explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1893: Thread

2017-09-22T20:34:35Z

162.158.214.112:

Threadfall on Twitter beginning 2016? I'm not sure to what that refers. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.29|172.68.58.29]] 15:19, 22 September 2017 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.29|172.68.58.29]] 15:19, 22 September 2017 (UTC)
: Maybe it's referring to increased use of threaded tweets? I too have noticed an increase around that time; it was mostly screenshots of note-apps before.
:: Maybe it's a reference to Twitter stock price falling [http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/twtr here] [[Special:Contributions/198.41.226.136|198.41.226.136]] 17:44, 22 September 2017 (UTC)
:"Greatest threat" on Twitter beginning 2016 - I think that's a fairly obvious @RealDonaldTrump reference. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.28|172.68.34.28]] 20:15, 22 September 2017 (UTC)
::I think you're correct and this is absolutely an @RealDonaldTrump reference - especially due to the threats to North Korea's President Kim Jong Un. Nuclear annihilation due to tweetstorm is a real possibility. I feel a reference to that effect should be included in the explanation. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.112|162.158.214.112]] 20:34, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

I loved the Dragonriders of Pern series, but I'm a little bit mystified where this came from out of the blue. It's hardly a new series. Did he just start reading it and is all excited about it? Usually it's tied to some current event or topic, rather than just an excuse to make a pun about a character from an old book... Anyone know of any relevant current events that prompted this? [[User:DevAudio|DevAudio]] ([[User talk:DevAudio|talk]]) 15:39, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

I'm not sure why he is suddenly referencing dragonriders, but I think the twitter 'threadfall' could connect to Donald Trump on twitter? But the timing is not right... I mean I guess he was elected in ''late'' 2016 so that could count. And 2016 was when he became really seriously engaged in politics and twitter in connection to that... not very strong evidence though. I could also be convinced that the date is arbitrary [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.22|162.158.146.22]] 16:32, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

Was this comic posted late? I could have sworn they are usually up before 0930EDT at least I am used to seeing them in the morning but maybe I was online earlier then usual today. [[User:Wjbodin3|WJBodin3]] ([[User talk:Wjbodin3|talk]]) 20:15, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1884: Ringer Volume/Media Volume

2017-09-04T08:16:09Z

162.158.214.112:

So, is this about the volume buttons controlling all aspects of volume on the phone, and it being difficult to control sometimes (a lot!)? ~Chris {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.220}}
:Yes, but it's strange because the default action of the volume control should be the ''main volume'' and NOT the ''ring tone volume''. Nevertheless a video advertisement is often much louder than the movie where it is embedded. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:50, 1 September 2017 (UTC)
:: "Should be" is a weird concept. On Android (at least the mutilated version on my phone), there is no "master volume". Volume keys control the volume for the channel which is currently making noise, or the ring tone volume if there isn't any current noise. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 16:49, 2 September 2017 (UTC)
Protip: on Android when loading a youtube video, lock your phone and then unlock it. The video will then start paused, allowing you to adjust volume and then press play.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.206.4|172.68.206.4]] 15:06, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

On my Android phone, pressing either volume key results in the ringer volume slider appearing at the top of the screen. To its right is a downward-pointing caret. Pressing that caret adds sliders for media and alarm volumes. These can be moved using the touchscreen or the user can tap to select one to adjust and use the volume keys. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 16:23, 1 September 2017 (UTC)
: These didn't exist in Android Lollipop, and were presumably added in Marshmallow [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.34|108.162.245.34]] 06:57, 2 September 2017 (UTC)
:: My old phone has KitKat and still has this option...[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.112|162.158.214.112]] 08:16, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

Don't understand this comic at all... why would you frantically turn your volume up and down like that in the seconds before a video starts? Do other people do this?? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.81|141.101.69.81]] 16:24, 1 September 2017 (UTC)
:People aren't intentionally doing that. The viewer is trying to turn down the media volume; however, Android defaults to those buttons adjusting the volume for incoming calls, which people usually leave maxed. The viewer is accidentally decreasing the incoming call volume, but only wants the media volume turned down. [[User:Mulan15262|Mulan15262]] ([[User talk:Mulan15262|talk]]) 00:46, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

