explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1519: Venus

2015-05-01T07:09:49Z

173.245.56.158: First draft of the explanation

{{comic
| number = 1519
| date = May 1, 2015
| title = Venus
| image = venus.png
| titletext = The sudden introduction of Venusian flowers led to an explosive growth of unusual Earth pollinators, which became known as the "butterfly effect."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
A teacher is teaching a class blatantly wrong facts about Venus. In the last panel, the verisimilitude of these facts is challenged by one of her students.

In the second panel, "runaway greenhouse effect" is a pun, referring to the greenhouses, which are leaving the planet (running away).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
Ponytail: Venus once was temperate. It had seas and rivers, and venusians cultivated vast fields of beautiful flowers.

Ponytail: Until their greenhouses fled the planet due tot he runaway greenhouse effect.

Ponytail: The venusians pursued their greenhouses to earth, settling in the Netherlands and kickstarting the Dutch floral industry. Any questions?

Offscreen: Beacause you're retering in a month, do you just not care what you say anymore?

Ponytail: What?! I '''ride the skies''' atop a screaming bird of truth! Also, yes I do not.

{{comic discussion}}

1519: Venus

2015-05-01T07:07:13Z

173.245.56.158: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1519
| date = May 1, 2015
| title = Venus
| image = venus.png
| titletext = The sudden introduction of Venusian flowers led to an explosive growth of unusual Earth pollinators, which became known as the "butterfly effect."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
Ponytail: Venus once was temperate. It had seas and rivers, and venusians cultivated vast fields of beautiful flowers.

Ponytail: Until their greenhouses fled the planet due tot he runaway greenhouse effect.

Ponytail: The venusians pursued their greenhouses to earth, settling in the Netherlands and kickstarting the Dutch floral industry. Any questions?

Offscreen: Beacause you're retering in a month, do you just not care what you say anymore?
Ponytail: What?! I '''ride the skies''' atop a screaming bird of truth! Also, yes I do not.

{{comic discussion}}

1519: Venus

2015-05-01T07:06:26Z

173.245.56.158: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1519
| date = May 1, 2015
| title = Venus
| image = venus.png
| titletext = The sudden introduction of Venusian flowers led to an explosive growth of unusual Earth pollinators, which became known as the "butterfly effect."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
Ponytail: Venus once was temperate. It had seas and rivers, and venusians cultivated vast fields of beautiful flowers.

Ponytail: Until their greenhouses fled the planet due tot he runaway greenhouse effect

Ponytail: The venusians pursued their greenhouses to earth, settling in Te Netherlands and kickstarting the Dutch floral industry. Any questions?

Offscreen: Beacause you're retering in a month, do you just not care what you say anymore?
Ponytail: What?! I '''ride the skies''' atop a screaming bird, of truth! Also, yes I do not.

{{comic discussion}}

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:31:11Z

173.245.56.158: devices ==> device

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}
{{Incomplete|First draft}}
==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when one has difficulty in turning the alarm off. This comic takes this to a ridiculous extreme, whence the comic derives its humour, especially when paired with the title describing it as "typical."

In this comic, Cueball is shown using his phone as his alarm clock. Often times, it can be hard to turn off the alarm on a smartphone when groggy. Cueball has apparently exited the alarm app by mistake. As such, he his taking an unusually long time turning the device off. Getting annoyed, he's decided to remove the battery to forcefully shut off his phone. However, in the process, he accidentally drops his device down an air vent. Unable to get it out, Cueball tries to remotely brick it (erase important system files rendering the device as useful as a brick). However, he seems to have accidentally gone into airplane mode in the confusion, thereby cutting off all wireless communications with the device.
Rather than dealing with the noise for weeks, Cueball proposes that they just move out instead.

Mercury is a very dense liquid. The phone would certainly float on it, though the quite toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a somewhat less-than-stellar idea.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text]
:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP
:Hairy Cueball: Urgh
:Off-Screen: Your alarm is going off
:Hairy Cueball: Huh?
:Off-Screen: Make it stop.
:Hairy Cueball: Urrgh

:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP B
:Off-Screen: Hit snooze.
:Hairy Cueball: I'm trying. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Hairy Cueball: Whoops!
:[CLANG]

:[The lights have turned on; Hairy Cueball is on a bed, looking down the air vent he has dropped the phone into]
:Alarm: EEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Make it stop!
:Hairy Cueball: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy Cueball is at a desk with a computer]
:Alarm: EP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy Cueball: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy Cueball: You know, maybe we should just move.

