explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1458: Small Moon

2015-08-03T23:24:27Z

108.162.237.114: /* Transcript */ From the official transcript of the comic (from source code of http://xkcd.com/1458/), we can clearly see who is saying what.

{{comic
| number = 1458
| date = December 10, 2014
| title = Small Moon
| image = small_moon.png
| titletext = GENERAL JAN DODONNA: An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has reinvigorated the arguments of the 'artificial moonlet' and 'rogue planet-station' camps. I fear this question is fracturing the Rebellion.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic depicts a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVekNsgUqn4 classic scene] from {{w|Star Wars Episode IV}}, in which the heroes trail a spacecraft to the never-before-seen Death Star: a super-weapon the size of a small moon capable of demolishing entire planets. In the original scene and the comic, Luke Skywalker misidentifies a body as a natural satellite, and Obi-Wan 'Ben' Kenobi ominously corrects him. The comic's version diverges at this point, as the dialogue devolves into a rather bitter argument over the semantics of size classifications, alluding to scientific discussions on whether Pluto should be classified as a planet or as a dwarf planet.

The argument goes on for hours, which in the original plot would suggest one of two situations:
*The Death Star apparently never caught them, and Princess Leia was never rescued (but Ben survived).
*The argument was picked up after escaping the Death Star, and now Leia is joining in.

The argument is confused as to whether they're talking about size or about natural vs artificial objects. In terms of size, the Death Star is much larger (70 km radius) than dozens of {{w|List of natural satellites|full-fledged moons}} in our solar system. One of the smallest moons found so far in the solar system is {{w|S/2009 S 1}}, which is about 400 meters in diameter and orbits Saturn. But we don't generally speak of the tiny rocks in the rings of Saturn as moons, so there is some distinction there, which may include the orbit of the object[http://www.exploratorium.edu/saturn/moon.html]. There is also the distinction between natural moons and spacecraft, which seems to be ignored in the final panel.

The title text makes reference to a later scene in the film when Rebel pilots are being briefed on the planned attack on the the Death Star. Those who analysed the plans for the Death Star run into the same discussion picture, and end up arguing about the classification of the Death Star, dividing those involved into the 'artificial moonlet' camp and the 'rogue planet-station' camp, thus deunifying the rebellion. If events are otherwise the same from the movie, this is also happening at threat of their destruction, and thus a crippling of the Rebellion.

The timing of the comic may be related to the {{w|New Horizons}} mission to {{w|Pluto}}. The spacecraft awoke from hibernation 4 days earlier, on December 6, 2014, to start the encounter phase with Pluto.

==Transcript==
:[Millennium Falcon follows a Tie Fighter towards an unidentified orb in the distance.]
:Luke Skywalker: He's heading for that small moon.
:Ben Kenobi: That's no moon - it's a space station.
:Han Solo: It's too big to be a space station.
:Ben Kenobi: But it's too '''''small''''' to be a moon.
:Three hours pass
:Ben Kenobi: Fine! What if we agree it's not a moon, but we make a new category called "Dwarf Moon"?
:Luke Skywalker: And what's the cutoff, asshole?! Is this '''''ship''''' a dwarf moon now?
:Ben Kenobi: Screw you.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1507: Metaball

2015-04-03T14:59:41Z

108.162.237.114:

{{comic
| number = 1507
| date = April 3, 2015
| title = Metaball
| image = metaball.png
| titletext = Shoot, it landed in the golf course. Gonna be hard to get it down the--oh, never mind, it rolled onto the ice hazard. Face-off!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete | Explanation is unfinished.}}
The name "Metaball" is the combination of the prefix "{{w|meta|meta-}}" and the word "{{w|ball}}".

The gang is playing a {{w|ball game}} that incorporates the rules of many {{w|List of ball games|games that use a ball}}. Similar to [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1990/05/27 Calvinball] from the comic strip ''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'', the rules seem to be based on the location of the players and the ball. Ponytail is holding a map which divides the area into zones. Each time the ball enters a new zone, the rules change to the become the rules of the ball game represented in that zone.

