explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

340: Fight

2022-05-30T01:46:57Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 340
| date = November 9, 2007
| title = Will Allen says don't Fight
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = And she put sweet nothings in all my .conf files. It'll take me forever to get X working again.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|boot sector}} of a hard drive is where the information for {{w|operating system}}s is stored. It tells the computer to load a program; in most cases, this is an operating system. If this sector is overwritten, an operating system stored on the drive can't be booted into. (Fortunately, repairing a blanked or corrupted boot sector is surprisingly easy, although doing so usually requires the system to be booted from the installation media for the operating system on the drive.)

The first two panels indicate that [[Megan]] is still mad at [[Cueball]] from a fight from the night before, and the third panel shows promise of her forgiving him through an overly affectionate love note. However, the last panel reveals that she used the love note to overwrite the boot sector of [[Cueball]]'s computer out of anger.

The ''.conf'' files of {{w|Linux}}- and {{w|Unix}}-based systems are text based files where all the settings for various applications are stored. Since all the configurations were replaced with "sweet nothings" - whispered lovers' talk, or literal nothings (blank space or meaningless jumbles of characters) - none of the programs work as they should. X is the {{w|X Window System}}, the most common {{w|GUI}} framework used on modern Linux and Unix systems. Once upon a time, it was notoriously hard to configure correctly, even when starting from a known good configuration, let alone a destroyed one. (More recent versions of X configure themselves correctly for most users without a ''.conf'' file.)

==Transcript==
:We had a fight last night.
:[Cueball is sitting in a sofa, head in both hands, feeling upset.]
:I guess she's still mad.
:[Megan is standing with arms crossed in front of her chest, with the same mood.]
:I woke up to find she'd written a sappy love note
:[Cueball is standing in front of a computer, with a cup in his hand.]
:to my boot sector.
:[The cup now lies on the floor, Cueball is looking at the computer with disbelief.]
:Computer: Operating system not found

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

2112: Night Shift

2022-05-30T01:43:10Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2112
| date = February 15, 2019
| title = Will Allen likes to work the Night Shift
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Help, I set my white balance wrong and suddenly everyone is screaming at each other about whether they've been to Colorado.
}}

==Explanation==

Many electronic devices have settings to adjust display color and intensity. "{{w|Night Shift (software)|Night shift}}," or similar modes make the display less blue. This may be useful in the evening, since blue light interferes with melatonin, the hormone which regulates the sleep cycle. Exposure to intense blue light in the evening can interfere with becoming sleepy. This comic re-imagines such a mode as influencing the content of messages to encourage sleepiness—or, at least, to dampen [[386: Duty Calls|the emotional response that might keep someone up too late at night]].

In the title text, the reverse has occurred. By setting his {{w|Color balance|white balance}} incorrectly, the opinions that Randall is reading are more intense, even about "simple" things as having visited Colorado or not (instead of his phone display merely becoming too bluish). This may be a play on {{w|angry white male}}, or similar, which is also characterized by violent expressions of views, and uses the word white. Randall might have meant brightness instead of white balance, with the idea that increasing the amount of light coming from the screen also increases the vehemence of the posts.

This strip then references the fact that on the internet, very few people answer in the singulars of 'Yes' or 'No' or another equally short and definable answer. This may be because there is little perceived value in such a short but factual answer, when you have the opportunity to voice your opinion, sometimes at length. Also in many cultures indirect expression is the norm, or polite; a short direct answer is considered less acceptable, especially in the negative.

==Transcript==
:[Comments with peoples' profile pictures in front of them are shown in white comment boxes on a gray background.]
: Cueball: The Atlantic Ocean is big
:: Ponytail: The Pacific is even bigger
:: Cueball With Full Body Profile Picture (WFBPP): They're both very big

: Megan: A lot of people have TVs
:: Hairbun: Some people don't
:: Megan: Yeah, that's true

: Cueball: 24 isn't a prime number
:: Cueball WFBPP: Neither is 25

: Hairbun: Have you ever been to Colorado?
:: Megan: No
:: Cueball WFBPP: No
:: Cueball: Yeah
:: Ponytail: No

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My phone has a night shift mode to help me sleep, but instead of reducing the intensity of blue light, it reduces the intensity of opinions.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Phones]]

1035: Cadbury Eggs

2022-05-30T01:39:54Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1035
| date = March 28, 2012
| title = Will Allen loves Cadbury Eggs
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = When they moved production from New Zealand to the UK and switched from the runny white centers to the thick, frosting-like filling, it got way harder to cook them scrambled.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Cadbury Creme Egg|Cadbury Eggs}} are a chocolate egg-shaped candy with a filling. They are supposed to replicate a real egg with a hard exterior and soft interior. However, unlike real eggs, the exterior is edible.{{Citation needed}}

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is trying to say that sodas have way too much sugar to even be appealing as beverages, because they contain as much sugar as 2 or 3 Cadbury Eggs, and one Cadbury Egg alone makes him feel gross. (A 12 oz can equals 355 mL, while a 20 oz bottle is about 590 mL.)

However, [[Megan]] interprets this in precisely the opposite way to what Cueball intended. Instead of comparing soda to Cadbury Eggs, she compares Cadbury Eggs to soda. If a [[1070|few]] Cadbury Eggs have the same amount of sugar as soda, Megan can eat as many as she wants year-round in place of soda, with no additional guilt. Cadbury Eggs are usually consumed around {{w|Easter}} — which is anywhere between March 22nd and May 7th, depending on whether one is consulting the Catholic or Orthodox calendar.