==Trivia==
*In this comic, Cueball has messy hair, unlike the round head he normally has.

{{comic discussion}}

<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
</noinclude>

Talk:1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:25:01Z

173.245.56.158: My hands are typing words, haaaands

If he has hair, shouldn't he be called Hairy by definition?
Sidenote: Did I really just use the word whence?[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.228|199.27.130.228]] 05:57, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Added first draft for the transcript. This is my first edit here, so feel free to clean it up. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:02, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I think that this is still Cueball because his hair isn't a different colour to his head. The only reason we can see it is because it's bed hair, and he hasn't combed it down yet. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.172|141.101.98.172]] 06:06, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't see how this comic is about <strike>sarcasm</strike> or language. It ''contains'' language, but it isn't ''about'' language.<br>'''Update''': Oh, right, the title text ends with a sarcastic comment.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:17, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:24:11Z

173.245.56.158:

If he has hair, shouldn't he be called Hairy by definition?
Sidenote: Did I really just use the word whence?[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.228|199.27.130.228]] 05:57, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Added first draft for the transcript. This is my first edit here, so feel free to clean it up. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:02, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I think that this is still Cueball because his hair isn't a different colour to his head. The only reason we can see it is because it's bed hair, and he hasn't combed it down yet. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.172|141.101.98.172]] 06:06, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't see how this comic is about <strike>sarcasm</strike> or language. It ''contains'' language, but it isn't ''about'' language.<br>'''Update''': Oh, right, the title text.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:17, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:21:27Z

173.245.56.158: Changed hyphenation [somewhat-less-than-stellar ==> somewhat less-than-stellar]

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}
{{Incomplete|First draft}}
==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when one has difficulty in turning the alarm off. This comic takes this to a ridiculous extreme, whence the comic derives its humour, especially when paired with the title describing it as "typical."

Mercury is a very dense liquid. The phone would certainly float on it, though the quite toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a somewhat less-than-stellar idea.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text]
:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP
:Hairy Cueball: Urgh
:Off-Screen: Your alarm is going off
:Hairy Cueball: Huh?
:Off-Screen: Make it stop.
:Hairy Cueball: Urrgh

:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP B
:Off-Screen: Hit snooze.
:Hairy Cueball: I'm trying. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Hairy Cueball: Whoops!
:[CLANG]

:[The lights have turned on; Hairy Cueball is on a bed, looking down the air vent he has dropped the phone into]
:Alarm: EEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Make it stop!
:Hairy Cueball: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy Cueball is at a desk with a computer]
:Alarm: EP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy Cueball: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy Cueball: You know, maybe we should just move.

==Trivia==
*In this comic, Cueball has messy hair, unlike the round head he normally has.

{{comic discussion}}

<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
</noinclude>

Talk:1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:17:14Z

173.245.56.158:

If he has hair, shouldn't he be called Hairy by definition?
Sidenote: Did I really just use the word whence?[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.228|199.27.130.228]] 05:57, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Added first draft for the transcript. This is my first edit here, so feel free to clean it up. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:02, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I think that this is still Cueball because his hair isn't a different colour to his head. The only reason we can see it is because it's bed hair, and he hasn't combed it down yet. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.172|141.101.98.172]] 06:06, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't see how this comic is about sarcasm or language. It ''contains'' language, but it isn't ''about'' language. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.158|173.245.56.158]] 06:17, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:12:25Z

173.245.56.158: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}
{{Incomplete|First draft}}
==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when one has difficulty in turning the alarm off. This comic takes this to a ridiculous extreme, whence the comic derives its humour, especially when paired with the title describing it as "typical."

Mercury is a very dense liquid. The phone would certainly float on it, though the quite toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a somewhat-less-than-stellar idea.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text]
:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP
:Hairy Cueball: Urgh
:Off-Screen: Your alarm is going off
:Hairy Cueball: Huh?
:Off-Screen: Make it stop.
:Hairy Cueball: Urrgh

:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP B
:Off-Screen: Hit snooze.
:Hairy Cueball: I'm trying. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Hairy Cueball: Whoops!
:[CLANG]

:[The lights have turned on; Hairy Cueball is on a bed, looking down the air vent he has dropped the phone into]
:Alarm: EEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Make it stop!
:Hairy Cueball: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy Cueball is at a desk with a computer]
:Alarm: EP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy Cueball: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy Cueball: You know, maybe we should just move.

