explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2838: Dubious Islands

2023-10-06T23:05:59Z

162.158.155.216: Clarify sea level rise

{{comic
| number = 2838
| date = October 6, 2023
| title = Dubious Islands
| image = dubious_islands_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x1040px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Running for office in Minnesota on the single-issue platform 'dig a permanent channel through the Traverse Gap because it will make this map more satisfying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DUBIOUSLY LARGE ISLAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The definition of "island" is a piece of land completely surrounded by bodies of water. In most cases we don't count rivers and canals as the surrounding bodies, although small pieces of land like Manhattan are exceptions.

Randall has ignored this, so he considers large parts of North America as islands because they're separated from other parts of the continent by major rivers, canals, and large lakes.

The {{w|Parting of the Waters}} explains the connection between the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers shown.

It is unclear why {{w|Divide Creek}} which connects Hudson's Bay to the Columbia River is not shown on this map.

The title text suggests that a new island could be created by digging a canal through the {{w|Traverse Gap}}, and this is Randall's platform when running for office in Minnesota. This is unnecessary and would create little benefit to residents,{{Citation needed}} but constituents who like interesting maps might vote for him.

These islands are possibly Randall's humorous interpretation of what continued climate change-induced sea level rise might cause. But this seems unlikely since some of the connections shown are over 7000' in elevation, a water level that would leave almost all of North America (and many of these "islands") completely submerged.

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

{{comic discussion}}

524: Party

2023-09-25T23:26:03Z

162.158.155.216: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 524
| date = December 31, 2008
| title = Party
| image = party.png
| titletext = I wonder what 2008 meme will go bizarrely mainstream in 2009 like rickrolling did in 2007-2008. I accidentally <noun>? Yo, dawg? Place your bets now!
}}

==Explanation==
This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]] plays out at what is, probably, a {{w|New Year}} party thrown by [[Danish]]. (The previous New Year day comic in 2007 was also related to a wild party: [[364: Responsible Behavior]]).

In the first panel, we see [[Black Hat]] telling [[Cueball]] that he has hired {{w|Rick Astley}} to show up at a party for a girl. Cueball, assuming Rick Astley is going to perform a live rickroll, asks if that is not "so last year".
{{w|Rickrolling}} is where one is redirected to a video of Rick Astley singing "{{w|Never Gonna Give You Up}}" via a weblink purporting to be something else. It was later extended to any situation where the song is used disruptively, such as during a party. It started in 2006 and grew until peaking on April Fool's Day in 2008. Thus at New Years Eve 2008, the meme was getting old. However, Black Hat assures Cueball that Rick Astley is not actually going to sing.

The comic then continued to the now ongoing party and we see the girl in question, [[Danish]], Black Hat's girlfriend, talking with [[Ponytail]] when she notices Rick Astley at her party. Like Cueball, Danish expects Rick Astley is going to sing and rickroll her live. She obviously hates this idea and braces her self for the humiliation of being rickrolled. But she is freaked out when he just stands there staring at her, but without singing. In the end his presence alone causes her to hear the song in her head instead, and finally she flees the room screaming slamming a door behind her. Black Hat has essentially rickrolled her in her own mind, which is far worse than just playing a song for her. But Black Hat could not have done so without the willing assistance from Rick!

So when Ponytail asks Rick Astley "what did you do to her?", he begins by saying "that, my dear" and then slowly [[:Category:Puts on sunglasses|puts on sunglasses]] before he answers "Is how <u>I</u> roll." This references both rickrolling and the [https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/115813/origin-of-how-we-i-roll|"that's how I roll"] meme.

