzle, the solution is to pour water into the pipe until the ping-pong ball floats up.

In the title text, one of the two characters remembers this problem and attempts to apply it to this situation. Since phones do not float in water, a modified version is proposed using {{w|Mercury (element)|mercury}} instead. The phone would certainly float on mercury, as it is a very dense liquid (the only metal that is liquid at room temperature).

The extremely toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a very dangerous idea. Also the required amount of mercury would be extremely expensive. The weight of the mercury would also be substantial (1 gallon = 113 lb), and would likely break something in the air duct system. Both mercury and water could also push the phone further into the duct system instead of bringing it back. The end of the title text, declaring that the mercury idea would ''definitely make this situation better and not worse'' could be either a sarcastic commentary on these problems or a desperate attempt to bolster confidence that this extreme solution will work when everything else has failed.

Given that Hairy was willing to sacrifice the phone anyway (by attempting to brick it), he would probably be better off pouring water down the vent - it wouldn't bring the phone within reach, but it would disable and thereby silence it (unless the phone is completely waterproof, which most phones aren't, especially those where the battery can be removed).

Of course, Hairy probably wouldn't have gotten into this mess if he had not just been awakened brutally by a very loud alarm, making it difficult to think clearly (or, alternatively, if he just had a standard alarm clock that he could have unplugged or even a mechanical one that he could, say, hit with a hammer until it broke; or just flip the off switch).

This comic follows a similar storyline to [[349: Success]] and [[530: I'm An Idiot]], as [[Cueball]], like Hairy here, encounters an issue and attempts progressively more absurd solutions to the issue. Hairy, himself, has also tried to go out of such a tangent before in [[761: DFS]].

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text. Small lines indicate from where the two voices are coming, and also from where the alarm goes off. A small broken square surrounds the first word spoken.]
:Alarm: '''Bleep Bleep'''
:Voice (right): Urgh
:Voice (left): Your alarm is going off
:Voice (right): Huh?
:Voice (left): Make it stop.
:Voice (right) Urrgh

:[The panel is completely black, with white text. Small lines indicate from where the two voices are coming. Several small lines surrounds the last "sound" which is not spoken. The alarm noise is continued from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame directly into the next panel.]
:Alarm: '''Bleep Bleep Bleep B'''
:Voice (left): Hit snooze.
:Voice (right): I'm ''trying''. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Voice (right): Whoops!
:Clang

:[The lights have turned on so it is now a white panel with black text. The voice to the right came from Hairy with morning hair. He is leaning over the side of the bed, looking down the air vent through which he has dropped the phone. The other person to the left is not shown. The alarm noise (now coming from the air vent as visualized by the lines coming out of the vent) still continues from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame directly into the next panel.]
:Alarm: '''eep Bleep Bleep Ble'''
:Off-Screen voice: Make it stop!
:Hairy: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy is sitting in his bed with a laptop. The person to the left is still off-screen. The alarm noise still continues from the previous panel and continues over the top of the frame out of the comic the the right.]
:Alarm: '''ep Bleep Bleep Bleep Ble'''
:Off-Screen voice: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen voice: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy: You know, maybe we should just move.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

1497: New Products

2015-03-12T05:02:50Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */ Twitter is probably the quintessential "Why would anyone want that?" (why limit yourself to 140 characters when you can just have a blog?) that managed to be wildly successful for other reasons

{{comic
| number = 1497
| date = March 11, 2015
| title = New Products
| image = new products.png
| titletext = If you ever hear "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project? I'm really excited about it and already signed up, although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical...", it's time to dig a bunker in your backyard.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic points out an apparent paradox in product performance: Many products that are [https://www.google.com/search?q=No+wireless+Less+space+than+a+nomad+Lame criticized by techies when first announced] go on to great success, and many that are heavily hyped are total flops. The product in question may be a reference to the {{w|Apple Watch}}, which was announced around the time of this comic's release.

{| class="wikitable"
! If they say...
! Explanation
! Example
|-
|"It doesn't do anything new"
|A product that "doesn't do anything new" may still be successful for a variety of reasons. It may in fact do something new that the engineers and programmers are overlooking, or it may simply be a better presentation of an older idea. This latter category is the completion of the life-cycle mentioned later in the comic, those products whose "ideas will show up in something successful."
|{{w|iPod}}
|-
|"Why would anyone want that?"
|If engineers and programmers can't figure out why anyone would want a product, that may actually be because the applications are highly avant-garde or niche. Although then it would never become a big success! Engineers and programmers themselves may be in a niche that doesn't share the tastes and priorities of non-technical people, and are therefore unable to understand and accurately assess the appeal that a product will have to the masses.
|{{w|iPad}}, {{w|Twitter}}
|-
|"Really exciting"
|rowspan="2"|Products that are "really exciting" to engineers and programmers, so much so that they have already pre-ordered them, may fail to succeed for two reasons.

