explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

546: Music DRM

2013-09-30T18:23:04Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ Link came up as a reported attack page. Removed.

{{comic
| number = 546
| date = February 20, 2009
| title = Music DRM
| image = music drm.png
| titletext = Just yesterday I bought my first non-DRM'd songs (The Last Vegas, in keeping with my 'I only listen to things from Guitar Hero' theme).
}}

==Explanation==
Here, [[Cueball]] is commenting in a comment thread that he authored about the negative traits of DRM, or again, Digital Rights Management (also known under 'Digital Restrictions Management'). Cueball has a point: DRM, while meant to fight those who download media through [[Sketchiness|'dungeon sketchy']] maneuvers, [[Steal This Comic|risks locking out legitimate owners]]. In turn, this turns off legitimate buyers from buying the songs, thus hurting artists.

Of course, this would be true if the major stores sell music with DRM. [[Megan]], wanting Cueball to make peace and enjoy his goal, makes the following choice quote: 'Close the comment thread, get out the debit card, buy us some music, and let's rock the fuck out.'

The problem is that fighting feels good, something that dos not usually require money from the participants.

The title text references [[132: Music Knowledge|'''Music Knowledge''']] while inferring that [[Randall]] is not really a music fan, since he would only be interested in music that appears in the games that he plays.

==Transcript==
:[Interior, Cueball sits at his computer typing, Megan enters.]
:Cueball [typing]: ...and that's why music DRM is bad for listeners ''and'' artists!
:Megan [off-panel]: What are you doing?

:Megan: In case you didn't notice, we ''won'' the music DRM war. The big stores are DRM free.

:Megan: So close the comment thread, get out the debit card, buy us some music, and let's rock the fuck out.

:Cueball: But I don't actually ''like'' music, I just like being self-righteous on the web.
:Megan: Lucky for you, ''that'' will always be free.

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

525: I Know You're Listening

2013-09-30T16:25:23Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 525
| date = January 2, 2009
| title = I Know You're Listening
| image = i know youre listening.png
| titletext = Basically it's Pascal's Wager for the paranoid prankster.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] periodically says "I know you're listening" aloud in empty rooms. The idea is that if nobody is listening, he doesn't lose anything, but if somebody ''is'' listening he gains by freaking them out. As mentioned in the title text, this is similar to {{w|Pascal's wager|Pascal's Wager}}. Blaise Pascal was a French philosopher and mathematician who postulated that it was best to behave like a good Christian on earth because, if there was no afterlife, you wouldn't lose anything by being Christian, and if there was, you'd gain immensely by going to heaven due to being a Christian.

==Transcript==
:Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms.
:[Cueball is sitting in an armchair, reading. He murmurs something.]
:[Second man in front of a large computer terminal jumps out of chair after hearing the first man mumble. His chair has fallen over.]
:If I'm wrong, no one knows. And if I'm right, maybe I just freaked the hell out of some secret organization.

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

Talk:525: I Know You're Listening

2013-09-30T16:24:07Z

152.119.255.250:

Whether or not this is what the Citation request needs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager#Criticism would be helpful. Most people tend to go for the "What if it's the ''wrong'' god that you believe in?" counter to the wager. i.e. the parts of your religious observance that most please Zeus might well anger Odin greatly, or something similar for any two gods (pantheonic ''or'' sole Authority, this factor also being a major issue of choice) that you might care to compare between. This is mostly covered in the "Argument from inconsistent revelations" section of the above, it appears.

Personally my favoured counter-argument is that any sufficiently omniscient god worth his pillar-of-salt should ''know'' whether you are Wagering, and probably has a special area of Hell (or Tantarus) reserved for those that try to toady up to him by faking a belief (covered by the "Argument from inauthentic belief" section). I choose to believe that an honest non-believer might at least get a look-in at any middle-ground afterlife (regardless of their lack in belief of same), but I also don't have amy great reason to believe that this attitude is going to reward me, either.

(c.f. also the assumption that 'innocents', and people who have never been exposed to the Word Of GodTM are entitled to a free pass to some non-Hell level of afterlife, the punishment only applying after having been introduced to the whole Judeo-Christian system of post-death existence. On this basis, missionaries that go out and inform remote tribespeoples and oceanic islanders of the state of affairs are actually potentially making things a lot worse for their target audience than they ''would'' have been... Assuming that they're right in the first place.)

But note that, for every philosophical argument, there's an equal and opposite philosophical argument. I just plan on being good in the mortal world (where I know I will be rewarded, or at least regarded in a reasonably good light, if perhaps a bit of a doorstep) and if this doesn't help out when I hypothetically find myself at the Pearly Gates then I probably wouldn't have hit on the right form and combination of observances anyway so its not a wager that I could have reasonably 'won'.

This is, of course, way heavier an edit than I had intended, and I'm not suggesting that this is the best intepretation, just my own, and probably not worth a discussion over. [[Special:Contributions/31.111.87.233|31.111.87.233]] 09:28, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

(Forgot to say... non-deity eavesdroppers probably wouldn't have the omniscience, so go ahead and randomly profess your belief in them! [[Special:Contributions/31.111.87.233|31.111.87.233]] 09:30, 28 May 2013 (UTC))

:My best argument against pretending to believe something you doesn't is: do you really want to spend an ethernity with people whose belief you faked? For (extreme) example, if only Jehovah's witnesses go to heaven (and assuming you are not one), do you WANT to go there? Similarly, abstinents probably don't want to end in Valhalla. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:41, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

::This is a lot of unnecessary talk, even realized to be such by the one who wrote it. The explanation, as written, is fine without this extraneity. [[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 16:24, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

521: 2008 Christmas Special

2013-09-30T16:15:12Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 521
| date = December 24, 2008
| title = 2008 Christmas Special
| image = 2008_christmas_special.png
| titletext = 'How could you possibly think typing 'import skynet' was a good idea?'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the xkcd Christmas Special from the year 2008. The prologue states that due to the {{w|2008 financial crisis}}, only very few images of the strip could be produced. It is therefore left to the reader to reconstruct the whole story based on the given images. While it is claimed that the reconstruction should be rather easy, the complicated and abstruse plot-line makes it nearly impossible to fill the gaps. Any attempt at inferring the missing images would therefore be largely guesswork. The comic features the well-known xkcd characters getting involved in a strange fight with cyborgs and raptors on Christmas eve.

The line "We apologize for the inconvenience." is possibly a reference to the famous book series {{w|The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy}} by {{w|Douglas Adams}}. It appears there as God's Final Message to His Creation, written in letters of fire on the side of the Quentulus Quazgar Mountains.

'''Panel 2:''' [[Megan]] strives to outdo some Christmas lights she has seen on YouTube.

'''Panel 3:''' Dissatisfied with her work, Megan is thinking about alternative ways improve her light arrangement. The idea of firing {{w|Sodium}} pellets into snow is probably a bad one, as Sodium reacts exothermically with water and may, in large amounts, induce explosions.

'''Panel 5:''' Probably still obsessed with the idea of creating a large and impressive light display, Megan has constructed an electronic device with an {{w|Arduino}} processor, perhaps to make the light chain show patterns. However, the amount of energy she used was apparently too high, causing one of the control boards to vaporize.

'''Panel 7:''' Megan's device has developed {{w|artificial intelligence}}, allowing it to feel. This common trope in science-fiction works usually leads to the system's attempting to eradicate its creator. [[Cueball]] attributes the emergence of a personality to awesome ease and power of programming in {{w|Python (programming language|Python}}.

'''Panel 11:''' Out of context, this panel introduces the idea of {{w|Santa Claus}} being a {{w|muslim}}. This is a reference to the persistent Internet rumors that Barack Obama is a Muslim, though he declares himself to be a Christian. However, the theory probably relates to the fact the Santa Claus is usually displayed with a large beard, which is sometimes also sported by conservative Muslims.

'''Panel 13:''' At this point the self-conscious Christmas light control systems has apparently released {{w|cyborgs}} that tried to kill Megan and Cueball. In order to repel the cyborgs, they have cloned {{w|Velociraptors}}. Cueball expresses doubt whether that was really a good idea. Velociraptors appear frequently in xkcd, cf. comics [[87]], [[135]] and [[292]].

'''Panel 17:''' As predicted, the raptors have gone wild, but Megan, Cueball and the two smaller characters (perhaps their children) managed to cage the dinosaurs. They believe themselves safe unless the raptors learn how to build {{w|lightsabers}}.

'''Panel 19:''' The raptors have indeed succeeded with constructing lightsabers and must now be fought. The "Clever girl" is a reference to a line from Jurassic Park where the raptors outflank (and kill) one of the human characters wearing a similar hat.

'''Panel 23:''' IT billionaire {{w|Bill Gates}} has mistakenly killed Santa Claus, possibly in a sword fight. He claims to have mistaken him for {{w|Richard Stallman}}, a prominent {{w|free software}} activist. (Gates strongly opposes the idea of free software and is therefore considered a antagonist by many of its supporters.) The most striking resemblance between Stallman and Santa Claus is probably the long and untamed beard. Comic [[225]] is one of the most famous xkcd comics and features Stallman involved in a sword fight.

'''Panel 29:''' Megan asks [[Black Hat]] where he obtained the enormously large {{w|christmas tree}} that can be seen on the right side of the picture. It is implied that he logged {{w|Yggdrasil}}, a giant ash tree in Norse mythology. According to tradition, Yggdrasil is the world tree representing the whole of creation and holding together the cosmological structure.

'''Panel 31:''' [[Randall]] wishes Merry Christmas to all xkcd readers.

The title text refers to panel 7. In Python, modules are imported using the "import ''module''" syntax. {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}} is a self-conscious artificial intelligence system featured in the {{w|Terminator}} film series as the main antagonist. Importing the skynet module might therefore account for Megan's system's developing an evil personality.

Note that this comic was first published in another version that had panel 29 as panel 27 and the "Merry Christmas from xkcd" message at the bottom. As 27 is not a {{w|prime number}}, the current version was published in lieu of the erroneous one.

It has been observed that the top left nine panels form a {{w|Glider (Conway's Life)|Glider}} in {{w|Conway's Game of Life}}. The glider is sometimes used as an emblem representing {{w|hacker subculture}}, although rotated by 90 degrees. It remains however unclear whether the occurrence in the comic is intentional or owed to the prime number pattern.