[[Cueball]] is out according to the rules of baseball because the ball (initially in the {{w|Association football|soccer}} zone where [[Megan]] made a {{w|Shooting (association football)|shot}}), en route to the {{w|basketball}} hoop, clipped the corner of the baseball zone and [[Ponytail]] (presumably the adjudicator of this game) invoked the {{w|infield fly rule}}. In baseball the infield fly rule can be invoked by the {{w|umpire}}, Ponytail in this case, to prevent an {{w|infielder}} from intentionally dropping a fair ball when runners are on multiple bases, forcing the runners on base to advance and allowing the infielder's team to quickly perform a double or triple play by throwing the ball to where the runners are trying to get and performing force out on their base. The infield fly rule, once called out by the umpire, forces the batter to be out whether the infielder tries to get the batter out.

The title text presumably happens sometime later in the game. It is implied that the ball enters the {{w|golf}} section of the game, meaning that the players would have to try to hit a ball into a hole. Given that the ball is much larger than a standard golf ball, this would prove difficult. However before this situation occurs the ball rolls into a separate portion of the field, an ice {{w|Hazard (golf)|hazard}} section. This area in the field is where {{w|ice hockey}} is played, switching the rules to hockey rules and causing there to be a {{w|face-off}} (a skirmish between two players of opposing teams to restart the game).

Hockey implies that it is more than "Metaball", but "Metagame", as hockey uses a puck, not a ball in the game, so badminton, frisbee golf, etc., will have their zones also.

==Transcript==
:[Megan kicks a soccer ball. Cueball leaps to dunk the ball through (or block it from going in) a basketball hoop.]

:[Ponytail (Offscreen):] Out!

:[Cueball (Offscreen):] What do you ''mean'', out?!
:[Ponytail, consulting the rules/a map:] The ball clipped the corner of the baseball zone. Infield fly rule.
:[Cueball (Offscreen):] Aw, ''maaan''...
{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]

663: Sagan-Man

2015-03-17T00:38:46Z

108.162.237.114: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 663
| date = November 16, 2009
| title = Sagan-Man
| image = sagan-man.png
| titletext = They laugh now, but within 10 years the city's entire criminal class will have quit to work on space research.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Carl Sagan}} was an advocate for science, space and {{w|SETI}} (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). He wrote the book ''Contact'', which was later made into the movie by the same name. While Sagan did not emit anomalous radiation in his lifetime {{Citation needed}}, he did receive acclaim in the field of radiology, namely for using radiation to synthesize amino acids from simpler chemicals.

This comic is parodying {{w|Spider-Man}}, in which Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider to become Spider-Man. In this comic "a radioactive Carl Sagan" turns the person into "Sagan-Man". Apparently, Sagan-Man is able to stop thieves in their tracks by blowing their minds with inspiring scientific facts.

The title text implies that Sagan-Man's vivid imagery inspires the entire criminal class to give up their sociopathic ways and turn to space research.

==Transcript==
:[Bitten by a radioactive Carl Sagan in 1995, Sagan-Man possesses the powers and abilities of Carl Sagan.]
:Victim, off-panel: Help! Thief!
:[Sagan-Man spins around. A blue cape appears on his back.]
:[Sagan-Man runs towards the direction of the shout.]
:[He encounters the thief, holding a purse.]
:Sagan-Man: Hey, you!
:Thief: What?
:Sagan-Man: Do you realize just how crazy it is that we've ''BEEN TO THE MOON?''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:1454: Done

2014-12-01T14:18:25Z

108.162.237.114:

How do we know the girl is in the United States?? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.177|141.101.104.177]] 08:54, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Is it a girl? I was thinking the hair is a bit like mick Jaggers... - Palitu {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.223}}

: I think it's a girl, and I think she's in the United States, as xkcd is a US-based comic, and pony-tail is a recurring figure also presumably in the United States. And I think it's all rather sad. Note that she's kneeling on her chair, not sitting - this is more common for girls than guys. My take is that she's the kind of person who can enter into a fantasy relationship with a person she doesn't really know, and then if/when they do ever meet in real life it will all break down because her fantasy is only that, and the real person will not match her expectations at all. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 09:37, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