Here's my understanding (though I don't have a smart phone and don't have first hand experience): The user has selected the video to start, it is about to begin (loading), and the user wants to turn down the volume on the video, but instead mistakenly turns down the volume on the ringer. Once noticing their mistake, they restore the volume to its original state and try again. Only to fail again. They repeat this cycle again, until the video finishes loading and catches them on the upswing. I believe once the video is loaded the volume controls on the side switch functions from ringer to media. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.238|108.162.216.238]] 16:36, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Addressing '''"Interestingly, some earlier versions of Windows allow adjusting volume on per-program basis using a single on-screen control. This feature was eventually removed as it was deemed to confusing to users."''', I use Windows 10 on my laptop, and I can right click on the sound manager, open volume mixer, and that allows me to adjust the volume of each active program. So I'm pretty sure this line is incorrect, as it is still a feature. (Alan)
: I think that line is supposed to refer to the quick volume control, rather than the full mixer.

On iPhones, there is an option to have the buttons always control media volume, even when there is no media playing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.119|162.158.79.119]] 19:11, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

The title texts idea of using this phenomena to bring advertisement also in other rooms, reminds me a little of the clever PR idea of Burger King. They asked Google in their TV-spot, what a Whopper is. And since a lot of people have an active Google speaker next to their TV-set, Google started answering with the first lines of the Wikipedia article about the Whopper. Coincidentally somebody has edited the Wiki-article about the Whopper a few days before, so that it sounds much more like advertisement. Mario

My Android phone doesn't behave like that, although I wish it did. If you press the volume buttons before a video starts, and immediately after while the onscreen volume is still visible, it ''continues to adjust the ringer volume''. This fixes the behavior in the comic, kind of, but it means that I ''still'' can't easily adjust the volume even after the video starts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.109|162.158.111.109]] 10:57, 2 September 2017 (UTC)
:I have that problem too. I also note that at least some apps use the wrong channel; so videos use the media volume, but the ads come off the notification volume or similar. Also annoys me that certain fitness apps use the media volume for the synthesised speech to tell you that you're passed a mile; meaning you can't adjust it independantly of your music. Would really appreciate if each app could define its own output channels, which you can then connect to the system-wide volume channels (or apply filters to?) in whatever configuration you want. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 16:49, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

Per-application volume mixer was new in Windows Vista; XP and previous versions only had the system-wide volume control. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.121|162.158.154.121]] 11:00, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

I have a game on my phone called Papi Wall which I don't even play anymore, but which has a silent menu screen when you open it, which despite its silence is somehow occupying the media volume. So I open the game, which opens quickly, to quickly adjust the media volume at the menu screen and then switch back to the other app. It's the reason why it's still on my phone despite the fact that I don't play it. I think any Papi game, such as Papi Jump, would work for this, if you want to try. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.41|172.68.26.41]] 12:37, 2 September 2017 (UTC)

There's an Android application called Rocker Locker that plays a silent tone in the background, forcing the volume buttons to always control media volume. Cheers! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.22|108.162.219.22]] 23:37, 2 September 2017 (UTC)
: I like this idea, but surely the battery consumption is huge? I'd prefer an iOS style setting on my Android.[[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 07:55, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

The video he's trying to load is certainly https://youtu.be/iAjCxadppcQ "Welcome to the World" (or one of the many remixes) by Kevin Rudolf. It's an on topic example media for what Randall is complaining about because it's a notably soft...THEN LOUD kind of song. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.58|162.158.142.58]] 01:35, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
:Could be, but I think it's just a common greeting (I thought of Let's Plays, personally). --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.5|172.68.11.5]] 03:13, 4 September 2017 (UTC)

1734: Reductionism

2017-02-11T20:27:20Z

162.158.214.112: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1734
| date = September 16, 2016
| title = Reductionism
| image = reductionism.png
| titletext = "I've noticed you physics people can be a little on the reductionist side." "That's ridiculous. Name ONE reductionist word I've ever said."
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Reductionism}} is an approach that seeks to understand the world by breaking problems into simpler pieces. This approach can disregard emergent properties which appear only from the individual parts working together.