==Transcript==
:The 2008 XKCD Christmas Special
:Due to the slowing economy, we could only afford to produce the prime-numbered panels.
:You should be able to infer the missing parts of the story easily enough.
:We apologize for the inconvenience.
:[The first panel is blank.]
:[Megan carrying Christmas lights and Cueball watching.]
:Megan: I'm going to one-up those Christmas light displays on YouTube.
:[Megan thinking.]
:Megan: Hmm. Needs more flair. Do you know what happens when you fire sodium pellets into a snowbank?
:Cueball: No.
:Megan: Me neither.
:[The next panel is blank.]
:[Megan sitting in front of a console.]
:Megan: Whoops, one of the Arduino control boards sublimated.
:Megan: If only I could make it self-repairing...
:[The next panel is blank.]
:Megan: Shit. The system has become sentient.
:Cueball: Friggin' Python.
:System: GRAAARR!
:[The next three panels are blank.]
:[Megan showing laptop to Cueball.]
:Megan: But according to this email forward, Santa is secretly a Muslim!
:Cueball: It explains everything!
:[The next panel is blank.]
:Megan: Okay, the cloned raptors are hunting the last of the cyborgs. We're safe.
:Cueball: Are you sure you thought this through?
:[The next three panels are blank.]
:[Two couples appear in this next panel.]
:Cueball: Are the raptors contained?
:Ponytail: Sure. Unless they figure out how to build lightsabers.
:[The next panel is blank.]
:[Guy with hat fighting with a raptor using lightsabers.]
:Cueball: It's all right. I've got her.
:[Lightsaber appears from behind.]
:Snap-hiss!
:Cueball: ...Clever girl.
:[The next three panels are blank.]
:[Bill Gates is holding a weapon over Santa's body. The two girls are watching.]
:Megan: Great. Bill Gates kills Santa.
:Bill Gates: I thought it was Stallman with a dyed beard.
:[The next five panels are blank.]
:[Megan and Black Hat are looking at a tree.]
:Megan: Where did you get this Christmas tree?
:Black Hat: Nowhere.
:Megan: Did you cut down the Yggdrasil?
:Black Hat: ...Maybe.
:[The next panel is blank.]
:[Megan and Cueball holding hands and looking at reader.]
:Merry Christmas from XKCD <3
:[The last panel is blank.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]

517: Marshmallow Gun

2013-09-30T16:04:52Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 517
| date = December 15, 2008
| title = Marshmallow Gun
| image = marshmallow_gun.png
| titletext = Except in reality crossing a stream of marshmallows would create a giant Bill Murray.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] decides to shoot marshmallows at Megan, who promptly silences him by using a super soaker (first seen in [[220: Philosophy]]). The next day, everyone shoots marshmallows at each other in the office. Someone realizes the "streams" of marshmallows are about to cross, and shouts a warning, but they cross anyway, which results in a a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appearing. Both of these are references to the movie, {{w|GhostBusters}}, in which crossing the ghost-capturing streams was "bad" and in which an ancient spirit took the form of a giant Marshmallow Man (though this did not happen in the movie as a result of crossing the streams). The Stay-Puft man sees what they are shooting and is justifiably upset, which Megan realizes is "bad."

The title text is a further GhostBusters reference, as Bill Murray was one of the stars of that movie. The text puts forward the idea that if you were to fire marshmallows and cross the streams, the inverse would happen and an enormous Bill Murray would appear.

==Transcript==
:I got this gun that shoots marshmallows.
:[Cueball removes a marshmallow gun from a box.]
:[Cueball shoots woman with marshmallow gun from offpanel.]
:''POP POP POP''
:''WHAP WHAP WHAP''
:''POP''
:[Megan sighs.]
:''POP POP''
:[Megan removes a super soaker from desk drawer.]
:[Megan shoots offscreen man with super soaker.]
:Cueball: (offscreen) AUGH!
:''FWOOSH''
:Cueball: (offscreen) Man, I forgot that was there.
:The next day, everyone else got them too.
:[Megan and Beret Guy brandish marshmallow guns.]
:Megan: Hey noob! Eat stay-puft®!
:[Megan shoots marshmallow gun.]
:''POP POP POP''
:[Cueball shoots marshmallow gun.]
:''POP POP POP''
:[Megan and Cueball shoot marshmallows into the air, crossing the streams of fire.]
:Beret Guy: (offscreen) No, don't cross the~
:''FOOM''
:''ROAAAR''
:[Megan, Cueball, and Beret Guy are all standing with weapons pointed at the ground.]
:Megan: Okay, this is bad.
:Offscreen: You're shooting what?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

517: Marshmallow Gun

2013-09-30T16:00:38Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 517
| date = December 15, 2008
| title = Marshmallow Gun
| image = marshmallow_gun.png
| titletext = Except in reality crossing a stream of marshmallows would create a giant Bill Murray.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] decides to shoot marshmallows at Megan, who promptly silences him by using a super soaker (first seen in [[220: Philosophy]]). The next day, everyone shoots marshmallows at each other in the office, which results in a a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appearing (a reference to GhostBusters, in which crossing the ghost-capturing streams was "bad" and in which an ancient spirit took the form of the Marshmallow Man, though this did not happen in the movie as a result of crossing the streams). The Stay-Puft man sees what they are shooting and is justifiably upset, which Megan realizes is "bad."

The title text is a further GhostBusters reference, as Bill Murray was one of the stars of that movie. The text puts forward the idea that if you were to fire marshmallows and cross the streams, the inverse would happen and an enormous Bill Murray would appear.

==Transcript==
:I got this gun that shoots marshmallows.
:[Cueball removes a marshmallow gun from a box.]
:[Cueball shoots woman with marshmallow gun from offpanel.]
:''POP POP POP''
:''WHAP WHAP WHAP''
:''POP''
:[Megan sighs.]
:''POP POP''
:[Megan removes a super soaker from desk drawer.]
:[Megan shoots offscreen man with super soaker.]
:Cueball: (offscreen) AUGH!
:''FWOOSH''
:Cueball: (offscreen) Man, I forgot that was there.
:The next day, everyone else got them too.
:[Megan and Beret Guy brandish marshmallow guns.]
:Megan: Hey noob! Eat stay-puft®!
:[Megan shoots marshmallow gun.]
:''POP POP POP''
:[Cueball shoots marshmallow gun.]
:''POP POP POP''
:[Megan and Cueball shoot marshmallows into the air, crossing the streams of fire.]
:Beret Guy: (offscreen) No, don't cross the~
:''FOOM''
:''ROAAAR''
:[Megan, Cueball, and Beret Guy are all standing with weapons pointed at the ground.]
:Megan: Okay, this is bad.
:Offscreen: You're shooting what?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

474: Turn-On

2013-09-25T20:32:36Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 474
| date = October 10, 2008
| title = Turn-On
| image = turn-on.png
| titletext = Supercollider? I 'ardly know her!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the first start up of CERN's {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} (LHC). There was a theoretical concern that that the LHC experiments could create a {{w|black hole}} which would suck in our planet.

[[Cueball]] uses this concern when telling [[Megan]] this could be their last night on Earth, but since the scene is in a Bar it is more likely that he just wants to stay the next night together with her. Megan answers as a physicist and expresses scientists have determined that the fears are unfounded.

Cueball feels rejected by her answer and leaves her, but she calls him back and he continues the conversation by using three of the six {{w|Quark}} flavors in his first sentence ({{w|Up quark}}, {{w|Charm quark}}, and {{w|Strange quark}}). Megan is impressed and asks if she has to be on top or bottom ({{w|Top quark}} and {{w|Bottom quark}}). Then, while Cueball explains that he hasn't even bought her a drink, Megan does the order, just straight down ({{w|Down quark}}).

The quarks are some fundamental particles the LHC is generating. All six {{w|Flavor (particle physics)|flavors}} of quarks are in the last panel: Up, Charm, Strange, Top, Bottom, and Down.

The title text is of course a very old joke "I 'ardly know her!", using this at the wrong moment it could be bad for a nice romance.

==Transcript==
:[A bar.]
:Cueball: So, the LHC's turning on. This could be our last night on earth.
:Megan: Gimme a break. They're not even colliding yet, and it won't do anything cosmic rays haven't.
:[Cueball starts to turn away.]
:Megan: Hey, I didn't say no.
:Megan: I'm a physics grad student. I need the excuse to party.
:Cueball: So, you're up for a night with a charming stranger?
:Megan: Depends. Top or bottom?
:Cueball: Hey, I haven't even bought you a drink.
:Megan: Barkeep, two whiskey sours, straight down.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Romance]]

469: Improvised

2013-09-25T18:37:58Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 469
| date = August 29, 2008
| title = Improvised
| image = improvised.png
| titletext = Oh, your brother is Luke. Sorry, should've mentioned that first.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
In the film "{{w|Star Wars}} Episode V: {{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}", just before {{w|Han Solo}}, portrayed by {{w|Harrison Ford}}, is frozen in carbonite, the following conversation occurs:
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I know.

The original script had Han Solo respond with "I love you, too", but Harrison Ford felt that the character would not give such a cliched response, even in the face of likely death and ad-libbed the "I know" line that was actually used in the finished film. The ad-libbed line is generally though to be better than the original would have been.

The comic presents several alternative ad-libs that Ford could have made in that conversation as well as at various points throughout the trilogy.

The title text refers to the plot twist that {{w|Luke Skywalker}} is princess {{w|Princess Leia|Leia's}} brother, which would not be revealed until the next film in the series. How Han Solo knows this twist at this point in the story is unknown, but he must at least know that Leia has a brother in the center left panel.

==Transcript==
:Harrison Ford Famously Improvised His "I know" Line in E.S.B. (The Empire Strikes Back). Here are a few of his less-successful ad-libs:
:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I Love You.
:Han: Well, Duh
:[Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.]
:C-3P0: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720 to 1!
:Han: Seriously? ...Christ
:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I Love You.
:Han: Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.
:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I Love You.
:Han: I'm Nailing Your Brother.
:[Han Solo standing in front of Luke Skywalker, who is holding the blast shield helmet. The training droid hovers between them.]
:Han: Hokey Religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.
:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I Love You.
:Han: Cool. Listen, this thing is really, REALLY cold.
:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I Love You.
:Han: Wowzers.
:[Han Solo sits with two others. General Madine approaches.]
:Madine: General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:Han: Barely.
:Han: They're pretty drunk.
:[Han Solo and Princess Leia stand in an Ice Tunnel of Hoth.]
:Leia: I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
:Han: Man, me too, but chewie never seems interested.
:Han: Maybe I should Grow My hair out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

444: Macgyver Gets Lazy

2013-09-25T17:08:01Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 444
| date = July 2, 2008
| title = Macgyver Gets Lazy
| image = macgyver_gets_lazy.png
| titletext = At the time of this writing, Wikipedia has a wonderful article titled 'List of problems solved by Macgyver'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|MacGyver}} was a 80s and early 90s TV character, famed for improvising complex devices in a matter of minutes in order to escape dangerous situations. MacGyver suggests an unusually direct plan—shooting the guard in the head.

The Wikipedia page from the title text redirects to the main MacGyver entry since September 2012. The former content was moved to the episode descriptions.

==Transcript==
:[Outside of a building with a door marked No Entry and a guard standing outside, Cueball and MacGyver are hiding.]
:Cueball: Any ideas?
:MacGyver: I can use the trigger mechanism of this gun to ignite a small explosive charge, propelling a metal slug into the guard's head.

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

442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2013-09-25T17:05:09Z

152.119.255.250: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 442
| date = June 27, 2008
| title = xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel
| image = xkcd_loves_the_discovery_channel.png
| titletext = I love the title-text!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of the {{w|Discovery Channel}} commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0 'Boom De Yada']. The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous XKCD strip. In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial."

The campaign from the {{w|Discovery Channel}} was not called "Boom De Yada", but {{w|I Love The World}}. It's possible that the title "xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel" is in reference to that.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is in parody of the Discovery Channel commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line "Boom De Yada."]
:[The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous XKCD strip.]
:[In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.]

:Panel 1: [[162|(Reference Comic 162)]]
:[Megan spinning around.]
:I love momentum.

:Panel 2: [[413|(Reference Comic 413)]]
:[Megan laying on floor tinkering with EEE PC hamster ball robot.]
:I love to engineer.

