explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1311: 2014

2014-09-17T13:07:08Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1311
| date = January 1, 2014
| title = 2014
| image = 2014.png
| titletext = Some future reader, who may see the term, without knowing the history of it, may imagine that it had reference to some antiquated bridge of the immortal Poet, thrown across the silver Avon, to facilitate his escape after some marauding excursion in a neighbouring park; and in some Gentleman's Magazine of the next century, it is not impossible, but that future antiquaries may occupy page after page in discussing so interesting a matter. We think it right, therefore, to put it on record in the Oriental Herald that the 'Shakesperian Rope Bridges' are of much less classic origin; that Mr Colin Shakespear, who, besides his dignity as Postmaster, now signs himself 'Superintendent General of Shakesperian Rope Bridges', is a person of much less genius than the Bard of Avon. --The Oriental Herald, 1825
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs information on how much has come true, also information in general. This is also the longest title text?|1311: 2014}}
The comic includes many predictions from the 1800s and early 1900s. Many of them are for the twenty-first century in general, and only three specifically mention 2014 (two of them as in "a century from now").

*"It's desirable '''every thing printed should be preserved,''' for we '''cannot now tell how useful it may become''' two centuries hence." (1834)
A good idea. Now, with Google Books, this can be done in an easier manner, although unfortunately the prediction failed because many books printed between that time and the wide-spread usage of higher-quality wood-pulp paper in the early 1990s are either no longer known to exist, are heavily damaged (mostly through deterioration (see [[slow fire]]) or are very scarce.
*"I predict that a century hence the '''Canadian people''' will be '''the noblest specimens of humanity on the face of the earth'''" (1863)
Notably, there is a common joke nowadays that Canadians are always calm, mellow, polite peoples, even when insulting others. The rest of the quote goes as follows: ''"all that was good in the Celt, the Saxon, the Gaul and other races, combining to form neither English, Irish, nor Welsh, but Canadians, who would take their place among the churches of Christendom and the nations of the earth."'' This religious prediction probably wasn't believed even by its author. It's only a harangue.

*"In the twenty-first century '''mankind will subsist entirely upon jellies.'''" (1903)
Concentrates, which are gelatine like, form a large part of our food sources. Absurd if taken literally, but if he's talking about processed foods in general then he's not too far from the mark.

*"The twenty-first century baby is destined to be rocked and cradled by electricity, warmed and coddled by electricity, perhaps fathered and mothered by electricity. '''Probably the only thing he will be left to do unaided will be to make love.'''" (1905)
Probably an exaggeration even in its time, but still valid to some degree, as many electronics are used in rearing children today. From incubators, warming blankets, walkie-talkies, etc to the TV. On the same coin, however, these are merely tools of assistance; the process of child-''rearing'' is still a human task by and large. Of course, with Viagra, Cialis, vibrators, and other kinkier toys, we don't even have to make love unaided.

*"To-day, in the city of New York, sixty-six different tongues are spoken. '''A century hence, there will probably be only one.'''" (1907)
False. The number of languages spoken in New York City is believed to be greater than 100; some estimate as many as 800 languages are spoken there. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in the greater New York metropolitan area, almost 7 million people speak a language other than English at home, including over 3.5 million who speak Spanish, 2 million who speak other Indo-European languages, 1 million who speak Asian or Pacific Island languages, and 300,000 who speak other languages. Also, New York City is the location of the headquarters of the United Nations, with diplomats from nearly every country in the world, and several official languages.

*"I often think '''what interesting history we are making for the student of the twenty-first century.'''" (William Carey Jones, 1908)
Referring to the events that led to {{w|World War I}}. In 1908, {{w|Bosnian crisis|Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina}}. This led to the {{w|Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Sarajevo Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria}} in 1914 that is considered the starting event of the World War.

*"China may be a '''great shoe market''' a decade or a century from now." (1914)
While it is true in 2013/14, the context behind it was false, as the premise originally was that the business in the western world could export shoes to China, when currently, most of the shoes are actually manufactured in China itself and exported to western world. Ironically though, the profits from the shoe selling go to overseas companies.

*"'''We cannot settle the problem,''' and I venture the prophecy that perhaps '''a century from now this same question may be brought before some future society and discussed very much as it is tonight.'''" (1914, on abortion)
True - it is still heavily debated.

*"By the twenty-first century '''we shall all be telepaths.'''" (A character in Aldous Huxley's novel ''Antic Hay'', 1923)
Since the quote talks about natural telepathy this prediction has not been fulfilled. Wikipedia article on {{w|Telepathy}} states: ''Scientific consensus does not view telepathy as a real phenomenon.'' On the other hand, the widespread use of mobile phones allows us to communicate with many people from almost anywhere we're likely to be. More context for this prediction [http://books.google.com/books?id=pdXj2SZ1mT8C&pg=PA205]: "And it's my firm belief," said Gumbril Senior, adding notes to his epic, "that they [the birds] make use of some sort of telepathy, some kind of direct mind-to-mind communication between themselves. You can't watch them without coming to that conclusion." [...] "It's a faculty," Gumbril Senior went on, "we all possess, I believe. All we animals." [...] "By the twenty-first century, I believe, we shall all be telepaths. Meanwhile, these delightful birds have forestalled us."

*"The physician of the twenty-first century… may even criticize the language of the times, and may find that '''some of our words have become as offensive to him as the term "lunatic" has become offensive to us.'''" (1924)
The word "lunatic" is still considered derogatory and because of that it would never be used in a clinical sense. At the time this was written, more specific terms such as "schizophrenic" were preferred, but now the noun use of that term (i.e., referring to the patient as "a schizophrenic") is itself deprecated in favor of more humanizing terms like "a patient with schizophrenia." He correctly predicts the trajectory of terms like "{{w|mentally retarded}}", itself adopted by his day to replace earlier terms for the intellectually disabled, such as "moron" and "imbecile", which had become pejorative. Soon enough the word "retard" joined them in that regard, and it now has largely been abandoned as a medical term.

*"Historians of the twenty-first century will look back with well-placed scorn on the '''shallow-minded days''' of the early twentieth century '''when football games and petting parties were considered the most important elements of a college education.'''" (1926)
While media still encourages such images, colleges have started to become much more career oriented. Also, due to incidents involving sex-themed frosh weeks, there has actually been a greater emphasis to condemn sexual activities among college students.

*"'''In the year A.D. 2014''' journalists will be writing on the centenary of the great war — '''that is, if there has not been a greater war.'''" (1934)
July 28, 2014 marks 100 years since the beginning of {{w|World War I}} (popularly called "The Great War" at the time), thus journalists will definitely write articles of this war. More than 9 million combatants were killed. However, unfortunately, there was a greater war, {{w|World War II}}, which killed around 25 million soldiers and an even greater number of civilians. Due to the larger scope, easily identifiable heroes and villains, and other factors, the second war occupies a much greater place in our collective memory.

The title text refers to a certain British officer, Mr. Colin Shakespeare, who experimented and promoted the use of rope suspension bridges in India, apparently for the ease of colonization and military operations.[http://books.google.com/books?id=aZRPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA367] The reference to "River Avon" is about the river of {{w|River Avon (Warwickshire)|Avon in Warwickshire}}, {{w|Stratford upon Avon}} being the town where {{w|William Shakespeare|Shakespeare (the playwright)}} was born and where he lived until his early twenties. The author is aware of the potential confusion that might result after decades or centuries have washed away the context, a topic xkcd has previously covered in [[771: Period Speech]]. As such, the author makes a point to separate the two Shakespeares.

==Transcript==
:(This is a series of quotes from various people of various timeframes. Each quote is followed by the author, the document of publication if applicable, and the year.)

:'''Notes from the past'''

:It's desirable '''every thing printed should be preserved,''' for we '''cannot now tell how useful it may become''' two centuries hence.
::Christopher Baldwin
:::'''1834'''

:I predict that a century hence the '''Canadian people''' will be '''the noblest specimens of humanity on the face of the earth'''
::Rev. John Bredin
:::'''1863'''

:In the twenty-first century '''mankind will subsist entirely upon jellies.'''
::''The Booklover''
:::'''1903'''

:The twenty-first century baby is destined to be rocked and cradled by electricity, warmed and coddled by electricity, perhaps fathered and mothered by electricity. '''Probably the only thing he will be left to do unaided will be to make love.'''
::Mrs. John Lane, ''The fortnightly''
:::'''1905'''

:To-day, in the city of New York, sixty-six different tongues are spoken. '''A century hence, there will probably be only one.'''
::''The American Historical Magazine''
:::'''1907'''

:I often think '''what interesting history we are making for the student of the twenty-first century.'''
::Willian Carey Jones
:::'''1908'''

:China may be a '''great shoe market''' a decade or a century from now.
::''Boot and Shoe Recorder''
:::'''1914'''

:'''We cannot settle the problem,''' and I venture the prophecy that perhaps '''a century from now this same question may be brought before some future society and discussed very much as it is tonight.'''
::Dr. Barton C. Hirst on the subject of '''abortion'''
:::'''1914'''

:By the twenty-first century I believe '''we shall all be telepaths.'''
::Gumbriel, character in ''Antic Hay''
:::'''1923'''

:The physician of the twenty-first century… may even criticize the language of the times, and may find that '''some of our words have become as offensive to him as the term "lunatic" has become offensive to us.'''
::Dr. C. Macfie Campbell
:::'''1924'''

:Historians of the twenty-first century will look back with well-placed scorn on the '''shallow-minded days''' of the early twentieth century '''when football games and petting parties were considered the most important elements of a college education.'''
::Mary Eileen Ahern, ''Library Bureau''
:::'''1926'''

:'''In the year A.D. 2014''' journalists will be writing on the centenary of the great war — '''that is, if there has not been a greater war.'''
::F.J.M, ''The Journalist''
:::'''1934'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1256: Questions

2014-09-17T02:32:59Z

108.162.250.223: /* Other questions */

{{comic
| number = 1256
| date = August 26, 2013
| title = Questions
| image = questions.png
| titletext = To whoever typed 'why is arwen dying': GOOD. FUCKING. QUESTION.
}}
A larger version of the picture can be found [http://xkcd.com/1256/large/ here]
.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Incomplete.}}
{{w|Google}}, a rather popular internet search engine, has a feature known as [https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/106230?hl=en autocomplete] that guesses at search queries before they are fully typed out. These guesses are generally made based on popular searches by other people. From time to time, a particularly strange or hilarious one may be found, as is evidenced in this comic.

The largest pictured questions are: "Why are there slaves in the bible" and "Why are there ants in my laptop".

All of the questions in the comic are "why" questions, so many of them are predicated on false assumptions, such as "Why are there pyramids on the moon".

Regarding the title text: in the Peter Jackson films of {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy}}, Arwen becomes sickly for unspecified reasons as the plot advances, apparently giving Aragorn a more personal reason to fight. The only explanation given is by Elrond, who says "As Sauron's power grows, her [Arwen's] strength wanes." This subplot is entirely absent from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings|original novels}}.

From [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/faq#.2.1.21 IMDB]: <blockquote>
Arwen, like her father (and brothers) is considered to be a Half-Elf, the result of a union between an Elf and a mortal human. The Half-Elven of Middle-earth get a choice, to remain immortal and return to the West (Valinor) or to become mortal and to die as humans do. Elrond chose to remain an Elf. Arwen (like her uncle Elros) chooses to become mortal in order to wed and remain with Aragorn. Elrond senses this; this is what he means when he says that Arwen is dying. It is the same as in The Last Unicorn, when the unicorn is given the form of a human woman and can feel that she is no longer immortal ("I can feel this body dying all around me"). According to Tolkien, though, after Aragorn dies in the year 120 (Fourth Age), Arwen returns to Lórien, where she dies by choice the following winter. </blockquote>

==Selected answers==
===Single panels===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
|Why aren't my arms growing?||Arms stop growing because longer arms would not be a very useful way to spend resources, and therefore your DNA tells your body not to grow your arms any more.
|-
|Why are there ghosts?||There is no hard evidence of ghosts.
|-
|Why are there squirrels?||Squirrels exist because they fit their biological niche better than any other species.
|-
|Why is sex so important?||Sex is important because it is the primary method of reproduction in many different species.
|-
| Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter? || In the {{w|Harry Potter}} universe, Muggle technology (human inventions) are often looked down on by wizards - the majority of half-blooded wizards like Harry won't touch one, let alone a wizard extremist like {{w|Voldemort}}. Not only does any Muggle device more complex than a wristwatch interfere with magical artifacts, but wands are usually more versatile than most guns; a revolver can't shoot lightning or summon items or teleport its user. Finally, while Harry himself may or may not consider using firearms due to his Muggle upbringing, ''Harry Potter'' is a children's book (which usually doesn't include guns) set in the United Kingdom (which has stricter gun laws than, say, the United States).
|-
|-
|}

===Section one===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
| Why do whales jump? || To the whale, it's like going into outer space!
|-
|Why are witches green? || See {{w|Wizard of Oz}}.
|-
|Why are there mirrors above beds?|| Often, these are used by couples to view themselves during coitus.
|-
|Why do I say Uh?||See ''[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/06/the_odd_body_language_fillers/ Why do we say 'um', 'er', or 'ah' when we hesitate in speaking?]''.
|-
| Why is sea salt better? || The question likely refers to the difference between common {{w|Fortified table salt}} and usually more expensive sea salt. While the major part of both of these is sodium chloride (NaCl) the idea behind the claim is the different composition mostly in regards to trace elements of sea salt compared to "normal" salt. Table salt's composition is often influenced by a country's health department and thus addition of trace elements is regulated. While these regulations are based on scientific studies there remain to be debates concerning the additions, such as iodine.
|-
| Why are there trees in the middle of fields? || Many images of fields contain singular trees in the middle of them. While there exist such trees it is likely an artistic choice to give a more pleasing or aesthetically satisfying image compared to just a field. In modern agriculture those would in fact be quite troublesome since they are a hindrance to large machines used and a new tree would be unlikely to grow in a constantly worked field.
|-
| Why is there not a Pokémon MMO? || {{w|Pokémon}} is a popular franchise, spanning game consoles, anime series, a trading card game, and many other things. Among fans, it is a frequent topic of discussion why a Pokémon {{w|massively multiplayer online game}} has not been officially announced by the series' developers {{w|Game Freak}}, as they often [http://www.dorkly.com/comic/52546/be-careful-what-you-wish-for predict] that such a game would be extremely popular, and bring in massive revenue for the company. However, if Game Freak were to develop a Pokémon MMO the MMOs would be strong competition against the console games and therefore reducing the Pokémon demographic significantly.
|-
|Why is there laughing in TV shows? || Sitcoms were once filmed with an audience, so the actors could respond to their reactions. That's the historical reason why there were laughs in TV shows. The tradition continues, with the difference that now the laughter mostly comes from recorded tapes. See {{w|Laugh track}}.
|-
|Why are there doors on the freeway?||
|-
|Why are there so many svchost.exe running?||See {{w|svchost.exe}}.
|-
| Why aren't there any countries in Antarctica? || {{w|Antarctica}} is the southern most continent and is by large covered in ice and in general pretty cold. While it is a regular target of tourists and researchers it also lacks native human inhabitants. At the moment, the territorial claims concerning Antarctica are mostly handled via the {{w|Antarctic Treaty System}}. In short there are a few countries who claim certain parts of the continent as their own in theory but so far it is considered neutral territory and most maps don't concern themselves with displaying the (in some regards disputed) territorial claims because they do not matter at this point in time. If there are ever any worthwhile resources discovered, this might change.
|-
|Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft?|| To add atmosphere and to give players hints when there is a dark cave nearby. See [http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Ambience Minecraft Wiki].
|-
|Why is there kicking in my stomach?||See ''[http://www.webmd.com/baby/fetal-movement-feeling-baby-kick Feeling Your Baby Kick]''. Here, ''stomach'' means ''abdomen''.
|-
|Why are there two slashes after http?||See ''[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1220286/Sir-Tim-Berners-Lee-admits-forward-slashes-web-address-mistake.html Sir Tim Berners-Lee admits the forward slashes in every web address 'were a mistake']''.
|-
|Why are there celebrities?||There are certain people who are more respected and well-known than other people, whether it be because of their acting career, major advancements to science, or a sex tape.
|-
|Why do snakes exist?|| See "Why are there snakes?" below.
|-
|Why do oysters have pearls?||See {{w|Pearl#Creation of a pearl}}.
|-
|Why are ducks called ducks?||See {{w|Duck#Etymology}}.
|-
|Why do they call it the clap?||An old folk remedy for {{w|gonorrhea}} was to clap on the sides of the penis.
|-
|Why are Kyle and Cartman friends?||Kyle and Cartman are child characters on the animated TV show "South Park." Cartman often berates Kyle for being Jewish and regularly commits other atrocities. However, they most likely remain "friends" because they are in the same class at school and are therefore "forced" to be around one another.
|-
|Why is there an arrow on Aang's head?||See {{w|Avatar: The Last Airbender#Characters}}.
|-
|Why are text messages blue?||This likely refers to imessage chat being blue. These messages are blue when sending a message to another apple device.
|-
|Why are there mustaches on clothes?||Because some people buy them.
|-
|Why are there mustaches on cars?||Fuzzy pink mustaches are used to designate cars in the {{w|Lyft}} service.
|-
|Why are there mustaches everywhere?||See {{w|Movember}}
|-
|Why are there so many birds in Ohio?||
|-
|Why is there so much rain in Ohio?||
|-
|Why is Ohio weather so weird?||See {{w|Lake-effect snow}}.
|-
|}