The title text mentions the closure of the {{w|Cadbury Creme Egg#Manufacture in New Zealand|manufacture in New Zealand}} in 2009 and the change of the filling from runny to thick as a consequence. The joke here is the comparison to real eggs, which can be cooked {{w|Scrambled_eggs|scrambled}}, the new thick filling is not liquid enough to be cooked in a pan, as was the old runny filling.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cadbury eggs, one in the foil, the other out of the foil and broken open to reveal the gooey center.]
:A Cadbury egg has about 20g of sugar. (25g outside the US.) "One Cadbury Egg" is a nice unit of sugar content.

:[A can of soda with an equals sign and two eggs; a bottle of soda with an equals sign and three eggs.]
:One 12oz. can of soda has about two Cadbury eggs worth of sugar. One 20oz. bottle has three.

:[Two unwrapped Cadbury eggs, with an arrow indicating they should be placed in a glass of water.]
:One Cadbury egg is enough to make me feel kinda gross. Now when I see Coke or Snapple or Nestea or whatever, I imagine drinking a couple of dissolved Cadbury eggs.

:[Megan puts her hand to her chin in thought, Cueball has his arms out in exclamation.]
:Megan: Wow. Huh. So the takeaway is... I can eat Cadbury eggs by the handful all season and feel no worse about it than I do about soda?
:Cueball: That's not really—
:Megan: This is ''awesome!''
:Cueball: *sigh*

==Trivia==
*Cadbury Eggs and the high sugar content of soda are referenced again in [[1793: Soda Sugar Comparisons]].
*The Cadbury egg/soda comparison is also mentioned in the what if? {{what if|74|Soda Planet}}.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Food]]

321: Thighs

2022-05-30T01:35:07Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 321
| date = September 26, 2007
| title = Will Allen's Sexy Thighs
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = My thighs have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord?
}}

==Explanation==
In each panel, [[Cueball]] sings a verse from a different song where he replaces the word "eye" with the word "thigh." First it is {{w|Survivor (band)|Survivor's}} "{{w|Eye of the Tiger}}," then {{w|Dean Martin's}} "{{w|That's Amore}}," and finally {{w|Van Morrison's}} "{{w|Brown Eyed Girl}}."

The comic shows how vastly different each song's meaning becomes when "eye" is replaced with "thigh." In the last panel, Cueball's version makes [[Megan]] go "eww," and she asks him if he doesn't have a job he should be doing instead. The eww refers to the fact that the brown-eyed girl turns into a brown-thighed girl, and such colored thighs could be eminently possible via an act of poor defecation on oneself, hence the disgust reaction from Megan.

In the title text, it seems that Cueball continues with a reference to the first line of {{w|The Battle Hymn of the Republic}}, adding to the humorous effect, since typically thighs cannot see. But mainly it is a sexual joke playing on the double meaning of "{{w|Ejaculation|coming}}".

In [[1814: Color Pattern]], [[Randall]] makes his own version of "That's Amore," this time letting Megan sing it to Cueball.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is singing into a microphone he is holding while Megan sit in her office chair typing on her computer. Musical notes fly around Cueball.]
:Cueball: It's the thigh of the tiger

:[Cueball continues to sing, titling his head upwards.]
:Cueball: When the moon hits your thigh like a big pizza pie, that's amore.

:[Cueball sings on now holding the microphone in both hands.]
:Cueball: She's my brown-thighed girl.
:Megan: Don't you have a job or something?
:Megan: Also, Eww.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Sex]]

2405: Flash Gatsby

2022-05-30T01:32:13Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2405
| date = December 30, 2020
| title = Will Allen "The Great" Gatsby
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Protip: At midnight your excuse for not having read The Great Gatsby can switch from "I'm worried about violating copyright" to "I think my copy requires Flash."
}}

==Explanation==

This comic unfolds over the last few seconds of 2020 and the first few seconds of 2021. [[Cueball]] is attempting to do something requiring the overlap of two eras that only abut: creating an "unauthorized" adaptation of ''The Great Gatsby'', using the Adobe Flash plugin platform.

''{{w|The Great Gatsby}}'' is a classic novel written by {{w|F. Scott Fitzgerald}} in 1925. Copyright law in the United States of America, where ''The Great Gatsby'' was first published, was retroactively extended several times in the 1990s and early 2000s, causing the copyright on ''The Great Gatsby'' to extend [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595567/why-the-great-gatsby-isnt-public-domain until the end of 2020]. In 2021, it finally entered the public domain so that it became legal to make a copy without violating copyright law.

{{w|Adobe Flash}}, formerly known as Shockwave Flash, is a web plugin that was commonly used by many websites in the late 1990s and 2000s. It allowed website creators to add animations, sound, and complex logic to build games, videos, and other interactive experiences. Presumably, the Flash version of the novel is some kind of interactive reader, animated cartoon, or perhaps even a game.

Over the years, Adobe Flash was repeatedly exploited by hackers, incurring heavy costs on {{w|Adobe Inc.|Adobe}} as they tried to update Flash against these attacks after rushing features out before stabilizing them. Newer technologies are now able to provide comparable features with more compatibility, more community involvement, and less risk, so support for Flash is being phased out by most web browsers. Adobe officially [https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html ended support for Flash] after December 31, 2020.

In line with Adobe's decision, [https://www.chromium.org/flash-roadmap#TOC-Upcoming-Changes Chrome is blocking Flash in January]. This will make [https://www.newgrounds.com/games entire internet culture histories spanning many years of making and engaging Flash experiences] unusable for most people. Therefore, Cueball's Flash version of ''The Great Gatsby'' will become legal at the very moment that everyone should stop using it.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] suggests that the withdrawal of Flash support occurs after the copyright expiration rather than simultaneously with it. This is most likely because the applicable copyright law in the United States states that the creative work becomes public domain at the end of the year 2020 and Flash gets disabled at the beginning of the year 2021. So it is conceivable (but not practical) that there is one second when the novel is public domain and Flash is still enabled.