:Panel 3: [[434|(Reference Comic 434)]]
:[Beret Guy standing in bakery holding a loaf of bread in each hand, sign with "PIE!" in background.]
:I love this bakery!

:Panel 4: [[239|(Reference Comic 239)]]
:[Cory Doctorow in goggles and red cape flying superman-style.]
:I love the blogosphere!

:Panel 5: [[152|(Reference Comic 152)]]
:[Cueball running in large hamster ball.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 6:
:[Depiction of 4chan's /b/-Random.]
:And all its messed-up folks.

:Panel 7: [[150|(Reference Comic 150)]]
:[Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 8:
:[Mass of playpen balls with speech "I put on my robe and wizard hat" originating from it.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 9: [[72|(Reference Comic 72)]]
:[Black Hat taking gift away from kid with party hat.]
:I love your suffering.

:Panel 10: [[153|(Reference Comic 153)]]
:[Diagram showing RSA fingerprint authentication between two people.]
:I love cryptography.

:Panel 11: [[230|(Reference Comic 230)]]
:[Cueball and Megan in bed covered by red sheet.]
:I love entangled sheets.

:Panel 12: (Blag or [[235|Reference Comic 235)]]
:[Cueball hanging from kite string holding camera.]
:And kite photography.

:Panel 13: [[256|(Reference Comic 256)]]
:[Map of the internet.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 14: [[8|(Reference Comic 8)]]
:[Cube with red spider on top.]
:And all its mysteries.

:Panel 15: [[303|(Reference Comic 303)]]
:[Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 16: [[263|(Reference Comic 263)]]
:[Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 17:
:[Cueball saying "Barack me Obamadeus!" to another man speaking energetically at a podium.]
:I love elections.

:Panel 18:
:[Cueball holding schematic diagram of a transistor in front of his crotch.]
:I love transistors.

:Panel 19: (Reference Comic [[69]], [[214]])
:[Cueball and Megan in bed, Cueball saying "There ''must'' be taft slash fiction."]
:I love weird pillow talk.

:Panel 20: (Reference Comic [[49]], [[279]], [[317]])
:[Cueball speaking to Megan.]
:I love your sister.

:Panel 21: [[249|(Reference Comic 249)]]
:[Roller coaster with Cueball in front car holding chess board and thinking about a move.]
:I love the whole world.

:Panel 22: [[167|(Reference Comic 167)]]
:[Beret Guy standing in the midst of leafless trees.]
:The future's pretty cool!

:Panel 23: [[108|(Reference Comic 108)]]
:[Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 24: [[409|(Reference Comic 409)]]
:[Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

==Trivia==
*This comic was enacted by Olga Nunes and various famous people as [http://www.olganunes.com/xkcd ''We Love xkcd''].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Red Spiders]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Electric skateboard]]

442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel

2013-09-25T17:01:29Z

152.119.255.250: /* Transcript */ Comic 442 cannot reference 452, as it preceded it.

{{comic
| number = 442
| date = June 27, 2008
| title = xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel
| image = xkcd_loves_the_discovery_channel.png
| titletext = I love the title-text!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of the {{w|Discovery Channel}} commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0 'Boom De Yada']. The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous XKCD strip. In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial."

The campaign from the {{w|Discovery Channel}} was not called "Boom De Yada", but {{w|I Love The World}}. It's possible that the title "xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel" is in reference to that.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is in parody of the Discovery Channel commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line "Boom De Yada."]
:[The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous XKCD strip.]
:[In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.]

:Panel 1: [[162|(Reference Comic 162)]]
:[Megan spinning around.]
:I love momentum.

:Panel 2: [[413|(Reference Comic 413)]]
:[Megan laying on floor tinkering with EEE PC hamster ball robot.]
:I love to engineer.

:Panel 3: [[434|(Reference Comic 434)]]
:[Beret Guy standing in bakery holding a loaf of bread in each hand, sign with "PIE!" in background.]
:I love this bakery!

:Panel 4: [[239|(Reference Comic 239)]]
:[Cory Doctorow in goggles and red cape flying superman-style.]
:I love the blogosphere!

:Panel 5: [[152|(Reference Comic 152)]]
:[Cueball running in large hamster ball.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 6:
:[Depiction of 4chan's /b/-Random.]
:And all its messed-up folks.

:Panel 7: [[150|(Reference Comic 150)]]
:[Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 8:
:[Mass of playpen balls with speech "I put on my robe and wizard hat" originating from it.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 9: [[72|(Reference Comic 72)]]
:[Black Hat taking gift away from kid with party hat.]
:I love your suffering.

:Panel 10: [[153|(Reference Comic 153)]]
:[Diagram showing RSA fingerprint authentication between two people.]
:I love cryptography.

:Panel 11: [[230|(Reference Comic 230)]]
:[Cueball and Megan in bed covered by red sheet.]
:I love entangled sheets.

:Panel 12: (Blag or [[235|Reference Comic 235)]]
:[Cueball hanging from kite string holding camera.]
:And kite photography.

:Panel 13: [[256|(Reference Comic 256)]]
:[Map of the internet.]
:I love the whole world

:Panel 14: [[8|(Reference Comic 8)]]
:[Cube with red spider on top.]
:And all its mysteries.

:Panel 15: [[303|(Reference Comic 303)]]
:[Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 16: [[263|(Reference Comic 263)]]
:[Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 17:
:[Cueball saying "Barack me Obamadeus!" to another man speaking energetically at a podium.]
:I love elections.

:Panel 18:
:[Cueball holding schematic diagram of a transistor in front of his crotch.]
:I love transistors.

:Panel 19: [[69|(Reference Comic 69)]]
:[Cueball and Megan in bed, Cueball saying "There ''must'' be taft slash fiction."]
:I love weird pillow talk.

:Panel 20: (Reference Comic [[49]], [[279]], [[317]])
:[Cueball speaking to Megan.]
:I love your sister.

:Panel 21: [[249|(Reference Comic 249)]]
:[Roller coaster with Cueball in front car holding chess board and thinking about a move.]
:I love the whole world.

:Panel 22: [[167|(Reference Comic 167)]]
:[Beret Guy standing in the midst of leafless trees.]
:The future's pretty cool!

:Panel 23: [[108|(Reference Comic 108)]]
:[Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

:Panel 24: [[409|(Reference Comic 409)]]
:[Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.]
:Boom De Yada
:Boom De Yada

==Trivia==
*This comic was enacted by Olga Nunes and various famous people as [http://www.olganunes.com/xkcd ''We Love xkcd''].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Red Spiders]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Electric skateboard]]

418: Stove Ownership

2013-09-25T15:35:17Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =418
| date =May 2, 2008
| title =Stove Ownership
| image =stove_ownership.png
| titletext =Although maybe it's just a phase, like freshman year of college when I realized I could just buy frosting in a can.
}}

==Explanation==
Bacon is generally considered one of the most delicious foods on earth, particularly in popular culture, where it's praised by such characters as Homer Simpson from ''The Simpsons'' and Vincent Vega from ''Pulp Fiction.'' It's also ''very'' bad for you.

Hence, the moment Randall realized he could cook bacon whenever he wanted, his overall health took a dramatic turn for the worse.

The title text implies that he went through a phase (a temporary fascination with a subject) when he was in college in which he reacted much the same to frosting, a sugary topping (usually for cakes) when he realized he could buy an entire can of it! He wonders if the current fascination with bacon will only turn out to be a phase like that.

==Transcript==
:[Hand-drawn graph is shown. On the Y axis, My Overall Health, on the X axis, Time. Graph is generally steady through 3/4 of the X axis, where it begins a steady decline, with a label 'The Day I Realized I Could Cook Bacon Whenever I Wanted.']

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

418: Stove Ownership

2013-09-25T15:33:55Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =418
| date =May 2, 2008
| title =Stove Ownership
| image =stove_ownership.png
| titletext =Although maybe it's just a phase, like freshman year of college when I realized I could just buy frosting in a can.
}}

==Explanation==
Bacon is generally considered one of the most delicious foods on earth, particularly in popular culture, where it's praised by such characters as Homer Simpson from ''The Simpsons'' and Vincent Vega from ''Pulp Fiction.'' It's also ''very'' bad for you.

Hence, the moment Randall realized he could cook bacon whenever he wanted, his overall health took a dramatic turn for the worse.

The title text implies that he went through a phase in college (a temporary fascination with a subject) in which he reacted much the same to frosting, a sugary topping (usually for cakes) of which he realized he could buy an entire can! He wonders if the current fascination with bacon will only turn out to be a phase like that.

==Transcript==
:[Hand-drawn graph is shown. On the Y axis, My Overall Health, on the X axis, Time. Graph is generally steady through 3/4 of the X axis, where it begins a steady decline, with a label 'The Day I Realized I Could Cook Bacon Whenever I Wanted.']

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

1258: First

2013-09-25T14:20:47Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1258
| date = August 30, 2013
| title = First
| image = first.png
| titletext = Fortunately, exactly zero other annoying internet behaviors have developed during this time.
}}

==Explanation==

Cueball is commenting on the [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first urge] some people have to be the first to make a comment on any given posting (be it a blog post or a youtube video or some other commentable content), and to obnoxiously point out that they have made the first comment. This often manifests as the poster simply posting the word "First" without contributing any actual content to the discussion. Cueball appears glad that the practice seems to be slowly dying out. However, someone (Offscreen) is worried he will jinx it, only encouraging more people to do so.

The title text ironically states that no new annoying internet behaviors have emerged since the "first post" trend began which would continue to annoy users: a fact which is clearly wrong to anyone who spends a length of time on the internet[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed citation needed]]. The title text also may indicate the attempt not to jinx it with all the other annoying internet habits.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at his desk, using a computer.]
:[Cueball is still sitting at the desk, but with hands off the keyboard in his lap.]
:[Cueball is in the same position as before, talking with off-panel.]
:Cueball: After a couple of unbearable decades, the "first post" thing seems to be dying a quiet death.
:Off-screen: ''Shh''. You'll jinx it.

==See also==
*[[269: TCMP]]
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]

1265: Juicer

2013-09-25T13:31:13Z

152.119.255.250:

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
;Juicing Gushers
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and eliminating the task of chewing the solids. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit_Gushers|fruit gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless artificial "juice" out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption.

This may or may not be a parody of recent "fruit gushers" television commercials, in which fruit gushers are shown to squirt out nearly limitless amounts of "juice".

The title text asserts that the rind is where all the {{w|Vitamin|vitamins}} in the fruit reside. This is a common belief of actual fruits, although it is an untrue {{w|Urban legend|urban legend}} for many fruits; even fruits like apples do not contain most of the {{w|fiber}} and many {{w|Antioxidant|antioxidants}} in the skin itself, but rather directly below; although when you peel an apple you remove more than just the skin, losing also that area with high fiber and antioxidant content anyway. There is a simple rule: If your thumbnail can reach the flesh of a fruit don't remove the skin. It is absolutely absurd as in this case, though, as the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar. This text mocks the usual sentiment that the less desirable part of a food is the part that is "better" for you.

The comic is thus also a parody of the notion that buying a juicer (or other things like exercise equipment) will automatically make people healthier. Here it is shown that what you do with the juicer is the relevant factor (for example, if one juiced solely apples every day, they would not get nearly the same nutritional benefits as someone who juiced other fruits and vegetables with more and varied nutrients).