===Section two===
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
| Why are there male and female bikes? || {{w|bicycle|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the top, resulting in a lower {{w|Frame geometry|standover height}} at the expense of compromised structural integrity, since this places a strong bending load in the seat tube, and bicycle frame members are typically weak in bending. This design, referred to as a '''''{{w|step-through frame}}''''' or as an ''open frame'', allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified way while wearing a skirt or dress.</blockquote>
|-
|Why are there bridesmaids?||See {{w|Bridesmaid#Origin and history}}.
|-
|Why do dying people reach up?||We can never know for sure, but one hypothesis is that they want to hug/touch their loved ones one last time.
|-
|Why aren't there varicose arteries?||Blood moves through veins due to irregular pressure from skeletal muscles combined with valves to control direction. In varicose veins these valves malfunction affecting blood flow. In arteries blood flow is produced directly from pressure caused by the heart.
|-
|Why are old Klingons different?||See {{w|Klingon#Redesign}}.
|-
|Why is programming so hard?||Programming is the art of writing instructions for a computer to do. Since the computer has a limited set of instructions for you to use it involves a new way of thinking for many. It is also hard because the computer itself is not smart or adaptable to unexpected problems. For instance when a human is told to sort books in a shelf, he or she can do that despite there might be things in the way (he or she will just move it to the side). A computer generally just crash if it doesn't have instructions on how to deal with the unexcepted problem.
|-
|Why is there a 0 Ohm resistor?||See {{w|Zero-ohm link}}.
|-
|Why do Americans hate soccer? || Soccer, or football in British English, is rather unpopular in the USA compared to most other regions of the world. Finding a particular reason behind the (dis)like for certain sports, apart from cultural spread, is difficult. One possible explanation is soccer's tendency to have far fewer points scored in an average game and a higher likelihood of draws compared to such things as American Football, basketball or baseball, which are far more popular. In how far this is a legitimate argument for regarding soccer as "less interesting" is up to debate.
|-
|Why do rhymes sound good?||The brain enjoys repetition especially in music.
|-
|Why do trees die?||Some common reasons include lack of water, lack of nitrogen in the soil and being chopped down.
|-
|Why is there no sound on CNN?||Your speakers are off or broken.
|-
|Why aren't Pokémon real?||Pokémon are fantasised creatures that were designed to produce an interesting battle mechanic in a game. Some of the pokémons abilities would be impossible on earth as we know it. For instance, Magcargo is hotter than the surface of the sun<ref name="Bulbapedia Magcargo"> [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Magcargo#Trivia|Magcargo]]</ref>.
|-
|Why aren't bullets sharp?||See {{w|Terminal ballistics}}.
|-
|Why do dreams seem so real?|| Most dreams occur during a stage known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). During REM, your brain is highly active and its wave pattern is the same as the wave patterns in a person who is awake. It should be noted that dreams can occur during other stages of sleep but most dreams that are vivid occur during the REM stage.
|-
|}

=== Other questions ===
(Some questions in the transcript are linked to their answers.)
{| class ="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:20%;"|Question !! Possible answer
|-
|Why are there snakes? || The question is rather general and likely based on a widespread dislike for the reptilians. Be it due to their appearance, their spread, or the danger a few snakes pose to humans (often due to being poisonous) many people have a dislike for snakes and would prefer them to not exist (similar to spiders).
In regards to "why do snakes exist on earth?": Because evolution. Snakes fill a gap in the ecosystem as predators and hunt different species, including vermin. Snakes are in that regard similar to many other predatory animals. The question on why snakes developed with their distinct streamlined shape is still debated but {{w|snakes|likely it either provided an advantage when burrowing or swimming}}.
|-
|Why do oysters have pearls? || {{w|Creation of a pearl|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside the shell, or an attack from outside, injuring the mantle tissue. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. Pearls are commonly viewed by scientists as a by-product of an adaptive immune system-like function.</blockquote>
|-
|Why are ducks called ducks? || {{W|wikt:duck|According to Wiktionary}}, the noun ''duck'' can be traced back to the {{w|Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic}} word {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/dūkaną|''dūkaną''}} ("to dive, bend down"), and, in turn, the {{w|Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European}} {{w|wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/dʰewb-|''dʰewb-''}} ("deep, hollow"), which is the origin of the verb ''to duck''. The link between the noun and the verb comes from ducks' tendency to dive under water for short periods of time.
|-
|Why are Kyle and Cartman friends? || The question in all likelihood is addressed towards the TV show {{w|South Park}}. Both are children living in the small titular town in Colorado. Cartman is widely accepted to a be very bad person, one of his many character flaws being his antisemitism. Kyle on the other hand is a Jew. However, both, along with two other kids, Stan and Kenny, are the core focus of the show (or used to be) and to some extent are considered to be friends. While there are episodes which show Cartman being not entirely a horrible person and him holding Kyle in a position of at least a worthy adversary, most of the time the question should be "Why is anyone friends with Cartman?"
|-
|Why is there an arrow on Aang's head? || Aang is the main character of the TV series {{w|Avatar the last Airbender|Avatar - The last Airbender}} and features as part of a large body spanning tattoo an arrow on his head. These tattoos are made to replicate the markings of one of the shows fictional animals, the air bison which are regarded as the original air benders. They are given to human air benders once they attain the status of masters. Because Aang acquired this status very early in life he was already tattooed accordingly.
|-
|Why do dying people reach up? || In many works of fiction dying people are regarded with an outstretched arm, grasping for unseen objects towards the sky. In all likelihood this originates in the idea of heaven as the place where (good) people go after death. People "reach for the light" which is seen when dying according to similar beliefs or possibly for already dead relatives or other associated people waiting for them.
|-
|Why are old Klingons different? || {{w|Klingon Redesign|From Wikipedia}}: <blockquote>For {{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}} (1979), the Klingons were retconned and their appearance and behavior radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Lee Cole, a production designer, used red gels and primitive shapes in the design of Klingon consoles and ship interiors, which took on a dark and moody atmosphere. The alphabet was designed as angular, with sharp edges harkening to the Klingon's militaristic focus.[5] Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.</blockquote>
|-
| Why are there 0 Ohm resistors? || A resistor is usually designed to create a certain resistance, measured in {{w|Ohm}} in an electronic device. A 0 Ohm resistor seems pointless as it would only provide the same resistance as a normal cable. However, {{w|Zero-ohm link| Wikipedia gives a sufficient explanation for its uses}}.
|-
|Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus? || {{w|Poseidon}} was the patron deity of the city of {{w|Troy}}, which after a 10 years siege by the Greeks fell due to {{w|Odysseus}}' list of the {{w|Trojan_Horse|Trojan horse}}. As the Greeks were returning home after the Trojan War, Oddyseus' ship accidentally landed on the island home of the cyclops Polyphemus, who imprisoned the crew and ate many of them. In order to escape, Odysseus blinded the cyclops. Poseidon, Polyphemus' father, was extremely angered by his son being blinded, so he cursed Odysseus' ship to prevent him from reaching his home in {{W|Ithaca}}. The adventures which Odysseus encountered during his quest for reaching Ithaca are the main theme of {{w|Homer|Homer's}} {{w|Odyssey}} The Odyssey also says that before sailing, the crew forgot to offer a sacrifice as was ordained.
|-
|Why are there two Spocks? || This is probably a reference to the {{w|Star_Trek_(film)|2009 Star Trek movie}} in which the franchise was given a {{w|Reboot_(fiction)|continuity reboot}}. The modified setting is explained in-universe by time travel, with both the villain Nero and the original-timeline Spock being brought back from the 24th century to the 23rd, creating a timeline in which both older Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and the younger Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) coexist.

Another possibility is that the question refers to the episode {{w|Mirror,_Mirror_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)|"Mirror, Mirror"}}, which mostly takes place in an alternate universe populated by ruthless versions of most of the characters (including Spock).
|-
|Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America? || ''Further information: {{w|United States military deployments}}''This is a very interesting question, albeit one likely based on a regional misunderstanding. Presumably, this question is asked by Americans who assume that the existence of {{w|Category:Military facilities of the United States by country|U.S. military bases abroad}} is a general trend among countries, as opposed to being the rarity that it is. In fact, {{w|List of countries with overseas military bases|only a handful of other countries}} have military bases outside of their borders, and the three—{{w|France}}, the {{w|United Kingdom}}, and {{w|Russia}}—that have more than one or two are all countries that, like the United States, {{w|Allies of World War II|were on the winning side of World War II}}, have {{w|List of countries by military expenditures|massive military expenditures}}, and have {{w|United Nations Security Council veto power|UN Security Council vetoes}}. In other words, only the most militarily elite countries have bases overseas. The U.S. is unique, however, in that it has far more overseas bases than any other country (and, pretty much, far more of anything else than any other country, when it comes to the military), and in that {{w|List of United States military bases|it has bases in several other highly-industrialized nations}}, including {{w|List of United States Army installations in South Korea|South Korea}} and the United Kingdom, and, most notably, the World War II {{w|Axis powers}}: {{w|List of United States Army installations in Germany|Germany}}, {{w|United States Forces Japan|Japan}}, and {{w|List of United States Army installations in Italy|Italy}}. France, Russia, and the U.K.'s bases, on the other hand, are almost all within areas that they previously controlled.These bases can be controversial in some countries, while in others they are a major source of economic and political stability. The U.S. traditionally justifies their presence as a necessary and crucial element in its efforts to promote peace domestically and worldwide. Despite their major role in {{w|U.S. foreign policy}}, and in the general political structure of the globe, the American public often largely ignores them, and they rarely become a major political issue (apart from an occasional mention by {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian presidential candidates}}).So, essentially, the absence of foreign military bases within the U.S. is primarily because there aren't really any other countries in a position to place bases there. Ironically, although no battles in the traditional sense have been fought within the U.S. since the {{w|U.S. Civil War}} and the U.S. mainland has seen {{w|Mainland invasion of the United States|almost no military action}}, foreign air force bases might have been useful on September 11, 2001. (The {{w|attack on Pearl Harbor}} in 1941 was 18 years before Hawaii became a U.S. state.)There are, however, foreign troops stationed at some continental US military bases. For example RAF (British Royal Air Force) 39 Sqn and 361 Sqn at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada flying Reaper and Predator drones. But this are not foreign military bases, they are just guests.
|-
|Why is there no king in England? || ''Note: For simplicity's sake, "England" here is being read as "United Kingdom." The various name changes, mergers, and splits of kingdoms are complicated.''The basis for this question is that for the past several hundred years, there has almost always been a queen in England, the sole exceptions being when the king has not had a wife. However, there is a distinction between being the queen of England (that is to say, {{w|List of British monarchs|a monarch}}) and being the {{w|queen consort|queen ''consort''}} of England: The former refers to a woman who {{w|Succession to the British throne|succeeded to the throne}} in her own right, becoming sovereign, while the latter refers to the wife of the king. Both roles, though, are commonly referred to as "Queen of England," creating the impression that there is always such a person. The logical question, therefore, is why {{w|Elizabeth II}}'s husband, {{w|Prince Philip|Philip}}, is not considered the king of England. The answer lies in Britain's system of {{w|male-preference cognatic primogeniture}}, which causes the monarch of England to usually be a man, not a woman. As a result of this, British laws were generally built around the presumption that the monarch would be a man, and that said man would be married to a woman, [[223: Valentine's Day|comic 223]] be damned. Since the creation of the modern British throne in 1707, only two women have reigned as queen in their own right; it just so happens that these two women have been two of the most famous and longest-reigning monarchs in world history, {{w|Queen Victoria}} and Queen Elizabeth II. This fact may add to people's enhanced perception of the lack of a British king. Victoria and Elizabeth's respective consorts, {{w|Albert, Prince Consort|Albert}} and Philip, have been styled as princes—Albert as {{w|Prince Consort}} and Philip as "{{w|British prince|Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}}." Both were explicitly granted their titles by their wives, though Albert was already a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Philip had previously been a prince of Denmark and Greece, but had renounced both titles before marrying Elizabeth.The title {{w|king consort}} also exists, but has never been used in the United Kingdom.Notably, should {{w|Prince Charles}} succeed to his mother's throne, it has been announced that his wife, {{w|Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla}}, will be styled as {{w|princess consort}}, ''not'' as queen consort, just as she has declined the title {{w|Princess of Wales}}, which is strongly associated with Charles's first wife, {{w|Princess Diana|Diana}}. Assuming that Charles succeeds, this means that Britain will not have anyone referred to as "queen," after decades of not having anyone referred to as "king."
|-
|Why are there female Mr. Mimes? || {{w|Mr. Mime}} is a Pokémon introduced in the first generation of the games, and despite its name, it can be either of a male or female gender. As the Pokémon was introduced before the concept of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gender gender in Pokémon games], it is likely that the people in charge of translating its Japanese name (Barrierd) did not take this into account during the process.
|-
|Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN || From a Minnesota Paper, [http://www.startribune.com/local/138902104.html the Star Tribune], "Laws prevent the city from poisoning the crows". "Duffy [Steve Duffy, a co-owner of U.S. Bird Abatement Services, which has contracted with Rochester to get rid of the crows] isn't sure why Rochester has such a bad crow problem; probably a confluence of many bird-friendly conditions that has also made it a magnet for geese. He's seen worse cases, but called Rochester's situation 'hideous.'" And best of all, "The city has twice this winter hired experts to chase them off. They tried lasers and bullhorns — hey, get out of here, you crows — and even employed raptors to pick them off, one by one. That worked, for awhile." Unfortunately, they mean a {{w|bird of prey}}, not a {{w|velociraptor}}.
|-
|Why are the Avengers fighting the X Men || {{w|Avengers vs. X-Men}} was a 2012 Marvel crossover event that, like many other recent comic book events, had heroes fight other heroes. In this case, the {{w|Avengers (comics)|Avengers}} and the {{w|X-Men}} fought over the {{w|Phoenix Force (comics)|Phoenix Force}}, a godlike power that often possesses {{w|Jean Grey}} or her descendants (in this case, her alternate universe daughter Hope Summers). The Avengers believed the Phoenix Force is too powerful for humanity to control and wanted to contain it, while the X-Men believed the Phoenix was the messiah for mutants and could fix all of the Earth's problems.
|-
|Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers || Wolverine ''has'' been an Avenger, in some circumstances. e.g. in the {{w|The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes}} cartoon series, the episode ''New Avengers'' had Wolverine (along with Spiderman, War Machine, The Thing and Luke Cage and Iron Fist) substitute while the 'original' Avengers were unavailable to deal with the current crisis (which of course included the fate of the 'proper' Avengers). However, in general his anti-authority personality makes him a difficult team-member to field, and he has frequently disassociated himself even from the X-Men. But, in Avengers vs. X-Men (see above) Wolverine ''sided'' with The Avengers, and more modern treatments have even included the character in about as much a permanent a membership of the group as Logan is ever likely to have.

But if the question is about why Wolverine didn't appear in {{w|The Avengers (2012 film)|''The Avengers''}}, the answer is that ''The Avengers'' is being produced by Marvel/Disney, while Fox still has the rights to the X-Men and all Marvel mutants in general. Unless there is studio agreement, the two properties cannot cross, except through complicated machinations. For example, there are plans to bring Avengers mainstays Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch to both the ''Avengers'' and ''X-Men'' franchises, but only the Fox films have the right to call them the children of Magneto, and Marvel/Disney cannot even identify them on-screen as "mutants".
|-
|Why is Psychic weak to Bug || In Pokémon, Pokémon of the psychic type like Mr. Mime are weak to three types of attacks: Ghost, Dark, and Bug. The general theory is that Psychic Pokémon, relying heavily on their thoughts for attacks, are weak to fears, which ghosts, darkness, and bugs can be classified as.
|-
|Why are there ants in my laptop? || Ants usually come in your laptop when there are little crumbs of food. It is advised to get screen protectors.
|}

<references/>

==Transcript==
:[This strip is a rectangular word cloud, titled 'Questions found in Google autocomplete'. Embedded in the cloud are 5 single panels, with illustrated questions. These are described at the end. Questions are given in roughly columnar order. None of the questions have question marks.]

:Questions found in Google Autocomplete

:Why do whales jump
:Why are witches green
:Why are there mirrors above beds
:Why do I say uh
:Why is sea salt better
:Why are there trees in the middle of fields
:Why is there not a Pokemon MMO
:Why is there laughing in TV shows
:Why are there doors on the freeway
:Why are there so many svchost.exe running
:Why aren't there any countries in antarctica
:Why are there scary sounds in Minecraft
:Why is there kicking in my stomach
:Why are there two slashes after HTTP
:Why are there celebrities
:Why do snakes exist
:Why do oysters have pearls
:Why are ducks called ducks
:Why do they call it the clap
:Why are Kyle and Cartman friends
:Why is there an arraow on Aang's head
:Why are text messages blue
:Why are there mustaches on clothes
:Why are there mustaches on cars
:Why are there mustaches everywhere
:Why are there so many birds in Ohio
:Why is there so much rain in Ohio
:Why is Ohio weather so weird
:Why are there male and female bikes
:Why are there bridesmaids
:Why do dying people reach up
:Why aren't there varicose arteries
:Why are old Klingons different
:Why is programming so hard
:Why is there a 0 ohm resistor
:Why do Americans hate soccer
:Why do rhymes sound good
:Why do trees die
:Why is there no sound on CNN
:Why aren't Pokemon real
:Why aren't bullets sharp
:Why do dreams seem so real
:Why aren't there dinosaur ghosts
:Why do iguanas die
:Why do testicles move
:Why are there psychics
:Why are hats so expensive
:Why is there caffeine in my shampoo
:Why do your boobs hurt
:Why aren't economists rich
:Why do Americans call it soccer
:Why are my ears ringing
:Why are there so many Avengers
:Why are the Avengers fighting the X men
:Why is Wolverine not in the Avengers
:Why are there ants in my laptop
:Why is Earth tilted
:Why is space black
:Why is outer space so cold
:Why are there pyramids on the moon
:Why is NASA shutting down
:Why is there Hell if God forgives
:Why are there tiny spiders in my house
:Why do spiders come inside
:Why are there huge spiders in my house
:Why are there lots of spiders in my house
:Why are there spiders in my room
:Why are there so many spiders in my room
:Why do spider bites itch
:Why is dying so scary
:Why is there no GPS in laptops
:Why do knees click
:Why aren't there E grades
:Why is isolation bad
:Why do boys like me
:Why don't boys like me
:Why is there always a Java update
:Why are there red dots on my thighs
:Why is lying good
:Why is GPS free
:Why are trees tall
:Why are there slaves in the Bible
:Why do twins have different fingerprints
:Why are Americans afraid of dragons
:Why is there lava
:Why are there swarms of gnats
:Why is there phlegm
:Why are there so many crows in Rochester, MN
:Why is psychic weak to bug
:Why do children get cancer
:Why is Poseidon angry with Odysseus
:Why is there ice in space
:Why are there female Mr Mimes
:Why is there an owl in my backyard
:Why is there an owl outside my window
:Why is there an owl on the dollar bill
:Why do owls attack people
:Why are AK47s so expensive
:Why are there helicopters circling my house
:Why are there gods
:Why are there two Spocks
:Why is Mt Vesuvius there
:Why do they say T minus
:Why are there obelisks
:Why are wrestlers always wet
:Why are oceans becoming more acidic
:Why is Arwen dying
:Why aren't my quail laying eggs
:Why aren't my quail eggs hatching
:Why aren't there any foreign military bases in America
:Why is life so boring
:Why are my boobs itchy
:Why are cigarettes legal
:Why are there ducks in my pool
:Why is Jesus white
:Why is there liquid in my ear
:Why do Q tips feel good
:Why do good people die
:Why are ultrasounds important
:Why are ultrasound machines expensive
:Why is stealing wrong
:Why is YKK on all zippers
:Why is HTTPS crossed out in red
:Why is there a line through HTTPS
:Why is there a red line through HTTPS on Facebook
:Why is HTTPS important
:Why are there weeks
:Why do I feel dizzy
:Why are dogs afraid of fireworks
:Why is there no king in England

:[We see Cueball from the torso up, with arms outstretched.]
:Cueball: Why aren't my arms growing

:[Megan stands with a grey ghost on either side of her.]
:Megan: Why are there ghosts

:[Beret Guy stands, looking at a squirrel.]
:Beret Guy: Why are there squirrels

:[Cueball stands.]
:Cueball: Why is sex so important.

