explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Elaine Roberts

2025-02-14T11:30:21Z

BabylonAS: "Elaine" is actually her middle name.

{{Infobox character
| image = Elaine_Roberts.png
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Elaine Roberts|Comics featuring Elaine Roberts]].''
:''Elaine Roberts' brother, see [[Little Bobby Tables]].''
:''For Elaine Roberts' mother, see [[Mrs. Roberts]].''<noinclude>

'''Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory Elaine Roberts''', more simply known as just '''Elaine Roberts''', is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is portrayed as the oldest child of [[Mrs. Roberts]] and has a younger brother nicknamed [[Little Bobby Tables]]. Her main appearances take place in the [[:Category:1337|1337 series]], where she is first introduced as the world's best hacker.

Her hacking journey began when she spent four years learning from [[Donald Knuth]], who mentored her in his hidden mountain retreat. With determination and skill, Elaine eventually surpassed her mentor's abilities. Notably, she successfully broke into the {{w|NSA}} headquarters with the help of {{w|Adrian Lamo}}. Additionally, she played a significant role in collaborating with [[Steve Jobs]] to shape Apple's future direction. In her quest for digital freedom, Elaine joined forces with [[Richard Stallman]] to confront the MPAA and RIAA, fighting against their skilled ninja fighters.

When she is drawn as an adult, she has white shoulder-length hair, and is a named version of [[Blondie]], like how [[Rob]] is a named version of [[Cueball]].

==Name==
According to title texts of [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], her first appearance, and [[342: 1337: Part 2]], her first name is "Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory" and "Elaine" is actually her middle name. This means that "Roberts" is her last name, since it's also her mother's surname.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]

2919: Sitting in a Tree

2024-12-14T19:23:10Z

BabylonAS: /* Explanation */ using proper list markup

{{comic
| number = 2919
| date = April 12, 2024
| title = Sitting in a Tree
| image = sitting_in_a_tree_2x.png
| imagesize = 591x320px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = First comes blood / Then we perish / Then comes Death in his Eternity Carriage.
}}

==Explanation==
“[Name] and [name], sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G” (pronounced as the names of the letters, e.g. "kay eye ess ess eye en gee") is the start of a common US schoolyard taunt to tease others about their alleged romance. As the comic notes, the rhyme can use a range of normal seven-letter {{w|present participle}}s of verbs.

Like other schoolyard taunts, the goal may be to elicit a reaction of frustration, anger or embarrassment. It may also just be chanted at a random set of two kids, such as part of a {{w|counting-out game}}.

This comic lists a diverse group of eighteen seven-letter gerunds which Cueball and Megan could be accused of performing in a tree, and organizes them into three categories: Normal, Slightly Worrying and Very Alarming. Each list of gerunds has an illustration of its last one: kissing, ironing and smiting, respectively.

Normal:
*'''{{w|Reading}}''' is an activity usually encouraged, which can be performed in a tree without any additional danger.
*'''{{w|Singing}}''' is similar to reading, in that it is a good thing (that does not become dangerous by doing it in a tree). However, [[Jill]] and [[Hairy]]'s chanting may disturb Cueball and Megan's singing, or the other way round.
*'''{{w|Playing}}''' is what most children are doing when they climb trees.
*'''{{w|Sharing}}''' is a good thing. Though it could potentially be hazardous in a tree, due to slightly increased risk of falling while trying to share, it is not a major concern.
*'''{{w|Hugging}}''' is a physical sign of affection (romantic or otherwise), which doesn't change much due to the treetop locale.
*'''{{w|Kissing}}''' is the activity illustrated in the panel. It is the most normal thing to be sung in the song, as it is the traditional taunt.

Slightly worrying:
*'''{{w|Sobbing}}''' is an act of weeping heavily, e.g. due to a setback in one's relationship, or perhaps due to being stuck up a tree.
*'''{{w|Itching}}''' is feeling a sensation on one's skin that makes one want to scratch or rub it, and may happen due to mosquito bites or other bugs, or perhaps an allergic reaction to tree bark.
*'''{{w|Pruning}}''' is cutting off the branches of a tree, which is very dangerous if one is sitting on said branch.{{Citation needed}}
*'''{{w|Banking}}''' is conducting financial business with a bank, or if one works for the financial institution, conducting financial business with a customer cohort. Most banks do not have branches in trees{{cn}} but with suitable equipment, online banking in a tree is quite possible if a little unusual.
*'''{{w|Post#Communications|Posting}}''' is to publish posts on social media. An antiquated definition is to send {{w|mail}} using a postal service. This may be worrying due to a perceived addiction to technology.
*'''{{w|Ironing}}''' is smoothing clothes with an iron and a flat surface, like an ironing board. This is the activity illustrated in the panel. It should not be performed in a tree, due to safety concerns.