The comic can also be interpreted as parodying the idea of fruit juices being healthy. Though this is widely believed, [http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/ recent studies ][http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/some-fruits-are-better-than-others/ demonstrate otherwise.]

An alternative reading that expands on that theme is that the comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of real juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making regular juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating. But the color of the juices makes the first explanation more likely.

;Linguistic note on Hard '''g''' vs soft '''g''' and ways of pronouncing '''c'''
Some native English speakers may think that some non-native English speakers may think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ should be pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know enough to be dangerous about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/, but that's non-sense. Never the less...
*The plain-English word "gush" (meaning to flow rapidly) is pronounced with a hard 'g' and a 'u' as in 'flush' or 'gut.'
*The American television commercials for this product make it absolutely clear that "Gushers" is also pronounced with a hard 'g' and the 'u' as above.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute,' but that is exceedingly rare when the 'u' follows a hard 'g' (gun, gull, gut, gum, Gus).
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].

==Transcript==
:[We see a shelf. On it, from left to right, are: a bag of fruit gushers; a juicer; a bottle of bright red liquid; a bottle of bright blue liquid; and another bottle of bright red liquid.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

404: Not Found

2013-09-25T12:42:52Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 404
| title = Not Found
}}

==Explanation==
There is no xkcd comic numbered 404. Randall did not skip a day, however; he put #405 up on April 2, which leads some to see the 404 as an April Fool's joke.

"404" is the HTTP Response Code for "{{w|HTTP 404|Not Found}}". [[Randall]] deliberately skipped comic number 404 in xkcd. Therefore, when people go to {{xkcd|404}} they get a "404 Not Found" error page.

[[Randall]] has stated that he considers 404 [http://plus.google.com/111588569124648292310/posts/j6w9DkYApya to be an avant-garde comic], and that for a time he made it possible to find it using the "random" button on xkcd.com.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:April fool's comics]]

399: Travelling Salesman Problem

2013-09-25T12:35:31Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 399
| date = March 21, 2008
| title = Travelling Salesman Problem
| image = travelling_salesman_problem.png
| titletext = What's the complexity class of the best linear programming cutting-plane techniques? I couldn't find it anywhere. Man, the Garfield guy doesn't have these problems...
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Travelling salesman problem}} is a classic problem in computer science that Given a list of cities and their pairwise distances, the task is to find the shortest possible route that visits each city exactly once and returns to the origin city. A naive solution solves the problem in {{w|Big O notation|order of N! time}} (where N is the size of the list). The best algorithms can solve the problem in (N22N) order time, which is better but still extremely slow. The joke is that the computer salesman selling on {{w|eBay}} does not have to worry about this problem since he does not need to travel, to which the travelling salesman angrily responds "shut the hell up".

The title text wonders about the time complexity of the {{w|Cutting-plane method}}, which is sometimes used to solve optimization problems.
The last sentence could be a reference to lacking deepness in {{w|Garfield}} comics (see also [[78: Garfield]]).

This is so far the only comic featuring the [[Brown Hat]] character.

Also see previous strip [[287: NP-Complete]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a linked black web, with a path in red; it may be a map of the USA.]
:Brute-force solution:O(n!)
:[The web continues in this one. A man with a hat and a case is drawing it.]
:Dynamic programming algorithms: O(n22n)
:[Another man, with a hat too, is at a computer, looking back over the chair.]
:Selling on eBay: O(1)
:Computer salesman: Still working on your route?
:Drawing salesman: Shut the hell up.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Brown Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]

395: Morning

2013-09-24T21:43:45Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 395
| date = March 12, 2008
| title = Morning
| image = morning.png
| titletext = I'd press on them to try to unstick them, but I can't reach. Can we try cycling day and night really fast?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic makes reference to the idea, as presented in the movie {{w|The Matrix}}, that reality is a computer simulation. In {{w|Liquid-crystal display|LCD screens}}, specially {{w|TFT LCD}}, a {{w|Defective Pixel|dead pixel}} is a pixel that does not work properly, usually set as black or as some other color. Megan realizes that the reality is a computer simulation when she sees dead pixels in the sky, indicating that what she sees is an LCD screen. Usual techniques for fixing a dead pixel are applying pressure and releasing it, which isn't possible for Megan due to the distance of the sky, and making that area of the screen change colors really quickly, which could happen if the day-and-night cycle was fast enough.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing to one side.]
:We've all seen The Matrix
:We've all joked about "What resolution is life"
:But it doesn't blunt the shock
:Of waking up one morning
:[Megan looks up from field and sees several colored pixels in the sky.]
:And seeing dead pixels in the sky.

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

393: Ultimate Game

2013-09-24T21:11:33Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ It is unimportant who Death's boss is, and no guessing is needed.

{{comic
| number = 393
| date = March 7, 2008
| title = Ultimate Game
| image = ultimate_game.png
| titletext = RIP, Gary.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Gary Gygax}} was a game designer best known for co-creating the iconic nerd pastime ''{{w|Dungeons and Dragons}}''; as such, he is commonly described as the "father of D&D." He died on March 4, 2008, three days before this comic was released.

The idea of playing games with supernatural entities in exchange for one's soul is an old one and has been referenced in [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChessWithDeath many works]. Here, the specific twist is that the victim can choose which game they want to play. Naturally, it is only fitting that Gary would challenge Death to ''D&D''.

The problem is that ''Dungeons and Dragons'' isn't so much a game as it is a set of rules for describing stories. It requires the intervention of a Dungeon Master (or DM) to create a scenario which the players' characters must overcome. It's unclear exactly how the game between Gary and Death works, but given that ''D&D'' generally takes a long time to play due to the setup time and large amount of dice-rolling, and the fact that Gary seems to keep adding extra rulebooks (official or pseudo-official books which add new classes, items, spells, etc. for players to use), it's understandable why it would take longer than Death's boss would like.

Although Gary is the father of ''D&D'', {{w|Dave Arneson}}'s contribution should not be ignored. Although xkcd did not cover his death in April 2009, a stick-figure tribute to the man who created the concept of role-playing [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html does exist], courtesy Order of the Stick.

==Transcript==
:[Split screen. Man on office phone in upper left, Death on cell phone in bottom left.]
:Man: Death?
:Death: Speaking.
:[Office. Man on office phone.]
:Man: This is the boss. Where are you? You haven't been up to the office in days!
:Death: I've been held up.
:[Death on cell phone.]
:Man: What happened?
:Death: You know how when someone dies, they can challenge me to a game for their soul?
:Man: Sure, standard procedure.
:[Room with table. Table has figurines and paper strewn about. Gary Gygax and Death seated at the table. Gary Gygax leaning over his briefcase. Death on cell phone.]
:Death: Well, we didn't count on this guy. I might be a while.
:Gary Gygax: I add the paladin to my party.
:Death: Oh, Jesus. He's getting out another rulebook.

{{comic discussion}}

376: Bug

2013-09-24T20:47:28Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 376
| date = January 28, 2008
| title = Bug
| image = bug.png
| titletext = The universe started in 1970. Anyone claiming to be over 38 is lying about their age.
}}

==Explanation==
In computer systems, time is measured starting from some arbitrarily chosen point. That particular time is known as the "{{w|Unix time|epoch}}" for that system. The {{w|UNIX}} operating system internally uses an epoch of January 1, 1970, and measures the time as a number of seconds from then. Since this was intended only for things internal to the OS (File last modified times and the like), using 1-Jan-1970 was safe as no UNIX systems existed before that date.

Dates before January 01, 1970 are represented by negative values. At 03:14:08 on January 19, 2038 the 32-bit versions of the Unix time stamp will cease to work, as it will overflow the largest value that can be held in a signed 32-bit number. The 64-bit version will expire at 15:30:08 December 4, 292,277,026,596.

[[Cueball]] has clearly misused the system date in some way, his friend makes a pun by combining "Epoch" with "Epic Fail" - a colloquial term meaning "a very big mistake was made".

The title text takes the joke to the next level, claiming that the entire universe began when Unix did, and therefore no one can be older than 38 (at the time of the comic).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a computer, staring at the screen and rubbing his chin in thought. A friend stands behind him.]
:Cueball: Weird - My code's crashing when given pre-1970 dates.
:Friend [pointing at the computer]: Epoch fail!

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

373: The Data So Far

2013-09-24T20:43:35Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ No mention of TV show "Supernatural" is implied in the comic nor necessary in the explanation.

{{comic
| number = 373
| date = January 21, 2008
| title = The Data So Far
| image = the data so far.png
| titletext = But THIS guy, he might be for real!
}}

==Explanation==

There are often people who claim to have supernatural powers, but then when their powers are tested by some sort of experiment, the experiment refutes their claims. This comic summarizes all the data from such experiments, observing that given the data, it's very unlikely that supernatural powers actually exist.

The title text adds the claim that some guy might actually have superpowers, a typical tabloid claim based on a particularly elaborate hoax (which will almost certainly be later refuted by experiment.)

See also comic [[1235: Settled]] for more of Randall's thoughts on hoaxes and unusual claims.

==Transcript==
:[Bar graph titled "Claims of Supernatural Powers" and has two sets of data. The first data set is labeled "Confirmed By Experiment", and is empty. The second data set is "Refuted By Experiment" and goes to the top of the graph.]

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

354: Startling

2013-09-24T18:54:38Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 354
| date = December 7, 2007
| title = Startling
| image = startling.png
| titletext = We actually reached the future about three years ago.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Why is 2004 the future?}}
The comic is very simple: [[Randall]] apparently has a realization about the time in which he lives in (at the time, anyway), given that he grew up in a time where the 2000s seemed very far away, but he now exists in that timeframe with the rest of society. This mind-blowing though occurs to him every few months, if he is to believed.

The title text states that "the future" was reached in late 2004 or early 2005 ("about" three years before the comic was published).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits silently front of his computer.]
:I still do this every few months.

:[He continues to sit for two more panels.]

:Cueball: Holy crap, it's the 21st century.

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

351: Trolling

2013-09-24T18:51:30Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 351
| date = November 30, 2007
| title = Trolling
| image = trolling.png
| titletext = And I was really impressed with how they managed to shock the Goatse guy.
}}

==Explanation==
In the first panel, [[Black Hat]] and [[Cueball]] are digging into the ground and splicing Black Hat's computer into some cables. On the right, {{w|Rick Astley}} is watching CNN when he is {{w|Rickrolled}} by the first two - the "great moment in trolling".

{{w|Goatse}} was an Internet shock site often used for bait-and-switch pranks. It consisted of a picture of a man's distended anus; now you know and you never need to look at it. You're welcome. :-)

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Cueball are in Rick Astley's backyard, hacking into his cable TV connection and reprogramming it. Rick Astley is watching CNN.]
:TV: CNN has obtained this exclusive footage of the riot-torn ''czzzht'' Never gonna give you up...
:Rick Astley: What the hell?
:GREAT MOMENTS in TROLLING:
:Rick Astley is successfully Rickrolled

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

347: Brick Archway

2013-09-24T18:46:18Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 347
| date = November 21, 2007
| title = Brick Archway
| image = brick_archway.png
| titletext = The TI-86 was bad enough. I don't know how I'd have gotten through high school if I'd had a laptop+wifi.
}}

==Explanation==
Breakout is a game first created in 1976 and since which has gained much popularity and has been recreated in many different versions. In the game, the player controls a horizontal 'bat' at the bottom of the screen to make it move left or right. Above it are several layers of bricks which are destroyed when hit by the ball. The ball is not affected by gravity and will float around, bouncing off the walls, bricks and bat. The aim of the game is to keep the ball from touching the bottom of the screen (by deflecting it with the bat) long enough for the ball to hit and destroy all of the bricks.