First, the product may have flaws that techies consider unimportant, but matter to the general public. These may include bad marketing (the masses don't hear about or "get" how good the product is), an unintuitive design or implementation (which more technical users may be able to "live with", but regular people may not be able or willing), or something as simple as a lack of aesthetics (which decreases appeal for use by owners and may temper the fervor which might otherwise encourage further sales).

Alternately, the product could turn out to be "nerd bait," so to speak. The developers promise a cool, groundbreaking new gadget or service, and people get so excited by the idea that they ignore whether or not it's actually feasible. When the developers can't follow through, unsurprisingly, the product flops. The ideas that it proposed, which were so intriguing to the programmers and the developers, will be worth billions once someone can figure out how to realize them.
|{{w|NeXT}}
|-
|"I've already preordered one"
|[http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/how-one-kickstarter-project-squandered-3-5-million/ myIDkey]
|-
|"Wait, are you talking about <unfamiliar person's name>'s new project?"
|If a product's developer's name is well-known among engineers and programmers, but not among the general public, that's usually not a good sign. Quite likely, the developer is someone who goes a step farther than those in the previous category, not just announcing something cool and exciting they can't follow through on, but doing so ''knowing'' that they can't follow through yet still taking people's money. The state may press criminal charges against them (for fraud or such), or the angry investors may sue to get their money back.
|{{w|Shawn Fanning}}
|-
|"I would never put <company> in charge of managing my <whatever>"
|If engineers' and programmers' only objection is that they don't like the company behind the product, that's basically a tacit admission that there's nothing else wrong with it. For the average consumer, the perks of a groundbreaking new product outweigh whatever problems they may have with the company behind it. This category also relates to the numerous privacy concerns raised about the devices and software of certain companies, and the way people tend to get riled up about these issues and then forget about them once it becomes too inconvenient. For instance, a few months ago, in the aftermath of Facebook releasing its Messenger app, it would not be uncommon to hear people say "I would never put Facebook in charge of managing my network connectivity/phone calls/camera". However, 6 months later and barely anyone is complaining anymore, and within another year or so even the most hardline of privacy advocates will probably give in.
|[https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+OR+google+OR+microsoft+OR+amazon+"is+evil" take your pick]
|}

The title text imagines a product that fits into the second and third category and makes reference to the fourth category: "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project? [= third category]. I'm really excited about it and already signed up. [= both options from the second category]. Although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical... [= fourth category reference]."

{{w|Kim Dotcom}} is a controversial entrepreneur and convicted fraud. He even {{w|Kim_Dotcom#Personal_life|changed his surname}} to Dotcom because of the {{w|Dot-com bubble|dot.com stock market bubble}} that made him a millionaire. He fits perfectly into the mould of someone well-known to programmers and engineers, but perhaps not so much to your average Joe.

Taken together, these imply that an untrustworthy and potentially malicious company has an exciting new idea that may eventually come out in successful form, but ultimately result in law suits not just from investors but from mislead consumers (category 3). Because the initial release will be a flop (category 2), there is some time to prepare before the successful use of this idea becomes a reality (also category 2). Once this happens you could expect dramatic repercussions and this is why the title text suggests to dig a bunker while there is still time.

==Transcript==
:'''Predicting the success or'''
:'''failure of a new product'''
:based on what engineers and
:programmers are saying about it

:[A two-column table illustrating this. The headings are actually standing above the table.]
:{| class="wikitable alternance"
! If they say...
! It means...
|-
| "It doesn't do anything new"
|rowspan="2"|The product will be<div>
a gigantic success.
|-
| "Why would anyone want that?"
|-
| "Really exciting"
|rowspan="2"| The product will be a flop.<div>
Years later, its ideas will<div>
show up in something successful.
|-
|"I've already preorded one"
|-
| "Wait, are you talking about<div>
<unfamiliar person's name>'s<div>
new project?"
| The product could be<div>
a scam and may result<div>
in arrests or lawsuits.
|-
| "I would never put<div>
<company> in charge of<div>
managing my <whatever>."
| Within five years, they will.
|}

== Trivia ==
* There is a typo in the comic: "Preorded" should have been "preordered".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people‏‎]]

1421: Future Self

2015-02-08T19:19:02Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */ "past selves coding" --> "past self's coding"

{{comic
| number = 1421
| date = September 15, 2014
| title = Future Self
| image = future_self.png
| titletext = Maybe I haven't been to Iceland because I'm busy dealing with YOUR crummy code.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a joke about how the person you where in the past can be viewed as a distinct entity from who you are now, as well as the predictability of future events relating to your future actions.