Although the identity of the girl Black Hat is pranking is not stated by [[Randall]] (he refers to her as Girl 1 but he has also never given an official name to "Danish" - that is an explain xkcd name), she clearly is Danish, Black Hat's girlfriend. Danish was introduced in the Journal story-line ([[377: Journal 2]]), some time prior to this comic. At first her reaction may no look like Danish, who should play it cool according to the her first appearance! Black Hat, however, is a master and he could know that "not getting Rick rolled" would freak her even more out. Additionally, Danish is seen with Ponytail in [[405: Journal 3]]. And in that comic Black Hat also shows that he can get back at her, after she claimed she was better than him in [[377: Journal 2]]. He also tricks her into blowing her own garage up in [[433: Journal 5]]. So of course he can trick her, and of course she will hate that he has rick rolled her. So not doing it with Rick Astley in her house, would drive her mad, just like Black Hat would love, even if she is his girl friend. This would also not have happened for a normal girl like [[Megan]], whom Danish slightly resembles. Normal people will laugh not cry after being rickrolled.

The title text refers to the fact that rickrolling first appeared in 2007 (on {{w|4chan}}) and became viral for over a year. Giving that this is a New Year comic it is thus relevant to asks what meme will replace Rickrolling in the new year, 2009. Although [[Randall]] makes reference to the "[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg Xzibit Yo Dawg]" and "[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-accidentally I accidentally...]" photocaptioning memes, {{w|memebase}} entries suggest the "Keep Calm and Carry On" meme may well have become the most popular (and most enduring, as of 2013) meme of 2009.

As of 2023, Rickrolling is still one of the most relevant memes from that era. There are many [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvFZjo5PgG0 articles] on why that is.

==Transcript==
:Black Hat: And so I hired Rick Astley to show up at her party.
:Cueball: And rickroll her? Isn't that a little...last year?
:Black Hat: Ah, but he's not going to sing.

:Danish: Hey is that Rick Astley?
:Ponytail: I think it is. He just came in.
:Danish: Oh no. Brace yourself.

:Danish: Wait. He's just standing there. Where's the song?
:Danish: He's staring at me.
:Danish: This is a little creepy.

:Danish: What's going on?
:Danish: That's actually ''Rick Astley'' staring at me.
:Danish: What's he doing?
:Danish: Oh God, I keep expecting it, hearing it in my head.

:[Danish pulls at her hair.]
:Danish: Just do it already!
:[Danish runs off stage right.]
:Danish: Aaaaaaaa

:[Danish slams the door leaving Ponytail and Rick Astley]
:Door: Slam

:Ponytail: Mr. Astley?
:Rick Astley: Yes?
:Ponytail: What did you ''do'' to her? What ''was'' that?

:Rick Astley: That, my dear,

:[Rick Astley puts on sunglasses.]

:Rick Astley: Is how '''''<u>I</u>''''' roll.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Puts on sunglasses]]
[[Category:Rickrolling]]
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:2391: Life Before the Pandemic

2020-11-28T13:44:28Z

162.158.155.216:

This reminds me of the Four Yorkshiremen from At last the 1948 show. Tell that to youngsters nwadays. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 15:06, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
: Thank you for correctly identifying the origin of the sketch :) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.74|141.101.98.74]] 13:09, 28 November 2020 (UTC)
: ...but tell that to the youth of today, and they wouldn't believe you! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.216|162.158.155.216]] 13:44, 28 November 2020 (UTC)
It is actually not clear to which ongoing pandemic the comic is referring. Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics] is listing 10 epidemics currently going on. The longest ongoing one is the HIV/AIDS pandemic since 1981. It is not unlikely that the majority of humans on earth has no recollection or barely remembers the time before 1981. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 15:51, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
:You are *techinally* correct. (The best kind of correct) But, only one pandemic has made people wear masks, moved indoor activities outdoors, is referred to as THE pandemic, we -as a society- are waiting on a vaccine for, and is currently the central topic of our discourse. [[User:Argis13|Argis13]] ([[User talk:Argis13|talk]]) 15:59, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
:: The HIV/AIDS pandemic is making people wear condoms, which on some level could be compared to masks or safety nets. I believe there are some people to be found that miss the time before the 1980s restriction in their sex life.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.158|141.101.98.158]] 16:07, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
: according to wikipedias own definition ("An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time."), i'd argue that HIV is not an epidemic, much less a pandemic, but a regular endemic disease by now. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.180|162.158.88.180]] 18:19, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Non native speaker, here. Should the mouse-over text be understood as riding a horse in a shopping mall? That would make sense as it is as absurd as the other activities mentioned in the strip. "Mall" can have also other meanings, but riding through the National Mall in Washington DC or the Mall in London doesn't seem outrageous as all.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 16:01, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
:You are correct, Randall means riding a horse through a shopping mall. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 16:09, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
:(Written but ECed by Nitpicking... But as I said a few things I liked, have it anyway.)
:As a term, though over here in my country it's more often called a "Shopping Centre", I would indeed assume it's collection of stores with at least one entrance-doorway (and possibly all) leading into an indoor 'street' (one of several, perhaps with multiple levels, upper ones deployed as lining balconies to provide skylight/spotlight illumination from the shared roof).
:The 'street' roadway would be designed to be pedestrian-only (or mobility scooters; but usually barring skaters, skateboarders, bicycles and all motor-vehicles except for dispensation or disobedience) and typically surfaced in polished stone slabs or ceramic tiles. Which might be one of the worst surfaces for an iron-shoed horse to try to walk on due to the low grip or friction (I think there are rubber horseshoes/overshoes available for mounts that might be ridden or led across hard surfaces like asphalt).
:I'm happily reminded of the sequence in True Lies where the horse is used to chase the motorbike - partly, and apologetically, through the hallways of a posh hotel - and I presume they had to stick to carpeted areas (or lay down and secure ones of their own) rather than the bare marble mall-like flooring for the more dynamic bits of stunt-riding involved in that.
:So, yes, a horse in a (shopping) mall would be dangerous to the shoppers, dangerous to the horse/rider and even if no iniury occured, horses being biogical it's a fair bet that the previously immaculate floors might need cleaning even if they don't need repairing. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.96|162.158.159.96]] 16:35, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
Could "riding a horse in the mall" be a reference to the John Mulaney skit "there's a horse loose in the hospital"? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.70|108.162.241.70]] 16:50, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

I'm detecting just a tiny bit of sarcasm in this comic. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 17:52, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
: I am detecting more than a tiny bit. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 21:02, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

SCUBA divers, especially sport divers, usually breathe air through a mouthpiece that is separate from the mask . . . [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.186|162.158.75.186]] 18:23, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
:Indeed. SCUBA divers almost always to wear a mask, but it's used to cover the eyes and provide an air space in front of them, allowing clearer vision underwater. (Some divers wear goggles instead of a mask.) [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 20:59, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Isn't there another XKCD comic that showed a one of the characters riding a horse? I seem to recall the title text of that one referred to riding in a shopping mall or other large enclosed space. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 21:02, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

This is hilarious and wonderful.

Regarding grills in libraries (girls in libraries are fine), I'm reminded of the declaration that one is required to proclaim when applying for membership of the Bodleian Library in Oxford:

I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein, any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.

Megan would definitely not be allowed in, for that reason, if not for others.

Also, I think the horse might be required to wear a mask, which might be a problem if you had a recalcitrant horse.

Given that it IS those two, Megan and Cueball, they could actually be people who DID those things. Cueball is absent minded enough to think that not being charged and chased at a gasstation is a free refil. Megan really WOULD ride a hose through the mall.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.139|172.69.63.139]]C0unt

:Ha! You have clearly failed to consider the electric grill. Check and mate, Bodleian Librarians of Oxford! You shall keep your oppressed patrons from delicious grilled snacks no longer. Q.E.D! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.219|172.68.142.219]] 10:03, 28 November 2020 (UTC)

Indoor fireworks were a thing when I was young (and apparently [https://www.amazon.co.uk/HS-Indoor-Fireworks/dp/B00F94C4F6 still are]), not needing any special expertise or training. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.74|141.101.98.74]] 13:12, 28 November 2020 (UTC)

2390: Linguists

2020-11-26T02:03:38Z

162.158.155.216: /* Explanation */ Because.