By late 2020, Flash Player was already blocked by most browsers, but could still be whitelisted on individual sites. Using old versions of browsers, or workarounds to run blocked extensions, Cueball's Great Gatsby may still be readable after the official Flash End of Life date of January 1, 2021. Even with these workarounds, Flash Player itself will block Flash content from playing on January 12, 2021, making that the final death date for official modern versions of Flash.

After January 12, Flash content may still be accessible through older builds of Flash Player, and through various archival and emulation projects, such as the [https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_flash_showcase Internet Archive], [https://ruffle.rs/ Ruffle], [https://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/ BlueMaxima's Flashpoint], and [https://www.getsupernova.com/ SuperNova].

The title wording has a number of possible meanings to it. It's the 'Gatsby' book via the medium of the electronic Flash format. Because of the briefest of availability (at best, a single moment), it appears and disappears again 'in a flash'. Being 'flash' is a very apt description of the millionaire Gatsby character himself ('Flash the cash' is being ostentatious). And, if the endeavor is not actually as legitimate as hoped, the word has also referred to felonious behaviors and forged copies.

The title text references using excuses for not having read a book considered a classic. Before the end of 2020, a possible excuse for not trying to read it was it may not have been available in the format a person wanted it (such as via a flash program in this case) and it might have been illegal (copyright violation) to get it in that format. After 2020, the new excuse to not read it could be a technical one (flash doesn't work/nothing capable of running flash). Both excuses are quite flimsy; it's apparent the person really just doesn't care to read The Great Gatsby.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk using his laptop.]
:Off-panel voice: 3... 2... 1... ''Happy New Year!''
:Cueball: Okay, it’s up!
:Cueball: Annnnnd ... support was pulled, it’s down again.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:There's only a very short window of time in which I can post my unauthorized Flash® adaptation of ''The Great Gatsby''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Protip]] <!-- title text ->

1630: Quadcopter

2022-05-30T01:26:25Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1630
| date = January 15, 2016
| title = Will Allen loves the Quadcopter
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = I always have to turn off nature documentaries when they show these scenes.
}}

==Explanation==
There is large controversy over unmanned small-scale {{w|Quadcopter|quadcopters}}, which are a type of ''{{w|Unmanned aerial vehicle|radio-controlled helicopter}}''. Some people have objections towards the usage of quadcopters as, if equipped with cameras, they can potentially interfere with personal privacy and may pose a physical aerial hazard.

For this reason the US {{w|Federal Aviation Administration}} is now requiring any "drone" (unmanned aerial vehicle) to be registered so that it can find out whose fault it might be that a quadcopter interfered with commercial aircraft-or carried off a citizen to be devoured.

This comic takes place during such a lesson where [[Cueball]] is a teacher of such a class. He is standing in front of his students ([[Megan]], [[Ponytail]] and another Cueball-like guy), presenting the class. He has a quadcopter ready, lying on the ground behind him, and has already handed the remote control to the other guy so he can try it once the introduction is over.

But then the teacher is attacked by three rogue quadcopters flying in from behind him. They grab him and lift him off the ground (a very complicated maneuver) and fly away with him. Meanwhile, his students just stand there watching and do nothing to help him. Afterwards Megan asks if they should actually have tried to help him, but then Ponytail takes the view that now that the drones are sentient, they have become a part of nature, and that you should not interfere but just "let nature take its course". This is a common comment in nature programs about wildlife, where the speaker tries to explain why the team that was there to film the animals dying did nothing to help them - because they will not interfere with nature. This would not be possible in real life assuming they weren't using secret military technology as Cueball outweighs the drones by several factors. {{Citation needed}}

This comic shows how hypocritical that comment is, because if a lion decides to kill and eat humans, that would be natural, but we would do anything in our power to kill this lion, and not just let it run off with our children or the old and weak people. So in such a case with Cueball being taken by wild quadcopters we would not just let nature takes its course.

There is currently a drone called {{w|MQ-1 Predator}} which is used a lot by the {{w|CIA}} and {{w|USAF}}. Although it's not a quad-copter, the idea behind this comic could come from drone names just like this. Here the comic takes the name literally, giving drones predatory behavior. This comic thus takes people's worries to the extreme, suggesting that the drones become sentient and can cooperate together just like a {{w|Pack (canine)|pack}} of {{w|wolves}} and grab a human being and fly off with him like an {{w|eagle}} would do with a smaller animal.

The title text refers back to the above as [[Randall]] confesses that he has to turn off any nature documentaries which show scenes of animals killing their prey, while the speaker tells that this would be part of nature. This continues the theme of treating drones as an occasionally-ugly but accepted part of nature.

Sentient quadcopters were part of the game in [[1608: Hoverboard]], where [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1608_0950x1084y_Quadcopters_over_lava_lake_right.png one quadcopter is speaking to the other] over the lava lake in the Mount Doom crater to the left. How to solve the problem of too many drones was mentioned in [[1523: Microdrones]]. Just over a week before this comic was released another comic also had as subject a situation where our technological inventions begins to take control over us, see [[1626: Judgment Day]]. Comparing drones to animals is also present in [[1881: Drone Training]], when Black Hat Guy asks for a spray bottle for his drone.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball to the left talks to Megan, Ponytail and a Cueball-like person, with a remote control. They are standing to the right. Behind Cueball, on the ground, there is a quadcopter.]
:Cueball: Welcome to Quadcopter-flying school.

:[Cueball looks over his shoulder as three other quadcopters fly in towards him from above and left. The other three people are in the same position.]
:Cueball: Today we'll be learning the basics of-
:Cueball: ...Uhh...