In this comic [[Randall]] shows the first part of a dictionary entry on the word ''Reductionism''. In a real dictionary like [http://www.dictionary.com/ Dictionary.com] an [http://www.dictionary.com/browse/reductionism entry] with similar build up looks like this:
:Reductionism
:Noun
:1. The theory that every complex phenomenon, especially in biology or psychology, can be explained by analyzing the simplest, most basic physical mechanisms that are in operation during the phenomenon.
:2. The practice of simplifying a complex idea, issue, condition, or the like, especially to the point of minimizing, obscuring, or distorting it.
In the comic the ''n'' refers to {{w|noun}} and the "1." indicate that this is the first of more than one entries about the word.

The meta joke is that Randall is attempting to define the word ''Reductionism'' by taking the reductionist approach to its extreme. He thus breaks the word into its 12 individual letters explaining the origin of each individual letter, acting as if the word was nothing more than the "sum" of all its letters. In doing so he entirely fails to explain the actual meaning of the word.

The entire entry number 1. could in principle have 12 phrases one for each of the letters R, E, D, U, C, T, I, O, N, I, S and M, but here only the first two for R and E are included, the third (D) only just starts when the entry is cut off at the bottom of the panel. It could be argued that the two I's could share one explanation, but as a reductionist you might not even notice that the I had already been explained.

As it happens, every letter of the {{w|Latin alphabet}} (the writing system used by the {{w|English language}} and many other languages) is ultimately derived from {{w|Egyptian hieroglyphics}}, not just "R". But maybe the same sentence is used for all the {{w|consonants}} as the only word in the explanation for "D" is "is"; the same that starts the explanation for "R".

The second letter that is explained is "E", a {{w|vowel}}. In modern English spelling, the letter "E" is used – alone or in combination – to represent a number of different vowel sounds (compare "gene", "bed", "crepe"). In the word "reductionism", the "E" can be pronounced as /ɪ/ ("riductionism"), /iː/ ("reeductionism") or /ə/ ("ruductionism"), depending on dialect and emphasis, but the comic is talking about the sound used to pronounce the letter itself, /iː/ ("long E"). It explains that this vowel sound was normally represented with the letter "I" until the 1500's. This is a reference to the {{w|Great Vowel Shift}}, a change in the pronunciation of many English vowels around that time. Before then, a word like "see" was pronounced /seː/ (approximately "seh", with no diphthong), while a word like "bite" was pronounced /biːt/ ("beet"). So in modern English pronunciation, the "long E" sound is the same as what the "long I" spelling used to represent.

In the title text, two people are speaking. The first speaker has noticed that "physics people can be a little on the reductionist side". (Randall would consider himself a physicist). The presumed physicist then says that it is a ridiculous notion. He challenges the other to "Name ONE reductionist word I've ever said." But by claiming he is not a reductionist by focusing on the individual words (which, even/especially in the case of "reductionist", are never used ''solely'' by reductionists) he is asking for an impossible comparison to be made, when proof of reductionism is clearly an emergent property of a fuller sentences, if not whole discourses. By insisting on focusing only upon individual words in this manner the speaker likely proves themself a reductionist, in the very act of trying to refute this accusation.

Reductionism has previously appeared [[1416:_Pixels#Holism.2C_Reductionism.2C_Mu|deep down]] in [[1416: Pixels]].

==Transcript==
:[The comic represents an entry in a dictionary for a word. Unlike normal comics not only capital letters are used, and thus here the capitalization of the comic is also used in the transcript. The entry is cut off through the bottom of the fourth line by the bottom of the panel, but the last line is still readable.]
:'''REDUCTIONISM'''•''n''. 1. "R" is a letter with
:origins in the Egyptian hieroglyphics. "E"
:stands for a vowel sound normally
:represented by "I" until the 1500's. "D" is

==Trivia==
*This comic was posted as normally on a Friday, but it was also posted the day after the previous comic [[1733: Solar Spectrum]].
**This marks the first time on xkcd where, in a week where only three comics where released, there was a release on both Thursday and Friday.
***The only other times there has been released comics on both Thursday and Friday has been in the series weeks where a five comic series has been released on five consecutive days from Monday to Friday.
**The reason that the previous comic's release day was postponed from the scheduled Wednesday release to a [[:Category:Thursday comics|Thursday release]] was because Randall noticed the extreme popularity of the previous comic from Monday: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]].
***Randall even explained this in the header text, see [[1732#Popularity_of_comic|this trivia item]] in the popular comics explanation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]