The comic shows comments, informational notes left in the code that do not change the algorithm, from a project completed by [[Cueball]] some time ago that is still being used and maintained. It is implied that Cueball is looking at these comments because the algorithm, a parsing function, is no longer working. These comments were written by Cueball's "younger self" in anticipation of being read by his "older self" at a date close to the present. The function has held up to the younger Cueball's expectations as it has lasted a until the publication date of this comic, September 2014. The comments indicate a firm belief that the parsing function could not be easily "re-kludged" to handle the new situation but instead would need to be re-written
These comments are surprisingly accurate, leading Cueball to rhetorically reply to his younger self that these comments where creepy. Cueball's "younger self" must have anticipated a snarky reply and reminded his older self that his older self has likely not fulfilled his dream of going to Iceland. Cueball again replies that his younger self should stop judging him.

In the title text, current-day Cueball lashes out at his younger self, further emphasizing the way he is viewing his past self as a different person, blaming the ineffectiveness of his past self's coding for never going to Iceland.

===Comments===
A comment is a line, or a portion of a line, of code which should not be executed. A number of computer languages, including several popular ones, use "#" to indicate "the remainder of this line is a comment". The comment symbol tells the compiler to skip to the next line, ignoring everything after the symbol. Programmers make use of comments to leave notes about what a particular line or section of code is meant to do, places that require debugging, ideas for future revisions, etc.

===Time Capsule===
The language in the comments is similar to how people address themselves in personal {{w|Time capsule|time capsules}}, in which they put letters away to read years later to see how much they've changed.

===Parsing===
A "{{w|Parsing#Parser|parse}} {{w|Subroutine|function}}" is code that interprets some form of input and makes sense of it in a way that enables functionality in some other part of the code. Parsers are commonly used to extract useful information from a source external to the algorithm.
Often parsing functions are written using {{w|Regular expression|regular expressions}} or in some other {{w|write-only language}} style. Parsing can be a difficult problem to solve, and programmers will often take shortcuts (perform {{w|kludge|kludges}}) based on assumptions on the kinds of input that the parsing function will have to handle, or possibly code through means of trial-and-error.
As the programmer may not have control over the input, such as reading a page from someone else's web-site or using the output of an unpredictable program, an input that does not match the assumed the input syntax in can cause the parser to break, even if the parsing function has not changed.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a laptop, reading code. The two separate parts of code as well as the two comments by Cueball is connected with "speak" lines, with the line from the code going down to the computer screen.]

:<nowiki>#</nowiki> Dear Future Self,
:<nowiki>#</nowiki>
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> You're looking at this file because
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> the parse function finally broke.
:<nowiki>#</nowiki>
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> It's not fixable. You have to rewrite it.
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> Sincerely, Past Self

:Cueball: Dear Past Self, it's kinda creepy how you do that.

:<nowiki>#</nowiki> Also, it's probably at least
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> 2013. Did you ever take
:<nowiki>#</nowiki> that trip to Iceland?

:Cueball: Stop judging me!
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]

1426: Reduce Your Payments

2014-09-26T05:48:23Z

108.162.216.74: Fixed link to sodium borohydride Wikipedia page

{{comic
| number = 1426
| date = September 26, 2014
| title = Reduce Your Payments
| image = reduce_your_payments.png
| titletext = I tried oxidizing them, but your bank uses some really weird paper and it wouldn't light.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This explanation states what is obvious in the comic without explaining. More explanatory tone plus a description of Sodium borohydride's effects on paper are required. Also the Sodium borohydride link is broken}}