:[In this frameless image the three quadcopters all grabs hold of Cueball, two in each of his arms, one takes hold of his legs. And then they lift him up from the ground. He is thus hanging almost horizontally, with his head over Megan and his feet over the place where he stood before. The other three just stands there looking up at him.]
:Cueball: Um

:[Cueball is carried off by quadcopters, his head has already exited the top right corner, only his legs and the last quadcopter still in the frame. The other three have turned around looking up and right after him.]

:[Megan looks down again and the other two turns towards Megan. Cueball is gone and has only left his "tame" quadcopter behind on the ground.]
:Megan: Should we have helped?
:Ponytail: No. It's cruel, but we have to let nature take its course.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Drones]]

396: The Ring

2022-05-30T01:23:08Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 396
| date = March 14, 2008
| title = The Ring of Will Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = On the other hand, poor Samara -- transcoded to FLV. No one deserves that.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring}}'' is a {{w|horror movie}} released in 2002 based off of the Japanese movie ''{{w|Ring (film)|Ringu}}''. In it, there is a video tape that causes everyone who watches it to die after seven days. However, the viewer can prevent their death by making a copy of the tape and giving it to someone else.

A young [[Cueball]] watches the tape and prevents his own death by "copying" the tape and uploading it to a video-sharing website, presumably {{w|YouTube}}. Cueball not only got one person to watch it, the requirement for escaping death, but 363,104 people, all of whom are most likely going to die in seven days. (For scale, the most-watched video at the time of the comic's publication had 78 million views.)

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ Rickrolling] is an Internet meme where someone is lured into clicking on a video link of {{w|Rick Astley}} singing "{{w|Never Gonna Give You Up}}." When someone is rickrolled, they usually get very upset. Cueball states in the comic that he uploaded the tape to get revenge on everyone who rickrolled him, though it was obvious that he would likely kill many more people than those who rickrolled him (or those who've rickrolled anyone else).

The title text refers to the file format used by the YouTube player. Historically, YouTube was famous for having extremely poor quality videos, because their Internet connections were slower and server storage space was expensive. So, all videos were {{w|transcode|transcoded}} into a very low quality {{w|FLV}} (flash video) format.

The girl shown in the video tape — a major part of The Ring series — is named Samara. Posting the tape on YouTube would result in heavily compressed videos in the FLV format. This, presumably, would reduce the quality of Samara's apparition. The title text also implies that nobody deserves that, although [http://tinyurl.com/qxmreql rickrolling] is (according to young Cueball) apparently punishable by death.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is speaking to young Cueball sitting in front of a TV with a black background and a white ring.]
:Ponytail: You watched the tape!?
:Cueball: Yeah, sorry.

:Ponytail: Now you'll die in seven days!
:Cueball: It's worse than that.

:[TV is cut from the frame.]
:Ponytail: ...You didn't.
:Cueball: Yup.

:[Both are now in front of a computer, Ponytail leaning in.]
:Ponytail: Great, it's got 363,104 views ''already''.
:Cueball: It was only fair.
:Cueball: They kept Rickrolling me!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Rickrolling]]

1608: Hoverboard

2022-05-30T01:21:30Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1608
| date = November 24, 2015
| title = Will Allen likes Hoverboards
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg

}}
{{TOC}}
*To experience the interactivity of this game, visit the {{xkcd|1608|original comic}}.
==Explanation==
The "comic" is actually a {{w|browser game}} made to celebrate the release of [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', which was released on the same day as this comic: Tuesday, November 24, 2015. The comic thus appeared on a Tuesday, replacing that week's normal Wednesday release to coincide with the release day. The [[xkcd Header text]] also [[xkcd_Header_text#2015-11-24_-_Thing_Explainer_is_out_today|changed that day]] to shout out that the book was released on that day.

The title refers to a {{w|hoverboard}} (which resembles a hovering skateboard without wheels) which has been most [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZdMOMUgXE prominently featured] in the movie {{w|Back to the Future Part II}}, which took place in the future, until a little more than a month before this comic was released. {{w|Marty McFly}} traveled to the future in this second installment, more precisely to [https://www.facebook.com/October212015BTTF 2015-10-21], and this comic was released just over one month later 2015-11-24. Hoverboards are just one of many things predicted in Back to the Future Part II that [http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33785285 have] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HI137m7XA4 come] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwNGBB_Yb0 to] [http://www.wired.com/2016/03/hendo-2-hoverboard/ pass] before reaching the date from the movie, but are more uncommon in our world, along with other inventions like [http://www.terrafugia.com/ flying] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1pXbW5wVg cars] and [http://www.soundandvision.com/content/wear-your-music-thinkgeeks-soundtrack-shirt#jo8J1DassbWxlptj.97 musical clothing]. Randall is known to have had [[:Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboards]], which is also thematically related, although another type of hoverboard would be mentioned just five weeks later in [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]].

Given Randall's enjoyment of movies and time travel it is very likely that this game is also a tribute to the {{w|Back to the Future}} movies. But the release day of the game has been used to promote his new book (as is clear with the text in the start screen of the game), and this explains why it was not released on the Back to the Future date. Apart from the date of release and the text about the book, the game does not seem to have any direct relation to the book; there are, however, several scenes in the game that could be seen as [[#Reference to Thing Explainer|references to ''Thing Explainer'']]. Instead the main part of the game is all the references to several movies and other stuff that has often been featured in xkcd as well as many of the other comics.

===The game feature===
The game features an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding on a hoverboard which can take [[#Animation|several different positions]]. The controls are the left, up, and right arrows, as written on the start screen until you begin the game, after which the text disappears. There are alternatives as explained in the [[#Controls|Controls]] section. The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights, and can move left and right both while jumping and descending (see more under controls).