==Trivia==
*In this comic, Cueball has messy hair, unlike the round head he normally has.

{{comic discussion}}

<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
</noinclude>

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:11:48Z

173.245.56.158: Added scenery details

{{comic
| number = 1518
| date = April 29, 2015
| title = Typical Morning Routine
| image = typical_morning_routine.png
| titletext = Hang on, I've heard this problem. We need to pour water into the duct until the phone floats up and ... wait, phones sink in water. Mercury. We need a vat of mercury to pour down the vent. That will definitely make this situation better and not worse.
}}
{{Incomplete|First draft}}
==Explanation==
Waking up to an alarm can be annoying, especially when one has difficulty in turning the alarm off. This comic takes this to a ridiculous extreme, whence the comic derives its humour, especially when paired with the title describing it as "typical."

Mercury is a very dense liquid. The phone would certainly float on it, though the quite toxic nature of mercury makes pouring it into the air supply a somewhat-less-than-stellar idea.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is completely black, with white text]
:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP
:Hairy Cueball: Urgh
:Off-Screen: Your alarm is going off
:Hairy Cueball: Huh?
:Off-Screen: Make it stop.
:Hairy Cueball: Urrgh

:Alarm: BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP B
:Off-Screen: Hit snooze.
:Hairy Cueball: I'm trying. I closed the alarm app and I can't... I'll just pop out the battery.
:Hairy Cueball: Whoops!
:[CLANG]

:[The lights have turned on; Hairy is on a bed, looking down the air vent he has dropped the phone into]
:Alarm: EEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Make it stop!
:Hairy Cueball: It... fell down the vent.

:[Hairy is at a desk with a computer]
:Alarm: EP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLE
:Off-Screen: Can you brick it remotely?
:Hairy Cueball: Trying... I think I fumbled it into airplane mode?
:Off-Screen: The battery could last for weeks.
:Hairy Cueball: You know, maybe we should just move.

==Trivia==
*In this comic, Cueball has messy hair, unlike the round head he normally has.

{{comic discussion}}

<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
</noinclude>

Talk:1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:02:12Z

173.245.56.158:

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T06:00:12Z

173.245.56.158: Added first-draft of transcript

1518: Typical Morning Routine

2015-04-29T05:55:52Z

173.245.56.158: Minor spelling edits

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-09T02:58:15Z

173.245.56.158: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The {{w|Apollo program}} landed {{w|List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|twelve astronauts}} on the {{w|Moon}} in six landing missions from July 1969 to December 1972 and returned all of those twelve astronauts safely to the Earth. (However, from 1964 to 1967, there were eight deaths of astronauts or men training to be astronauts: three in the Apollo One fire, four in T-38 crashes, and one in an F-104 crash.) The premise is usually that, if "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve this extraordinary feat, our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic. Right after the Philae landing, the similar hashtag [https://twitter.com/hashtag/wecanlandonacometbutwecant #WeCanLandOnACometButWeCant] began on Twitter.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

The title text is a retelling of {{w|John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy's}} famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx address to the U.S. Congress in May 1961] ("I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth"), which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet {{w|Venus}}. The aide presumably explains to the president that the surface of Venus is such a hostile place (due to factors including high temperature, crushing atmospheric pressure, strong winds, sulfuric acid clouds, etc.) that it is unlikely that anybody could land there and come back alive. Even unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only {{w|Venera|a couple of hours at most}}. As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of returning the astronauts safely to the Earth and comically limits the aspiration to landing an astronaut on Venus, full stop, without regard to the astronaut's safe return. This differs slightly from Kennedy's goal, which included the safe return of at least one astronaut from the moon. Although the overall 8:12 ratio of deaths to moonwalkers (during the period for Kennedy's speech to the end of the Apollo program) was too high to be considered "safe" by most standards, Kennedy had specified the safety only of the men who landed on the moon, and set a goal of "a" man returning safely. Technically, even if most of the men who landed died, as long as one returned safely by the end of 1969, Kennedy's goal would have been met.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we-
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

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