:: I look at that she was incredibly lucky - it's a classic internet relationship scam. Maybe I'm just a cynic. There's also the phrase [http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/do-over "Done Over"], although I think it's a British idiom, so I highly doubt it was meant as a double entendre. [[User:Oobayly|Oobayly]] ([[User talk:Oobayly|talk]])

Consider this as a possible reference to Kim Kardashian's photo.. An effect of her trying to "break the internet" -KLee {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.212}}

'''Identity of the writer?'''
:If the writer is based on a reoccurring character than it has to be either Megan or Danish. Is there a consensus as to who it is?[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.163|173.245.56.163]]

:: Isn't she Caroline, or 'curly buns'. Similar curly haired girl has appeared in similar roles on several pages but it seems her age isn't entirely set and instead fluctuates according to the call of a particular strip.

I don't think that anyone literally said "shut it down", I believe it was a rhetoric, at least that's how I read it. [[User:Official.xian|Official.xian]] ([[User talk:Official.xian|talk]]) 11:47, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Oh yes. Forget that the economy would go to hell without Internet. Forget how much science is done using Internet. The real reason for Internet to exist is so you can get in love with someone on different continent. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:44, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not so sure... it would seem it was primarily funny cat videos, the funniest possible of which was obviously posted, viewed, and judged as the final necessary use of the internet. It was thus agreed to shut it down, as there is really no need to continue with this charade variously coined as "commerce", "science", or other superfluous forms of so-called "communication" (that is the garbled blathering that is not funny cat pictures or videos), all depending of course on your preferred (but nonetheless obviously deluded) persuasion. This comic only serves to prove it. I am left wondering, though... how did Ponytail come to learn this? SMS? Phone Tree? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 13:55, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
::Is there perhaps a meme going around where instead of "lol" you write "internetover" to say "this is so good/funny, i can now die happy" and the comic author was annoyed with that and made this where the start situation is silly and the end is even sillier? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.163|108.162.254.163]] 14:10, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

This could be far more than a romantic involvement. She says she thought she was asking too much. But then she found... a like-minded individual, someone who can... notice the 'glitches in the matrix', as it were. Much more might have been lost here than a believed love. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.169|173.245.54.169]] 14:13, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

It could mean the girl is in love or wants to adopt a child from a country like Iran, but before she can tell, the internet THERE is shut down by the government
(which happens all the time because of some youtube video or something). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.114|108.162.237.114]] 14:18, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-17T18:43:11Z

108.162.237.114: /* Typo */ "ask simply questions" instead of "ask simple questions"

{{comic
| number = 826
| date = November 26, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)
| before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.
}}

==List of tasks to make explanation complete==

{{incomplete|See below.}}

#Not all of the popups are fully/properly explained.
##Poorly Remembered History can do with more details in the explanations.
##Regrettable pranks could be better explained and linked to science where applicable
##A few cases of inconsistent style of explanation.
#Cross-reference explanations to Wikipedia where possible.
#<s>Locations of hotspots are missing?</s>
#Comment on the notable people in the main graphics (man with red cape, double black hat guy).
#Review for grammar.

==Explanation==
This comic is drawn by a guest webcomic artist, Zack Weiner, following the theme of "Guest Week". Zach is the author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. It's interactive, so you'll have to see the [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic].

The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." It is an often occurrence that curious little boys will ask simple questions about science to their fathers, such as, "Daddy, why is the sky blue?". Father would respond, "Well Susie, the sky is blue to match your dress."