:[We see Ponytail from the torso up.]
:Ponytail: Why aren't there guns in Harry Potter

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Google Search]]

Talk:1216: Sticks and Stones

2014-09-17T00:37:55Z

108.162.250.223:

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will hurt forever. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 06:04, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Noone can appreciate the difference between broken bones and someone namecalling him without experience with the first. The things childs do to each other is basically the worst they ever experienced - because if those wouldn't, they would do worse. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:31, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Is it really a rhyme if it doesn't rhyme? --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:02, 24 May 2013 (UTC)
:The rhyming of "stones" and "bones" probably counts as the big feature, and then the 'uhr' sound of "words" and "hurt" echo this resonance, and I've never heard the "harm" version that wouldn't have this. Although it's certainly a non-standard rhyming scheme (if it's AABC) and scan (7+7 syllables, or (3+4)+(2+5) or however you want to split it). It's pithy, which probably trumps strict adherence to anything like iambic pentameter. Maybe there's an argument that it's more musical, with a rythm of 4 groups of 4 beats ("sticks" and "words" extending over two of them, each, the way I'd say it). But musical lyrics and spoken verse are easily interchangable, and as long as it isn't totally 'blank' verse I'd accept it as a rhyme. (Not an authority, though ->) [[Special:Contributions/31.109.101.73|31.109.101.73]] 19:56, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Citation: http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/27/in-the-brain-broken-hearts-hurt-like-broken-bones/ and http://www.pnas.org/content/108/15/6270.full?sid=758b38cc-b399-4d22-9c37-3c074cf321be [[User:Woliveirajr|Woliveirajr]] ([[User talk:Woliveirajr|talk]]) 16:58, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

My dear departed mother-in-law put it much more memorably - Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will break my heart. [[Special:Contributions/131.107.147.231|131.107.147.231]] 17:46, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

I can easily disregard words. It's not as easy to disregard a broken bone. After my fourth day at my new job, my knees are killing me, and that's not even close. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 01:16, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

So was this comic copied from here? http://thegentlemansarmchair.com/post/50907218931/sticks-and-stones-http-i-imgur-com-sowwlir-jpg
[[User:Bryced|Bryced]] ([[User talk:Bryced|talk]]) 07:43, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:Nice find, looks similar but the child doesn't talk. That's the point here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:18, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

I think the last panel isn't so much implying that Cueball thinks THE WORLD is horrific, but that the RHYME (and the fact that it's something regularly promoted to children) is horrific.--[[Special:Contributions/68.230.167.173|68.230.167.173]] 07:13, 10 August 2013 (UTC)
:Definitely. The horrific part is that we have a children's rhyme about a bone-breaking beating with clubs or rocks. That kind of thing curdles my stomach a little when I even read it in the paper (sorry, internet), so yes it does seem out of place here! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 19:21, 22 January 2014 (UTC)
::I disagree. Cueball's first line in that panel is saying that the world is not bad. When asked to explain why the rhyme involves sticks and stones breaking bones, he concedes that (it) is horrific. If the it refers to the rhyme, then the child was naïvely asking for an explanation. If the it refers to the world, then the child was trying to press a point, as he did in the second panel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.211|108.162.246.211]] 03:58, 10 July 2014 (UTC)

Or lack of words. It can be disappointing when someone is upset with you and won't talk to you and you just want them to open up so you can facilitate communication again.

Talk:1212: Interstellar Memes

2014-09-17T00:16:16Z

108.162.250.223:

I'm surprised ponies didn't make the list given how massively and completely they took over the Internet in recent years. Then again, xkcd hasn't made any mention of the phenomenon, which is pretty nice, I guess. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:35, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Given that the closest one, "I'm on a boat," predates the first episode of MLP:FiM by more than a year (the brony phenomenon by even more), it's safe to say that ponies have not reached the nearest star yet. --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 04:42, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:: Agreed. MLP:FIM premiered in October 2010. The show will hit the Alpha Centauri system early 2015. [[User:Frijole|Frijole]] ([[User talk:Frijole|talk]]) 16:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::I didn't have the date/distance chart at the time of posting, and indeed didn't realize how much time had past since some of these became popular. I feel much older with that in perspective. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:03, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

It would be great to have the distances (in light years) of the stars as a fourth column. This would also provide a chronological order. --[[Special:Contributions/84.75.61.103|84.75.61.103]] 08:06, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

If I look at the page source, there is no transcript this time... [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:41, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice Sirius is getting the Bellatrix one? [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 08:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, it was funny :D [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 10:55, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::Should this reference be mentioned? On the one hand, it is a spoiler, but on the other hand, a) we *are* here to explain the jokes, and b) the book is almost a decade old, so I'm pretty sure there's a statute of limitations involved here. [[User:Curtmack|Curtmack]] ([[User talk:Curtmack|talk]]) 14:56, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:::It's also funny that Sirius ''is'' a character in Harry Potter books/films. Double joke? --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:21, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Sorta, but it's Rowling's joke, not Randall's. The entire Black family (except for Narcissa, who was named before her family ties were established) is named after objects in the sky. Sirius is the only one in range. Of the ones I can remember, {{w|Regulus}} is 77 ly away, {{w|Bellatrix}} is roughly 250 ly away, and {{w|Andromeda Galaxy|Andromeda}} is an entirely separate galaxy. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 21:43, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

If any civilization have nothing better to do that repeating our memes, there is no need to apologize to them: they will obviously be glad they have at least something. How many people on our planet are repeating memes from other civilizations? None. (The circles in crop doesn't count, they are not send by radio.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:51, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Given that the Rick Astley one is on the same star as Portal, which came out in 2007, it's probably meant to refer to rickrolling (and thus the date should also be 2007 for that one). [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 10:55, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

All your base are belong to us didn't start as a meme in the 1970. I don't have precise data right now but I'm pretty sure it was 1997-99 when it first appeared on the internet. Also, what is the Sun doing? [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 11:14, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:1998 according to knowyourmeme. And I think the Sun is probably sending out all those radio waves for the aliens to listen to, or something? But I couldn't find an accurate way to portray it, so I just left it at that. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 11:18, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:: The map only shows stars, or rather star systems. We live in the sol system, where all these memes originate from, hence the sun is shown as the origin of the "radio waves". In the same fashion, these supposed aliens don't actually live on the stars themselves, but rather on planets (or maybe moons?) around the stars. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

In "Take me to your leader! - No, Steve", what is the "No, Steve" part referencing? The link currently is just for the "take me to your leader" part. [[Special:Contributions/72.92.72.222|72.92.72.222]] 15:14, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:I thought that the "No, Steve" made it into an explicit reference to Newsboys album/song (Steve Taylor wrote the lyrics for it). But then, that's a song fron 1996, and it would not be consistent with distance, while 1953 makes more sense... [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 15:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Steve" is an alien. "Take me to your leader," is a meme which "Steve" has been repeating. It helps if you read it with a somewhat exasparated inflection.--[[Special:Contributions/108.28.112.92|108.28.112.92]] 18:47, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

If you order the list by distance, further stars should get memes from earlier times, but this is not always the case. I think that some of the memes deserve more investigation, namely: "Internets!", "You're the man now, dog" and "All your base are belong to us!". Sort the list by distance and it becomes immediately apparent what I mean. [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 15:54, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"Internets" was from George W Bush but in 2004. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/internets internets meme]--[[Special:Contributions/145.253.244.103|145.253.244.103]] 16:08, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"You're the man now, dog" refers to a web site launched in 2001 which fits to the approx. 12 Lj.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:29, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"All your base are belong to us!" should also belong to 2001. I found this [http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/02/42009 wired.com] which explains that the internet meme probably began in 2001. But I am not sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:37, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Wouldn't "I'm on a boat!", as a popular and well-known meme known to the wider public, refer to the Old Spice commercial, rather than a song by the The Lonely Island? None of the few I spoke with had ever heard of the group, but all credited the quote to "the Old Spice guy". [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 17:56, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:I thought about this also before. But "I'm on a boat!" is the meme published by "The Lonely Island".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:02, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:>meme
:>published
:pick one [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 21:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::Old Spice Guy says "You're on a boat", and finishes with "I'm on a horse"[http://lybio.net/old-spice-the-man-your-man-could-smell-like/commercials/]... "I'm on a boat" isn't quite right for OSG. --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 03:45, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I sit corrected. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 16:18, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Title text: "The strongest incentive we have to develop faster-than-light travel is that it would let us apologize in advance." Is this an error by Randall? Faster-than-light would work if that travel did start at the time of transmission of those memes. Actually all messages had arrive at their targets so only Time-Travel would help. Nevertheless both ideas are impossible.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:51, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
:It's too late to apologize to the stars on this comic, but we could apologize to the ones farther out who have yet to be annoyed by us. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 21:45, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, it is possible. That's relativity! With faster than light travel we can still reach them. (Effect is similar as time travel!) Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.118.249|178.26.118.249]] 04:59, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Actually, depending on the reference frame (speed and movement direction of the observer) the notion of simultaneity does not hold for objects being spaciously apart. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.45.117|178.26.45.117]] 13:14, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:We can also apologize for newer memes. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:03, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

I guess I'm not too surprised that residents circling Beta Virginis are still doing the Spanish Inquisition schtick 7+ years later. But they got Holy Grail over two years ago. So I assume they're also pretending to be Knights Who Say Ni by now.
[[User:Opusthepenguin|Opusthepenguin]] ([[User talk:Opusthepenguin|talk]]) 16:34, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

It's worth mentioning that Randall debunks this idea of an interstellar audience in http://what-if.xkcd.com/47/.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 23:53, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The problem, though, with the older memes here, i.e. Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and Bugs Bunny, is that they were released to the public ''in film.'' They would have to wait until television broadcast in the '50s and '60s to be exported interstellarly. Most the other movies too, only they wouldn't have to wait so long. But we certainly wouldn't have stars 70 light-years away imitating us because that content hasn't gotten there yet.

Talk:1206: Einstein

2014-09-16T23:56:25Z

108.162.250.223:

I think left Cueball was just trolling. [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.48|81.23.24.48]] 05:00, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

"Disproving Einstein" is usually thought to be disproving special or general relativity theory --[[Special:Contributions/83.20.253.13|83.20.253.13]] 05:46, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am pretty sure the joke is that disproving anything Einstein said is "disproving Einstein". [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 09:04, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

:Wasn't the "disproving special or general relativity theory" already sort of done with quantum physics? Or do we only suspect that but lack the actual proof until we have confirmed {{w|Quantum_gravity|Quantum gravity}}? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:34, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

::In physics an experimentally likely theory is disproved by making an experiment that gives different results than the theory predicts. As none of the theories of relativity say anything about the statistical properties of electrons and photons, quantum experiments do not really disprove relativity. If you could measure gravitation on atomic scales you might, but there are no guarantees, as it might behave as relativity predicts, which would mean that some part of quantum field theory is either wrong, or not yet discovered (interestingly nine fold SUSY with local invariance might still reproduce general relativity at large scales, the theorists are still calculating). Generally, one wants to modify quantum theory, and keep relativity as it is (in a way what string theory does) and not the other way around.[[Special:Contributions/85.164.251.29|85.164.251.29]] 08:16, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me or did Cueball travel back in time to 1947? That would certainly be a bigger way to disprove Einstein than to go after his opinion of sandwich shoppes. -- [[User:Sturmovik|Sturmovik]]
:<code><nowiki>{{Like}}</nowiki></code> [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 19:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

;LOL, wrong patent
:''Moved from [[Talk:Main Page#LOL, wrong patent|Talk:Main Page]] -- [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 04:30, 2 May 2013 (UTC) ''
I googled patent number 39561 and got [http://www.google.com/patents?id=EA0AAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false this], which is a patent for carriage wheels, not a gravel sorter. I'm like, "You bet Einstein was wrong if he called that a gravel sorter!" Then I realized that he wasn't a patent clerk in the US patent office, but rather the Swiss. --[[Special:Contributions/138.67.184.240|138.67.184.240]] 03:23, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I googled "patent 39561 gravel sorter". [https://www.diigo.com/item/image/3edhj/qcu0 Screenshot]. Notice that first 9 links are about this comic xD --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:24, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:The Swiss Patent Office has a FAQ page, which also includes a link to [https://www.ige.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Institut/d/i109401.pdf Patent 39561 Gravel Sorter] Full FAQ: [https://www.ige.ch/en/about-us/einstein/frequently-asked-questions.html Swiss Patent Office]--[[User:Philster|Philster]] ([[User talk:Philster|talk]]) 12:10, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Has terminology changed since Einstein was an examiner. Provisional patents are not reviewed for patentability {{unsigned ip|96.248.90.153}}

I think part of the joke is that by "I am currently...", Cueball is describing what he is doing right now in the diner, i.e. eating a sandwich. [[Special:Contributions/94.101.35.45|94.101.35.45]] 11:23, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Maybe it's because of changing tastes and whatnot. In the mid-20th century, sandwiches were either homemade or available from delicatessens. Now we have places like Subway and Jimmy John's.

Talk:1150: Instagram

2014-09-16T06:39:01Z

108.162.250.223:

Randall completely ignores the fact that "Chad" offered to store people's stuff for free and with no problems. That's how "Chad" ended up with a garage full of stuff. That's why the sudden notice that "Chad" was going to sell the stuff upset all those people. The hover text neglects to mention whether or not the people across the street are also offering to store people's stuff for free.[[Special:Contributions/96.233.16.30|96.233.16.30]] 10:39, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

: As well as the difference between leaving a clearly worded (though still rather jerk-y) note and slipping unclear language into the already bloated Terms of Service. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:53, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:The fact of the matter is, he may be storing the stuff for free, but there's nothing to say that there are "no problems" involved. Effectively, once it's in Chad's house, he owns it. In any case, there's nothing to stop Cueball from not giving Chad any more stuff, or taking his stuff back from the garage. Of course, I understand it's not going to be as easy taking stuff off Instagram, but there you go. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 14:17, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Please note that a lot of people thought the new ToS allowed Instagram to sell their pictures but this is a misunderstanding of these ToS. This explanation should be slightly reworded in that sense. See http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/12/18/instagram_privacy_uproar_why_it_s_absurd_in_three_nearly_identical_sentences.html {{unsigned|82.235.150.60}}

Great explanation, but what is meant by "to sell user-uploaded images without profit"? Sell sth without profit sounds like a paradox... – [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 14:23, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:The explanation says/means "without profit to the content generators" - i.e. the people who are uploading the images (content) to Instagram. I'm sure Instagram would be making a profit selling the images...just not the original uploaders --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:45, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

I disagree with the second paragraph of the explanation. Cueball / content generators didn't "give" their stuff/photos, they merely accepted the offer of free storage. The terms and conditions of the agreement have been changed to benefit Chad/Instagram. There's no such thing as a free lunch...

:Read the fourth panel again. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 02:03, 22 December 2012 (UTC)
::The use of the word "giving " does not imply transference of ownership. The joke lies in the fact that there is no contract for storage facilities due to the absence of consideration.
:::But now it does have legal value, due to Instagram's terms of service. The slate.com link above sheds good light on this phenomenon. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 19:26, 26 December 2012 (UTC)
::::No, a legal agreement comes from common consent and the exchange of considerations. In reality, Instagram was forced in to a retraction because it failed to establish either and users complained +/- left. {{unsigned|188.29.96.27}}

The "Explanation" above starts with the assertion that this comic makes sense by itself. No, it's crazy without the context provided by the title. The point of the comic is the unrealistic expectations that Instagram's users have. {{unsigned|174.125.139.140}}

:I was not aware of the Instagram back story and without understanding the title of this comic or how any of this pertained to Instagram I was still able to understand and appreciate the joke.--Matt

:I thought the comic was sort of funny when I first read it, but when I saw the title everything really clicked. I wrote "the comic makes sense by itself" because it did to me before I noticed the word "Instagram." [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 22:56, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Another slight difference is that when Chad sells Cueball's stuff, Cueball can't use it anymore. If Instagram sells its users' photos, they can still use them. If the users try to sell them though, they probably will make less money if Instagram sells them for less. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 05:39, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

:Another difference is that Cueball can actually get the stuff back from Chad. Instagram users can't - I mean, they can't be sure Instagram is not keeping copy. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:51, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

My question is more mundane and editorial: how do we decide, in comics like these, who Cueball is? The "official transcript" merely has "Man #1" and "Man #2". Cueball's usually pretty sensible (or, at least, usually not ''completely'' unreasonable), so who's to say a reasonable mapping here wouldn't be Cueball calmly typing at the computer, and "Friend" flaming about Chad's changing policies? —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 03:59, 27 November 2013 (UTC)
:I agree completely. Although Cueball can be a real idiot in some comics (where there are only one), and the only sensible in comics where there are more than one. So when there are more than one Cueball, then Cueball category should be added, but neither of those present should be labeled Cueball in the transcript or the explain. I have adopted the name ''The Dude'' from the note from Chad, and then the other Cueball is the friend. This I have corrected in the transcript, and then I have added much more to the explain, calling the two The Dude and the friend. I have done similarly in other comics with more than one Cueball. It is important to remember that it is only the readers of the comic who calls him Cueball. Randall never do, and thus we cannot consider Cueball to have any specific way of behaving. Other characters like Black Hat is more clearly defined, but then again even Black Hat behaves very differently from comic to comic. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:31, 5 July 2014 (UTC)

'The Dude' does NOT abide with this!