[[Cueball]]'s approach to the game is to actually stand underneath a brick archway and throw a tennis ball at the structure above him in an attempt to destroy the bricks. Naturally, the physics in the game don't work in real life, and the aftermath of Cueball's actions is that one of the bricks in the archway comes loose and falls onto Cueball's head, causing possibly fatal damage.

The sentence at the bottom of the comic points out the illogical nature of the game when compared to real life.

The title text relates to a {{w|TI-86|programmable calculator}} from the late '90s which had a Breakout-like game pre-installed, or at least easily programmed into. This calculator (and others like it) was a requirement in many high schools in the United States after the early 1990s in spite of its $100+ price.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball lies on the ground, underneath the titular archway, next to two halves of a brick. Dust falls from the place in the archway where the he knocked the brick from with the tennis ball. The ball, meanwhile, has rolled about a meter away.]
:"Breakout" is a stupid game.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

346: Diet Coke+Mentos

2013-09-24T18:44:06Z

152.119.255.250: Fixed completely wrong summary. The title text clearly shows that Randall thinks DietCokeandMentos is cool.

{{comic
| number = 346
| date = November 19, 2007
| title = Diet Coke+Mentos
| image = diet_coke_mentos.png
| titletext = The cola+Mentos trick is up there with corn starch+water (vibrating platter optional) in scientific coolness out of common kitchen supplies.
}}

==Explanation==
This is an irony using the popular meme of mixing Mentos into a bottle of soda. There was a period of time in 2007 when a large portion of videos depicting this phenomena floated around the Internet.

[[Cueball]] wants to show an incredible phenomena to his friend, because it's "the coolest thing", but it turns out instead of fizzling Diet Coke everywhere, the friend's father magically shows up (presumably from the dead or from abandonment). Cueball's "Ta-daa!" pose in panel 2 shows that he expected this exact outcome instead of carbonation nucleating out from microcraters in the candy.

The title text shows that Randall considers (or at least then considered) this trick to be one of the two coolest tricks you can perform with normal kitchen supplies. The other is using corn starch and water to make a non-Newtonian fluid that reacts wildly with vibrations and impact.

==Transcript==
:Friend: This is the coolest thing. You just drop the mentos in the Diet Coke...
:Cueball: Uh huh.
:Friend: Give it a moment...
:[Diet Coke starts to fizzle.]
:[Someone teleports into frame in a magic puff.]
:Cueball: D-Dad?
:Dad: I'm back, son. We can be a family again.

==Trivia==
*An alternate take appears in [[1053|1053: Ten Thousand]].
*The "corn starch+water" trick from the title text is illustrated here at [http://what-if.xkcd.com/36/ what-if].

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

332: Gyroscopes

2013-09-24T16:18:37Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 332
| date = October 22, 2007
| title = Gyroscopes
| image = gyroscopes.png
| titletext = We didn't actually land on the moon -- it just looked like we did because of precession. Also, gyroscopes caused 9/11.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is playing with a {{w|gyroscope}}, which is fun to him. Even when he did understand how this momentum should work, he likes to play with it and they seem to bother him somewhat. And at the end the Gyroscope is talking to him, thus showing why they made him feel strange.

At the title text [[Randall]] is mocking the {{w|Moon landing conspiracy theories}} and referencing {{w|Lunar precession}} in the process, specifically the turning of lunar orbit, which determines the line along which the plane of the Moon's orbit intersects the plane of the Earth's orbit (implying that the intersection is what enabled NASA to fake the landing). The line on gryoscopes causing 9/11 seems to be yet another nutty conspiracy theory, this one about how the nefarious gryoscopes are actually sentient and ordered the attacks.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball at desk with Gyroscope.]
:Despite years of studying physics, I still find gyroscopes a little freaky.
:[Cueball starts gyroscope with a zzzzip.]
:[Gyroscope spins with a zzzzzz.]
:[Gyroscope lifts into the air.]
:Gyroscope: Greetings, Human.

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

Talk:332: Gyroscopes

2013-09-24T16:08:24Z

152.119.255.250:

"At the title text Randall is claiming mankind did not land on the moon because of lack of precession." should perhaps be more "...mankind did not land on the moon, but that (the existence of) precession mad it ''look'' like we did." At least, that's how ''I'' read that. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 09:13, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
I also think whoever wrote that bit about the gyroscopes helping the planes hit their targets is completely missing the humor Randall was shooting for. He wasn't being serious, much as he wasn't with the moon line. He was implying, as a conspiracy theory, that gyroscopes are sentient, and it was at their bidding that the attacks happened.

328: Eggs

2013-09-24T15:32:39Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 328
| date = October 12, 2007
| title = Eggs
| image = eggs.png
| titletext = Oh, yeah, we get tons of them at these casual sex bars.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
The man in the comic seems to be using a common cheesy pick up line (So, how do you like your eggs in the morning? -- implying that he will be the one cooking them, because they will still be together in the morning, because they spent the night having sex). The standard response to this pick up line for a woman seeking to brush off the potential partner (as one would expect a woman in a bar being propositioned by a stranger to do most of the time) is "unfertilized". In fact, the man is not trying to solicit sex from the woman, but instead is trying to set her up for that punchline as he is in the habit of setting up jokes. The woman's desire for actual casual sex subverts his plan for comedy.

The title text implies that this is a bar where most people are looking for casual sex, and jokers are a common nuisance, in contrast with bars were most women are not looking for a hookup and men who troll for casual sex are a common nuisance.

Alternatively, the title-text is a response to the comment about a Priest and a Rabbi. Jokes about Priests, Rabbis are fairly common, and the man appears to want to set up such a joke. However, the title-text uses sarcasm to point out that such religious leaders would be unlikely to frequent a bar where people go for casual sex. Yet a third reading of the title text is the sarcasm that they get priests and rabbis looking for casual sex in that bar.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sits at a bar, Cueball approaches.]
:Cueball: So, how do you like your eggs in the morning?
:Megan: Ooh, sunny side up.
:Cueball: Oh. Huh.
:Megan: Is that a problem?
:Cueball: Well, it's just that I was trying to set you up for the "unfertilised" line.
:Megan: Ah. Bad timing; I'm actually looking for casual sex. ...interested?
:Cueball: I'd love to, but I've got like 20 more jokes to set up tonight. Hey, have you seen a priest and a rabbi?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Language]]

290: Fucking Blue Shells

2013-09-23T20:22:56Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 290
| date = July 16, 2007
| title = Fucking Blue Shells
| image = fucking_blue_shells.png
| titletext = You can evade blue shells in Double Dash, but it is deep magic.
}}

==Explanation==

Sometimes, something suddenly goes wrong and you can only shout obscenities at it. For instance, when a bone breaks, something unexpected happens, or a program crashes (i.e. a {{w|Segmentation fault|segfault}}) the victim often reacts by swearing.

For [[Randall]], however, profanities are caused mostly by blue shells in the video game {{w|Mario Kart}}. The blue shells, when fired, target the player currently in first place and stop them cold. In a close game, a player can go from first to an unrecoverable last in one hit. [[137: Dreams]] puts it best: Fuck. That. Shit.

The title text refers to the "{{w|Mario_Kart:_Double_Dash!!|Double Dash}}" edition of Mario Kart. This includes a technique to avoid being hit by a blue shell, but it requires skillful timing to accomplish. The term "deep magic" is a reference to {{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}, in which Aslan explains away a seeming miracle as such.

==Transcript==
:My Profanity Usage By Cause:
:[Pie chart is shown.]
:[Injury is about 5% of pie chart.]
:[Irony is about 5% of pie chart.]
:[Misc is about 5% of pie chart.]
:[Segfaults is about 10% of pie chart.]
:[Mario Kart is about 75% of pie chart.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]

280: Librarians

2013-09-23T18:05:11Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 280
| date = June 22, 2007
| title = Librarians
| image = librarians.png
| titletext = Don't expect any leniencies on late fees, though.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] is pressing on [[Megan]] for stopping her idea to visit her family. While Megan is fully convinced that this visit will happen, Cueball takes advantage of her love of books. He starts to open up a brand-new {{w|hardcover}} book much farther than it was made to open, ruining the spine, and then mistreats it some more. Megan cannot take this anymore, and gives up on the family visit.

The title text goes on with the inflexible stereotype, as librarians will not make exceptions for or give reductions to their romantic partners' overdue fees.

The humor comes from the {{w|Librarians in popular culture|stereotype of librarians}} as very sensitive to proper treatment of books and inflexibility with rule-breaking.

==Transcript==
:Advantages to dating librarians.
:Megan: We're stopping in Baltimore to visit my family, and that's final.
:Cueball: Oh yeah?
:[Reaching inside paper bag.]
:Cueball: Hey, look, it's a new hardback book!
:[Holds book in hands.]
:Megan: You wouldn't.
:[The book is twisted and crinkled.]
:''crinkle''
:''creak''
:[Megan twitches.]
:''crack''
:[The book's spine is broken.]
:Megan: OKAY! You win!

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

Talk:260: The Glass Necklace

2013-09-20T19:30:17Z

152.119.255.250: Blanked the page

232: Chess Enlightenment

2013-09-20T17:16:34Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 232
| date = March 7, 2007
| title = Chess Enlightenment
| image = chess enlightenment.png
| titletext = You know that 'sweep the pieces off the board and see it in your mind' thing? Doesn't work.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Chess}} is a board game in which two players take turns to move a variety of different units to try and capture the other player's "king." Chess has a lively tournament scene, and takes much practice to attain a competent level of skill in the game. Different units can move and capture in different ways; pawns can only move forward by one square unless it's their first move, in which case they can move up two squares, but they can only capture by moving diagonally unless they perform an ''{{w|En passant|en passant}}'' in which they move around an opposing pawn that had moved forward two squares on the previous turn.

Other pieces have similar rules. {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} is a character from the movie series {{w|Star Wars}} who played the mentor figure to the protagonist, {{w|Luke Skywalker}}. One of his pieces of advice to his mentee was to relax and listen to his subconscious in strenuous times.

[[Cueball]] finds his game of chess against [[Megan]] to be too difficult, and attempts to tap his subconscious to find his next move. The rules of chess are not ingrained into his subconscious however, and so his subconscious ends up feeding him invalid moves and beginner questions concerning movement rules.

The title text refers to a scene in the chess movie {{w|Searching for Bobby Fischer}}, in which Sir Ben Kingsley's character dramatically sweeps the pieces off the board and instructs his student to see the pieces in his mind, which the child proceeds to do. Apparently, Cueball is not as talented.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Why is chess so hard? Maybe the answers lie within me. Maybe I just need to let go, relax, and let my instincts and subconscious speak.
:''Meditate''
:Cueball's subconscious: Knight to G-4
:Cueball: That's not even a legal move.
:Cueball's subconscious: Okay, hold on. How do the pawns capture, again?
:Cueball: Man, Obi-Wan was full of crap.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

204: America

2013-09-20T14:39:59Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =204
| date =January 1, 2007
| title =America
| image =america.png
| titletext =The younger folk in the audience think this is a joke.
}}

==Explanation==
On April 20, 1979, U.S. President {{w|Jimmy Carter}} was allegedly "{{w|Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident|attacked by a giant swimming rabbit}}", while solo-fishing on a boat in his hometown. The reality is a little more nuanced: According to Carter, the rabbit had actually been chased into the water by some hounds and swam near his boat. Carter splashed some water on it to compel the rabbit not to come any closer.