In this comic [[Black Hat]] walks into a room where Cueball is sitting in an armchair. Blackhat says to Cueball that he can reduce his mortgage bills, while holding a docket of paper presumably Cueball's bill.
Black Hat uses the same formulation many internet advertisements use: "Discover this (strange/new/amazing...) trick to (lose weight/reduce your mortgage bills/meet amazing women)" to gather clicks.
Cueball wants to know how and Blackhat responses by mentioning {{w|Sodium_borohydride|sodium borohydride (NaBH<sub>4</sub>)}}. Cueball then says I hate you.
Now to reduce mortgage payments is something high on many people's minds but as with Blackhat's personality his method is rather unorthodox. Sodium borohydride is a strong reducing agent. A reducing agent is a chemical that donates electrons to another chemical (in inorganic chemistry). When a chemical is reduced another one has to become oxidized.
The title text implies that Blackhat has attempt to oxidize the paper mortgage bill in the chemical sense by burning it (reacting it with atmospheric oxygen) but the paper would not light.

==Transcript==
[Cueball siting on sofa Blackhat walks into frame from behind]

Blackhat: I discovered this weird trick for reducing your mortgage payments!

Cueball: What?

Blackhat: Sodium Borohydride.

Cueball: ...I hate you.

I tried to oxidize them, but your bank uses some really weird paper and it wouldn't light.

{{comic discussion}}

1378: Turbine

2014-06-06T15:09:24Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1378
| date = June 6, 2014
| title = Turbine
| image = turbine.png
| titletext = Ok, plan B: Fly a kite into the blades, with a rock in a sling dangling below it, and create the world's largest trebuchet.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, Megan is speaking to a {{w|wind turbine}} (which has the unrealistic ability to respond to her).

A wind turbine is a mechnanical device that generates power via kinetic energy produced from the turning of its blades by the wind, and converts it into electricity. A wind turbine is visually very similar to a {{w|mechanical fan|fan}}, whose fan blades spin via electrical (or other) power in order to move air (i.e. create wind) to provide a cooling effect. In this way, a fan is essentially the opposite of a wind turbine.

The punchline of this comic is a {{w|pun}} which plays on a second meaning of the word "fan" as a colloquial short form for "fanatic" - someone who is a fanatic about something (e.g. a football team, a band, etc.).

Megan suggests that the wind turbine blow air at her so that she can us a kite to lift off the ground. When Megan asks what the turbine think sof the idea, the turbine's response is both literal (it is a turbine, not a fan and therefore can't blow air) and colloquial (saying "I'm not a fan" of an idea that one does not like or support the idea).

The title text contains an alternative suggestion to build a makeshift {{w|trebuchet}}. A trebuchet is a type of catapult. The [http://youtu.be/MTWsmZta6AE setup described] would not resemble the widely known counterweight trebuchet, as the energy rotating the arm and flinging the rock would not be from a raised counterweight. It would rather be more similar to a traction trebuchet.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is talking to a giant wind turbine.]
:Megan: I'll hold up a big kite, and you blow air at me until I lift off!
:Megan: What do you think of that idea?
:Wind turbine: I'm not a huge fan.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Trebuchet]]

Talk:1343: Manuals

2014-03-17T14:36:05Z

108.162.216.74:

Your line counts may vary for the man pages, depending on what distribution you are running and what version of man you're using (and god forbid, what version of wc). {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.221.51}}

:Mine comes in at 1806 lines. So even more unwieldy. (Ubuntu 13.10) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 14:36, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

I seem to remember some info page starting with “how to read this manual”… can’t find it though. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.162|108.162.254.162]] 10:00, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1047: Approximations

2014-01-16T01:57:39Z

108.162.216.74: Correct formula and associated computation.

They're actually quite accurate. I've used these in calculations, and they seem to give close enough answers. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I only see a use for the liters in a gallon one. The rest are for trolling or simple amusement. The cosine identity bit our math team in the butt at a competition. It was painful. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Annoyingly this explanation does not cover 42 properly, it does not say that Douglas Adams got the number 42 from Lewis Carroll, who is more relevant to the page because he was a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was obsessed with the number forty-two. The original plate illustrations of Alice in Wonderland drawn by him numbered forty-two. Rule Forty-Two in Alice in Wonderland is "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court", There is also a Code of Honour in the preface of The Hunting of the Snark, an extremely long poem written by him when he was 42 years old, in which rule forty-two is "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm". The queens in Alice Through the Looking Glass the White Queen announces her age as "one hundred and one, five months and a day", which - if the best possible date is assumed for the action of Through the Looking-Glass - gives a total of 37,044 days. With the further (textually unconfirmed) assumption that both Queens were born on the same day their combined age becomes 74,088 days, which is 42 x 42 x 42. --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:43, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:: This explanation covers 42 adequately, and would probably be made slightly worse if such information were added. The very widely known cultural reference is to Adams's interpretation, not Dodgson's original obsession. Adding it would be akin to introducing the MPLM into the explanation for the hijacking of Renaissance artists' names by the TMNT. I definitely concede that it does not cover 42 exhaustively, but I think it can be considered complete and in working order without such an addition. If it really irks you, be bold and add it! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 00:37, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"sqrt(2) is not even algebraic in the quotient field of Z[pi]" is not correct. Q is part of the quotient field of Z[pi] and sqrt(2) is algebraic of it. The needed facts are that pi is not algebraic, but the formula implies it is in Q(sqrt(2)). --DrMath 06:47, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