Talk:1119: Undoing

2014-09-16T03:25:57Z

108.162.250.223:

Perhaps his motivation is to restore natural wind patterns to the environment. I remember reading about the ecological impact of wind power includes lessened wind currents. Some organisms rely on the wind to propagate the species, such as winds that blow seeds or how some spiders "parachute" on wind currents. Or it could be that he just likes to mess with people. --[[User:Joehammer79|Joehammer79]] ([[User talk:Joehammer79|talk]]) 13:46, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

:I always though that if you put a forest of windmills on top of hill the damage of ecosystem done by the building is enough. Adding the fact about wind used for propagating ... damn, windmills are almost as unecological as solar plants on fields ...
:Seriously, how can anyone who things ecologically be AGAINST nuclear power? -- [[Special:Contributions/89.177.52.2|89.177.52.2]] 08:19, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
::Ten thousand years of mutations from radioactivity? (Seriously, we should be using Liquid-fluoride thorium reactors, only 300 year half-life on the waste, rather than 10,000)--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.24|173.245.56.24]] 15:35, 8 June 2014 (UTC)

At first I thought this should be more of a Blackhat trick, but since he seems to think he is creating good in the world by restoring, it makes sense that it is Cueball--[[Special:Contributions/70.166.209.171|70.166.209.171]] 14:35, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

Am I the only one who is also entertaining the possibility that the fan setup in the picture is not acting with, but rather counteracting the wind, which is turning the windmill that supplies it power? I understand that the alt-text makes it seem like Munroe's thinking about 'making up' for our interference with insolation (and presumably wind, water etc.) patterns. But, if we're going to bring in logic here, EVERYTHING falls apart :D I had a little fun trying to model what kind of a dynamic equilibrium the hitherto described windmill-fan arrangement would settle into. [[Special:Contributions/123.238.25.42|123.238.25.42]] 17:13, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

I believe you are... The fan's blowing to the right... The wind came from the left... [[Special:Contributions/184.88.110.135|184.88.110.135]] 21:35, 18 October 2012 (UTC)Robert

:Indeed, the first thing that comes to mind is the "fan blowing into the sails" arrangement you sometimes see in cartoons, but I don't think that's what's going on here.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:58, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

It's even more fun to do to condoms.
--[[User:SuspendedPhan|SuspendedPhan]] ([[User talk:SuspendedPhan|talk]]) 18:50, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

:What the hell is "rotational" energy?!
::Although "rotational" energy exists (it is a verbal shorthand for kinetic energy that exists due to a rotating mass), what we actually have here is rotational power, another verbal shorthand for mechanical power transmitted by a rotating object working against a load. Also, Cueball has not disconnected the turbine from the generator but the generator from its electrical load (battery charger or electrical grid tie-in, perhaps).--[[Special:Contributions/174.138.205.139|174.138.205.139]] 13:20, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

As I understand it, he has disconnected the windmill that was supplying power to the grid and that windmill is now powering a fan which is creating suction which is pulling more wind through the windmill.[[Special:Contributions/38.104.209.10|38.104.209.10]] 16:04, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Worth mentioning existence of ram air turbines. [[User:Pallas|Pallas]] ([[User talk:Pallas|talk]]) 08:53, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Um, wind turbines have an electric motor which is computer-controlled, and which I think isn't completely powered by the blades rotating (if only that, when the wind is still, the turbine stops spinning, and needs a boost to start again when the wind picks up, similar to a car battery and starter motor). If the power was cut (which wouldn't happen, BTW. Wind farmers aren't stupid and they realise the problems with normal cables, so it's all underground), the turbine would slow down and stop, like a solar-powered pinwheel.

Talk:1420: Watches

2014-09-15T09:16:38Z

108.162.250.223:

Thinkpiece is a very Orwellian type of word, immediately reminded me of "doublethink" --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:06, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I thought he was mocking the word '''timepieces'''. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.163|173.245.62.163]] 10:29, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
::Good catch, I didn't think of that! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

So... this cartoon is a thinkpiece about how Randall doesn't like watches? Hasn't he drawn cartoons (on other topics) which pointedly ask "so what?" [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 09:24, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not sure that word applies here. The linked article states that "thinkpiece" is used to refer to articles about opinions as opposed to facts. The information provided in this comic is factual, showing social trends. The comic itself also doesn't state whether or not Randall likes watches. As for other comics, it has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Simply adding your opinion to a presentation of facts isn't really enough to fit the usual definitions of "thinkpiece". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 07:38, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
::You don't think the "glorious" gives it away? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 03:03, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

I love this one because it's something that's been on my mind. I now have to wear a watch sometimes for work and I quickly found myself feeling kind of naked without it! It's got me thinking about trends, especially phrases and ideas that flit across our collective global consciousness. BTW I googled "thinkpiece" and there are some awesome sarcastic, rude How-to" articles online [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.214|108.162.249.214]] 09:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

I think the bars for regualar watches and smartwatches resemble straps with the actual watch missing in the free space between them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.220|141.101.93.220]] 10:37, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps 'thinkpiece' is a mockery of 'smartwatch'. (On another note I wonder why Randall did not include the time prior to invention of wristwatches on this graph.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.210|108.162.246.210]] 21:19, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

If the scale is linear then it extends back to 1979, and it could be stretching it a little to call a chunky, battery-hogging, red LED calculator watch "regular" (especially the kits!) [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 04:38, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
:No, those LED watches weren't "regular" back in 1979. But wristwatches have been around for more (possibly {{w|Watch#Wristwatch|far more}}) than a century, using micromechanical regulators and physical dial pointers to indicate the time... Very steampunk, eh? ;) (Also note that LCDs were out before 1979.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 07:47, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

If I'm interpreting the comic correctly, Randall is claiming that nobody wore a wristwatch between 2005 and the recent spread of smartwatches. Surely that cannot be true? I mean, even if we assume that the majority of people who would normally wear watches have instead been using their mobile phones to tell time since 2005 (a dubious assertion, as turning one's arm and glancing at one's wrist is a far more subtle and effortless action than removing one's phone from a pocket/holster/bag, pushing a button and then looking at the screen), this doesn't necessarily mean that these people stopped wearing watches altogether. Some (such as I) may well have continued to wear a watch out of personal preference and/or as a fashion accessory rather than out of necessity. Also, I'd argue that the act of glancing at one's watch is a lot more acceptable to perform in mid-conversation than that of pulling out one's phone. Or maybe that's just an old-fashioned Central European thing.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.179|173.245.54.179]] 08:53, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
: I think that he may be using hyperbole, indicating that generally far fewer people wore a watch than previously between 2005 and 2014, not necessarily 'no-one'. I generally wore a watch as well, but noticed that most other people didn't, perhaps due to the inconvenience of having/finding another appliance. People did always ask those who wore a watch the time for convenience, but generally would just take out their phones if no one with a watch was around. A smartwatch may make a difference as it may provide a significant benefit, rather than just telling the time, and so people will be more inclined to wear it. Also, as an Australian, I think that it is also generally frowned upon to take a phone out during most conversations, except perhaps with friends. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.223|108.162.250.223]] 09:16, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1420: Watches

2014-09-15T09:11:30Z

108.162.250.223:

Thinkpiece is a very Orwellian type of word, immediately reminded me of "doublethink" --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:06, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I thought he was mocking the word '''timepieces'''. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.163|173.245.62.163]] 10:29, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
::Good catch, I didn't think of that! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

So... this cartoon is a thinkpiece about how Randall doesn't like watches? Hasn't he drawn cartoons (on other topics) which pointedly ask "so what?" [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 09:24, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not sure that word applies here. The linked article states that "thinkpiece" is used to refer to articles about opinions as opposed to facts. The information provided in this comic is factual, showing social trends. The comic itself also doesn't state whether or not Randall likes watches. As for other comics, it has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Simply adding your opinion to a presentation of facts isn't really enough to fit the usual definitions of "thinkpiece". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 07:38, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
::You don't think the "glorious" gives it away? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 03:03, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

I love this one because it's something that's been on my mind. I now have to wear a watch sometimes for work and I quickly found myself feeling kind of naked without it! It's got me thinking about trends, especially phrases and ideas that flit across our collective global consciousness. BTW I googled "thinkpiece" and there are some awesome sarcastic, rude How-to" articles online [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.214|108.162.249.214]] 09:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

I think the bars for regualar watches and smartwatches resemble straps with the actual watch missing in the free space between them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.220|141.101.93.220]] 10:37, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps 'thinkpiece' is a mockery of 'smartwatch'. (On another note I wonder why Randall did not include the time prior to invention of wristwatches on this graph.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.210|108.162.246.210]] 21:19, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

If the scale is linear then it extends back to 1979, and it could be stretching it a little to call a chunky, battery-hogging, red LED calculator watch "regular" (especially the kits!) [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 04:38, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
:No, those LED watches weren't "regular" back in 1979. But wristwatches have been around for more (possibly {{w|Watch#Wristwatch|far more}}) than a century, using micromechanical regulators and physical dial pointers to indicate the time... Very steampunk, eh? ;) (Also note that LCDs were out before 1979.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 07:47, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

If I'm interpreting the comic correctly, Randall is claiming that nobody wore a wristwatch between 2005 and the recent spread of smartwatches. Surely that cannot be true? I mean, even if we assume that the majority of people who would normally wear watches have instead been using their mobile phones to tell time since 2005 (a dubious assertion, as turning one's arm and glancing at one's wrist is a far more subtle and effortless action than removing one's phone from a pocket/holster/bag, pushing a button and then looking at the screen), this doesn't necessarily mean that these people stopped wearing watches altogether. Some (such as I) may well have continued to wear a watch out of personal preference and/or as a fashion accessory rather than out of necessity. Also, I'd argue that the act of glancing at one's watch is a lot more acceptable to perform in mid-conversation than that of pulling out one's phone. Or maybe that's just an old-fashioned Central European thing.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.179|173.245.54.179]] 08:53, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
: I think that he may be using hyperbole, indicating that generally far fewer people wore a watch than previously between 2005 and 2014, not necessarily 'no-one'. I generally wore a watch as well, but noticed that most other people didn't, perhaps due to the inconvenience of having/finding another appliance. People did always ask those who wore a watch the time for convenience, but generally would just take out their phones if no one with a watch was around. A smartwatch may make a difference as it may provide a significant benefit, rather than just telling the time, and so people will be more inclined to wear it. Also, as an Australian, I think that it is also generally frowned upon to take a watch out during a conversation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.223|108.162.250.223]] 09:11, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1420: Watches

2014-09-15T09:07:29Z

108.162.250.223:

Thinkpiece is a very Orwellian type of word, immediately reminded me of "doublethink" --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:06, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I thought he was mocking the word '''timepieces'''. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.163|173.245.62.163]] 10:29, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
::Good catch, I didn't think of that! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

So... this cartoon is a thinkpiece about how Randall doesn't like watches? Hasn't he drawn cartoons (on other topics) which pointedly ask "so what?" [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 09:24, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not sure that word applies here. The linked article states that "thinkpiece" is used to refer to articles about opinions as opposed to facts. The information provided in this comic is factual, showing social trends. The comic itself also doesn't state whether or not Randall likes watches. As for other comics, it has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Simply adding your opinion to a presentation of facts isn't really enough to fit the usual definitions of "thinkpiece". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 07:38, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
::You don't think the "glorious" gives it away? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 03:03, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

I love this one because it's something that's been on my mind. I now have to wear a watch sometimes for work and I quickly found myself feeling kind of naked without it! It's got me thinking about trends, especially phrases and ideas that flit across our collective global consciousness. BTW I googled "thinkpiece" and there are some awesome sarcastic, rude How-to" articles online [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.214|108.162.249.214]] 09:58, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

I think the bars for regualar watches and smartwatches resemble straps with the actual watch missing in the free space between them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.220|141.101.93.220]] 10:37, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps 'thinkpiece' is a mockery of 'smartwatch'. (On another note I wonder why Randall did not include the time prior to invention of wristwatches on this graph.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.210|108.162.246.210]] 21:19, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

If the scale is linear then it extends back to 1979, and it could be stretching it a little to call a chunky, battery-hogging, red LED calculator watch "regular" (especially the kits!) [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 04:38, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
:No, those LED watches weren't "regular" back in 1979. But wristwatches have been around for more (possibly {{w|Watch#Wristwatch|far more}}) than a century, using micromechanical regulators and physical dial pointers to indicate the time... Very steampunk, eh? ;) (Also note that LCDs were out before 1979.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 07:47, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

If I'm interpreting the comic correctly, Randall is claiming that nobody wore a wristwatch between 2005 and the recent spread of smartwatches. Surely that cannot be true? I mean, even if we assume that the majority of people who would normally wear watches have instead been using their mobile phones to tell time since 2005 (a dubious assertion, as turning one's arm and glancing at one's wrist is a far more subtle and effortless action than removing one's phone from a pocket/holster/bag, pushing a button and then looking at the screen), this doesn't necessarily mean that these people stopped wearing watches altogether. Some (such as I) may well have continued to wear a watch out of personal preference and/or as a fashion accessory rather than out of necessity. Also, I'd argue that the act of glancing at one's watch is a lot more acceptable to perform in mid-conversation than that of pulling out one's phone. Or maybe that's just an old-fashioned Central European thing.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.179|173.245.54.179]] 08:53, 15 September 2014 (UTC)
: I think that he may be using hyperbole, indicating that generally far fewer people wore a watch than previously between 2005 and 2014, not necessarily 'no-one'. I generally wore a watch as well, but noticed that most other people didn't, perhaps due to the inconvenience of having/finding another appliance. People did always ask those who wore a watch the time for convenience, but generally would just take out their phones if no one with a watch was around. A smartwatch may make a difference as it may provide a significant benefit, rather than just telling the time, and so people will be more inclined to wear it.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.223|108.162.250.223]] 09:07, 15 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1063: Kill Hitler

2014-09-15T07:31:47Z

108.162.250.223:

Actually, I think the joke here is that Black Hat actually did end Hitler's atrocities, but that history is not actually changeable. Hitler's "suicide" was actually Black Hat killing him. This is then layers with the impossibility of changing history. This would imply that anyone that wants to stop Hitler before he rose to power will be circumvented.

[[User:UnaSalusVictis|UnaSalusVictis]] ([[User talk:UnaSalusVictis|talk]]) 01:26, 25 November 2012 (UTC)UnaSalusVictis

:According to all reasonable time travel theories, this makes sense. You cannot go into the past to change things, because the future that exists is a future where you were in the past - you just didn't know it yet because it was in your future. This also applies to the future. Your knowledge of the future cannot possibly change it because your foreknowledge exists in this future. If your foreknowledge made that future not happen, then there would be no need to change it. But the future and the past account for the fact that you were there to change things, even before you ever knew you would be. Ergo, any attempt to ''change'' the past will merely result in ''causing'' the past to result exactly as it did before. The catch-22 of time travel stories. You can have a fatal flaw, or a fatally uncompelling story. But, all that said, this is a cartoon and not necessarily reliant on reasonable time travel theory.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 07:07, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

True, killing Hitler before he rose to power and committed all his atrocities would cause a Grandfather paradox... Cueball invented the time machine and send Black Hat back because he wanted Hitler dead, but if Hitler died before that, there would be no reason to invent the time machine and send Black Hat back which ergo cause the initial trip to kill Hitler not possible and ergo Hitler couldn't die before he rises to power and committed his atrocities. [[Special:Contributions/175.137.100.81|175.137.100.81]] 01:40, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Maybe in the original timeline, Hitler's atrocities extended beyond 1945. When Black Hat went back in time and assassinated Hitler in 1945, a new time-line was created. When Black Hat returned to the current date, he returned to a different timeline than the one he left. In this timeline (ours), Hitler died in 1945, and because this timeline is based on that fact, Cueball thinks that Black Hat has not changed anything, when in fact, Black Hat's actions created the new timeline. -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 15:00, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::The only flaw in that logic is that there's really no way Hitler would have survived the Russian invasion. He was in a bunker, killing himself, because his whole nation and army were crushed. He would have been put on trial and no doubt executed, if not shot by the first soldier who saw him. -HavokTheorem [[Special:Contributions/121.73.107.90|121.73.107.90]] 04:30, 9 October 2013 (UTC)
::Thank you for this answer. My faith in explainxkcd contributors was declining rapidly until I reached your comment. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 20:20, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Was the explanation always as bad as it appears now?? It's awful. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:34, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

First off, in a previous time line he could have escaped to a Moon Base to rebuild his army and destroy the world and Cueball just does not remember that history, just the one where Hitler dies in the bunker. Second, there are many forms of logical time travel. You could jump to a different Now 70 years ago and kill Hitler (assuming he exists) and then come back. Your timeline would not have changed, but the other Now would have a future without Hitler. The good or bad that is achieved is the same, but you get no benefit other then the joy of killing Hitler. And you really should seek professional help for that.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.18|108.162.219.18]] 18:52, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Did Randall at least partly choose Hitler because of the old rumour that he wasn't actually dead (Because hearing the news of his death may have seemed incredulous, and and because his body was removed by the Soviets, who never openly revealed information to the West). Sorry about the wordiness of this comment, I hope you'll be able to comprehend it.