589: Designated Drivers

2017-01-08T14:00:09Z

162.158.214.112: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 589
| date = May 27, 2009
| title = Designated Drivers
| image = designated_drivers.png
| titletext = Calling a cab means cutting into beer money.
}}

==Explanation==
When a group of people go together to any kind of event where they expect to drink alcohol, and would like to drive to and from the event, it is usual to select one who has to be the '''{{w|designated driver}}'''. This person will then stay sober during the event, and can thus safely drive the other people home afterwards disregarding how drunk the other people become.

However, as this comic points out, if it's not a simple task of going from A to B and back, all together at the same time, then it becomes a complex problem that requires an intricate kind of strategy and logical thinking to solve. And may need more than one driver.

In this comic [[Cueball]] addresses his friends, regarding this problem right before they enter a bar. It seems they have already decided that one of the friends will be the designated driver. But then Cueball mentions that they will have to leave in two groups. And for some reason one of these groups will need at least two drivers (this is hard to explain - see below under [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].) So now they already need three designated drivers. Furthermore, someone has to go and pick up another friend. And also two of them have to leave earlier than the rest by 10:00.

In the third panel the situation seems to be illustrated. Three people are drawn outside the bar with three lines going to the bar, so the number of lines leaving and entering each destination seems to represent a person each. Since the number of people leaving and entering each destination is the same, this makes it seem like the diagram is intended to be accurate. There are four people entering and exiting the bar and six people entering and exiting both the party and the dinner. The confusing part of the diagram is that there are only three people at the bar to begin with, not the four shown in the first panel. It also seems strange that someone will go back to the bar and especially that another goes back to the dinner from the party. It is thus not easy to make the diagram fit the description. See below for a possible take on [[#The chart|the chart]].

But the general concept would be that some people meet at a bar before joining the rest of a group at dinner, then later most of these move on to a party. After the party (or bar/dinner) people are going to head home in different groups.

The enormous complexities of planning who {{w|car pool}}s with whom, from where to where, and when, make an excellent logic puzzle. And what is worse, anyone who has to drive needs to stay sober. So it is important to solve the puzzle before the drinking starts, or else there will be too few that can drive, or too many who never get to drink.

To make matters worse one of the friends complicates this already complicated {{w|logical puzzle}}, by involving the classic logic puzzle of the {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage puzzle|wolf, goat and cabbage}}. In the last panel the guy is shown standing with a goat on a tether, saying he can't be in the car with the wolf. Cueball is then brought to swearing over this. (The goat puzzle was also the subject of [[1134: Logic Boat]]). And this may go some way of explaining why there needs to be a [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].

The title text makes it clear why ordering a taxi is out of the question as it would take money out of the beer budget. Of course it also cost money to use your own car for gas etc. But when you already have a car, it is always cheaper to use that than pay for a taxi.

===The chart===
It's possible to match the chart up with the events in the comic if we assume two things: first, that everyone's initial position in the chart is at home, and second, that the party takes place at Cueball's house.
Whether or not [[Randall]] intended it this way isn't certain.

For clarity, I'll be referring to the first cueball as Cueball, the second as David, Megan as Emily, and the third cueball as Tom.
*Cueball leaves his house to meet Tom, David, and Emily at the bar.
**When leaving the bar, Cueball returns home before dinner, possibly to set up for the party.
**Emily leaves with either Tom or David to go to dinner while the other goes to pick up Paul.
*At dinner Julia arrives from her house, Cueball arrives from his house, Emily arrives with either Tom or David from the bar, and Paul arrives with the person that didn't drive for Emily.
**When leaving dinner, David has to be the one going home by himself as Emily and Julia will leave together, Tom has agreed to be a designated driver, Paul does not have a car, and Cueball is the host of the party.
**The remaining five take three cars to Cueball's for the party. (Julia's car, Cueball's car, and Tom's car)
*At 10:00 Julie will leave with Emily, and Tom will take Paul home once the party is over.