The player begins in a line-drawing maze (called the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/All_play_area_hanging_all_coins.PNG Play Area]) with 17 gold coins located throughout and a "deposit" terminal. The ostensible goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and return them to the deposit in the fastest possible time, which returns [[#Messages in Play Area|text messages]] describing the result. Players consumed with obtaining the best possible time result for collecting the coins may not realize there is anything more to the game.

The best way to enjoy this comic is to {{xkcd|1608|play the game!}} If you didn't do that already, '''reading anything below or the [https://xkcd.com/1608/info.0.json official transcript]''' will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic, and maybe making some interesting discoveries yourself! So:

<big><big>'''!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!'''</big></big>

{{incomplete| There are still several tables that need to be filled out. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Beyond the maze on either side (just far enough that players who remain within the maze will not see) are [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8b/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Coins_Hoverboard_and_View.png tall walls seemingly designed to contain the player]. However, the walls have a finite height and, combined with the ability to double-jump, the player can leave the purported "play area" either to the sides or above the initial maze. This returns a flashing red [[#Messages in Play Area|error message]]: "'''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/Return_to_the_play_area.PNG Return to the Play Area]'''".

But if the player overcomes the desire to comply and return to the play area and disregards this message, they can take hoverboard Cueball outside beyond the tall walls surrounding the initial play area. And here they will discover an entire world that can be explored left and right (and above), including numerous points of interest and {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} similar in style to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. There are also many more [[#Coins|coins]] to collect, 169 coins all in all, so 152 more than those from the play area.

Although this game is reminiscent of Click and Drag, this was the first time an actual game, where the user moves an object in front of the drawing, has been released on xkcd. In previous "games" this has not been the case. In Click and Drag the user only moves the drawing into the view section. And in for instance the two previous [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]], [[1350: Lorenz]] and [[1506: xkcloud]], the user does not move anything, but only supplies choices, text and drawings. However, already on the next {{w|April Fools' Day}} a new game, [[1663: Garden]], was released where the users also actively moved items around on the screen and could make items disappear (like taking coins in this game.). The ability to infinitely doubles jump allows us to reach beyond just the ground.

===The main themes===
There are many themes and references throughout the game, but the two main themes are '''{{w|Star Wars}}''' and '''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'''. Below there is a [[#List of details and references|table]] listing all references to both of these movies and much more. For instance there are 19 references to SW and 6 to LOTR.

The largest part of the game is located on the '''right side''' of the play area and is mainly a world dominated by references to ''Star Wars''. Most noticeable is a recreation of [https://youtu.be/yHfLyMAHrQE?t=112 the opening scene] in the {{w|Star Wars (film)|first film}}, where {{w|Princess Leia|Princess Leia's}} space ship ''{{w|Tantive IV}}'' also known as ''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out.png The Rebel Blockade Runner]'' is flying over [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/33/1608_1015x1073y_Ponytail_in_the_dunes_zoom_out.png the desert] planet {{w|Tatooine}}. Here it is followed by the {{w|Star Destroyer}}, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Devastator Devastator]''. The [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/04/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebbel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out_to_torpedoes_and_ground.png desert ground with these two space ships] above is the first you find to the right. Although in the game they are located inside the atmosphere, not as in the movie out in space, a fact that is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1049x1090y_Atmosphere_worry_and_car_room_at_bottom_of_hull.png commented on] by [[Megan]] who looks out from an opening in the bottom of the Destroyer's hull.
:Megan: Is this ship designed to fly in the atmosphere like this?

Both ships are high above the ground, but there are three [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/76/1608_1014x1076y_Entire_wires_from_ground_to_Runner.png wires from the ground] that connect (and thus guide you) up to ''The Runner'' and from there [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/87/1608_1023x1085y_Entire_torpedoes_rain_from_Runner_to_Destroyer.png 100+ torpedoes], which are fired [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f1/1608_1018x1079y_Top_rear_end_of_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png down on the Runner] coming [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5f/1608_1034x1091y_Torpedo_canon_below_Destroyer.png from the Destroyer] above, gives away the location of the Destroyer itself. The Destroyer is so high up in the air, that you would not be likely to find it by chance without these leads (or at least some of the several other hints from people on the ground [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f2/1608_1010x1073y_Cliff_with_rock_and_cactus.png looking up and reacting] or like [[White Hat]] looking from the tip of the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_0995x1079y_Entire_Washington_monument_extra_zoom_out.png Washington Monument] and reacting [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6f/1608_0995x1083y_Tip_of_Washington_monument.png by saying]: "Uh, what the heck is ''that?!''.").

One of the main points (The Joke) of the entire game is the extreme size of [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cd/1608_Entire_Star_Destroyer.png such a Destroyer]. It takes up more space than the rest of the game (and most of the coins are located there). Inside the Destroyer there are many, many rooms, long corridors and deep shafts, even a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/1608_Entire_Cave.png huge cave] with trees and animals. At [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c7/1608_Vader_twice_and_emperor_on_and_near_bridge.png the bridge] we meet both {{w|Darth Vader}} and the Emperor himself, {{w|Palpatine}}. There are many other jokes related both to Star Wars and other movies and xkcd comics inside the Destroyer. For instance, Darth Vader discusses {{w|Steven Universe}}, bringing up Rose Quartz and Steven himself ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png who can be found with the Crystal Gems] in a different part of the Destroyer).
:Darth Vader: But Steven's ''mother'' is a Crystal Gem...
There are also interesting things and references along the ground beneath the Destroyer, some of these are also Star Wars related like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c9/1608_1038x1073y_Wedding_and_picnic.png the wedding scene] where {{w|Jabba the Hutt}} is mentioned.