Nevertheless, the newspapers ate it up, with respected paper ''{{w|The Washington Post}}'' putting the story "President Attacked by Rabbit" on the front page. Since the White House refused to release the photograph, the paper created a cartoon parody of the rabbit, calling it PAWS, in reference to the blockbuster film ''{{w|Jaws (film)|JAWS}},'' about a killer shark. Carter's opponents used it as fodder for their arguments that Carter's presidency was weak and ineffectual, and basically, the whole thing was blown way out of proportion by the American media, as so often happens with goofy events such as this.

This comic treats the Killer Rabbit attack as a dark day for the United States, and uses the phrase "America Must Never Forget", which usually applies to days like the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack}} or {{w|September 11 attacks|9/11}}. It essentially shows that, for the entire history of the United States (which starts with the signing of the {{w|Declaration of Independence}}), it is the only event worth remembering.

The title text is an assumption that the event has not been remembered in the way the comic jokes that it should have been, and as a result, younger readers will think he is kidding when he says Carter was attacked by a rabbit.

==Transcript==
:[Timeline.]
:1776; Declaration of independence
:1979; Jimmy carter attacked by giant swimming rabbit
:2007; Present day

:America must never forget

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

204: America

2013-09-20T14:39:18Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =204
| date =January 1, 2007
| title =America
| image =america.png
| titletext =The younger folk in the audience think this is a joke.
}}

==Explanation==
On April 20, 1979, U.S. President {{w|Jimmy Carter}} was allegedly "{{w|Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident|attacked by a giant swimming rabbit}}", while solo-fishing on a boat in his hometown. The reality is a little more nuanced: According to Carter, the rabbit had actually been chased into the water by some hounds and swam near his boat. Carter splashed some water on it to compel the rabbit not to come any closer.

Nevertheless, the newspapers ate it up, with respected paper ''{{w|The Washington Post}}'' putting the story "President Attacked by Rabbit" on the front page. Since the White House refused to release the photograph, the paper created a cartoon parody of the rabbit, calling it PAWS, in reference to the blockbuster film ''{{w|Jaws (film)|JAWS}},'' about a killer shark. Carter's opponents used it as fodder for their arguments that Carter's presidency was weak and ineffectual, and basically, the whole thing was blown way out of proportion by the American media, as so often happens with goofy events such as this.

This comic treats the Killer Rabbit attack as a dark day for the United States, and uses the phrase "America Must Never Forget", which usually applies to days like the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack}} or {{w|September 11 attacks|9/11}}. It essentially shows that, for the entire history of the United States (which starts with the signing of the {{w|Declaration of Independence}}, it is the only event worth remembering.

The title text is an assumption that the event has not been remembered in the way the comic jokes that it should have been, and as a result, younger readers will think he is kidding when he says Carter was attacked by a rabbit.

==Transcript==
:[Timeline.]
:1776; Declaration of independence
:1979; Jimmy carter attacked by giant swimming rabbit
:2007; Present day

:America must never forget

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

178: Not Really Into Pokemon

2013-09-18T21:48:58Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 178
| date = October 11, 2006
| title = Not Really Into Pokemon
| image = not_really_into_pokemon.png
| titletext = As of this writing, Ubuntu 6.10 and Firefox 2.0 have left my computer a complete mess.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Pokémon}} is a widely popular, animated, children's television show; {{w|collectible card game}}; and videogame series that involves a young trainer going out to explore the world to catch Pokémon, creatures of wild variety (ranging from [http://www.veekun.com/dex/pokemon/rhydon/ armoured dinosaurs that have drills for horns] to [http://www.veekun.com/dex/pokemon/genesect robotic bugs that change elements depending on the items that they are holding]). When the trainer comes across wild Pokémon or other trainers, they use their Pokémon to fight the other.

The Pokémon universe contains {{w|List_of_Pok%C3%A9mon|over 600}} different types of Pokémon, and new ones are being added every so often (much like new releases of computer software). Also, the names can sound very strange or silly to someone not familiar with them. In this comic, [[Black Hat]] is dismissing {{w|Ubuntu}}, an open-source computer operating system, as a Pokémon because it has a strange/silly name. The "condescension" comes from the fact that usually only children are "into" Pokémon.

The title text refers to the complications that new software releases can have on computers, especially if either the release is a(n) alpha/beta release or if the computer is rather old. After all, said title text does paint a picture of 2 computer programs physically fighting each other inside the computer and making a mess in the process.

==Transcript==
:I have found the perfect phrase for condescendingly dismissing anything:
:Cueball: Have you seen the new Ubuntu release?
:Black Hat: Nah, I'm not really into Pokémon.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

178: Not Really Into Pokemon

2013-09-18T21:48:19Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 178
| date = October 11, 2006
| title = Not Really Into Pokemon
| image = not_really_into_pokemon.png
| titletext = As of this writing, Ubuntu 6.10 and Firefox 2.0 have left my computer a complete mess.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Pokémon}} is a widely popular, animated, children's television show; {{w|collectible card game}}; and videogame series that involves a young trainer going out to explore the world to catch Pokémon, creatures of wild variety (ranging from [http://www.veekun.com/dex/pokemon/rhydon/ armoured dinosaurs that have drills for horns] to [http://www.veekun.com/dex/pokemon/genesect robotic bugs that change elements depending on the items that they are holding]). When the trainer comes across wild Pokémon or other trainers, they use their Pokémon to fight the other.

The Pokémon universe contains {{w|List_of_Pok%C3%A9mon|over 600}} different types of Pokémon, and new ones are being added every so often (much like new releases of computer software). Also, the names can sound very strange or silly to someone not familiar with them. In this comic, [[Black Hat]] is dismissing {{w|Ubuntu}}, an open-source computer operating system, as a Pokémon because it has a strange/silly name. The "condescension" comes from the fact that usually only children are "into" Pok%C3%A9mon.

The title text refers to the complications that new software releases can have on computers, especially if either the release is a(n) alpha/beta release or if the computer is rather old. After all, said title text does paint a picture of 2 computer programs physically fighting each other inside the computer and making a mess in the process.

==Transcript==
:I have found the perfect phrase for condescendingly dismissing anything:
:Cueball: Have you seen the new Ubuntu release?
:Black Hat: Nah, I'm not really into Pokémon.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

170: Turn Back

2013-09-18T21:16:50Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ Further clarified the title text.

{{comic
| number = 170
| date = October 13, 2006
| title = Turn Back
| image = turn_back.png
| titletext = I hear that these days Bill Watterson is happy just painting in the Ohio woods with his father and doesn't get any mail or talk to anyone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} is a daily comic drawn by {{w|Bill Watterson}}, published between 1985 to 1995, followed the adventures of a young boy named Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. The frequent themes of spontaneity, beauty and adventure that characterize many of Calvin's conversations with his friend Hobbes can also be seen in this exchange between [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] as they explore a landscape reminiscent of Calvin's daydreams of intergalactic adventure. The cluelessness and simultaneous wonder that Cueball and Megan feel at their surrounding landscape mirror Calvin's inexperience and curiosity that he exhibits in Watterson's comic.

The title text, while unclear if it were actually true or not, reflects Mr. Watterson's reclusive nature. He has never licensed his characters for any use outside of reprints, and stays out of the public spotlight. Thus, it is very probable that it was true at the time of this comic. The title text also serves to point out the connection between Watterson's work and this comic.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Should we keep going?
:Megan: I don't know.
:Cueball: We can turn back if you want.
:Megan: Look--
:Megan: Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't have a plan any more than you? Maybe just having this conversation means we're lost.
:[Wide shot of the characters walking through a Calvin and Hobbes-esque alien landscape.]
:Cueball: Kind of scary.
:Megan: It's terrifying.
:Cueball: This place is beautiful.
:Megan: Yeah.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]

170: Turn Back

2013-09-18T21:15:29Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ Covered the title text.

{{comic
| number = 170
| date = October 13, 2006
| title = Turn Back
| image = turn_back.png
| titletext = I hear that these days Bill Watterson is happy just painting in the Ohio woods with his father and doesn't get any mail or talk to anyone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} is a daily comic drawn by {{w|Bill Watterson}}, published between 1985 to 1995, followed the adventures of a young boy named Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. The frequent themes of spontaneity, beauty and adventure that characterize many of Calvin's conversations with his friend Hobbes can also be seen in this exchange between [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] as they explore a landscape reminiscent of Calvin's daydreams of intergalactic adventure. The cluelessness and simultaneous wonder that Cueball and Megan feel at their surrounding landscape mirror Calvin's inexperience and curiosity that he exhibits in Watterson's comic.

The title text, while unclear if it were actually true or not, reflects Mr. Watterson's reclusive nature. He has never licensed his characters for any use outside of reprints, and stays out of the public spotlight. Thus, it is very probable that it was true at the time of this comic.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Should we keep going?
:Megan: I don't know.
:Cueball: We can turn back if you want.
:Megan: Look--
:Megan: Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't have a plan any more than you? Maybe just having this conversation means we're lost.
:[Wide shot of the characters walking through a Calvin and Hobbes-esque alien landscape.]
:Cueball: Kind of scary.
:Megan: It's terrifying.
:Cueball: This place is beautiful.
:Megan: Yeah.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]

162: Angular Momentum

2013-09-18T20:20:57Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ Fixed grammar

{{comic
| number = 162
| date = September 25, 2006
| title = Angular Momentum
| image = angular_momentum.jpg
| titletext = With reasonable assumptions about latitude and body shape, how much time might she gain them? Note: whatever the answer, sunrise always comes too soon. (Also, is it worth it if she throws up?)
}}

==Explanation==
Angular momentum is the force upon an object having a certain velocity while spinning. You may remember the certain strain when a spinning yoyo returned into your hand, giving it that much "slip" to discomfort you. The energy of that momentum does that. Angular momentum is also forced upon the Earth, as it is spinning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This 24/7 rotation enables us to have a clock. We say that the Earth is running "clockwise". But viewed from the north of the {{w|ecliptic}}, the Earth in fact turns counter-clockwise.

Nevertheless, [[Megan]] tries to work against this (massive) energy. She is spinning counter-clockwise, trying to generate energy to reduce the Earth's moving. Her move will force the Earth to slow down clockwise, but a stick figure just does not have the mass for a measurable effect. So, it's obvious that she will not be able to alter the turn of the Earth. But the romance part is also obvious, who wouldn't want to be longer with the one they truly love?

[[Randall]] states the obvious in the title text: While not being able to reverse time, enjoy your night time. Sunrise always comes too early.

==Transcript==
[Cueball sits on his bed, looking at Megan who is spinning. It is night.]
:Cueball: What are you doing?
:Megan: Spinning counterclockwise
::Each turn robs the planet of angular momentum
::Slowing its spin by the tiniest bit
::Lengthening the night, pushing back the dawn
::Giving me a little more time here
::With you

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

1265: Juicer

2013-09-18T18:38:06Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
;Juicing Gushers
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and eliminating the task of chewing the solids. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit_Gushers|fruit gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless juice out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption. The unspoken humor here is that a juicer could get "juice" (regardless of the unnatural color) from the candy, which would be impossible for in-home juicers (like the one shown), due to the gummy consistency of the candy.