===Number of drivers===
Unless a more efficient solution exists, the minimum number of people that have to remain sober is three: Tom, David, and either Julia or Emily. Emily is able to begin drinking the earliest, starting at the bar and continuing the rest of the night. If the place everyone is having dinner at serves alcohol, Paul can begin drinking at dinner. If Emily elected to stay sober, Julia can start drinking when Paul does. Cueball is the last to be able to drink, only getting to start once everyone is at the party.

Interestingly enough the goat and wolf only make a difference if Paul has the wolf, in which case David would have to pick Paul up and take him home, and Tom and his goat would leave after dinner.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is addressing three people outside a bar (two Cueball-like guys and Megan).]
:Cueball: Wait, who's driving?
:First Cueball-like guy: Why?
:First Cueball-like guy: Tom, right?

:[Zoom in on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to leave in two groups. One of which will need at least two drivers.

:[There is text both above and below a flowchart with arrows between a group of the three people Cueball is talking to, and three houses that are labeled 'bar', 'dinner', and 'party'. Three lines point from the group of people to the bar and a fourth arrives from the party. Four lines points away from the bar. Two goes to the dinner one to the party and one away to the left. There are six arrows arriving at the dinner. Apart from the two lines coming from the bar, there is one long arrow pointing to the dinner from the left and two coming in from above. One more comes from the party below. Six arrows points away. One arrow goes away to the top right, the other five arrows points straight down to the party. There are also six arrows coming and leaving the party. Apart from the five from the dinner there was the one coming in from the bar. The six arrows leaving are the one arrow that went to the bar and the one to the dinner. The other four leaves in two groups of two, on straight down and two curving to the left.]
:Cueball (off-panel): Someone has to get Paul, and Julia and Emily have to leave by 10:00.
:Labels: Bar
:Labels: Dinner
:Labels: Party
:Cueball (off-panel): The logistics of who can get drunk are nontrivial.

:[The second Cueball-like guy to the right has an goat on a string behind him, which was not visible in the first panel, as he was at that time only partly inside the frame.]
:Second Cueball-like guy: Yeah, and I can't ride in a car with the wolf because he'll eat my goat.
:Cueball: Dammit, guys.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Animals]]

589: Designated Drivers

2017-01-08T13:57:05Z

162.158.214.112: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 589
| date = May 27, 2009
| title = Designated Drivers
| image = designated_drivers.png
| titletext = Calling a cab means cutting into beer money.
}}

==Explanation==
When a group of people go together to any kind of event where they expect to drink alcohol, and would like to drive to and from the event, it is usual to select one who has to be the '''{{w|designated driver}}'''. This person will then stay sober during the event, and can thus safely drive the other people home afterwards disregarding how drunk the other people become.

However, as this comic points out, if it not a simple task of going from A to B and back, all together at the same time, then it becomes an complex problem that requires an intricate kind of strategy and logical thinking to solve. And may need more than one driver.

In this comic [[Cueball]] addresses his friends, regarding this problem right before they enter a bar. It seems they have already decided that one of the friends will be the designated driver. But then Cueball mentions that they will have to leave in two groups. And for some reason one of these groups will need at least two drivers (this is hard to explain - see below under [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].) So now they already need three designated drivers. Furthermore, someone has to go and pick up another friend. And also two of them have to leave earlier than the rest by 10:00.

In the third panel the situation seems to be illustrated. Three people are drawn outside the bar with three lines going to the bar, so the number of lines leaving and entering each destination seems to represent a person each. Since the number of people leaving and entering each destination is the same, this makes it seem like the diagram is intended to be accurate. There are four people entering and exiting the bar and six people entering and exiting both the party and the dinner. The confusing part of the diagram is that there are only three people at the bar to begin with, not the four shown in the first panel. It also seems strange that someone will go back to the bar and especially that another goes back to the dinner from the party. It is thus not easy to make the diagram fit the description. See below for a possible take on [[#The chart|the chart]].

But the general concept would be that some people meet at a bar before joining the rest of a group at dinner, then later most of these move on to a party. After the party (or bar/dinner) people are going to head home in different groups.