Talk:1021: Business Plan

2014-09-15T00:47:58Z

108.162.250.223:

This comic of selling seagulls down by the seashore continues to crack me up. For a year I had planned to steal the idea and this past summer was my first attempt. I tell stories about a Rubber Duck and her love life with a seagull so it was easy to work it in.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/107071332326571881653/posts/deH5bWtSa9X?hl=en

I hope you don't mind. The origins of the love story are back here:

http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/homie-in-love-part-ii-to-xi/

As a long time resident of the ocean, my shallow take on the comic was all about goofing on tourists. What better way to wile away a Saturday in grade school but to tell them where the bridge to the Vineyard was (there isn't one) and selling seagulls fits right in. I haven't actually gotten anyone to walk up and bite on the goof but just the idea is hilarious. (I also have plenty of time.)

I know what an investor elevator pitch is but am unsure how it connects to the comic. I guess if you are going to fall for paying for a seagull you may fall for a quick sales pitch in the elevator.

Anyway, thank you XKCD for the amusing comics over the years. People show them to me and I always ask if they have read the mouseover. Most of the time they have missed the best part.

Paul

[[User:Paultmorrison|Paul T morrison]] ([[User talk:Paultmorrison|talk]]) 17:40, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

@paultmorrison To explain the elevator pitch, have you seen the other comics involving Beret Guy? He's pretty weird. Check out [http://pastebin.com/iVhppvJm these four comics] (especially the one with the rubber sheet) {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.120}}

This cartoon might be considered a precursor to XKCD 1032, in which Beret Guy turns up with a small suitcase full of money and attempts -- in his exceedingly random fashion -- to engage in what he believes to be standard business-type networking behavior. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 23:24, 2 April 2014 (UTC)

If someone were to actually buy a gull, does that make them gullible? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.174|199.27.128.174]] 23:04, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

Of course Beret Guy would use an honesty system. What if you don't put money in the jar after catching a bird? Or you steal the jar?

Talk:998: 2012

2014-09-14T13:30:16Z

108.162.250.223:

2012 is almost over, and no end of the world yet. Makin' progress. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 02:08, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
: We have until Winter Solstice, it seems, whereupon we face a calamity the likes of which haven't been seen since Y2K. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 06:33, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

I haven't been this disappointed by the apocalypse since Y2K. Not even worth a rental. [[Special:Contributions/69.127.136.211|69.127.136.211]] 03:51, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

Upgraded to past tense. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 20:32, 23 February 2013 (UTC)

The Mayan did not predict the end of the world, they just would have to use a new calendar.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:56, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's what the explanation says... why the incomplete/incorrect tag? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.117|173.245.53.117]] 10:11, 5 December 2013 (UTC)
::I think it's the "numerous ''other'' faulty predictions" line in the third paragraph. That said, it's not the Mayans who predicted the end of the world, but those who failed to learn from history. Anonymous 01:46, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

I take 4 AP courses this year. AP courses have a bonus point to GPA; for example, an A in an AP course translates to a GPA of 5. I also take a non-AP English course. I am certain that I will get straight-A's in the AP courses, so I can fail the English class and still get a 4.0 GPA, which means straight-A's across the board. --[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 13:16, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

It would certainly have been the end of the world for those who died or committed suicide on that day.

925: Cell Phones

2014-09-14T03:00:28Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 925
| date = July 15, 2011
| title = Cell Phones
| image = cell_phones.png
| titletext = He holds the laptop like that on purpose, to make you cringe.
}}

==Explanation==
After hearing about the "Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer" study, which refutes a claim made by the World Health Organization (just Google the debate, the comic doesn't focus much on it), [[Black Hat]] plots "Total Cancer Incidence" per 100,000 and "Cell Phone Users" per 100 on the same graph. The graph in frame 3 shows that the number of cell phone users rises after the number of cancer incidence, which makes Black Hat comically come to the conclusion that cancer causes cell phones.

The comic highlights a well-known fallacy known as ''{{w|post hoc ergo propter hoc}}'', often shortened to simply ''post hoc.'' The Latin translates to "after this, therefore because of this," referring to the common mistake that because two events happen in chronological order, the former event must have caused the latter event. The fallacy is often the root cause of many superstitions (e.g., a person noticing he/she wore a special bracelet before getting a good test score thinks the bracelet was the source of his/her good fortune), but it often crosses into more serious areas of thinking. In this case, the scientific research community, which often prides itself on its intellectual aptitude, is gently mocked for being nonetheless prone to such poor reasoning all too often.

The title text refers to the way Black Hat holds the laptop in panel 2, which is generally discouraged because it puts a large amount of stress on the laptop's hinge and screen.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a cellphone. Black Hat is sitting at a desk with a laptop.]
:Cueball: Another huge study found no evidence that cell phones cause cancer. What was the W.H.O. thinking?
:Black Hat: I think they just got it backward.

:[Black Hat turns towards Cueball, holding the laptop with one hand by the upper edge of the screen.]
:Cueball: Huh?
:Black Hat: Well, take a look.

:[There is a plot of total cancer incidence and cell phone users. Cancer rises from 1970 to 1990, then stays relatively steady. Cell phone use rises from roughly 1984, and steeply after 1990, to the present.]

:Cueball: You're not... There are ''so'' many problems with that.
:Black Hat: Just to be safe, until I see more data I'm going to assume cancer causes cell phones.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

925: Cell Phones

2014-09-14T02:59:25Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 925
| date = July 15, 2011
| title = Cell Phones
| image = cell_phones.png
| titletext = He holds the laptop like that on purpose, to make you cringe.
}}

==Explanation==
After hearing about the "Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer" study, which refutes a claim made by the World Health Organization (just Google the debate, the comic doesn't focus much on it), [[Black Hat]] plots "Total Cancer Incidence" per 100,000 and "Cell Phone Users" per 100 on the same graph. The graph in frame 3 shows that the number of cell phone users rises after the number of cancer incidence, which makes Black Hat comically come to the conclusion that cancer causes cell phones.

The comic highlights a well-known fallacy known as ''{{w|post hoc ergo propter hoc}}'', often shortened to simply ''post hoc.'' The Latin translates to "after this, therefore because of this," referring to the common mistake that because two events happen in chronological order, the former event must have caused the latter event. The fallacy is often the root cause of many superstitions (e.g., a person noticing he/she wore a special bracelet before getting a good test score thinks the bracelet was the source of his/her good fortune), but it often crosses into more serious areas of thinking. In this case, the scientific research community, which often prides itself on its intellectual aptitude, is gently mocked for being nonetheless prone to such poor reasoning all too often.

The title text refers to the way Black Hat holds the laptop in panel 2, which is generally discouraged because it puts a large amount of stress on the laptop's hinge and screen.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a cellphone. Black Hat is sitting at a desk with a laptop.]
:Cueball: Another huge study found no evidence that cell phones cause cancer. What was the W.H.O. thinking?
:Black Hat: I think they just got it backward.

:[Black Hat turns towards Cueball, holding the laptop with one hand by the upper edge of the screen.]
:Cueball: Huh?
:Black Hat: Well, take a look.

:[There is a plot of total cancer incidence and cell phone users. Cancer rises from 1970 to 1990, then stays relatively steady. Cell phone use rises from roughly 1984 to the present.]

:Cueball: You're not... There are ''so'' many problems with that.
:Black Hat: Just to be safe, until I see more data I'm going to assume cancer causes cell phones.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

Talk:899: Number Line

2014-09-13T13:30:37Z

108.162.250.223:

Where does sqrt(-1) go? [[Special:Contributions/67.78.183.206|67.78.183.206]] 19:07, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

:It goes up (literally above 0). A number line can be extended to a complex plane with sqrt(-1) as the unit of measurement in the vertical direction. Or at least, that's where it actually goes. I don't know where Randall would put it. [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 01:04, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm sorry...are you indicating the ACTUAL location for an IMAGINARY number? {{unsigned|‎74.213.186.41}}

Yes, that's exactly where it is (up to switching clockwise for counterclockwise). There is nothing strange about providing a location for imaginary or complex numbers, the location described is logical, and the adjective 'imaginary' is an artifact of nomenclature and nothing more.[[Special:Contributions/173.48.140.216|173.48.140.216]] 20:40, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

In fact, complex numbers are nearly more real than real ones! Complex analysis really opened my eyes to how much "stepping out" can help in solving problems. The complex notion of analyticity yields fruit in real analysis. Extensions to hypercomplex numbers are weirder, however. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 20:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Analyticity must be an imaginary word, and therefore would be found one unit directly above any dictionary. [[Special:Contributions/50.203.89.169|50.203.89.169]] 14:19, 9 October 2013 (UTC)
:Oh my god, I can't believe how hard I laughed at that. Would an imaginary friend actually be above you then? I'm going to use that sometime. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.61|108.162.219.61]] 21:25, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

Is unexplored a map reference? [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 17:53, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Note that the digits 5 and 6 do not show up on any of the numbers in the comic, reinforcing the fact that the integers 5 and 6 are unexplored. [[User:Blitzer|Blitzer]] ([[User talk:Blitzer|talk]]) 02:34, 15 May 2014 (UTC)
:So the 5th digit of pi can not be known either? [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 03:56, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Thank God (or someone else, I'm not choosy) that the SCP link here still works. The rest of the site's gone private.

Talk:864: Flying Cars

2014-09-13T12:40:19Z

108.162.250.223:

Self driving flying car. Happy now? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:01, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

I think the title text is more of a reference to other things we expected to have by the 21st century: androids and jetpacks. [[Special:Contributions/75.101.102.252|75.101.102.252]] 02:47, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I think we're missing an important feature of this comic. And that is that Megan is not wearing a shirt. Discuss. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 14:10, 8 June 2014 (UTC)

Since mobile/cell phones use part of the
radio spectrum, they are patently two-way in that they send and receive data, and since smart-watches exist (the long-awaited Apple Watch made its debut in September 2014), I'd say that prophecy came true, and we just never properly realised it until now.

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-09-13T07:21:52Z

108.162.250.223: /* Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience */

{{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.
}}

__TOC__
==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]. The [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic] is interactive. It will show images of the exibits (see below) by clicking on them.

The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." It is an common occurrence that curious children will ask simple questions about science to their parents, such as, "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" and a parent could 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. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that basilisks exist, and that they live under your bed. 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 story might be believed by children because children often imagine that a monster or a dangerous creature is hiding under the bed at night, and verifying that the basilisk is under the bed might turn the child to stone.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that "In my day" molecules did not exist, and everything was just atoms. Molecules are chains of atoms, and therefore more complex than atoms. This story might be believed by children because old people often tell unbelievable and questionably credible "In my day" stories about how different, or in this case less complicated, things when they where younger. This story may sound no less credible then these stories to a child. Like most "In my day" stories there is at least a grain of truth. The word atom has changed its meaning over time; at one time all discovered molecules were called {{w|atomism|atoms}}, as when they were modified their properties change. Also, according to the {{w|Big Bang}} theory, there was a period billions of years ago when the universe contained no molecules, yet still contained atoms.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that magnets are only attracted to each other when they are teenagers. This is a inside joke that the child is not in on about how there is a loss of sexual desire in adults. This story might be believed because magnets are seen as mysterious and possibly magical by children.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|In this exhibit the plaque on the statue of Jesus claims that {{w|snow}} is composed of Jesus' {{w|dandruff}}. This story might be believed because some children take the expression that {{w|rain}} is "God's tears", and this would be a logical extension.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the reason that there are only four components of {{w|DNA}} is because there where only four letters back then. The following letters describe the {{w|nucleotides}} that make up DNA chains: "G" {{w|guanine}}, "A" {{w|adenine}}, "T" {{w|thymine}}, and "C" {{w|cytosine}}. This story might be believed by children as DNA can be thought as an instruction set to build life. Instructions contain words, and therefore the letters G, A, T, and C can be thought of as the letters that the words in the instructions are made from.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that you are more vulnerable to the {{w|Bogeyman|boogie man}} when you are sleeping. "The Boogie Man" is a common legend used to scare young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children. This story might be believed by children as some believe in the boogie man.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that water increases its size to frighten {{w|predator|predators}}. {{w|Ice}} is less dense than liquid {{w|water}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. This might be believed by a child because many animals appear to increase there size to frighten away other threatening animals. A {{w|rhinoceros}} although not traditionally a predator, would be a predator of water.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|antimatter|anti-matter}} is composed of half ant and half matter. The prefix anti means "the opposite of", but sounds similar to the word ant. This story might be believed by children because a hyphen is often used to combine two words together with different meanings to create a word with the meaning of both. Combining the words ants and matter could produce a word meaning something composed of both ants and matter.
</gallery>

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. Fear is often used to discourage children from disobeying their parents. 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|In this exhibit the sign claims that helium makes your voice higher because you are about to explode. Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in oxygen, and it does not explode because it is a noble gas (although it could rupture containers in accordance with Boyle's law, which governs the relationship between pressure, temperature and volume: i.e. if a balloon is over-inflated or exposed to heat, it will burst). This story might be used by parents to discourage children from inhaling helium. This story might regrettably convince a child that they are dying after they inhale helium.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that if your middle finger is longer than all the others, you are an alien half-breed. For almost all people the middle finger is longer than all the others. This story might be used by parents to tease their children. This story might regrettably convince a child that one of their parents is a alien, and therefore not to be trusted.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that one of the cups of {{w|Jell-O|Jello}} had a rabbit brain instead of a cherry. Cherries are a common ingredient in gelatin based deserts. One cup is missing and in the hands of the child, possibly eaten. This story might be used by parents to tease their children, or discourage them from eating more dessert. This story might regrettably convince a child that they ate the brain of a small cute fluffy animal.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that monsters will eat you if you do not make your bed. In some stories monsters specifically prey on children. This story might be used by parents to encourage children to make their beds. This story might regrettably convince a child that there are monsters under their beds and frighten them so they can not sleep.
</gallery>

===Concessions===
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand. The pop-outs in this section are based on jokes parents tell their children to frighten them about food.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces the name of the concession stand as KFP. The parent claims that the "P" stands for phoenix, and the operator adds "also ponies". KFP is a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken. A phoenix is a mythical bird that throws it self into a fire and later rises from the ashes. This story might be believed by children because phoenixes are birds and a fried one may look similar to a chicken.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ground beef}} and further enplanes that ground beef is beef that is found on the ground. The word ground sometimes refers to the floor other times is past tense of the word grind. This story might be believed by children because the words are spelled and pronounced the same.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ice cream}} and claims that ice cream is really spelled eyes cream, and always composed of eyeballs. This story might be believed by children because the words "eyes cream" sounds similar to "ice cream".
</gallery>

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
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 history. 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. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Genghis Khan}} achieved his victories by using dragons. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian conqueror who conquered almost all of Asia and much of Europe founding the {{w|Mongol Empire}}, and creating the then-largest continuous land empire in history. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the {{w|Crimean War}} was a war on crime. The Crimean War is an often forgotten Eastern European conflict between Russia and a European coalition with aims to stop Russia's expansion. This story might be believed by children because adding an "a" to a people group sometimes is used to create a country name, making Crimea sounds similar to a nation of criminals.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that wizards where in control during {{w|The Renaissance}}. The Renaissance is a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark ages. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Star Wars}} is actual history. Star Wars is a fantastical science fiction movie. This story might be believed by children because the movie begins "a long time ago in a galaxy far away", and some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|In this exhibit the poster claims that {{w|France}} does not exist. The adult in the comic continues to attempt to convince the children that France does not exist. This is supposed to be funny because the knowledge of France as a country is common. This may be parodying the global warming debate, a common theme in both XKCD and SMBC.
</gallery>

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
Each exhibit is a display set up to explain uncomfortable topics that children may ask their parents about. The answers given so that the children do not ask further questions.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|In this exhibit the sign on the box covering up a couple in bed claims that naked wrestling is perfectly normal, but kids should never engage in it. "Naked wrestling" is a euphemism for sex. A parent may give this explanation if a child walks in on their parents having sex and they have to come up with an explanation on the spot, or they feel that the children are too young to know about sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|In this exhibit the sign over the stand claims your parents drink alcohol to prevent you from drinking it as alcohol is a poison. This is technically true, as alcohol is a toxin. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks their parents why they drink alcohol if it is bad for you, and did not want to explain the pleasurable experience of alcohol because it might encourage children to drink.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|In this exhibit the banner claims that mommies have big tummies because storks like chubby girls. According to some childhood stories storks deliver babies. Also, there are men who prefer heavy women, these men are often called called chubby chasers. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks why, if a stork delivers babies, there mother is changing while she is pregnant, and the parent continues to try to avoid the topic of sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that grandma did not die, but is going back to Saturn. Some parents tell their children that their loved ones have gone away instead of telling them the truth, their loved ones are dead. Going to Saturn "for revenge" is added for comic value. A parent may give this explanation to a avoid causing their child pain.
</gallery>

===Miscellaneous===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|dinosaur|dinosaurs}} are made of bones only. The fossil record includes the imprints of the other tissues of dinosaurs including skin, nails, teeth, and feathers. This story might be believed by children because the majority of all displays of dinosaurs in museums only include bones.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there the two standard gendered bathrooms found in the majority of public buildings, and another one for "Korgmen & Spangs" which does not correspond to any known human trait. This is most likely a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|In this exhibit the sign (which the children can not see) explains that the "{{w|Magic Eye}} poster" contains no hidden images. Magic Eye is a company that sells {{w|autostereogram}}s in books. Autostereograms contain a "hidden" three-dimensional image that can only be seen by focusing one's eyes at a point other than the poster itself. This takes time and many people find it difficult or impossible to do.
</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]]
[[Category:Ferret]]
[[Category:Guest Week]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

141: Parody Week: Achewood

2014-09-13T07:05:22Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 141
| date = August 14, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Achewood
| image = achewood.png
| titletext = I always wanted to impress them with how well I could hear, didn't you? Also, this sets the record for number of awkward-pause panels in one strip (previously held by Achewood)
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Achewood}} is a webcomic by {{w|Chris Onstad}}. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. The comic's humor is often lacking a traditional set punchline, and have many awkward pause panels.