To the '''left side''' is an entirely different world, although much smaller (shorter) than the one to the right. Here the main theme is ''The Lord of the Rings'' mainly with the presence of a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6a/Entire_Volcano_zoom_out.png volcano] where for instance [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/1608_0952x1087y_Ring_of_power_and_lave_floor_at_the_right_crater_top.png Megan tries to throw] in {{w|One Ring|''rings'' of power}}, as in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXpF3SUFaDw the scene] from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|last LOTR film}} where {{w|Frodo Baggins|Frodo}} fails and {{w|Gollum}} attacks inside the volcano {{w|Mount Doom}}, thus making it clear that the volcano in the game represents this volcano. Both Frodo, {{w|Sauron}} and {{w|Gandalf}} are mentioned in the game. The first two by name in the text. Two {{w|Eagle (Middle-earth)|great eagles}} are [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cb/1608_0956x1088y_Eagles_over_right_crater_top.png talking about Frodo] and {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien}}, Sauron's name is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/66/1608_0964x1078y_Megan_reading_for_children_about_Saurons_ring.png read up by Megan from a book], and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a5/1608_0944x1083y_Rock_with_Gandalf_in_Lava_lake.png Gandalf is drawn as a wizard figure] in the crater and also his name is used in the [[#Messages in Play Area|message]] you receive if you collect [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f7/169_coins_fastest_way.PNG all possible coins].

The two worlds do conflict though, as an {{w|X-wing fighter}} is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/44/1608_0982x1077y_Gas_station_with_x-wing.png parked at a gas station] to the left in LOTR world, and Gandalf's famous quote ''You shall not pass!'' from his fight against the {{w|Balrog}} is modified by [[Cueball]] who is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ad/1608_1026x1093y_Shall_not_not_pass_room_and_parachutes_at_one_of_two_ledges_at_bottom_of_hull.png ''not'' trying to block your path] to a coin inside a room in the Destroyer. This conflict could very well be a reference to the fact that {{w|Andy Serkis}} who played {{w|Gollum}} in LOTR, now plays the {{w|Supreme Leader Snoke}} in the new Star Wars movie, and [http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/6/64/Supremeleader.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/270?cb=20151223201852 his appearance] as Snoke is not that much different from Gollum's. Snoke also delivers a line in the movie (about "bringing someone to me") that reminds one of Gollum when he talks about "the ring coming to me". Randall would not have known this last part at the time that this comic was released, but he would likely be aware of Andy Serkis' involvement.

Other themes are related to other movies, like a [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars-the-force-awakens/star-trek-fans-rivalry-george-lucas-roddenberry/ naughty reference] to {{w|Star Trek}} from inside [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png the bridge] of the Rebel Blockade Runner where a long-haired woman (maybe [[Danish]] since she obviously does this to annoy Star Wars fans and [[Hairbun]] behind her, which could represent Princess Leia with her [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Princess_Leia%27s_characteristic_hairstyle.jpg special hair style]) delivers the following line taken from the Star Trek universe:
:Long haired woman: Captain's log, stardate November 24th, 2015...
:Hairbun: ''Augh!'' No!

Also references to video games are seen, best shown with the maze towards the back end of the Destroyer which are an almost [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e2/1608_Comparing_Prince_of_Persia_maze_with_real_level_1.png complete depiction] of ''[http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/a/a2/Princeofpersia_dos_level1.png Level 1]'' of the computer game ''{{w|Prince of Persia}}'' down to the three coins being in the place of three items to take in that game, and at least two of the opposing sword fighters in the correct places as well.

The comic/game and book were released only 3 weeks before the 7th Star Wars movie ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}'' was released on December 14, 2015. And this movie had already been referenced by Randall 7½ weeks earlier in [[1585: Similarities]], when another movie ({{w|The Martian (film)|The Martian}}) were released. It was a reference in the title text to the new robot ''BB-8'' that are featured in the Force Awakens. That the Star Wars section is thus so much larger than the LOTR section could be a hint to the fact that it is now 12 years ago that the last of those films were released, and although {{w|the Hobbit}} has been released as {{w|The Hobbit (film series)|three films}} over the previous three Christmases it was Star Wars that dominated the Christmas a month after this comics release.