===Hall Of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|The basilisk is a mythological reptilian monster that was described as having the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze. This plays on and encourages a relatively common childhood notion that a reptile or other animal (often an alligator, crocodile, tiger, or other large or dangerous predator) may be hiding under the child's bed or near where they sleep, causing anxiety.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|The exhibit about molecules is referring to a common trope attributed especially to elderly men in that they complain or sometimes exaggerate claims about certain developments over their lifetime which change the way they view or interact with the world (e.g. "When I was your age, we had fun all day with just a piece of wood!"). Historically, though it was understood that matter was made up of small particles it was a common misnomer to refer to these particles as atoms.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|The magnet exhibit alludes to a loss of sexual desire in adults that while perceived may not be true by comparing the attraction between magnets to the attraction between humans.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|Jesus' {{w|dandruff}} as {{w|snow}} refers to a common idiom in English that {{w|rain}} is "God's tears" and proposes a humorous and irreverent extension of the saying as an explanation for the existence of snow.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|The letters associated with {{w|DNA}} are related to the {{w|nucleotides}} which make up DNA chains (they are guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine, and are referred to respectively by the letters G, A, T, and C). The commonality of the abbreviation disguises the link to the names of the nucleotides and gives rise questions regarding the letter choices. This could be an example of a parent crafting an answer that makes enough sense to a child, while disguising the parent's ignorance of the real reasons. This may also be a reference to another lamentation of older people -- that the world gets more complicated as time goes by -- and often leads to sarcastic or exaggerated fabrications. In this case, ostensibly, back when DNA was discovered, there were fewer letters available to assign to the components of DNA.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|The sleep exhibit reinforces common fears by accentuating the aspect of vulnerability associated with sleep. "The Boogie Man" is a common and generic ghost/monster name used by people telling ghost stories to young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|Water is less dense as {{w|ice|a solid}} than it is when in its {{w|water|liquid state}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. The exhibit falsely explains the phenomenon by linking it to a defense mechanism employed by prey species to deter predators. A {{w|rhinoceros}}, though fierce and territorial, is not a {{w|predator}}.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|The anti- in {{w|antimatter}} is a prefix in English which means "the opposite of" referring to the fact that antimatter is made up of oppositely charged particles from regular matter. This is a partial homonym to species of insects commonly called {{w|ant|ants}}.
</gallery>

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in oxygen. Helium is not prone to combustion, because it is a noble gas. Visitors are told they are about to explode because of the helium they have inhaled.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|Your middle finger is always longer than the others, so this test will always tell visitors they are an alien half-breed.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|Cherries are a common ingredient in Jello cups, but the exhibit implies that the cherry is actually a rabbit brain.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|This is meant to encourage little children to make their beds, or be eaten.
</gallery>

===Concessions===
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|KFP - a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|{{w|Ground beef}} - a pun on the name. Ground refers to both the floor and the past participle of grind.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|Eyes cream - wordplay once more. Ice cream sounds exactly like eyes cream when spoken, hence the 'how did you think it was spelled?'
</gallery>

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
This section perhaps refers to how poorly understood world history is in America. It is interesting to note that African and Australian history is completely omitted, while European and Asian history are at least referenced.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|{{w|Genghis Khan|Genghis Khan}} - Genghis, born Temüjin, was a Mongolian conqueror and founder of {{w|Mongol Empire|the then-largest continuous land empire in history}}. While Americans can easily remember Khan as a badass figure, the Asian cultures as a whole tend to get slapped with stereotypical "mystical Oriental" elements, such as Chinese-style dragons.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|{{w|Crimean War|Crimean War}} - an European Conflict. The joke is that American education, stereotypically, tends not to focus on wars that did not involve the United States; the Crimean war in particular would be glossed over in favor of the {{w|California Gold Rush}}, the {{w|Oregon Trail}}, and the rising political tension that would lead to the {{w|American Civil War}}. So the Crimean war is incorrectly remembered as a war on crime, (probably guessed from the name "Crime"an war.)

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|{{w|The Renaissance|The Renaissance}} - a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark ages. Here, the Renaissance is incorrectly remembered as a time when wizards were in control. The Renaissance was a birth of may different art styles and paintings, so the author may have mistaken the paintings as conjured up by wizards. This could also be a reference to Harry Potter, or how people blamed "witches and wizards" in the Dark Ages.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|{{w|Star Wars}} - fiction is often treated as fact by children, or referred to as such by adults to children, either accidentally or purposefully. The father of the child is probably a Star Wars fan, to trick his child into thinking that the Star Wars events really existed

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|{{w|France}} - this further parodies the ignorance of countries outside of the Americas, since most people know that France exists.
</gallery>

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|"Naked wrestling" is a common euphemism for sex if your children happen to walk in on your coitus and you don't want to ruin their innocence.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|"Alcohol is poison" - an excuse to explain away why fathers may drink unhealthily, or are addicts.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|The "big tummies before babies come" obviously refers to pregnancy.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|Sidestepping around the death of a loved one is common with young children to spare them the sorrow of death; this takes it a step further by saying that the child's grandmother went to Saturn.
</gallery>