This comic has three of the prominent characters from the strip: Phillippe, Ray and Roast Beef. In the first panel, Phillippe is dreaming of having his ears checked. There's an eye chart on the wall behind him. The doctor informs him that because of his superhearing power he is needed at Hogwarts.

Afterwards, the comic is a conversation between Roast Beef and Ray about Ray being invited to participate in what seem to be a talent show, with no reference to Phillippe again before the title-text.

The comic is written well in the style of Onstad and his humor is in the parody. The last 11 panels are having no dialogues which is also in style of Achewood although '11' is a tad too far at poking fun at it.

Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song is a 1971 [[Blaxploitation]]film that is generally regarded as a examplar of the genre.

At the title text [[Randall]] claims that he set a new record on awkward-pause panels.

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*'''Parody Week: Achewood'''
*[[Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

==Transcript==
:Doctor (out of frame): Philippe, your hearing is perfect! In fact, you heard ALL the beeps! You have super-hearing! You're needed at Hogwarts!
:Philippe: Oh boy!
:Meanwhile...
:Ray: Beef, check this out. I got an invite to that The Dude Is Pretty Awesome In Most Measurable Ways I Mean Wow competition.
:Beef: Alright that is pretty sweet dogg what is your strategy gonna consist of
:Ray: I'm thinkin' I need to point out my best features--maybe go holdin' a sign with an arrow toward my junk.
(A panel with Ray holding a sign with "Yes." in bold text and an arrow pointing down and across.)
:Beef: Yeah well I always said subtlety was your middle name dogg
:Beef: And also your first and last in case they didn't get the point
:Ray: How do you think I should play it?
:Beef: Well basically you got no chance as I see it these dudes are all lovers and fighters to the last
:Beef: All sprung fully formed from the head of Sweet Sweetback
:Beef: You are gonna stand out as the sort of dude who stays at home all night playing fleshlight tag
:Ray: These words you got are crazy. Didn't I win the outdoor fight?
:Beef: Uh huh about the fight I wasn't gonna tell you but how could you miss that I was setting you up
:Ray: What?
:Beef: You got played dogg
:Beef: I basically just didn't have the heart to go through with it in the end.
:Beef: Anyway the point is that you are gonna lose this thing so hard
:Beef: All cheap McD's hamburger to their slabs of steak
:Beef: A couple 12-oz sirloins garnished with nothing but pure manhood
:Beef: Maybe some sprigs of parsley
:Beef: You are pretty much going down
:[Closeup of a shocked Ray.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef looks perturbed and his ear is twitching. Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence. Beef looks sorry.]
:[Silence. Beef looks sorry and Ray looks annoyed.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef is looking down and Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef is looking down and Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence. Beef looks surprised.]

==Trivia==
*According to [[Randall]], it also mildly references to {{w|Athena#Birth|The birth of Greek Goddess Athena}}.

{{comic discussion}}

141: Parody Week: Achewood

2014-09-13T07:01:17Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 141
| date = August 14, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Achewood
| image = achewood.png
| titletext = I always wanted to impress them with how well I could hear, didn't you? Also, this sets the record for number of awkward-pause panels in one strip (previously held by Achewood)
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Achewood}} is a webcomic by {{w|Chris Onstad}}. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. The comic's humor is often lacking a traditional set punchline, and have many awkward pause panels.

This comic has three of the prominent characters from the strip: Phillippe, Ray and Roast Beef. In the first panel, Phillippe is dreaming of having his ears checked. There's an eye chart on the wall behind him. The doctor informs him that because of his superhearing power he is needed at Hogwarts.

Afterwards, the comic is a conversation between Roast Beef and Ray about Ray being invited to participate in what seem to be a talent show, with no reference to Phillippe again before the title-text.

The comic is written well in the style of Onstad and his humor is in the parody. The last 11 panels are having no dialogues which is also in style of Achewood although '11' is a tad too far at poking fun at it.

At the title text [[Randall]] claims that he set a new record on awkward-pause panels.

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*'''Parody Week: Achewood'''
*[[Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

==Transcript==
:Doctor (out of frame): Philippe, your hearing is perfect! In fact, you heard ALL the beeps! You have super-hearing! You're needed at Hogwarts!
:Philippe: Oh boy!
:Meanwhile...
:Ray: Beef, check this out. I got an invite to that The Dude Is Pretty Awesome In Most Measurable Ways I Mean Wow competition.
:Beef: Alright that is pretty sweet dogg what is your strategy gonna consist of
:Ray: I'm thinkin' I need to point out my best features--maybe go holdin' a sign with an arrow toward my junk.
(A panel with Ray holding a sign with "Yes." in bold text and an arrow pointing down and across.)
:Beef: Yeah well I always said subtlety was your middle name dogg
:Beef: And also your first and last in case they didn't get the point
:Ray: How do you think I should play it?
:Beef: Well basically you got no chance as I see it these dudes are all lovers and fighters to the last
:Beef: All sprung fully formed from the head of Sweet Sweetback
:Beef: You are gonna stand out as the sort of dude who stays at home all night playing fleshlight tag
:Ray: These words you got are crazy. Didn't I win the outdoor fight?
:Beef: Uh huh about the fight I wasn't gonna tell you but how could you miss that I was setting you up
:Ray: What?
:Beef: You got played dogg
:Beef: I basically just didn't have the heart to go through with it in the end.
:Beef: Anyway the point is that you are gonna lose this thing so hard
:Beef: All cheap McD's hamburger to their slabs of steak
:Beef: A couple 12-oz sirloins garnished with nothing but pure manhood
:Beef: Maybe some sprigs of parsley
:Beef: You are pretty much going down
:[Closeup of a shocked Ray.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef looks perturbed and his ear is twitching. Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence. Beef looks sorry.]
:[Silence. Beef looks sorry and Ray looks annoyed.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef is looking down and Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence.]
:[Silence. Beef is looking down and Ray's mouth is open.]
:[Silence. Beef looks surprised.]

==Trivia==
*According to [[Randall]], it also mildly references to {{w|Athena#Birth|The birth of Greek Goddess Athena}}.

{{comic discussion}}

818: Illness

2014-09-13T06:26:48Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 818
| date = November 12, 2010
| title = Illness
| image = illness.png
| titletext = <3 If there's anything you can do, I'll let you know. For the moment, any simple distracting online games sent to sick@xkcd.com will not go unappreciated [EDIT: Holy crap 2,700 games before noon. I love you guys; thank you. They will be passed along and played by us all.]
}}

==Explanation==
This is the first comic about [[Randall]]'s fiancée's (now wife) {{w|Cancer|cancer}}.

It is self-explanatory, although vague on specifics.

More details and related comics are on the [[:Category:Cancer]] page.

==Transcript==
:Randall: Hey, everyone-
:Randall: As I mentioned on the blag, I'm going through a rough time right now. I'm dealing with a serious family illness and it's become pretty overwhelming.
:Randall: We're still getting a handle on everything, and I appreciate your patience while we figure it all out.
:Randall: Thank you to everyone who wrote in with kind wishes and words of support. They've been passed on and meant a lot.
:Randall: I like drawing, and might find time for it in the coming weeks, but I'm not going to push myself to stick to a schedule.
:Randall: However, between my stacks of notebooks, scanner, and supportive sysadmin, I should at least have something interesting to share with you in this space each M/W/F.
:Randall: ♡

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

808: The Economic Argument

2014-09-13T06:11:41Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 808
| date = October 20, 2010
| title = The Economic Argument
| image = the economic argument.png
| titletext = Not to be confused with 'making money selling this stuff to OTHER people who think it works', which corporate accountants and actuaries have zero problems with.
}}

==Explanation==
The image shows fields of human life that would be greatly improved and/or allowed a certain people to make a lot of money if some "weird phenomena" things (mostly {{w|paranormal}}) actually worked in reality or were testable and usable concepts. "Weird phenomena", in this case, means counter-intuitive things that usually go against "common sense" and which the science hasn't investigated to the full yet (or didn't find any evidence of in the first place, making claims completely unscientific). As the comic tries to prove, if there were commercial use for it and proofs of it working, there will be high investment made in the technology to use and harness such concepts.

So far, only {{w|Theory of relativity|relativity}} and {{w|quantum electrodynamics}} have found some use in the real world because they are scientific concepts, as compared to all the other ones.

Specifically, the theory of relativity allows your {{w|Global Positioning System|Global Positioning System (GPS)}} device to synchronize with satellites a hundred miles in the air and show your current position.

The design of modern circuit-boards and other electronic devices is influenced by quantum electrodynamics — smartphones or high capacity hard drives wouldn't be possible without that theory.

The non-scientific, disproved concepts trying to pass as real and scientific are as follows:

*'''{{w|Remote viewing}}:''' Alleged ability to see and know things far away with the strength of your mind, without physically being in that place and using technology (cameras, TV screens and so on).
*'''{{w|Dowsing}}:''' Alleged supernatural ability to sense, using two dowsing rods/sticks/pieces of metal where hidden valuables or underground water/oil supplies are.
**Both dowsing and remote viewing would have greatly cut costs to oil companies, because it would have made finding new oil sources easier.

*'''{{w|Aura (paranormal)|Auras}}:''' Non-scientific belief that every human has invisible "energy field" that can affect their health and feelings.
*'''{{w|Homeopathy}}:''' Non-scientific belief that the more diluted the remedy, the more effective it is, and that a remedy before dilution should cause similar symptoms to the disease. Often diluted so much that less than one molecule of the original substance will remain, on average. Completely untrue and proven no more effective than a placebo so you can use much cheaper glucose instead with the same effect. Often advertised as "alternative medicine", which means not a medicine at all.
*'''{{w|Prayer#Prayer_healing|Remote Prayer}}:''' Non-scientific belief. Trying to help a person with their health problems by praying/pleading to a greater supernatural force to help them get better. While we're not ones to rag on anybody's religion, we don't have scientific proof or empirical evidence of it working; such prayer may sometimes have a ''detrimental'' effect if the person knew they were prayed for.
**All three would have revolutionized healthcare if proven to work, which is very, very unlikely.

*'''{{w|Astrology}}:''' Trying to predict the future by studying the motions of the planets for answers. Non-scientific and very popular belief that tries to look scientific; was a major focus of {{w|astronomy}} until science began to disprove it in the 1600s.
*'''{{w|Divinatory, esoteric and occult tarot|Tarot}}:''' Trying to predict the future through dealing a {{w|Tarot deck|special deck of cards}}.
**Both would have revolutionized our business planning, saving lots of money and lives, if true.

*'''{{w|Crystal healing|Crystal energy}}:''' Non-scientific belief that crystals can store {{w|Energy (esotericism)|"soul energy"}} which can be tapped into and used by human beings.
**If true and correct, it would have revolutionized the world's technology by replacing energy sources with crystals.

*'''{{w|Curse|Curses and hexes}}:''' Non-scientific belief that a person can cause supernatural harm to people and things by doing certain magical rituals and mouthing magical words.
**If it were true, the military use of such would have proliferated rather quickly.

The title text points out that many people still believe in non-scientific, unproven, and disproved phenomena. Thus, it's possible to make a lot of money by selling those (claimed) phenomena to such people.

==Transcript==
:[A table is labeled with three columns: "Crazy phenomenon"; "If it worked, people would be using it to make a killing in..."; "Are they?". Most of the third column is blank. Only the bottom two boxes are checked.]
:Remote Viewing, Dowsing - Oil Prospecting - ☐
:Auras, Homeopathy, Remote Prayer - Health Care Cost Reduction - ☐
:Astrology, Tarot - Financial Business Planning - ☐
:Crystal Energy - Regular Energy - ☐
:Curses, Hexes - The Military - ☐
:Relativity - GPS Devices - ☑
:Quantum Electrodynamics - Semiconductor Circuit Design - ☑

:Eventually, arguing that these things work means arguing that modern capitalism isn't THAT ruthlessly profit-focused.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:807: Connected

2014-09-13T06:02:34Z

108.162.250.223:

Either the incomplete tag is because the explanation is too long or the other way around. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.206|108.162.212.206]] 21:46, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
:What's the other way around? That the explanation is too long because of the incomplete tag? --[[User:Ricketybridge|Ricketybridge]] ([[User talk:Ricketybridge|talk]]) 00:30, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

As the Nurse points out in Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet, though Juliet may only be 15, according to 16th-century standards she's nearing the end of her prime marriageable age.

Talk:805: Paradise City

2014-09-13T05:53:32Z

108.162.250.223:

"cortical lesions" may refer to the "Uglies", a 2005 science fiction Orwellian novel by Scott Westerfeld, as it turns out populations is controlled by the way of surgery lesions in the brain to make the people placid --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 22:20, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

Anyone notice that the third panel preshadowed the Vancouver riots?

Talk:779: Anxiety

2014-09-13T01:16:03Z

108.162.250.223:

I don't think it's Black Hat saying the title text but someone else in line. However, I'm not sure so I'm hesitant to edit it.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.64|173.245.54.64]] 15:54, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

I think the point is not about offending the backscatter operator, but more about men not wanting others to view their genitals in the flaccid state. Many men have self-esteem issues about genital size, and would be eager to take a pill that would make them appear larger before exposing themselves in that way. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.112|199.27.128.112]] 05:29, 2 May 2014 (UTC)

$20 a pill for a now-generic (Pfizer's patent expired in mid-2014) medication is a bit steep, yes?

Talk:744: Walkthrough

2014-09-11T09:29:44Z

108.162.250.223: Created page with "Or it refers to physical speed instead of temporal quickness, in which case his date is "walking" around with severe bruising to her... soft areas."

Or it refers to physical speed instead of temporal quickness, in which case his date is "walking" around with severe bruising to her... soft areas.

Talk:640: Tornado Hunter

2014-09-10T12:24:19Z

108.162.250.223:

I'm not sure if Randall knew this, but the "EF" in the Enhanced Fujita ratings is still pronounced the same as the letter F.--[[Special:Contributions/68.97.21.122|68.97.21.122]] 02:51, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
I'm Australian, but I have been given to believe tornados don't normally occur in areas where cacti grow?

516: Wood Chips

2014-09-09T09:11:18Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 516
| date = December 12, 2008
| title = Wood Chips
| image = wood_chips.png
| titletext = You didn't run a chemical analysis against the Shroud of Turin? Man, all that work for NOTHING.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has tried to play an elaborate hoax on a woman involving wood chips that match the composition of the wood used to build a 19th-century ghost ship called the {{w|Mary Celeste}}. Unfortunately, the woman has done the sensible, reasonable thing and thrown them out instead of checking to see if they belong to a ghost ship, whose wood chips or what-have-you would probably not have found their way to the hallway. This causes Cueball to realize that he needs to rethink the complicated way in which he creates hoaxes, because the people he is trying to trick do not follow through with his elaborate plans.

The title text suggests that he also set up some kind of chemical match with the {{w|Shroud of Turin}}. The Shroud of Turin is a famous artifact containing the ghostly image of a face said by some to have been used as Jesus's burial cloth.
A chemical analysis was performed on it in the late 1980s, which appeared to prove the cloth '''was''' medieval in origin; however, not everyone has fully accepted this finding.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball leans on desk; Woman sits behind desk.]

:Cueball: Did you ever figure out those mysterious woodchips?
:Woman: The ones in the hallway? No.
:Cueball: You didn't suspect that they matched the timber used in 1861 to build the "ghost ship" Mary Celeste, prompting you to send them to a lab for analysis, the results of which raised new and stranger questions?
:Woman: No, I threw them out. Why?

:My hoaxes need to get a lot less subtle.

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

1043: Ablogalypse

2014-09-08T12:15:02Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */ More accurate

{{comic
| number = 1043
| date = April 16, 2012
| title = Ablogalypse
| image = ablogalypse.png
| titletext = Plus the reaction in the Tumblverse is always 'repeatedly get hit by a dog and fall down the stairs'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays with the [http://www.google.com/trends/?q=blog,tumblr,wordpress,livejournal Google trends for the terms blog, tumblr, wordpress and livejournal].

*{{w|Blog}}: a website with opinions and comments
*{{w|Tumblr}}: a "micro-blogging" site, which has taken off due to the prevalence of animated gifs and funny photos.
*{{w|Wordpress}}: a type of blog software.
*{{w|Livejournal}}: is a sort of personal blog site that as you can see hasn't been really popular at all since 2004-2005. [[Randall]] did publish his first comics there.

As you can see in the caption and then the title text, there is no way that newscasters will reference the "Tumblrverse" because all the reactions will be filled with animated gifs of a person in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Zph323Dos a raptor suit falling over] or [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-this-is-dog a dog answering a phone].

It has [https://www.google.com.au/trends/explore#q=Blog%2C%20Tumblr&date=10%2F2012%201m&cmpt=q already happened], as of October 6, 2012.

==Transcript==
:[A line graph with four lines, each representing 'Google Trends Search Volume' of different search terms over time from prior to 2005 to just after 2012. A blue line represents "blog," which trends gradually but significantly upwards from well before 2005 until it reaches a peak between 2008-2009, and starts to very slowly descend to today. A red line represents "Tumblr", which is at zero until it slowly starts to trend upward in early 2010, and then sharply increases in late 2010 and through 2011 and 2012. As of the date of this comic, 'blog' still beats 'Tumblr' in terms of search volume, but a dotted line projection of the trend shows that on October 12, 2012, the two lines will cross. A yellow line represents 'Wordpress,' which has very low volume until a very small and gradual increase in 2007, which gradually increases to this day but doesn't come close to meeting the volume of either 'blog' or 'Tumblr'. A green line represents 'LiveJournal,' which started out prior to 2005 at around the level 'Wordpress' is at now, but declined through 2005 and 2006 until it has plateaued until virtually nothing.]
:In about six months, the word "Tumblr" will eclipse "blog" in Google popularity.
:I doubt TV anchors will start talking about "reactions in the Tumblverse," but then again, I still can't believe we got them to say "blogosphere."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

339: Classic

2014-09-07T06:26:32Z

108.162.250.223: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 339
| date = November 7, 2007
| title = Classic
| image = classic.png
| titletext = Someone get that Pachelbel's Canon kid a recording contract, stat.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] listens to the song "{{w|Stairway to Heaven}}" performed by {{w|Led Zeppelin}} using an old {{w|phonograph}}. After the song fades out to the end he is impressed and states that modern music is far away from that {{w|Baby-boom generation|Baby Boomer generation}} publications.