13/15 is a better approximation to sqrt(3)/2 than is e/pi. Continued fraction approximations are great! --DrMath 07:23, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

How could he forget 1 gallon ≈ 0.1337 ft³?! [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 00:51, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Worth mentioning that Wolfram Alpha now officially recognizes the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=e%5E-%28%281%2B8%5E%281%2F%28e-1%29%29%29%5E%281%2Fpi%29%29 White House switchboard constant] and the [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%287%5E%28e-1%2Fe%29-9%29*pi%5E2 Jenny constant]. [[Special:Contributions/86.164.243.91|86.164.243.91]] 18:28, 8 October 2013 (UTC)

Maybe we should add the [Extension:LaTeXSVG LaTeX extension] to make it easier to transcribe these equations. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.220|108.162.219.220]] 23:02, 16 December 2013 (UTC)

;Protip - Does anyone see the correct equation?
Maybe this is just an other Wolfram Alpha error, like we recently have had here: [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]]. All equations still look invalid to me.
*''√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)'': is impossible because √2 is an irrational number and no equation can match.
*''cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2'': could only match if ''cos(x) + cos(3x) + cos(5x) = 1/2'' would be valid, because ''π/7'' is also an irrational number.
*''γ = e/3<sup>4</sup> + e/5 or γ = e/54 + e/5'': would mean that a sum of two irrational numbers do fit to the Gamma Constant. Impossible.
*''√5 = 13 + 4π / 24 - 4π'': √5 and π are irrational numbers, there is no way to match them in any equation like this.
*''Σ 1/n<sup>n</sup> = ln(3)<sup>e</sup>'': doesn't make any sense either.
Maybe [[:Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart|Miss Lenhart]] can help.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:41, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2 is exactly correct.

Let a=π/7, b=3π/7, and c=5π/7, then
(cosa+cosb+cosc)⋅2sina=2cosasina+2cosbsina+2coscsina=sin2a+sin(b+a)−sin(b−a)+sin(c+a)−sin(c−a)=sin(2π/7)+sin(4π/7)−sin(2π/7)+sin(6π/7)−sin(4π/7)=sin(6π/7)=sin(π/7)=sina

Hence, cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = sin(π/7) / 2sin(π/7) = 1/2
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.74|108.162.216.74]] 01:57, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

;So, still incomplete?

Where's our (in)complete judge? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:21, 18 December 2013 (UTC)
:The protip is still a mystery. I'm calling for help a few lines above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 18 December 2013 (UTC)

1315: Questions for God

2014-01-10T07:47:00Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1315
| date = January 10, 2014
| title = Questions for God
| image = questions_for_god.png
| titletext = What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT? I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail needed.}}
Megan is paraphrasing a famous quote from the British applied mathematician, and fellow of the Royal Society, Horace Lamb, who famously stated in 1932:

"I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic."

Cueball, in response, indicates that if he were to gain divine elucidation his question would relate to the widespread schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie", which typically begins with the stanza:

"Miss Susie had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

Miss Susie went to heaven

The steamboat went to...

Hello operator

Please give me number nine

..."

The rhyming scheme between the second and fourth lines, and implied contrast, causing the listener to fill in the word "Hell" instead of the innocuous "Hello".

Therefore Cueball is indeed wondering what a Steamboat, an object lacking will, could have done to deserve divine punishment.

The Title Text is a reference to the 1930's pulp series "The Shadow" whose titular character is a psychic vigilante. The 1937 radio play's introduction began with the line "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Unfortunately as the subject is a Steamboat, and lacking a mind (or heart) to read, The Shadow would be unable to determine what heinous crimes it had committed to deserve damnation.

==Transcript==
Megan: Horace Lamb said he would
have two questions for God:
why quantum mechanics,
and why turbulence?