{{comic
| number = 2390
| date = November 26, 2020
| title = Linguists
| image = linguists.png
| titletext = "Do you feel like the answer depends on whether you're currently in the hole, versus when you refer to the events later after you get out? Assuming you get out."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created IN A HOLE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2390: Linguists

2020-11-26T02:01:55Z

162.158.155.216:

"Fell in a hole" sounds wrong, from a (possibly) Rightpondian perspective. If it was "...into...", then that'd be better. (Falling down a hole would probably imply total inholation, while into one might mean no more than a foot getting snagged. Though the former also separately implies starting from partial or imminent holedness, the latter indicates the hole was not previously a problem but then became a novel issue to deal with. Falling 'in' a hole could mean "I was already at the bottom of a hole, minding my own business, and then I tripped on something/lost my balance and fell over...") I also have problems with "Lit on fire", for something that is set fire to, but I know that's definitely a transatlantic issue. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.216|162.158.155.216]] 02:01, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

2384: Set in the Present

2020-11-12T11:39:55Z

162.158.155.216: /* Transcript */ Someone mentioned this typo. (Numpad slip, right?)

{{comic
| number = 2384
| date = November 11, 2020
| title = Set in the Present
| image = set_in_the_present.png
| titletext = She referenced Billie Eilish, so this must be getting pretty close to the pandemic. But we've seen the last two years in-universe, so if it's set in the future, they must be in at least 2023 by now. [*adds thumbtacks and string to wall*]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an ALTERNATE NO-COVID TIMELINE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is watching a wall-mounted television set that's showing either a movie or a TV program. On-screen, people are talking face-to-face without face masks, and other maskless people mingle in the background. Although he's not engaged with the plot, Cueball has picked up enough setting clues to know that the story is set in or near the present day. However, the actual present day includes a raging pandemic ({{w|COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19}}), the likes of which have not been seen in a century. The program doesn't reflect this, and Cueball is driven to distraction by the mismatch between his world and its.

In a generic setting, stories can date themselves through the appearance of era-specific technology (such as cell phone models, which Cueball notes) or pop culture references ({{w|Billie Eilish}} is mentioned in the title text). These clues support the idea that the story is current, but the story's world is still fundamentally different without the pandemic. Attempting to resolve the question, Cueball considers the possibility that the story is set in 2019 (COVID-19 did not emerge until late that year and did not become a pandemic until 2020); a vaccinated future where COVID-19 has been cured; or that it is 2020, but the characters are simply being reckless with their own (and each others') health. Alternatively, this story could occur in an {{w|alternate timeline}} with no COVID. In the realm of books, writers in at least one subgenre within romance fiction have adopted the 'alternate timeline' approach, on the argument that COVID-19 is an element of the real world from which their readership is trying to escape.

Movies and television productions are enormously complex, and months, if not years, can pass between when a screenplay is written and the finished product finishes filming. There is often an additional gap between the end of production and a program's release. Together, these delays mean that most movies and TV shows still coming out in the pandemic reflect the world as it was before COVID hit. Even if produced after COVID-19 had already began, many movies and TV shows may not reference COVID or mask-wearing, leading to Cueball's confusion/distraction.

The idea of using thumbtacks and strings (usually accompanied by newspaper clippings and photographs) to study a problem is pop-culture shorthand for a conspiracy theory. Randall has previously mentioned this in [[2244: Thumbtacks And String]].

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

Cueball and a flat-screen television are floating in a featureless void

Okay, they're hugging, and no one has masks, but she has a modern phone. Is this story set in 2019?

Or is this a post-vaccine future?
Or an alternative no-Covid timeline?

Or are we supposed to think these characters are irresponsible?

[Text below panel]
Movies and shows that are vaguely set in "The Present" will be awkward for a while

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]