The title text refers to the {{w|Pachelbel's Canon}} and all that modern interpretations shown up on {{w|YouTube}}. Younger people need to support talented musicians from their own generation.

The title of this comic refers also to {{w|Classical music}}, artworks still remembered after hundreds years after the creation. Modern music will be forgotten after a few years. But the "Baby Boomer generation" did create many still today well known musicians including but not limited to:
*{{w|Led Zeppelin}}
*{{w|The Who}}
*{{w|Deep Purple}}
*{{w|Genesis}}
*{{w|The Doors}}
*{{w|Pink Floyd}}
*{{w|Janis Joplin}}
*{{w|Jimi Hendrix}}
*{{w|The Rolling Stones}}
*{{w|Stevie Ray Vaughn}}
*{{w|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}
*{{w|Grateful Dead}}
*{{w|The Beatles}}
*...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in front of a turntable, listening to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. A guitarist (possibly meant to be Robert Plant) can be seen in an inset in the top left corner of the first two panels.]
:Song: And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul

:Song: When all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to rooooll

:Song [fading away]: And she's buying a stairway to Heaven

:Cueball: Man. The Baby Boomers are kicking our ASSES.
:Cueball: We need to get it together, guys.

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

287: NP-Complete

2014-09-07T02:25:25Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 287
| date = July 9, 2007
| title = NP-Complete
| image = np_complete.png
| titletext = General solutions get you a 50% tip.
}}

==Explanation==
Another entry in the "[[My Hobby]]" series of cartoons. [[Cueball]] is embedding {{w|NP-complete|NP-complete problems}} in restaurant orders. Specifically, he is ordering appetizers not by explicitly stating the names, but by the total price of them all. This is a simplified example of the {{w|Knapsack problem|knapsack problem}}. This is a problem in combinatorial optimization, as follows: If you have a knapsack (backpack or rucksack) which can hold a specific amount of weight, and you have a set of items, each with its own assigned value and weight, you have to select items to put into the knapsack so that the weight does not exceed the capacity of the knapsack and the combined value of all the items is maximized.

In {{w|Computational complexity theory|computational complexity theory}}, NP stands for "nondeterministic polynomial time," which means that problems which are NP take polynomial running time (i.e. the time a CPU would take to run the program would be polynomial in the input size) to verify a solution, but it is unknown whether finding any or all solutions can be done in polynomial time. Polynomial time is considered efficient; exponential and higher times are considered unfeasible for computation. NP-complete problems are ones which, if a polynomial time algorithm is found for any of them, then all NP problems have polynomial time solutions. In short, particular guesses in NP-complete problems can be checked easily, but systematically finding solutions is far more difficult.

The waiter's problem is NP-complete, since a given order's price can be found and checked quickly, but finding an order to match a price is much harder. (Formal proofs of the NP-completeness of the knapsack problem can be found at the above link.) The most straightforward way for a human to find a solution is to methodically start by first listing all the (6) ways of choosing one appetizer, and their total costs, then list all the (21) ways of choosing two appetizers (allowing repeats), and then list all the (56) ways of choosing three appetizers, and so forth. As any combination of eight appetizers would be more than $15.05, the process need not extend beyond listing all the (1715) ways of choosing seven appetizers.

Another famous NP-complete problem is the {{w|Travelling Salesman problem}}, mentioned by Cueball at the end, referring to the waiter's claim that he has 6 more tables to get to. (see also [[399: Travelling Salesman Problem]]).

The title text refers to the fact that NP-complete problems have no known polynomial time general solutions, and it is unknown if such a solution can ever be found. If the waiter can find an efficient general solution to this he will have solved one of the most famous problems in mathematics. This problem is one of the six remaining unsolved {{w|Millennium Prize Problems}} stated by the Clay Mathematics Institute in 2000, for which a correct solution (including proving that such a solution doesn't exist) is worth US$1,000,000. A 50% tip is slightly less than fair.

Thus there are exactly two combinations of appetizers which total $15.05 and solve the problem posed in the comic strip:
#A combination of two orders of hot wings, one order of mixed fruit, and one sampler plate
#Seven mixed fruit orders (this solution was not intended - see [[#Trivia|trivia]] below)

By the way, "Chotchkies" (slightly misspelt) is Yiddish slang for little accessories and trinkets. It is also the name of the restaurant in the 1999 Mike Judge-directed comedy [[Office Space]].

==Transcript==
:My Hobby:
:Embedding NP-Complete problems in restaurant orders
:[A menu is shown.]
:Chotchkies Restaurant
:Appetizers
:Mixed Fruit 2.15
:French Fries 2.75
:Side Salad 3.35
:Hot Wings 3.55
:Mozzarella Sticks 4.20
:Sampler Plate 5.80
:[Megan, another person, and Cueball are sitting at a table. Cueball is holding the menu as well as a thick book and is ordering from a waiter. Megan is facepalming.]
:Cueball: We'd like exactly $15.05 worth of appetizers, please.
:Waiter: ...Exactly? Uhh...
:Cueball: Here, these papers on the knapsack problem might help you out.
:Waiter: Listen, I have six other tables to get to-
:Cueball: -As fast as possible, of course. Want something on traveling salesman?

==Trivia==
*In [http://www.maa.org/mathhorizons/MH-Sep2012_XKCD.html an interview] with the Mathematical Association of America Randall said that the trivial answer to this problem was a mistake.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:102: Back to the Future

2014-09-05T14:07:52Z

108.162.250.223:

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) I noticed the character on the right has hair in the first two frames, but is bald in the last frame... Two persons?

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) The issue date might be off. All files since #101 have been created on April 11th, 2006. Anyone with an actual issue date?
I agree with Rikthoff, I don't think this is Cueball. Being bald is one of his main features and this guy definately has hair.--[[User:Popuppete|Popuppete]] ([[User talk:Popuppete|talk]]) 13:42, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

[[User:tesshavon|tesshavon]] Could it be possible that Megan's dad died because of something the other character (let's not call him Cueball until we know for sure) did in the future to "make sure his parents got together and helped his dad to be less of a loser"?

:It's more likely to have been the result of a airliner full of jet fuel crashing into the tower, causing it to burn and collapse. Megan is probably thinking that Cueball (I'm still going to call him Cueball, sorry) could maybe have alerted somebody that this was going to happen. In the past. Him having access to a time machine and all. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 20:31, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Why do we take for granted alt text refers to the Cueball/Hairy and not the father? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.210|141.101.89.210]] 21:55, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

What if the alt text refers to Marty McFly and not Cueball/Hairy? You don't have to think about the comic very hard to know C/H was an asshole, but I think the implication is that Marty could have taken the DeLorean and done less petty, personal things with it.
--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.47|173.245.54.47]] 21:51, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

Have people forgotten? The DeLorean time machine was destroyed at the end of the third film - it spent less than a day in total in 1985 (first used 1.20 am, destroyed by a train c. midafternoon). Cueball even references this in the comic.

78: Garfield

2014-09-05T10:50:35Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 78
| date = March 20, 2006
| title = Garfield
| image = garfield.jpg
| titletext = The use of the 'Garfield' character for the purposes of this parody qualifies as fair use under the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. sec. 107. See Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music (92-1292), 510 U.S. 569
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Garfield}} has increasingly been known for repetitive, quality-lacking strips. Intended for a wide audience, these strips are now {{w|Ghostwriter|ghost written}} and rarely explore the unconventional. The comic is challenging {{w|Jim Davis}}, the creator of Garfield, to do something unexpected and surprise us all. The comic also accuses Davis of being a "sell out," sticking to bourgeois/commercial logic, something that dadaist artists challenged.

{{w|Dadaism}} was an artistic movement in the early 20th century marked primarily by chaos, irrationality and surrealism. Some of the artists believed that the bourgeois logic made human beings unhappy and therefore led to war.

Randall leads by example by featuring a strip that copies the style of Garfield, with multiple colors (xkcd usually contains only black and white, with some few containing an additional color like red or yellow) and a character that is not a stick figure breaking the normal xkcd pattern. Another dadaist aspect is the fact the while Garfield is smiling, he is communicating something that could be considered terrifying.

The title text explains that xkcd is exercising legal use of Davis's intellectual property, namely the title character of his comic. The Supreme Court case mentioned, {{w|Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music}}, confirmed that parody is legal even when there is commercial gain as a result, and also referenced the {{w|Copyright Act of 1976}}, 17 U.S.C. § 107, for the same reason.

While this is normally understood by most anyone that questions such matters, [[Randall]] includes it as a reference to the lessening of strict copyright law, which many comics also mention, usually in the context of {{w|open-source software}} and those who promote it, like at the comics featuring [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|Richard Stallman]].

Trivia - the comic number, #78, corresponds to the year Garfield debuted, 1978.

==Transcript==
:I want to see something unexpected in comics. Just one strip could make up for it all.
:[Garfield is standing on hind legs facing and looking directly at the camera. But is off-center in the frame, about 1/3 from the left, rotated very slightly clockwise.]
:[Zoom in on Garfield, still to the left, now rotated slightly counterclockwise.]
:[Zoom in again on Garfield, now the frame clips off the left side of his face.]
:Garfield thought bubble: The world is burning.
:[Final zoom in, the frame is ripped like a page, offset, and Garfield's eyes are half closed on the right half.]
:Garfield thought bubble: Run.
:Jim Davis, throw off your commercial shackles. Challenge us. Go out in a blaze of Dadaist glory. There is still time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]

410: Math Paper

2014-07-04T14:58:16Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */ fix external link

{{comic
| number = 410
| date = April 14, 2008
| title = Math Paper
| image = math_paper.png
| titletext = That's nothing. I once lost my genetics, rocketry, and stripping licenses in a single incident.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a set up to use the joke about {{w|imaginary friend}}s by taking the concept of "{{w|friendly number}}s" into the complex plane, which comprises numbers that have both a real and an imaginary part. Such a pun is both so obvious and so terrible that Cueball's superiors deem that he has lost the right to carry a "math license".

This is a recurring theme in earlier xkcd comics, being banned from holding presentations at conferences because said presentations are just elaborate puns. The title text takes the joke a step further, with the added hilarity of making the audience question exactly how Cueball was able to work a {{w|striptease}} into a presentation about genetic engineering and astrophysical rocket study. This is what TV Tropes calls a "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoodleIncident noodle incident]".

===Math===
An {{w|imaginary number}} is a number that can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit ''i'', which is defined by its property ''i2 = -1'' (an impossibility for regular, "real" numbers, for which all squares are positive). The name "imaginary number" was coined in the 17th century as a derogatory term, since such numbers were regarded by some as fictitious or useless, but over time many applications in science and engineering have been found.

An imaginary number ''bi'' can be added to a real number ''a'' to form a {{w|complex number}} of the form ''a+bi'', where ''a'' and ''b'' are called, respectively, the real part and the imaginary part of the complex number. If ''a'' and ''b'' are both integers, the complex number is called a {{w|Gaussian integer}}.

Joel Bradbury has a wonderful explanation of {{w|friendly number}}s on [http://www.joelbradbury.net/notes/friendly_numbers his site]:

:What are Friendly Numbers?
:We need first to define a divisor function over the integers, written σ(n) if you're so inclined. To get it first we get all the integers that divide into n. So for 3, it's 1 and 3. For 4, it's 1, 2, and 4, and for 5 it's only 1 and 5.

:Now sum them to get σ(n). So σ(3) = 1 + 3 = 4, or σ(4) = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7, and so on.

:For each of these n, there is something called a characteristic ratio. Now that's just the divisors function over the integer itself: σ(n)/n . So the characteristic ratio where n = 6 is σ(6)/6 = 12/6 = 2.

:Once you have the characteristic ratio for any integer n, any other integers that share the same characteristic are called friendly with each other. So to put it simply a friendly number is any integer that shares its characteristic ratio with at least one other integer. The converse of that is called a solitary number, where it doesn't share it's characteristic with anyone else.

:1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are solitary. 6 is friendly with 28; σ(6)/6 = (1+2+3+6)/6 = 12/6 = 2 = 56/28 = (1+2+4+7+14+28)/28 = σ(28)/28.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball points to equations on the board.]
:Cueball: In my paper, I use an extension of the divisor function over the Gaussian integers to generalize the so-called "friendly numbers" into the complex plane.

:Professor: Hold on. Is this paper simply a giant build-up to an "imaginary friends" pun?

:[Cueball stands speechless for two panels.]

:Cueball: It MIGHT not be.
:Professor: I'm sorry, we're revoking your math license.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Banned from conferences]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

1389: Surface Area

2014-07-04T14:51:41Z

108.162.250.223: it's --> its x2

{{comic
| number = 1389
| date = July 2, 2014
| title = Surface Area
| image = surface_area.png
| titletext = This isn't an informational illustration; this is a thing I think we should do. First, we'll need a gigantic spool of thread. Next, we'll need some kind of ... hmm, time to head to Seattle.
}}

A [http://xkcd.com/1389/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd - which can be reached easily from here as always, by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
This map shows the total {{w|surface area}}s of all {{w|terrestrial planet}}s, {{w|dwarf planet}}s, {{w|natural satellite|moons}}, {{w|asteroid}}s and {{w|minor planet}}s that are larger than 100 m in the {{w|Solar System}}. They have all been represented as regions of a single massive landmass - a {{w|supercontinent}} like {{w|Pangaea}} - which is clearly surrounded by some kind of ocean.

On the area that signifies {{w|Earth}} the {{w|continents}} are drawn using a {{w|map projection}} that keeps the scale of the continents correct. (This is something that [[Randall]] cares about as can be seen in [[977: Map Projections]]). The part of the surface of the Earth that are covered in oceans are also included in the surface area of the Earth (i.e. the map shows the Earths {{w|Crust (geology)|crust}}). An extra layer of 3-4 km of water seems rather insignificant when comparing to the Earth's radius of 6,370 km.

{{w|Moon|The Moon}} has been inlaid in this map next to {{w|Antarctic}} which thus makes a great comparison of how small the Moon is compared to the Earth (there are room for more than 13 lunar surfaces on the Earth). Similar it is clear that the planet {{w|Venus}} is almost as big as the Earth.

This is also the general idea of the map - to give an idea about how big the Earth are and how small many of the other known planets etc. are; both compared to earth and to each other. The map drawn on the Earth are probably there mainly as a guide to size, because none of the features that are know on some of the other objects, especially The Moon (i.e. {{w|Impact crater|craters}} and "{{w|Lunar mare|seas}}") and on {{w|Mars}} (i.e. {{w|Olympus Mons}}), are included.

The objects mentioned by name on the map are all but one amongst those that have reached {{w|hydrostatic equilibrium}} and these are all included on this {{w|List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System}}.

The one named object that is '''not''' on the above list is the asteroid {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}}, which is included because it is the second largest object in the {{w|Asteroid belt}}. It is placed right next to the largest object in this belt, the dwarf planet {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}, which is no longer considered an asteroid. And next to these two are the rest of the asteroids in two areas (see below), which thus groups all asteroids together

The only object from the above list, (that qualifies for having a solid surface in hydrostatic equilibrium), '''which is not included''' is the {{w|Saturn}} moon {{w|Mimas (moon)|Mimas}}, which is also clearly the smallest object on the list.

This moon should have been located amongst the other five smaller moons of Saturn between the Earth and {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} (the largest of Saturn's moons). Mimas has a surface area of 490,000 km2 which is somewhat smaller than the smallest included Saturn moon {{w|Enceladus}} with a surface area of 799,000 km2.

Generally the moons that belong to a given planet (for those with more than one moon large enough to be included), have been clustered together. Apart from the six (not seven...) moons of Saturn to the right of Earth, the four {{w|Galilean moons}} moons of {{w|Jupiter}} are located above the Earth, the five included moons from {{w|Uranus}} is located to at the top to the far right.

The last planet to have many moons is {{w|Neptune}}, but only {{w|Triton_(moon)|Triton}} is included. This is a fairly large moon, and the only of the 14 known moons of Neptune to be on the above list. However, there is one other moon, {{w|Proteus (moon)|Proteus}} which is notable for being as large as a body of its density can be without being pulled into a spherical shape by its own gravity. It has a length of 424 km in the longest direction, and a mean radius of 210 km. A rough calculation of its surface area from this mean radius gives an area of 550,000 km2, making the surface area slightly larger than Mimas. As there are an '''unlabeled area''' located right next to the other Neptune moon Triton, it is most likely that this small area '''should represent Proteus''', and that it is an error that it was not labeled (or it was a test for followers of xkcd...)

As this is the smallest area, then the cut-off of objects could have been at 500,000 km2, as also Vesta is larger than this, which would make room for Proteus, but explain the missing Mimas.

Two of the included objects also have moons that are large enough to be included: Earth, of course, and the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}} with its moon {{w|Charon_(moon)|Charon}}. In both cases these moons have been inlaid in the area of their mother planet.

Whereas the moons of the {{w|gas giant}}s and the asteroids have been located above and to the right of the Earth, the planets and dwarf planets have been included below earth (along with the two moons mentioned above). {{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}, Mars and Venus all touching Earth, and then below them the four {{w|Trans-Neptunian object|Trans-Neptunian}} dwarf planets - the {{w|Plutoid}}s.