===Miscellaneous===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|The dinosaur skeleton presumably refers to how humans have never actually seen a real dinosaur and have always only seen the bones.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there is one for each gender of humans, and one for "Korgmen & Spangs". This may be a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|The uncategorized dark green exhibit to the right is labeled "Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work". The exhibit resembles an {{w|autostereogram}}, a picture that has a hidden 3D image, but has to be looked at by forcing your eyes to focus either beyond ("wall-eyed") or in front of ("cross-eyed") the image, which many people find difficult or impossible to do. Autostereograms are commonly sold in books under the trademark "Magic Eye". Presumably the exhibit only pretends to be an autostereogram without actually being one.
</gallery>

==Transcript==
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement

:(Click to view exhibits!)

:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.

:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.

:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.

:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.

:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!

:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.

:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.

:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.
:Dad, to child: Told you so.

:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!

:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.

:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.

:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.

:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.

:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.

:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.

:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".

:Booth: A concession stand.
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.
:Dad, to child: Told you.

:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.
:Booth label: EYES CREAM
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.

:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.

:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.

:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.

:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.

:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.

:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.
:Dad: You're welcome.

:Exhibit: A large bird.
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.

:Exhibit: A rocket ship.
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.

:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.

:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.

:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.

:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
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526: Converting to Metric

2014-01-06T18:58:28Z

108.162.237.114: /* Volume */

{{comic
| number = 526
| date = January 5, 2009
| title = Converting to Metric
| image = converting to metric.png
| titletext = According to River, "adequate" vacuuming systems drain the human body at about half a liter per second.
}}

==Explanation==
Most people will eventually develop an intuitive feel for how big certain measurements are (e.g., how long an inch or a foot is, how much a pound weighs). This comic points out that people who were brought up using the {{w|Imperial measurement|imperial system}} probably don't have the same intuitive understanding for metric units and attempts to provide some benchmarks for these people. Most of the benchmarks are common sense, highly-useful ones (e.g., if it's 30 degrees centigrade, you'd be quite comfortable outside dressed for the beach) but some of the benchmarks are humorous and/or completely useless. Benchmarks include:

===Temperature===
*-20⁠℃ - FuckFuckFuckCold and -30⁠℃ - Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!: This is basically what some people would say when they step outside at this temperature.
*-40⁠℃ - Spit goes "clink": The temperature at which your spit would freeze ''before'' it hits the ground.

===Length===
*1 cm - Width of microSD card and 3cm - Length of SD card: Refers to the {{w|MicroSD card|memory cards}} used in cell phones, digital cameras, etc.
*1 m - {{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber Blade}}: Refers the weapon used in the {{w|Star Wars}} movie franchise. Canonically, the length of a Lightsaber's blade varies greatly depending on the setting of the weapon, but "one meter" is by no means a bad approximation.
*170 cm - {{w|Summer Glau}}: Refers to the height of the actress who portrays the character River Tam on the TV show {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}.
*200 cm - Darth Vader: Refers to the height of the main antagonist from Star Wars.
*16 m 4 cm - Human tower of Serenity crew: Again, this refers to the Firefly TV show, which takes place mostly on a space ship called Serenity. Presumably, if all the crew of Serenity were stacked on top of each other, this would be their combined height. The comic depicts four characters from the show standing on top of each other; the bottom figure is the crew's captain, {{w|Malcolm Reynolds}} in his signature coat.

===Speed===
*110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 MPH): Refers to the {{w|Interstate|American highway system}}.
*120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65": People routinely break the aforementioned speed limit.

===Volume===
*30 mL - Nasal Passages and 40mL - Shot Glass: The comic points out that you could just about fill a shot glass using the mucus from your nose. Since shot glasses are usually used for mixed drinks, the comic jokes that this mucus could constitute a new, disgusting drink.
*3 L - Two-liter bottle: Refers to a bottle which contains two liters (in the US usually soda). There is debate as to the reason for the discrepancy in volume.
*30 L - Milk Crate: Refers to a {{w|Milk crate|type of small box}} originally used to transport milk but now often in demand to be used as bicycle basket, storage spaces, etc.
*55 L - Summer Glau: Again, this refers to the actress from Firefly.
*65 L - {{w|Dennis Kucinich}}: An American politician belonging to the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party}}, noted for his relatively strong (for the US) leftest views.
*75 L - {{w|Ron Paul}}: An American politician belonging to the rival {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican party}}, noted for his strong rightest views. As hinted at in the comic, he, Kucinich and Glau would not get along at all well together trapped inside a fridge.