===Reference to Thing Explainer===
Some of the scenes in this game are references to pictures in the new book that it celebrates. Here are some examples:
*The original comic that was the impetus for ''[[Thing Explainer]]'' in the first place, [[1133: Up Goer Five]], is also included in the book. These are both referenced in this game by the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e2/1608_0976x1079y_Space_capsule_with_parachutes.png space capsule] used for reentry by the astronauts that flew to the moon using the {{w|Saturn V|Saturn Five}} rocket. This capsule is floating down over the plateau before the volcano to the left.
*In ''Sky Toucher'', the last entry explaining a sky scraper, there are several references to the game, one of these being the space capsule just mentioned above. Other references:
**Ponytail throwing a paper plane out, which she also does [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1077x1107y_Tarkin_on_the_bridge_and_Ponytail_with_paper_plane.png below the bridge] of the Destroyer. (This is also a reference to [http://explainxkcd.com/1110 Click and Drag] where [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/6n2w.png Cueball does the same], here even from a skyscraper).
**Cueball is setting up a kite and Ponytail is crawling up in the line. In the comic a small girl looking like Megan [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png also has a kite]. Being up in a kite is also referenced in both [[235: Kite]] and in the title text of [[1614: Kites]] (from just a few weeks after the release of this comic.)
**There is a floor in the middle of the building with trees, just like there is a cave inside the Destroyer [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_1053x1093y_Lake_with_tree_birds_and_puma_on_rock_at_exit_in_the_bottom_left_side_of_the_cave.png with a tree "inside"].
**Cueball is holding a fishing rod out over the side of the building letting the hook hand in the air. The same [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/1608_1014x1078y_Three_wires_and_reaching_up_to_anchors_in_Runner.png can be seen] under the Rebel Blockage Runner.
**Megan is using a skateboard in a strange ellipsoid-shaped room. This can be a reference both to where Megan is seen on a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png skate board inside a hamster ball] and to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1608_1078x1111y_Globe_of_Death_at_the_top_of_the_Destroyer.png globe of death] at the top of the bridge on the Destroyer.
**There is a car in the top section of the tower (long away from the parking cellar in the basement). There are two [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1049x1090y_Atmosphere_worry_and_car_room_at_bottom_of_hull.png cars inside] the Destroyer, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d4/1608_1048x1099y_Cueball_on_hood_of_car_room_and_a_giant_step_with_coins_at_top_of_hull.png one of them] deep inside with no easy access to the outside.
**Two people are standing on a cloud, one of them (Megan) jumps out from it. This is similar to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/92/1608_0993x1112y_Top_of_floating_rock_island_with_base_jumpers.png two base jumpers] on the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1608_0994x1110y_Entire_floating_rock_island_zoom_out.png rock island].
*In the ''Red world space car'' explaining (about the {{w|Curiosity Rover}} on {{w|Mars}}) there are two references to the scenes around the Rebel Blockade Runner:
**Curiosity toasts a marshmallow over a fire as does Megan and Cueball over the exhaust pipe at [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f1/1608_1018x1079y_Top_rear_end_of_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png the rear of the Runner].
**When Curiosity is set down on Mars by the {{w|Mars Science Laboratory}} (MSL), lowered down in wires below the MSL, the wires were released once the rover was down and then it flies away. In the book Megan is hanging from one of these wires when it flies away. This is similar to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/76/1608_1014x1076y_Entire_wires_from_ground_to_Runner.png Megan hanging in one of the anchor lines] going from the ground up to the Runner.
*In ''The USS Laws of the Land'' about the ship called {{w|USS Constitution}} (named after the {{w|United States Constitution}} which is explained in the entry just before this one), there are two references to this comic:
**There is both a giant octopus arm (marked as ''not real'') and a very large octopus under the ship. The shape of the octopus is the same as the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b5/1608_1038x1094y_Giant_octopus_in_Destroyer.png silhouette of a giant octopus] inside the Destroyer.
***Octopuses like this are often used in xkcd, and they are also included in the explanation about ''Writing sticks'' (as the source of ink for the pens), as a motive in ''Picture taker'' and in ''Tree of life''. As an example from another xkcd comic with octopuses see for instance [[435: Purity]].
**There is also a bowling alley in the hull of the ship - a reference to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_0987x1075y_Hamsterball_bowling.png hamster ball bowling] in the left part of the world.
***Bowling is also used two other places in the book, namely on the suspension of the longest bridge in ''Tall roads'' and an bowling alley is used for measuring length in ''How to count things''.
*Ants are used three times in the book. A zoom-in on an ant is used to indicate size in ''Earth's past'' about geological ages of the Earth, and under the ''Tree'' in that explanation there is an ant colony where one ant is much bigger than the others; an ant queen, a clear reference to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png ant queen] in the Destroyer. They are of course also in the ''Tree of life''.
*Basketball is shown twice in this comic ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1608_0936x1084y_Basketball_on_the_volcano.png left of volcano] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1067x1104y_Basket_ball_on_top_of_Destroyer.png on top of Destroyer]). In the book the size of different ''Playing Fields'' is one of the stories, and it included the field for basketball (i.e. ''circle ball'').
*The [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/1608_1046x1074y_Huge_foot.png huge foot] before the pyramid look like the foot used in the explanation for ''How to count things'' to describe the wight "one kilo" using a picture labeled ''one foot'' (i.e. not the length one foot, as the length is given in meters). A similar experience to the one in [[526: Converting to Metric]].
*The [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1084x1090y_Giant_light_bulb_room.png giant light bulb] towards the bottom rear end of the Destroyer is a reference to the entry on {{w|tungsten}} in the explanation for ''The pieces everything is made of'' (i.e. the {{w|periodic table}}). In the book a {{w|Incandescent_light_bulb|light bulb}} is shown and then an arrow points to the {{w|Incandescent_light_bulb#Filament|filament}} which is made of tungsten in the typical {{w|Thomas Edison|Edison}} light bulbs.
*In the explanation for ''Box that cleans food holders'' (Dishwasher) Ponytail yells ''Wheee!'' as she slides through a pipe inside the machine on her stomach (bottom left). This is similar to her position and movement in the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c6/1608_Entire_Corridor_peristalsis_and_colon.png colon like structure] inside the Destroyer and Cueball also sliding in this colon yells ''Wheee!''
*In the explanation for ''Bending computer'' Ponytail comes racing on her bike with a laptop on top of the handlebars. She is also seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cd/1608_0958x1083y_Ponytail_racing_down_the_steep_slope_on_a_bike.png racing a bike down the slope of the volcano].

===Reference to other comics===
There are also many references to other xkcd comics, like the room at the front end of the Destroyer [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a7/1608_1004x1095y_Very_front_with_playpen_balls_pit_at_top_of_hull.png ball pit] filled with '''[[:Category:Playpen balls|playpen balls]]''', and two adults playing in it, like in [[150: Grownups]]. Also [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2e/1608_0980x1075y_Entire_well_zoom_out.png the well] in the left part of the world with [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_0980x1073y_Well_bottom.png a girl and a coin] at the bottom is likely a reference to the movie ''The Ring'', which has been referenced before in xkcd. Wells have also come up in xkcd in the early '''[[:Category:Well|Well series]]'''.