The title text asserts that the rind is where all the vitamins in the fruit reside. This is untrue, though in some fruits (like apples), the skin can contain most of the fiber and many antioxidants. It is absolutely absurd as in this case, though, as the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar. This text mocks the usual sentiment that the less desirable part of a food is the part that is "better" for you.

The comic is thus also a parody of the notion that buying juicers (and other things like exercise equipment) will make people healthier.

An alternative reading that expands on that theme is that the comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of real juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making regular juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating. But the color of the juices makes the first explanation more likely.

;Linguistic note on Hard '''g''' vs soft '''g''' and ways of pronouncing '''c'''
Some native English speakers may think that some non-native English speakers may think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ should be pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know enough to be dangerous about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/, but that's non-sense. Never the less...
*The plain-English word "gush" (meaning to flow rapidly) is pronounced with a hard 'g' and a 'u' as in 'flush' or 'gut.'
*The American television commercials for this product make it absolutely clear that "Gushers" is also pronounced with a hard 'g' and the 'u' as above.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute,' but that is exceedingly rare when the 'u' follows a hard 'g' (gun, gull, gut, gum, Gus).
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].

==Transcript==
:[We see a shelf. On it, from left to right, are: a bag of fruit gushers; a juicer; a bottle of bright red liquid; a bottle of bright blue liquid; and another bottle of bright red liquid.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1265: Juicer

2013-09-18T18:34:11Z

152.119.255.250:

Please delete the explanation that '{{w|ghoti}}' can be pronounced 'fish'. Sorry, I meant that 'Gushers' can be pronounced 'juicers'. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:28, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:I agree, but maybe we should move it into a trivia section at the bottom. The sentence "There are several possible readings of this comic:" and the headlines should also be removed. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:13, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

::I don't see any merit to the "Jushers" line - it doesn't deal with the "sh" in the word, nor does it really seem to fit the text of the comment. I don't mind the two remaining alternative explanations though. My reading was the first version that the person is juicing the Gushers (the rind being a mocking reference, as indicated, to the candy's gummy shell). While I don't think Randall was going for the second alternative that the person is saying "I juice" which implys drinking the juice, but instead it's just collected. I have no doubt that if this was the intention, Randall would have drawn an insanely large number of bottles to truely demonstrate constant juicing with no drinking, and have Cueball actually present in the frame eating the candy. That said, it's an interesting and plausible alternative that I think is fair to stay. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:47, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:::The bright red and blue juice in the containers points to the source being gushers. [[Special:Contributions/96.251.85.48|96.251.85.48]] 16:05, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:Quote main page: "Don't be a jerk. There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic." '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:58, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
:I like it, especially the parts about the frequencies of certain letter/phoneme sequences, but then again I'm a language nerd. [[Special:Contributions/65.94.50.53|65.94.50.53]] 23:10, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

The heinous Batterwitch has her gnarled claws in everything! [[Special:Contributions/209.122.160.124|209.122.160.124]] 14:45, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:+1 for the homestuck reference, but let's try to keep it on topic please. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 17:15, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

The three bottles are obviously a reflection of the fact that there were more reds than blues in the Gushers candy packs. The final explanation reads a little contrived to anyone who ever ate the candy. The Gushers=Juicers argument makes sense from what I can tell as a multilingual.
[[Special:Contributions/216.201.206.118|216.201.206.118]] 18:41, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Hard '''g''' / soft '''g'''
If English is not your native language (which is not the case of [[Randall]]), you could think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ is pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know nothing about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute'.
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].
:->My opinion is that we can mention it can sound very similar if spelled by non native English speakers. That's all.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Juicer Juice Drinkers ⊂ Juicer Owners
Many people buy juicers (and exercise equipment) with the notion that the bought items will make them healthier. This comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making healthy juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating.
:->I have many ideas like this, the plastic bottles could been made of poisonous material, the juicer is broken and the bottles are bought in a supermarket,... Come on, this makes really no sense.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
::I think the juicer is being used to juice the gushers. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:02, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
:::I just saw this is in the explanation already. Yeah, this section doesn't make sense and should definitely have been removed. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:05, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
:The juice is [http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/betty_crocker_gushers.jpg the same color as gushers]. Note the same color on the box and in the bottle. Given how much Randall avoids color, it seems clear the narrator is making gusher juice. Definitely think this explanation should be removed, it seems to miss the joke entirely. [[Special:Contributions/207.168.168.90|207.168.168.90]] 20:52, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

The idea given in the Talk area that the skin of an apple is where "most of the vitamins are" is a fallacy and should be corrected. The skin of the apple does contain more antioxidants, and has the fiber of the fruit, but the majority of the vitamins in that fruit are, indeed, in the "meat" of the apple. The title text in this comic is a sarcastic remark about how people tend to argue that the least-appealing part of something has the majority of the "goodness." (After all, it says that it's where "all" the vitamins are.) While partly true in many cases (rice, for example), it is almost never true of fruit regarding the vitamins, which is what the title text is about. (And when you think about it, who eats the rinds of oranges, lemons, mangoes, bananas, kiwis, or coconuts?)[[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 20:39, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

:Aren't most vitamins antioxidants? The {{w|Antioxidant}} page lists vitamines A, C and E as examples. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:14, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

:: Some vitamins are antioxidants, but it doesn't change the fact that the comic's title text says, "all the vitamins." That is untrue in every fruit and is made more so by the fact that he says "rind," which is a word usually reserved for the thicker, bitter outer shell of fruit like oranges, bananas, etc. [[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 18:34, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

1265: Juicer

2013-09-18T18:29:27Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
;Juicing Gushers
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and eliminating the task of chewing the solids. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit_Gushers|fruit gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless juice out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption.

The title text asserts that the rind is where all the vitamins in the fruit reside. This is untrue, though in some fruits (like apples), the skin can contain most of the fiber and many antioxidants. It is absolutely absurd as in this case, though, as the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar. This text mocks the usual sentiment that the less desirable part of a food is the part that is "better" for you.

The comic is thus also a parody of the notion that buying juicers (and other things like exercise equipment) will make people healthier.

An alternative reading that expands on that theme is that the comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of real juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making regular juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating. But the color of the juices makes the first explanation more likely.

;Linguistic note on Hard '''g''' vs soft '''g''' and ways of pronouncing '''c'''
Some native English speakers may think that some non-native English speakers may think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ should be pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know enough to be dangerous about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/, but that's non-sense. Never the less...
*The plain-English word "gush" (meaning to flow rapidly) is pronounced with a hard 'g' and a 'u' as in 'flush' or 'gut.'
*The American television commercials for this product make it absolutely clear that "Gushers" is also pronounced with a hard 'g' and the 'u' as above.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute,' but that is exceedingly rare when the 'u' follows a hard 'g' (gun, gull, gut, gum, Gus).
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].

==Transcript==
:[We see a shelf. On it, from left to right, are: a bag of fruit gushers; a juicer; a bottle of bright red liquid; a bottle of bright blue liquid; and another bottle of bright red liquid.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

122: Quirky Girls

2013-09-18T16:50:39Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */ Removed extra word.

{{comic
| number = 122
| date = June 30, 2006
| title = Quirky Girls
| image = quirky_girls.png
| titletext = Romantic comedy heroines, I'm talking to you.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a fairly classic play on what people say they want isn't always what they mean they want. As per the comic this is particularly true when it comes to the generalisation of wanting someone "different". When [[Megan]] opens up to [[Hairy]] and say how she is "different" she is met with a stereotypical, but more accurate response of his definition of "different".

The title text refers to characters in the famously cliched plot lines of romantic comedies where often the male lead is "uptight" and the female lead is "quirky" and the course of the plot involves the male lead learning to loosen up in order to properly fall in love with the female lead (the same set-up with the genders reversed is also common). Since these movies tend to follow very strict conventions, the definitions of "uptight" (has an office job, is afraid of confronting his boss, timid in public venues, &c.) and "quirky" (abnormally friendly with strangers, loves art, isn't afraid to make a spectacle of herself for fun, &c.) are just as limited and stereotyped as any other characters. This mirrors [[Megan]]'s frustration that "acceptably quirky" is so narrowly defined.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy and Megan talking, looking at a group of 2 men and a woman standing further away. The woman is on a table and the 2 men are looking at her ]
:Hairy: I love that girl. She's not afraid to be quirky and different.
:Megan: You know, I'm active in street theatre and I collect and paint Asian dolls.
:Hairy: ...Okay, I didn't actually mean be different. I just want silly and entertaining on command now and then.

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

Talk:115: Meerkat

2013-09-18T16:40:53Z

152.119.255.250: Created page with ""Quuuuiiiiet!! ... Theres NOTHing IN the RULEbook that SAYS an ELephant CAN'T. PLAY! Plllay ball!!!" - Umpire regarding Bobo playing baseball, "Gone Batty" (1954) Looney Tu..."

"Quuuuiiiiet!! ... Theres NOTHing IN the RULEbook that SAYS an ELephant CAN'T. PLAY! Plllay ball!!!"
- Umpire regarding Bobo playing baseball, "Gone Batty" (1954) Looney Tunes [[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 16:40, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

1262: Unquote

2013-09-17T21:31:47Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1262
| date = September 9, 2013
| title = Unquote
| image = unquote.png
| titletext = I guess it's a saying from the Old Country.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
[[Randall]] is musing that even such a popular film as ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' will likely one day be forgotten. The comic ponders how long that may take to occur.

"{{w|May the Force be with you}}" is one of the many famous phrases (perhaps the most famous) from the ''Star Wars'' movies. ''Star Wars'' has become popular enough to remain part of today's popular culture (more than thirty years since its initial release), and the source and meaning of the quote is commonly recognized. This comic suggests that eventually even the enormously popular Star Wars will fade into obscurity -- by which time, ironically, Star Wars-like hovercraft will have been invented.

It is not uncommon for once-popular sayings to lose popularity and come into disuse; particularly when the sayings are sourced from a pop-culture reference such as a book or film. In fact, there are entire [http://www.amazon.ca/Lets-Bring-Back-Collection-Forgotten-Yet-Delightful/dp/1452105308 books] dedicated to such topics. Each generation generally develops its own pop culture references which frequently become unrecognized to the next generation. Only a handful of pop-culture quotes tend to survive for decades. For example, the phrase "Sit on it", coined by the creators of "{{w|Happy Days}}" as a TV-friendly but derogatory-sounding comeback for the character Fonzie. The phrase was very popular during the show's 1970s-80s heyday, but today is far less recognizable to those born after that era, and is not commonly referenced today.

The title text indicates that the characters will write off the phrase as a saying from the "old country" (the foreign country or place where one's ancestors immigrated from). This is a play on the fact that ubiquitous film and TV quotes have not been around long enough for society to generally forget their origins, and the most common source for unfamilar sayings in today's world are sayings from other countries where one's ancestors originated. The use of the expression in this comic implies that the speaker has no idea about the origins of the phrase and assumes it must be a translation of a foreign expression rather than an obscure cultural reference.