The enormous complexities of planning who {{w|car pool}}s with whom, from where to where, and when, make an excellent logic puzzle. And what is worse, anyone who has to drive needs to stay sober. So it is important to solve the puzzle before the drinking starts, or else there will be too few that can drive, or too many who never get to drink.

To make matters worse one of the friends complicates this already complicated {{w|logical puzzle}}, by involving the classic logic puzzle of the {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage puzzle|wolf, goat and cabbage}}. In the last panel the guy is shown standing with a goat on a tether, saying he can't be in the car with the wolf. Cueball is then brought to swearing over this. (The goat puzzle was also the subject of [[1134: Logic Boat]]). And this may go some way of explaining why there needs to be a [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].

The title text makes it clear why ordering a taxi is out of the question as it would take money out of the beer budget. Of course it also cost money to use your own car for gas etc. But when you already have a car, it is always cheaper to use that than pay for a taxi.

===The chart===
It's possible to match the chart up with the events in the comic if we assume two things: first, that everyone's initial position in the chart is at home, and second, that the party takes place at Cueball's house.
Whether or not [[Randall]] intended it this way isn't certain.

For clarity, I'll be referring to the first cueball as Cueball, the second as David, Megan as Emily, and the third cueball as Tom.
*Cueball leaves his house to meet Tom, David, and Emily at the bar.
**When leaving the bar, Cueball returns home before dinner, possibly to set up for the party.
**Emily leaves with either Tom or David to go to dinner while the other goes to pick up Paul.
*At dinner Julia arrives from her house, Cueball arrives from his house, Emily arrives with either Tom or David from the bar, and Paul arrives with the person that didn't drive for Emily.
**When leaving dinner, David has to be the one going home by himself as Emily and Julia will leave together, Tom has agreed to be a designated driver, Paul does not have a car, and Cueball is the host of the party.
**The remaining five take three cars to Cueball's for the party. (Julia's car, Cueball's car, and Tom's car)
*At 10:00 Julie will leave with Emily, and Tom will take Paul home once the party is over.

===Number of drivers===
Unless a more efficient solution exists, the minimum number of people that have to remain sober is three: Tom, David, and either Julia or Emily. Emily is able to begin drinking the earliest, starting at the bar and continuing the rest of the night. If the place everyone is having dinner at serves alcohol, Paul can begin drinking at dinner. If Emily elected to stay sober, Julia can start drinking when Paul does. Cueball is the last to be able to drink, only getting to start once everyone is at the party.

Interestingly enough the goat and wolf only make a difference if Paul has the wolf, in which case David would have to pick Paul up and take him home, and Tom and his goat would leave after dinner.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is addressing three people outside a bar (two Cueball-like guys and Megan).]
:Cueball: Wait, who's driving?
:First Cueball-like guy: Why?
:First Cueball-like guy: Tom, right?

:[Zoom in on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to leave in two groups. One of which will need at least two drivers.

:[There is text both above and below a flowchart with arrows between a group of the three people Cueball is talking to, and three houses that are labeled 'bar', 'dinner', and 'party'. Three lines point from the group of people to the bar and a fourth arrives from the party. Four lines points away from the bar. Two goes to the dinner one to the party and one away to the left. There are six arrows arriving at the dinner. Apart from the two lines coming from the bar, there is one long arrow pointing to the dinner from the left and two coming in from above. One more comes from the party below. Six arrows points away. One arrow goes away to the top right, the other five arrows points straight down to the party. There are also six arrows coming and leaving the party. Apart from the five from the dinner there was the one coming in from the bar. The six arrows leaving are the one arrow that went to the bar and the one to the dinner. The other four leaves in two groups of two, on straight down and two curving to the left.]
:Cueball (off-panel): Someone has to get Paul, and Julia and Emily have to leave by 10:00.
:Labels: Bar
:Labels: Dinner
:Labels: Party
:Cueball (off-panel): The logistics of who can get drunk are nontrivial.

:[The second Cueball-like guy to the right has an goat on a string behind him, which was not visible in the first panel, as he was at that time only partly inside the frame.]
:Second Cueball-like guy: Yeah, and I can't ride in a car with the wolf because he'll eat my goat.
:Cueball: Dammit, guys.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Animals]]