Cueball: I'd have just one:
''what did Miss Susie's steamboat '''do?!'''

Title text: What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT?
I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Religion]]

1315: Questions for God

2014-01-10T07:46:28Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1315
| date = January 10, 2014
| title = Questions for God
| image = questions_for_god.png
| titletext = What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT? I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail needed.}}
Megan is paraphrasing a famous quote from the British applied mathematician, and fellow of the Royal Society, Horace Lamb, who famously stated in 1932:

"I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic."

Cueball, in response, indicates that if he were to gain divine elucidation his question would relate to the widespread schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie", which typically begins with the stanza:

"Miss Susie had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

Miss Susie went to heaven

The steamboat went to...

Hello operator

Please give me number nine

..."

The rhyming scheme between the second and fourth lines, and implied contrast, causing the listener to fill in the word "Hell" instead of the innocuous "Hello".

Therefore Cueball is indeed wondering what a Steamboat, an object lacking will, could have done to deserve divine punishment.

The alt-text is a reference to the 1930's pulp series "The Shadow" whose titular character is a psychic vigilante. The 1937 radio play's introduction began with the line "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Unfortunately as the subject is a Steamboat, and lacking a mind (or heart) to read, The Shadow would be unable to determine what heinous crimes it had committed to deserve damnation.

==Transcript==
Megan: Horace Lamb said he would
have two questions for God:
why quantum mechanics,
and why turbulence?

Cueball: I'd have just one:
''what did Miss Susie's steamboat '''do?!'''

Title text: What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT?
I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Religion]]

1315: Questions for God

2014-01-10T07:42:35Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1315
| date = January 10, 2014
| title = Questions for God
| image = questions_for_god.png
| titletext = What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT? I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail needed.}}
Megan is paraphrasing a famous quote from the British applied mathematician, and fellow of the Royal Society, Horace Lamb, who famously stated in 1932:
"I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic."
Cueball, in response, indicates that what he hopes for divine elucidation relates to the widespread schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie", which typically begins with the stanza:

"Miss Susie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Susie went to heaven
The steamboat went to...

Hello operator
Please give me number nine
..."

The rhyming scheme between the second and fourth lines, and implied contrast, causing the listener to fill in the word "Hell" instead of the innocuous "Hello".
Therefore Cueball is indeed wondering what a Steamboat, an object lacking will, could have done to deserve divine punishment.

The alt-text is a reference to the 1930's pulp series "The Shadow" whose titular character is a psychic vigilante. The 1937 radio play's introduction began with the line "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Unfortunately as the subject is a Steamboat, and lacking a mind (or heart) to read, The Shadow would be unable to determine what heinous crimes it had committed to deserve damnation.

==Transcript==
Megan: Horace Lamb said he would
have two questions for God:
why quantum mechanics,
and why turbulence?

Cueball: I'd have just one:
''what did Miss Susie's steamboat '''do?!'''

Title text: What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT?
I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Religion]]

1315: Questions for God

2014-01-10T07:41:51Z

108.162.216.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1315
| date = January 10, 2014
| title = Questions for God
| image = questions_for_god.png
| titletext = What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT? I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More detail needed.}}
Megan is paraphrasing a famous quote from the British Applied Mathematician and fellow of the Royal Society Horace Lamb, who famously stated in 1932:
"I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic."
Cueball, in response, indicates that what he hopes for divine elucidation relates to the widespread schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie", which typically begins with the stanza:

"Miss Susie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Susie went to heaven
The steamboat went to...

Hello operator
Please give me number nine
..."

The rhyming scheme between the second and fourth lines, and implied contrast, causing the listener to fill in the word "Hell" instead of the innocuous "Hello".
Therefore Cueball is indeed wondering what a Steamboat, an object lacking will, could have done to deserve divine punishment.

The alt-text is a reference to the 1930's pulp series "The Shadow" whose titular character is a psychic vigilante. The 1937 radio play's introduction began with the line "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Unfortunately as the subject is a Steamboat, and lacking a mind (or heart) to read, The Shadow would be unable to determine what heinous crimes it had committed to deserve damnation.

==Transcript==
Megan: Horace Lamb said he would
have two questions for God:
why quantum mechanics,
and why turbulence?

Cueball: I'd have just one:
''what did Miss Susie's steamboat '''do?!'''

Title text: What sins could possibly darken the heart of a STEAMBOAT?
I asked The Shadow, but he says he only covers men.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Religion]]