The title may be a reference to one of comedian Steven Wright's jokes, which goes like this: "I wish the first word I ever said was the word "quote," so right before I die I could say 'unquote.'".[1] This has later spawned numerous stories of people allegedly having "quote" as their first word.[2]

A similar topic was addressed in [[493: Actuarial]], with [[Black Hat]] predicting when the last of the original Star Wars cast would die, and in [[1093: Forget]], predicting when the majority of Americans would not remember the release of ''The Return of the Jedi.''

==Transcript==
:[Two figures with spiky hair and backpacks are conversing. One is riding in a hover-car, or similar.]
:Hairy: Bye!
:Friend: May the Force be with you!
:Hairy: Huh?
:Friend: It's just something my grandma used to say. No idea what it means.
:I wonder on what date ''Star Wars'' will be quoted for the last time.

==References==
1. ''[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steven_Wright#When_the_Leaves_Blow_Away_.282006.29_.2F_I_Still_Have_a_Pony_.282007.29 Wikiquotes article on Steven Wright]'', 2013-07-8. Accessed 2013-09-09. 
2. ''[http://sagihairius.tumblr.com/post/45784925343/my-mom-just-informed-me-that-my-first-word-was Tumblr post by Sagihairius]'', 2013-19-03. Accessed 2013-09-09.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1265: Juicer

2013-09-17T20:49:23Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
;Juicing Gushers
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and eliminating the task of chewing the solids. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit_Gushers|fruit gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless juice out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption.

The title text asserts that the rind is rich in vitamins. This is only partly true for certain fruits and vegetables, most prominently apples, whereas this isn't true for potatoes. It is absurd in this case, where the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar.

The comic is thus also a parody of the notion that buying juicers (and other things like exercise equipment) will make people healthier.

An alternative reading that expands on that theme is that the comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of real juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making regular juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating. But the color of the juices makes the first explanation more likely.

;Linguistic note on Hard '''g''' vs soft '''g''' and ways of pronouncing '''c'''
Some non-native English speakers may think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ should be pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know nothing about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/.
*The plain-English word "gush" (meaning to flow rapidly) is pronounced with a hard 'g' and a 'u' as in 'flush' or 'gut.'
*The American television commercials for this product make it absolutely clear that "Gushers" is also pronounced with a hard 'g' and the 'u' as above.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute,' but that is exceedingly rare when the 'u' follows a hard 'g' (gun, gull, gut, gum, Gus).
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].

==Transcript==
:[The picture shows a package with fruit gushers, a juicer, and three bottles filled with liquid in the colors red, blue, and red.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1265: Juicer

2013-09-17T20:39:13Z

152.119.255.250:

The idea given in the Talk area that the skin of an apple is where "most of the vitamins are" is a fallacy and should be corrected. The skin of the apple does contain more antioxidants, and has the fiber of the fruit, but the majority of the vitamins in that fruit are, indeed, in the "meat" of the apple. The title text in this comic is a sarcastic remark about how people tend to argue that the least-appealing part of something has the majority of the "goodness." (After all, it says that it's where "all" the vitamins are.) While partly true in many cases (rice, for example), it is almost never true of fruit regarding the vitamins, which is what the title text is about. (And when you think about it, who eats the rinds of oranges, lemons, mangoes, bananas, kiwis, or coconuts?)[[Special:Contributions/152.119.255.250|152.119.255.250]] 20:39, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

Please delete the explanation that '{{w|ghoti}}' can be pronounced 'fish'. Sorry, I meant that 'Gushers' can be pronounced 'juicers'. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:28, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:I agree, but maybe we should move it into a trivia section at the bottom. The sentence "There are several possible readings of this comic:" and the headlines should also be removed. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:13, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

::I don't see any merit to the "Jushers" line - it doesn't deal with the "sh" in the word, nor does it really seem to fit the text of the comment. I don't mind the two remaining alternative explanations though. My reading was the first version that the person is juicing the Gushers (the rind being a mocking reference, as indicated, to the candy's gummy shell). While I don't think Randall was going for the second alternative that the person is saying "I juice" which implys drinking the juice, but instead it's just collected. I have no doubt that if this was the intention, Randall would have drawn an insanely large number of bottles to truely demonstrate constant juicing with no drinking, and have Cueball actually present in the frame eating the candy. That said, it's an interesting and plausible alternative that I think is fair to stay. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:47, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:::The bright red and blue juice in the containers points to the source being gushers. [[Special:Contributions/96.251.85.48|96.251.85.48]] 16:05, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:Quote main page: "Don't be a jerk. There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic." '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:58, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

The heinous Batterwitch has her gnarled claws in everything! [[Special:Contributions/209.122.160.124|209.122.160.124]] 14:45, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:+1 for the homestuck reference, but let's try to keep it on topic please. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 17:15, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

The three bottles are obviously a reflection of the fact that there were more reds than blues in the Gushers candy packs. The final explanation reads a little contrived to anyone who ever ate the candy. The Gushers=Juicers argument makes sense from what I can tell as a multilingual.
[[Special:Contributions/216.201.206.118|216.201.206.118]] 18:41, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Hard '''g''' / soft '''g'''
If English is not your native language (which is not the case of [[Randall]]), you could think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ is pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know nothing about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute'.
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].
:->My opinion is that we can mention it can sound very similar if spelled by non native English speakers. That's all.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Juicer Juice Drinkers ⊂ Juicer Owners
Many people buy juicers (and exercise equipment) with the notion that the bought items will make them healthier. This comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making healthy juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating.
:->I have many ideas like this, the plastic bottles could been made of poisonous material, the juicer is broken and the bottles are bought in a supermarket,... Come on, this makes really no sense.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
::I think the juicer is being used to juice the gushers. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:02, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
:::I just saw this is in the explanation already. Yeah, this section doesn't make sense and should definitely have been removed. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:05, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1265: Juicer

2013-09-17T20:35:11Z

152.119.255.250:

The idea that the skin of an apple is where "most of the vitamins are" is a fallacy and should be corrected. The skin of the apple does contain more antioxidants, and has the fiber of the fruit, but the majority of the vitamins in that fruit are, indeed, in the "meat" of the apple. The title text in this comic is a sarcastic remark about how people tend to argue that the least-appealing part of something has the majority of the "goodness." While true in many cases (rice, for example), it is almost never true of fruit regarding the vitamins. (After all, who eats the rinds of oranges, lemons, mangoes, bananas, kiwis, or coconuts?)

Please delete the explanation that '{{w|ghoti}}' can be pronounced 'fish'. Sorry, I meant that 'Gushers' can be pronounced 'juicers'. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:28, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:I agree, but maybe we should move it into a trivia section at the bottom. The sentence "There are several possible readings of this comic:" and the headlines should also be removed. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:13, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

::I don't see any merit to the "Jushers" line - it doesn't deal with the "sh" in the word, nor does it really seem to fit the text of the comment. I don't mind the two remaining alternative explanations though. My reading was the first version that the person is juicing the Gushers (the rind being a mocking reference, as indicated, to the candy's gummy shell). While I don't think Randall was going for the second alternative that the person is saying "I juice" which implys drinking the juice, but instead it's just collected. I have no doubt that if this was the intention, Randall would have drawn an insanely large number of bottles to truely demonstrate constant juicing with no drinking, and have Cueball actually present in the frame eating the candy. That said, it's an interesting and plausible alternative that I think is fair to stay. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:47, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:::The bright red and blue juice in the containers points to the source being gushers. [[Special:Contributions/96.251.85.48|96.251.85.48]] 16:05, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:Quote main page: "Don't be a jerk. There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic." '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:58, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

The heinous Batterwitch has her gnarled claws in everything! [[Special:Contributions/209.122.160.124|209.122.160.124]] 14:45, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
:+1 for the homestuck reference, but let's try to keep it on topic please. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 17:15, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

The three bottles are obviously a reflection of the fact that there were more reds than blues in the Gushers candy packs. The final explanation reads a little contrived to anyone who ever ate the candy. The Gushers=Juicers argument makes sense from what I can tell as a multilingual.
[[Special:Contributions/216.201.206.118|216.201.206.118]] 18:41, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Hard '''g''' / soft '''g'''
If English is not your native language (which is not the case of [[Randall]]), you could think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ is pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know nothing about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute'.
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].
:->My opinion is that we can mention it can sound very similar if spelled by non native English speakers. That's all.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)

Moved from explanation:
;Juicer Juice Drinkers ⊂ Juicer Owners
Many people buy juicers (and exercise equipment) with the notion that the bought items will make them healthier. This comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making healthy juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating.
:->I have many ideas like this, the plastic bottles could been made of poisonous material, the juicer is broken and the bottles are bought in a supermarket,... Come on, this makes really no sense.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:09, 16 September 2013 (UTC)
::I think the juicer is being used to juice the gushers. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:02, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
:::I just saw this is in the explanation already. Yeah, this section doesn't make sense and should definitely have been removed. --[[Special:Contributions/142.25.33.249|142.25.33.249]] 15:05, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

1265: Juicer

2013-09-17T20:29:12Z

152.119.255.250: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1265
| date = September 16, 2013
| title = Juicer
| image = juicer.png
| titletext = But the rind is where all the vitamins are!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
;Juicing Gushers
Juicers are typically used to crush fruits and/or vegetables, thereby extracting the liquid juice and eliminating the task of chewing the solids. However, in this case, instead of actual fruits or vegetables, someone is making juice from {{w|Fruit_Gushers|fruit gushers}}, a chewy fruit-flavored candy, thereby extracting a nearly nutritionless juice out of a candy casing which was formulated specifically for human consumption.

The title text asserts that the rind is rich in vitamins. This is only partly true for certain fruits and vegetables, most prominently apples, whereas this isn't true for potatoes. It is absurd in this case, where the "rind" of a Fruit Gusher consists mainly of sugar.

The comic is thus also a parody of the notion that buying juicers (and other things like exercise equipment) will make people healthier.

An alternative reading that expands on that theme is that the comic shows a juicer with three full bottles of real juice, indicating that the owner of the juice machine is making regular juice with the intention of drinking it, but not consuming juice at the rate it is produced. The comic also shows a Fruit Gusher snack, indicating the unhealthy option that the juicer owner just can't stop eating. But the color of the juices makes the first explanation more likely.

;Linguistic note on Hard '''g''' vs soft '''g''' and ways of pronouncing '''c'''
Some non-native English speakers may think that "Gushers" /ˈgʌʃərz/ should be pronounced as "juicers" /ˈdʒusərz/. I.e., if you know nothing about English spelling you could think that both words are pronounced /ˈdʒuʃərz/.
*The plain-English word "gush" (meaning to flow rapidly) is pronounced with a hard 'g' and a 'u' as in 'flush' or 'gut.'
*The American television commercials for this product make it absolutely clear that "Gushers" is also pronounced with a hard 'g' and the 'u' as above.
*A 'g' can signify a soft-g sound (/dʒ/ as in 'gin'). However, natives know that the soft-g sound never appears in the combination "gu".
*A 'u' can signify a {{w|Close_back_rounded_vowel|close back rounded vowel}}, /u/ as in 'flute'.
*The letter 'c' can be pronounced /ʃ/ as in 'ocean' /ˈoʊʃən/. The pronunciation of 'cer' as /ʃər/ is not common, except in dialectical words like "[http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_36.html grocery"].

==Transcript==
:[The picture shows a package with fruit gushers, a juicer, and three bottles filled with liquid in the colors red, blue, and red.]
:"Oh yeah, juicers are great! I use mine all the time."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]