Very alarming:
*'''{{w|Molting}}''' is shedding one's skin. Many insects molt in trees, such as cicadas, grasshoppers, and termites. For humans to molt, something would have to be very wrong indeed.
*'''{{w|Whaling}}''' is hunting whales, which has been outlawed in the US since the 1980s. Whales aren't usually found in trees.<sup>[''{{w|List of cetaceans|cetacean needed}}'']</sup> And since the letter 'W' is three syllables when sung aloud, this is the only gerund in the comic that doesn't have the standard seven syllables of the traditional taunt.
*'''{{w|E-filing}}''' is submitting one's tax returns online, common in the US. This comic was published a few days before the US tax deadline. E-filing could quite reasonably be done from a tree using a laptop or other portable computing device, but is not typically performed by schoolchildren. This may also be a reference to {{wiktionary|efilism}}, a philosophy that espouses total destruction of all life on Earth to minimize suffering.
*'''{{w|Melting}}''' is turning from a solid state to a liquid state, which is usually fatal.{{Citation needed}}
*'''{{w|Radiography|X-raying}}''' is using {{w|X-ray}} radiation to image someone or something for medical or security purposes, not normally conducted in trees. With enough radiation, the X-rays could be fatal.
*'''{{wiktionary|smite#English|Smiting}}''' is striking down, destroying or killing, often with divine power called from a god. This is the activity illustrated in the panel.

The title text continues the S-M-I-T-I-N-G version of the chant with a parody of the traditional {{w|Children's song#Game songs|next verses}}, "...first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage" (which reflects the common social expectations that any kissers might follow the path of). Instead, the parody appears to be a dark prophecy about the grim ramifications of smiting directed by the tree-ensconced kids:
# blood
# the {{w|Mass fatality incident|mass fatality}} of the taunt singers
# the vehicular arrival of a {{w|Death (personification)|personified Death}}.

It might indeed be alarming to hear schoolkids singing about their own bloody death from divine judgment, channeled by their tree-ensconced peers. It might not be out of place if the kids are all part of a death cult, and the children in the tree are believed to have the power to direct divine punishment.

The last line may be an allusion to the Emily Dickinson poem "[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479 Because I Could Not Stop For Death]", which refers both to Death riding in a carriage and eternity. The comic was posted in April, National Poetry Month. Munroe also referenced "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" in [[788: The Carriage]].

The combination of "Death" from the title text and "E-Filing" is similar to the "{{w|Death and taxes (idiom)|Death and Taxes}}" idiom.

==Transcript==
:[Three children are singing. A kid with a bowl cut and a young Hairy are pointing with their fingers, while Jill stands in the middle. A pair of connected eighth notes and a detached eighth note are shown.]
:Kid with a bowl cut, Jill and Hairy: [Name] and [Name], sitting in a tree...

:[Label above the panel:]
:Normal
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a tree branch holding hands and kissing, with a heart above them.]
:R-E-A-D-I-N-G
:S-I-N-G-I-N-G
:P-L-A-Y-I-N-G
:S-H-A-R-I-N-G
:H-U-G-G-I-N-G
:K-I-S-S-I-N-G

:[Label above the panel:]
:Slightly worrying
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a tree branch each ironing a cloth on an ironing board, with steam arising from the irons.]
:S-O-B-B-I-N-G
:I-T-C-H-I-N-G
:P-R-U-N-I-N-G
:B-A-N-K-I-N-G
:P-O-S-T-I-N-G
:I-R-O-N-I-N-G

:[Label above the panel:]
:Very alarming
:[Cueball and Megan, her hair being {{tvtropes|MadnessMakeover|uncharacteristically wild}}, sitting on a tree branch smiting with glowing hands, with two falling fireballs and fire below them. Cueball's hands are raised up, while Megan has her left hand up and her right hand pointing to her right.]
:M-O-L-T-I-N-G
:W-H-A-L-I-N-G
:E-F-I-L-I-N-G
:M-E-L-T-I-N-G
:X-R-A-Y-I-N-G
:S-M-I-T-I-N-G

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Kids]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Romance]]

215: Letting Go

2024-10-12T21:51:26Z

BabylonAS: add "Comics with inverted brightness" category

{{comic
| number = 215
| date = January 26, 2007
| title = Letting Go
| image = letting_go.png
| titletext = At least I never gave her the root password.
}}

==Explanation==
In fiction, a character who has had a romantic relationship end will be shown taking some act to remove a sign of their partner's presence in their life, e.g. removing/selling a wedding or engagement ring, removing the partner's toiletries from the bathroom, or deleting the partner's phone number from a cell phone. This is used to symbolize that the character has accepted the end of the relationship and is ready to move on, no longer pining for their loss or seeking to restore the relationship.

The first three panels imply that [[Cueball]] was presumably in a now-terminated relationship with [[Megan]]. The final panel shows him using the Unix command 'userdel' to delete her user account from his computer. The joke here is that he considers this to be a significant part of accepting that she is no longer a part of his life, where most people would consider it a routine administrative task.