===Mass===
*3 g - {{w|M&M's|Peanut M&M}}: A small chocolate candy
*5 kg - {{w|Lcd monitor|LCD Monitor}}: A modern flat-screen-style monitor.
*15 kg - {{w|CRT monitor|CRT Monitor}}: An older-style, cathode ray tube-based monitor.
*4 kg - Cat and 4.1 kg - Cat (With Caption): Refers to the internet's love of putting {{w|Lolcat|captions on cats}}. Usually, this is done in a graphics program, but here the cat is actually physically carrying around his caption. The "with caption" part is most likely a reference to [[262:_IN_UR_REALITY|Comic 262]], where [[Black Hat]] glues captions to cats.
*150 kg - Shaq: {{w|Shaq|Shaquille O'Neal}}, a famously tall basketball player.
*200 kg - Your Mom, 220 kg - Your Mom (incl. cheap jewelry) and 223 kg - Your Mom (also incl. Makeup): Refers to a common type of {{w|Your mom|joking insult}} whereby someone insults someone else's mother in a creative way. Here, the comic slyly calls your mom fat and implies she wears way too much jewelry and almost 7 pounds of makeup.

The title text refers once again to Summer Glau's Firefly character, River, who (after being subjected to a long series of medical experiments) is severely mentally ill and often comes out with macabre—though scientifically accurate—pronouncements.

==Transcript==
:Guide to Converting to Metric
:The key to converting to metric is establishing new reference points. When you hear "26 degrees centigrade", instead of thinking "That's 79 degrees fahrenheit" you should think, "that's warmer then a house but cool for swimming." Here are some helpful tables of reference points:

:Temperature:
:60 degrees centigrade - Earth's Hottest
:45 degrees centigrade - Dubai Heat Wave
:40 degrees centigrade - Southern US Heat Wave
:35 degrees centigrade - Northern US Heat Wave
:30 degrees centigrade - Beach weather
:25 degrees centigrade - Warm Room
:20 degrees centigrade - Room Temperature
:10 degrees centigrade - Jacket Weather
:0 degrees centigrade - Snow!
:-5 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Boston)
:-10 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Moscow)
:-20 degrees centigrade - FuckFuckFuckCold
:-30 degrees centigrade - Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
:-40 degrees centigrade - Spit goes "clink"
:[Stick figure next to last three lines.]
:Man: ''Pthoo'' [Man spits.]
:Spit: ''Clink!'' [Spit bounces off ground.]

:Length
:1cm - Width of microSD card
:3cm - Length of SD card
:12cm - CD Diameter
:14cm - Penis
:15cm - BIC pen
:80cm - Doorway width
:1m - Lightsaber Blade
:170cm - Summer Glau
:200cm - Darth Vader
:2.5m - Ceiling
:5m - Car-length
:16m4cm - Human tower of Serenity crew
:[Human tower of Serenity crew stick figures depicted taking up from second line of panel to bottom.]

:Speed
:5 kph - 1.5 m/s - Walking
:13 kph - 3.5 m/s - Jogging
:25 kph - 7 m/s - Sprinting
:35 kph - 10 m/s - Fastest Human
:45 kph - 13 m/s - Housecat
:55 kph - 15 m/s - Rabbit
:75 kph - 20 m/s - Raptor
:100 kph - 25 m/s - Slow Highway
:110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 MPH)
:120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65"
:140 kph - 40 m/s - Raptor on Hoverboard

