explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3261: Side Effect

2026-06-22T20:52:42Z

198.54.129.215: adding my name

FIRST COMMENT! [[User:YZ100|YZ100]] 2:07, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

I do believe this takes the cake from [[Doppler Effect]] as my all time favorite. [[User:Jjj|Jjj]] ([[User talk:Jjj|talk]]) 02:43, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:The Doppler Effect one was a good one. [[User:YZ100|YZ100]] ([[User talk:YZ100|talk]]) 2:51, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
I tried my best to add a little bit of an explanation, it’s probably not very good and it’s certainly missing some stuff, but at least there’s something now.[[User:IllegallyNamed|IllegallyNamed]] ([[User talk:IllegallyNamed|talk]]) 03:01, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

even the hat changes. I guess its part of him [[User:Student Driver|Student Driver]] ([[User talk:Student Driver|talk]]) 03:22, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:Maybe he's been applying the medication to his hat, for reasons best known to him. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:01, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

I've added a (probably massively incorrect) detail on "The chirp". Someone with better understanding of black holes will probably need to amend it! [[Special:Contributions/161.65.236.209|161.65.236.209]] 05:46, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

His beret expands and shrinks because it's stapled to his head -- his head underneath it is expanding and shrinking, dragging the top of the beret with it. [[Special:Contributions/142.134.94.223|142.134.94.223]] 16:23, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

Would Beret Guy be experiencing discomfort from these distortions of spacetime? If it was caused by something like the tidal forces at differing distances from a nearby neutron star or black hole, large enough to cause that much stretching, I'd expect it to be very harmful. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 20:14, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:In [[Meeting]], it is stated that they "physically cannot die." [[User:Jjj|Jjj]] ([[User talk:Jjj|talk]]) 06:26, 21 June 2026 (UTC)

Gravity waves are generated whenever any mass accelerates. It's just that the energy involved is so enormously small (if you don't mind a seeming oxymoron). When I stand up from this chair, it will generate gravity waves, but the energy involved will be so low that even in principle, no conceivable instrument would detect them. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 20:15, 21 June 2026 (UTC)

I think the conclusion about the beret changing size is because he put the sunscreen on the hat, allowing it to experience the side effect along with him. --Spencer[[Special:Contributions/198.54.129.215|198.54.129.215]] 20:52, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3261: Side Effect

2026-06-22T20:52:02Z

198.54.129.215: Hat theory

FIRST COMMENT! [[User:YZ100|YZ100]] 2:07, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

I do believe this takes the cake from [[Doppler Effect]] as my all time favorite. [[User:Jjj|Jjj]] ([[User talk:Jjj|talk]]) 02:43, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:The Doppler Effect one was a good one. [[User:YZ100|YZ100]] ([[User talk:YZ100|talk]]) 2:51, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
I tried my best to add a little bit of an explanation, it’s probably not very good and it’s certainly missing some stuff, but at least there’s something now.[[User:IllegallyNamed|IllegallyNamed]] ([[User talk:IllegallyNamed|talk]]) 03:01, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

even the hat changes. I guess its part of him [[User:Student Driver|Student Driver]] ([[User talk:Student Driver|talk]]) 03:22, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:Maybe he's been applying the medication to his hat, for reasons best known to him. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:01, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

I've added a (probably massively incorrect) detail on "The chirp". Someone with better understanding of black holes will probably need to amend it! [[Special:Contributions/161.65.236.209|161.65.236.209]] 05:46, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

His beret expands and shrinks because it's stapled to his head -- his head underneath it is expanding and shrinking, dragging the top of the beret with it. [[Special:Contributions/142.134.94.223|142.134.94.223]] 16:23, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

Would Beret Guy be experiencing discomfort from these distortions of spacetime? If it was caused by something like the tidal forces at differing distances from a nearby neutron star or black hole, large enough to cause that much stretching, I'd expect it to be very harmful. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 20:14, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
:In [[Meeting]], it is stated that they "physically cannot die." [[User:Jjj|Jjj]] ([[User talk:Jjj|talk]]) 06:26, 21 June 2026 (UTC)

Gravity waves are generated whenever any mass accelerates. It's just that the energy involved is so enormously small (if you don't mind a seeming oxymoron). When I stand up from this chair, it will generate gravity waves, but the energy involved will be so low that even in principle, no conceivable instrument would detect them. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 20:15, 21 June 2026 (UTC)

I think the conclusion about the beret changing size is because he put the sunscreen on the hat, allowing it to experience the side effect along with him. --[[Special:Contributions/198.54.129.215|198.54.129.215]] 20:52, 22 June 2026 (UTC)Spencer