The title text refers to Cueball's thankfulness that he never gave Megan the password to the administrator ('root') account on the computer. It is unclear why this is; he might be worried that she would have used the access to perform [[340|malicious actions]] after the breakup, or simply glad to be spared the need to change the root password. Alternately, it could be a metaphor for marriage and/or a closer emotional relationship, and he is glad that he did not allow her an even greater hold on his heart before the breakup (which would, of course, have entailed commensurately more pain when she did leave him). Not sharing the root password is indicative of a lack of trust in their relationship, which could be a factor in the initial breakdown.

This was only the second time the [[Megan#Name|name Megan]] was used in xkcd, the first time being in [[159: Boombox]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a picture of himself and Megan in a heart; it has been ripped down the middle, separating the two people.]

:[Cueball sits at computer, looking at the picture.]

:[The panel has been inverted. Cueball still sits at the computer with the picture in front of him and his head drooped.]

:[Cueball types on the computer.]
:Text from computer: <code>root@homebox:~# userdel megan</code>

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Romance]]

104: Find You

2024-09-25T13:50:05Z

BabylonAS: added Romance category: while the "significant other" interpreration isn't the only one, it's the most obvious

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] climbing on a rope in a cavern. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is his partner.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor, gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds them.

This may be a continuation of [[98: Fall Apart]].

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. Cueball is climbing onto a rope that is dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

== Trivia ==

Until 2023-09-28 or before, the image for this comic was rotated 180 degrees due to the EXIF metadata.

For technical reasons (see discussion below), some browsers displayed the image correctly, and some did not, during the time it was rotated.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Terminator]]

Talk:110: Clark Gable

2024-09-25T13:14:25Z

BabylonAS: perhaps the only realistic human image in xkcd?

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) The issue date is definately off, as the file doesn't have an issue date. Can anyone fix?

- Listed as 2006-06-02 as per https://xkcd.com/archive/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.28|172.68.141.28]] 09:18, 2 July 2019 (UTC)

Gable did not have Tourette’s syndrome
:It's a joke ._. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 14:21, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

This might be the only xkcd comic with realistically drawn human characters (in contrast to stick figures or the [[Barrel Boy]]). — [[User:BabylonAS|BabylonAS]] ([[User talk:BabylonAS|talk]]) 13:14, 25 September 2024 (UTC)

1038: Fountain

2024-09-24T19:08:48Z

BabylonAS: /* Transcript */ there are only six "e"s in "Wheeeeee!" here

{{comic
| number = 1038
| date = April 4, 2012
| title = Fountain
| image = fountain.png
| titletext = Implausible, did you say? Sorry, couldn't quite hear you from all the way up heeeeeeeeere!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about how it's considered implausible to "fly" by positioning an umbrella over a water jet.

From the first panel (and assuming that [[Cueball]] is of average height) - it looks like the center fountain is about 10m high. By comparison with the size of his head in the second panel, the jet appears to be about 10cm in diameter. The velocity of the water exiting the nozzle has to be about 14 meters/second in order to reach 10m against gravity. If we approximate the nozzle as being a 10cm x 10cm square - that translates to 140 liters/second - or 140kg/s of water. That produces an upward force of almost 2,000 newtons! If we presume that [[Cueball]] weighs 100kg (~1,000N)- he should be experiencing a net upward force of about 1,000N. Which means that he'll accelerate at about 1g! Holding onto the umbrella against a force of 1g is very different to hanging by your hands from a horizontal bar, since you would actually experience two gravities of force, due to gravity being added. Some people could still manage this, but you would probably need to be in good shape physically to pull it off.

Conclusion is that IF the umbrella is strong enough, this trick will actually work!

However, if you imagine a typical six-spoke umbrella, then 1000N is 166N of upward force per spoke. It's hard to believe you could hang a 16.6kg weight off of each spoke of an umbrella without it bending.

The title text emphasizes that [[Cueball]] did indeed reach a high altitude, so we must conclude that his umbrella is some specially made high-strength device.

Since the fountain tops out at about 10m - and presumably it would be somewhat reduced with Cueball's weight on it - his feet might only be about 6 to 8 meters above the ground when he stops moving upwards. A fall from that height is survivable - especially if the drag of the umbrella slows him down somewhat.

==Transcript==
:[A full color image of a fountain with three massive water jets. A Cueball seen from afar walks up to these while holding an umbrella.]
:[Cueball splashes through the pond which makes sounds:]
:Splish
:Splash
:[Cueball gets to one of the jets.]
:[Cueball opens up the umbrella with a:]
:Click
:[Cueball opens the umbrella and swings it into water jet stream (which is outside the image). The umbrella makes a sound when opened:]
:Fwoop
:[Cueball is pulled up by the water jet stream (which is outside the image). Only his feet and the water dripping of them into the pond can be seen. The sound he makes follows him up with longer and longer distance between the letters (written in lower-case).]
:Cueball: Wheeeeee!

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]