:Volume
:3mL - Blood in a fieldmouse
:5mL - Teaspoon
:30mL - Nasal Passages
:40mL - Shot Glass
:So when it's blocked, the mucus in your nose could about fill a shot glass.
:[Image of a shot glass.] Related: I've invented the worst mixed drink ever.
:350mL - Soda Can
:500mL - Water Bottle
:3L - Two-Liter Bottle
:5L - Blood in a Human Male
:30L - Milk Crate
:55L - Summer Glau
:65L - Dennis Kucinich
:75L - Ron Paul
:200L - Fridge
:[Cueball shoving Ron Paul, Summer Glau, and Dennis Kucinich into fridge.]
:[Above fridge, circled, is 55+65+75<200]

:Mass
:3g - Peanut M&M
:100g - Cell Phone
:500g - Bottled Water
:1kg - Ultraportable Laptop
:2kg - Light-Medium Laptop
:3kg - Heavy Laptop
:5kg - LCD Monitor
:15kg - CRT Monitor
:4kg - Cat [Drawing of cat.]
:4.1kg - Cat (With Caption) [Drawing of cat, going "Mrowl?", and holding a caption.]
:60kg - Lady
:70kg - Dude
:150kg - Shaq
:[Stick figure of Megan and Cueball beside previous 3 lines.]
:200kg - Your Mom
:220kg - Your Mom (incl. cheap jewelry)
:223kg - Your Mom (also incl. Makeup)

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

1114: Metallurgy

2013-11-25T05:01:04Z

108.162.237.114: /* Explanation */ Toph, not Toft

{{comic
| number = 1114
| date = September 28, 2012
| title = Metallurgy
| image = metallurgy.png
| titletext = This exotic blade was wrought from a different fallen star. The meteorite was a carbonaceous chondrite, so it's basically a lump of gravel glued into the shape of a sword. A SPACE sword!
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
The comic explains how weapons would really behave if they were made out of unusual materials. In fantasy stories, using unusual materials for weapons traditionally makes the weapons more powerful and cooler despite limited explanation for exactly why materials of extraterrestrial origin are so superior to their earthen counterparts.

The first sword is made from an iron meteorite. The quality of such metal can be rather hit-and-miss. On one hand, iron from meteorites was often mixed with "terrestrial" iron in the early stages of human development to create relatively high quality steel for swords. Undeveloped metalworking techniques at the time meant that extraterrestrial metal was often more refined and plentiful than man-made metal ingots. With that in mind, however, [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0016703767901408 research] has shown that meteorites have an abundance of the chemical element Antimony (Sb) which by itself is a very brittle metal and therefore swords forged from metals harvested from meteorites may not as strong as lore would have one think.

The second panel is a reference to stories set in Middle Earth and the sword is Sting, which glows blue when Orcs are near. Sting used to belong to Bilbo Baggins; when he grew old he gave it to Frodo Baggins as a gift. The dagger in question, though, glows because of the radioactive properties of {{w|Actinium}} (Ac) which is also highly toxic. Definitely not a dagger you would want to carry around for your every day battles.

The word "Eldritch" in the third panel means sinister, ghostly, or magical.

The fourth panel mentions that the weapon gives a +2 to a player's attribute. This is a reference to role-playing games in which it is common to find items that are able to improve one's character by increasing desirable attributes. In this case, however, +2 to cancer risk would definitely not be considered a desirable attribute to increase.

The title text refers to the last season ("Book 3: Fire") of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Sokka lost his boomerang and decides to apprentice for a short time with a swordsmith. When he chooses his metal, he chooses the giant meteor which felll earlier in the episode. Throughout the rest of the season, his Space Sword is heavily spoken of, as he forms an emotional attachment to it. On a side note, Toph the Earthbender gets a small piece of the meteor and wears it as an armband and bends it into useful things. The characters have a long argument about the oximoronic term space-earth, and Toph becomes the first metalbender.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are in a weapon store talking to a bearded salesman wearing a hat.]

:[Salesman holds up a sword]
:Salesman: This sword was forged from a fallen star. Antimony impurities make the blade surpassingly ''brittle'' and ''weak''.

:[Salesman holds up a dagger]
:Salesman: And this dagger is made of metal from a far-off kingdom. It glows blue.
:Off-panel: When orcs are near?

:Salesman: No, always. Radiation from the Actinium content.
:Megan: ...Does it have eldritch powers?

:Salesman: It gives the wearer +2 to cancer risk.
:Cueball: I think we should find another shop.

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