On the list from above there are, however, also these {{w|List_of_Solar_System_objects_in_hydrostatic_equilibrium#Most_likely_additional_dwarf_planets|10 objects}} which have not been included with name on the map. These object are, however, only likely candidates for being dwarf planets (depending on whether they have reached hydrostatic equilibrium or not), and on the map they have thus been relegated to the sections without individual names. These object are thus probably grouped together (along with other relatively small objects like comets and smaller moons) in the area labeled ''Various small moons, comets, etc'', which is located at the bottom of the map between Mercury and Mars. The surface area for all of these object, when the surface area have been estimated, are larger than 1 million square kilometer, and thus larger than several of the named objects. So it is not the size that is the reason why such objects as {{w|90377 Sedna|Sedna}} and {{w|50000 Quaoar|Quaoar}} are not included with name, but probably the fact they are not investigated enough yet.

The remaining objects in the Solar System with a solid surface are the minor planets, which on the map has been labeled as asteroids even though these objects are grouped together in several other "belts" than the Asteroid belt. Here they have been assigned to two regions at the top of the map. Above the right part of the Earth area is the area ''Asteroids (1 km+)'' which include any object not already included larger than 1 km. (As these objects are no longer round it is the largest dimension, the length, that should be at least 1 km long). And finally the area ''Asteroids (100 m+)'' thus include any object not already included larger than 100 m.

Most of the rest of the objects that have been included in these three sections can likely be found on this {{w|List of Solar System objects by size}}.

Tiny objects smaller than 100 m down to space dust are excluded altogether as explained in the note below the headings. This is probably because their total surface area is impossible to estimate accurately, and also because any estimate would likely be too large to fit easily into the map.

Between Earth and Titan is a tiny speck noted ''all human skin'', which is an interesting sort of solid surface. A rough estimate of the average {{w|body surface area}} and thus of the average area of all {{w|Human skin|humans skin}} can be made from these {{w|Body_surface_area#Average_values|average values}} and from {{w|Population pyramid|population pyramids}} as this [http://populationpyramid.net/world/2015/ pyramid for 2015]. Average adults have a skin area of around 1.7-1.8 m2, but as a large part of the [https://www.census.gov/popclock/ human population] are children (with skin area down to about 0.25 m2 for infants) the total average will be smaller. By extrapolating the given values an average area of about 1.6 m2 can be found. This would make the area 7.2 billion × 1.6 m2 ≈ 11,500 km2. This is 60 times smaller than the smallest of the labeled moons {{w|Miranda (moon)|Miranda}} (of Uranus) with a surface area of 700,000 km2.

The title text explains that this comic is not actually for information, it is something Randall thinks we should really do - that is, to stitch all the solar system's solid surfaces together, as the sub-sub heading says. To do this, we would obviously need a giant spool of thread and then something he has to go get in Seattle... This must of course be the {{w|Space Needle}}, a needle like tower in Seattle, which should then be used in this grand project.

Since the land areas are on the surfaces of spheres, this would seem impossible as it would involve lots of deformation and be particularly challenging. It will also be very gruesome when he comes to the part of collecting (and stitching) all human skin together. The inclusion of this speck on the map is, however, also there to make it clear what the real intention is with the planets. Their surface is to be "skinned" of them, as you would have to do with the humans! Then it is all these "planet skins" that should be stitched together using the space needle. This also explains the ragged edges, and why the continents keep their correct size. It would make Randall into a planetary version of {{w|The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs}} movies character ''{{w|Buffalo Bill (character)|Buffalo Bill}}'', a serial killer who tried to make a suit out of the skin from the women he killed.

Randall would also need quite a lot of space for the very large ocean. However, the whole supercontinent is just somewhere between 3-4 times larger than the area of the Earth. And the area of the entire image is less than 9 times the area of the earth. As the {{w|Sphere#Area|formula}} for calculation surface areas for {{w|sphere}}s (4*π*r2) goes with the radius (r) squared, the diameter of the planet needed for the experiment do not need to be larger than 3 times that of the earth. Although there are no objects in the Solar System with this particular size, it is still much much smaller than the {{w|gas giant}}s, the smallest of these have a radius of almost 4000 times that of the earth! {{w|Exoplanet}}s with this range of diameters have certainly been found, however, already at {{w|Exoplanet#Super-Earths.2C_mini-Neptunes.2C_and_gas_dwarfs|1.7 times the earth radius}} most planets size to be of the {{w|Super-Earth}} type and turns in to the {{w|Gas_dwarf#Gas_dwarf|gas dwarf}} type of planets. So an ocean of the size needed are not easy to come by...

As has been explained above the earth's surface is included disregarding surface water (oceans) and the same is valid for other objects with surface water, as the Saturn moon Titan which has great lakes (or even oceans) of liquid {{w|methane}} on the surface or the Jupiter moon {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}} which is covered in a deep ocean with a thick cap of ice. (Interestingly this moon is placed on the map very near to the continent of {{w|Europe}} - maybe for easy comparison of these two areas).

The gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune has, however, not been included because they do not have any "solid surfaces"; even if they had a solid core (which is itself not clear), this would not comprise any "surface". The gas giants are believed to lack any well-defined surface at all, with the gases that make them up simply becoming thinner and thinner with increasing distance from the planets' centers, eventually becoming indistinguishable from the interplanetary medium. But if they were included via some sort of surface definition, the map of this comic would become a tiny speck amongst the map of the gas giants. Similarly the surface of the {{w|Sun}} is also not considered a solid surface but hot {{w|Plasma_(physics)|plasma}}; if it was included it would reduce even a map of the gas giants to a tiny speck.

The map is drawn in a similar style to the two maps of the Internet that Randall has created in the past:
*[[256: Online Communities]]
*[[802: Online Communities 2]]

===Data table===
Below is a table listing the object roughly in the order they would be read of the map (the same order as in the transcript.) But they can be sorted by each of the columns.

The data is taken when possible from the following table: {{w|List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System}}, and surface area is given with three significant digits.

For {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}} and {{w|Proteus (moon)|Proteus}} (the most likely candidate for the unlabeled area next to triton) the area is calculated from their mean radius (i.e. they are not spherical). See also above in the explanation, also for calculating the area of all human skin...

The surface for a given object is also given as a ''Fraction of Earth’s surface'', and from this the number of times the object could be placed on the Earth's surface is given as one divided by this fraction. For instance it can be seen that The Moon's surface can be placed more than 13 times on top of that of the Earth.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Surface area of mentioned objects
!Object
!Type
!Surface area (km2)
!Fraction of Earth’s
!1/Fraction
|-
|{{w|Io (moon)|Io}}||Moon of Jupiter||data-sort-value="41900000"| 4.19×107||0.082||12.2
|-
|{{w|Callisto (moon)|Callisto}}||Moon of Jupiter||data-sort-value="73000000"| 7.30×107||0.143||7.00
|-
|{{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}||Moon of Jupiter||data-sort-value="30900000"| 3.09×107||0.061||16.4
|-
|{{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}}||Moon of Jupiter||data-sort-value="87000000"| 8.70×107||0.171||5.80
|-
|{{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}||Dwarf planet||data-sort-value="2800000"| 2.80×106||0.0055||180
|-
|{{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}}||Asteroid||data-sort-value="870000"| 8.70×105||0.0017||590
|-
|{{w|Asteroids}} (1 km+)||Asteroid||N/A||N/A||N/A
|-
|{{w|Proteus (moon)|Proteus}} (not labeled)||Moon of Neptune||data-sort-value="550000"| 5.50×105||0.00011||9100
|-
|{{w|Triton (moon)|Triton}}||Moon of Neptune||data-sort-value="23000000"| 2.30×107||0.045||22.2
|-
|{{w|Asteroids}} (100 m+)||Asteroid||N/A||N/A||N/A
|-
|{{w|Oberon (moon)|Oberon}}||Moon of Uranus||data-sort-value="7290000"| 7.29×106||0.014||71.4
|-
|{{w|Miranda (moon)|Miranda}}||Moon of Uranus||data-sort-value="700000"| 7.00×105||0.0014||714
|-
|{{w|Ariel (moon)|Ariel}}||Moon of Uranus||data-sort-value="4210000"| 4.21×106||0.008||125
|-
|{{w|Umbriel (moon)|Umbriel}}||Moon of Uranus||data-sort-value="4300000"| 4.30×106||0.008||125
|-
|{{w|Titania (moon)|Titania}}||Moon of Uranus||data-sort-value="7820000"| 7.82×106||0.015||66.7
|-
|{{w|Earth}}||Planet||data-sort-value="510000000"| 5.10×108||1||1
|-
|{{w|Tethys (moon)|Tethys}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="4940000"| 4.94×106||0.01||100
|-
|{{w|Enceladus}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="799000"| 7.99×105||0.0016||625
|-
|{{w|Dione (moon)|Dione}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="3970000"| 3.97×106||0.0078||128
|-
|{{w|Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="6700000"| 6.70×106||0.0132||75.8
|-
|All {{w|Human skin|humans skin}}||Human organ||data-sort-value="11500"| 1.15×104||0.000023||43400
|-
|{{w|Rhea (moon)|Rhea}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="7340000"| 7.34×106||0.0144||69.4
|-
|{{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}}||Moon of Saturn||data-sort-value="83000000"| 8.30×107||0.163||6.14
|-
|{{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}||Planet||data-sort-value="75000000"| 7.50×107||0.147||6.80
|-
|{{w|Moon|The Moon}}||Moon of Earth||data-sort-value="37900000"| 3.79×107||0.074||13.5
|-
|Various small {{w|Natural satellite|moons}}, {{w|comet}}s, etc.||N/A||N/A||N/A||N/A
|-
|{{w|Mars}}||Planet||data-sort-value="140000000"| 1.40×108||0.2745||3.64
|-
|{{w|Makemake (dwarf planet)|Makemake}}||Dwarf planet||data-sort-value="6400000"| 6.40×106||0.013||76.8
|-
|{{w|Haumea (dwarf planet)|Haumea}}||Dwarf planet||data-sort-value="6800000"| 6.80×106||0.0133||75.2
|-
|{{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}}||Dwarf planet||data-sort-value="18000000"| 1.80×107||0.0353||28.3
|-
|{{w|Pluto}}||Dwarf planet||data-sort-value="17000000"| 1.70×107||0.0333||30.0
|-
|{{w|Charon (moon)|Charon}}||Moon of Pluto||data-sort-value="4580000"| 4.58×106||0.009||111
|-
|{{w|Venus}}||Planet||data-sort-value="460000000"| 4.60×108||0.949||1.05
|}

==Transcript==
:[At the top of a map is a heading, with two sub headings and a note in brackets:]
:'''Space'''
:Without the space
:The Solar System’s solid surfaces stitched together
:(Excluding dust and small rocks)
:[Below the headings there is a map with several distinct areas. Each area is labelled with a name or a description. This label is noted inside the area, except for areas that are too small; here the label is written outside and a line indicates which area the label belongs to. Only exception is the largest area, on which the contours of the Earth’s continents are drawn. Surrounding the map is wavy lines to indicate that this is either an island or one big super-continent placed in an even larger ocean.]
:[Here below are the labels given as they appear in “normal” reading order in as read from left to right in the three main rows as will be indicated:]
:[Row one, above the line defined by the general top of the Earth area:]
:Io
:Callisto
:Europa
:Ganymede
:Ceres
:Vesta
:Asteroids (1 km+)
:[Here – above the Asteroids area before the Triton area - is a small unlabelled area (the only other except Earth)]
:Triton
:Asteroids (100 m+)
:Oberon
:Miranda
:Ariel
:Umbriel
:Titania
:[Row two, the unlabelled Earth area's row, but here only given those that are directly written to the right of this area:]
:Tethys
:Enceladus
:Dione
:Iapetus
:All human skin
:Rhea
:Titan
:[Row three, all the remaining items that are mainly below the Earth area:]
:Mercury
:The Moon
:Various small moons, comets, etc
:Mars
:Makemake
:Haumea
:Eris
:Pluto
:Charon
:Venus

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:636: Brontosaurus

2014-04-16T06:18:18Z

108.162.250.223: comment

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.223|108.162.250.223]] 06:18, 16 April 2014 (UTC)Title text might also be a retort from Megan for what he said.

496: Secretary: Part 3

2014-04-15T05:05:23Z

108.162.250.223: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 496
| date = October 29, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 3
| image = secretary part 3.png
| titletext = He actually installed each piece in a different car in the lot, then built a new car in the spot from the displaced pieces. It's a confusing maneuver known as the auto-troll shuffle.
}}

==Explanation==
When a person has been appointed to a position by the {{w|POTUS|President}}, they must first go through a confirmation hearing in front of the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, the upper house of {{w|United States Congress|Congress}} where they find if the person is qualified to be in the position they have been appointed to. Of course, [[Black Hat]] is not the cleanest of characters, so Congress has a lot of reservations about his {{w|résumé}}.

*{{w|Starbucks}} is an American coffee shop chain.
**He hasn't yet, but in [[562: Parking]] Black Hat will cut someone's car in half to make it fit in a single space. Not quite as dramatic as completely disassembling a car and, as the title text says, putting a single piece in another car parked in the lot, and building a car out of the displaced parts, which could almost be considered subtle; but, it is quite dramatic.
*{{w|Charles M. Schulz}} drew a comic called {{w|Peanuts}}. One of the recurring characters was {{w|Snoopy}} who would often use his doghouse as an imaginary {{w|Sopwith Camel}} in many battles with {{w|Manfred von Richthofen|The Red Baron}} who piloted a {{w|Fokker Dr.I|Red Fokker}} {{w|Triplane}}.
**The {{w|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade}} is a parade that happens on {{w|Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day}} in the US. There are many giant balloons of pop-culture icons. Snoopy has made many appearances.
*{{w|9/11 Truth movement|9/11 Truthers}} believe that the terrorist attack on the {{w|World Trade Center}} towers on September 11, 2001 (thus 9/11) was a conspiracy theory purported by the US Government as a cover up. In the comic, Black Hat appears to be mixing 9/11 truthers with {{w|Moon landing conspiracy theories|Moon landing conspiracy theorists}} who believe that {{w|NASA}} never put a {{w|Apollo program|man on the moon}}.
**Black Hat uses a common refrain [[:Category:Sheeple|Wake up, Sheeple]].
*{{w|RadioShack}} is a chain of consumer electronics shops that sold parts to build electronics with: resistors, transistors, etc. Apparently Black Hat managed to build a death ray from the parts there and accidentally vaporized a customer. His line "Figures that'd be the one day that there'd be a customer in the aisle" refers to the fact that RadioShack stores have been in steady decline over the years, largely propped up by momentum.
*{{w|Microsoft}} is the company that makes {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}}, and {{w|Steve Ballmer}} is its {{w|Chief executive officer|CEO}}. {{w|Windows Vista}} is an {{w|operating system}} released in 2007; it was widely panned by software critics.
*{{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} is the second female justice on the {{w|Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court}}, appointed by President Clinton. The relevance here is that during her own confirmation hearings, she refused to answer many questions about her personal views, frustrating many Senators (nevertheless, she was confirmed, 96-3). {{w|John Roberts}}, the current Chief Justice, was similarly evasive in his hearings, citing the "Ginsburg Precedent."
*Black Hat stole a nuclear submarine in xkcd [[405: Journal 3]] to get his hat back from [[Danish]].
*"Pleading the fifth" is to invoke the {{w|Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment}} of the {{w|United States Bill of Rights}}. Specifically, when someone pleads the fifth, they mean that they cannot be compelled to give testimony against themselves. That is, they do not have to say anything that could be taken as an admission of guilt. The {{w|Third Amendment to the United States Constitution|third amendment}} states that no homeowner has to keep troops of the United States Army in their house against their will in peacetime. Either Black Hat Guy doesn't understand the 3rd Amendment, or (more likely) he believes the nuclear submarine to be his property, and rather than stealing it he was simply expelling U.S. military soldiers who were "quartered" in his nuclear sub without his permission.

The final panels show Ron Paul's blimp finally approaching Washington DC. The balloon spotted on their radar is presumably piloted by blogger {{w|Cory Doctorow}}.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
*[[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
*[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
*[[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
*[[497: Secretary: Part 4]]
*[[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.

==Transcript==
:[The confirmation hearings begin.]
:Senator: It appears you have quite an arrest record.

:Senator: Is it true you completely disassembled someone's car outside a Starbucks?
:Black Hat: It was parked across two spaces.

:Senator: You stole a red Fokker triplane and strafed the snoopy float at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade?

:Black Hat: Got three mimes, too.

:Senator: You disrupted a 9/11 truth meeting, insisting the Twin Towers never actually collapsed?
:Black Hat: I have evidence! Don't trust the media! Wake up, sheeple!

:Senator: You were fired from Radio Shack after you built a death ray and vaporized a customer?

:Black Hat: I was just testing it! Figures that'd be the one day there was a shopper in the aisle.

:Senator: And you were thrown out of Microsoft headquarters for... trying to feed a squirrel through a fax machine?

:Black Hat: I forgot about that! it was part of an argument with Steve Ballmer about Vista.
::Which I won, by the way.

:[Senators look down at their notes.]

:Senator: This is the worst history of vandalism, gleeful mayhem, and general recalcitrance we've seen in a nominee since Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

:Senator: And this-you stole a nuclear submarine?
:Black Hat: I plead the third.

:Senator: You mean the fifth?
:Black Hat: No, the third.

:Senator: You refuse to quarter troops in your house?
:Black Hat: I have few principles, but I stick to them.

:Meanwhile...
:[Aboard Ron Paul's blimp.]
:Ponytail: We're nearing Washington, sir.
::Wait... There's something ahead on the sensors.

:Ponytail: It's a balloon.
:Ron Paul: ...Oh, no.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]
[[Category:Secretary|03]]

Talk:1337: Hack

2014-03-03T10:36:05Z

108.162.250.223:

Taking the number with the title, we have a 1337 Hack. Has to be related. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 08:28, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
:: I concur, I don't think 1337 and Hack are just a coincidence [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.223|108.162.250.223]] 10:36, 3 March 2014 (UTC)