There have been many comics with electric skateboards as mentioned, which do not appear in this comic, but there is one example of a normal '''skateboard'''. This is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png used by Megan] in a room in the Destroyer, while she is inside a {{w|hamster ball}}. There is also [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_0987x1075y_Hamsterball_bowling.png another hamster ball], with a kid (looking like Megan) inside. It is used in a more than human sized {{w|ten pin bowling}} game to the left. '''Hamster balls''' is another item that has been [[:Category:Hamster Ball|prominently featured]] in xkcd.

In the weeks before, and especially the weeks after there were also other comics that had a subject which could refer back to Hoverboard in some ways. Maybe these comics were either influenced by the game, or the other way around so that relevant items were added to the game because of these other comics:
*[[1600: MarketWatch]] - the {{w|Washington Monument}} (an obelisk) is part of the skyline depicted, and this monument is the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_0995x1079y_Entire_Washington_monument_extra_zoom_out.png first that is encountered] in the picture when going left from the play area, plus a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/dc/1608_0994x1074y_Base_of_Washington_monument.png comment at the base] of the monument to make sure we know it is the Washington monument, and another [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6f/1608_0995x1083y_Tip_of_Washington_monument.png comment at the top] of the monument referring to the {{w|Washington_Monument#Aluminum_apex|aluminum apex}} that constitutes the very tip of the monument, which was very expensive at the time it was installed in 1884, when aluminum was a rare metal as valuable as silver. Today it would not make anyone rich from the metal alone, although the tip would be worth a lot for other historical reasons, but this is not what Cueball's comment is about.
::Cueball to Megan at the bottom: Honestly, it doesn't even look that much like Washington.
::Cueball to White Hat at the tip: Look at that- solid aluminum! We´re gonna be rich!
*[[1610: Fire Ants]] - in this game there is a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png giant ant queen] inside the Destroyer talking with Cueball about laying eggs.
**See also [[1641: Hot Dogs]] where Cueball has a similar style conversation, with the same ''Eww'' ending as with the ant queen:
::Cueball: What's up?
::Ant queen: The usual. Poopin' out ants.
::Cueball: Eww.
*[[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]] - this is about super volcanoes, vs. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6a/Entire_Volcano_zoom_out.png the Volcano], Mount Doom in the game as indicated by Megan [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/1608_0952x1087y_Ring_of_power_and_lave_floor_at_the_right_crater_top.png throwing rings into the lava]:
::Megan at the edge of the volcano crater: One of these is probably a ring of power or whatever.
*[[1614: Kites]] - Megan is seen with a kite, and in this comics a small girl looking like Megan [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png also has a kite] to the left towards Mount Doom.
*[[1620: Christmas Settings]] - another Star Wars reference to {{w|lightsaber}} noises in the title text. Lightsabers are featured twice in this comic, with [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png Ponytail practicing] on the Rebel Blockade Runner, and with a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1006x1095y_Pinata_and_Cueball_with_lightsaber_at_top_of_hull.png kid about to hit a Piñata] in the Destroyer.
*[[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]] - a direct hoverboard reference, and complaint that they are not real yet (only [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/01/1608_1048x1095y_Two_hoverboards_room.png in this game]).
*[[1630: Quadcopter]] - in this comic three quadcopters act together to abduct Cueball. Thus making them sentient, like the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1608_0950x1084y_Quadcopters_over_lava_lake_right.png quadcopter who is speaking to another] over the lava lake in the Mount Doom crater to the left.
::Right quadcopter: Remember: There's no such thing as good volcano footage taken by a quadcopter that survived.
*[[1632: Palindrome]] - a reference to the famous palindrome about the Panama canal: "''A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama''", and thus also to the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0d/1608_1026x1073y_Ruins_with_Cueball_singing_of_Spiders_and_Panama.png song that Cueball sings] at the ruin to the right, where the first four lines is mashup of the palindrome and {{w|Spider-Man_(theme_song)|the Spider-Man theme song}} (see this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUtziaZlDeE video]):
::Cueball singing:
:::Spider-man
::::Spider-plan
:::Spider-canal
::::Spider-Panama
:::Gates let in
::::Spider boats
:::Flood the locks
::::Spiders float
:::''Look out!''
:::Spiders in both oceans.

*[[735: Floor]] Instead of pretending the floor is lava as in the comic, they stand by the lava pretending that it is the floor.

===Characters===
Almost all main [[:Category:Characters|characters]] in the xkcd gallery are used more than once, especially there are three characters that are used several times. Number one is of course [[Cueball]] (with close to 90 appearances) who is already shown at the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6c/1608_1000x1074y_The_Play_Area.png starting point]. He is also the first character seen when walking both [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c0/1608_1004x1074y_Cueball_outside_play_area.png right] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/dc/1608_0994x1074y_Base_of_Washington_monument.png left] (where he speaks the first line to the left).

Then follows [[Megan]] with at least 40 appearances, she is even shown twice in the same location three times, one of these three even occurs within one of the [http://xkcd.com/1608/1090:-1088+s.png small images]. She is also shown with Cueball in his first appearance to the left, and she is the first to speak a line to the right [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f2/1608_1010x1073y_Cliff_with_rock_and_cactus.png here].

Also [[Ponytail]] is well represented with 26 appearances (for instance [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1608_0947x1073y_Antenna_cave_in_lair.png here)].

[[Hairy]] (with different hair styles) is used 7 times (for instance [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/54/1608_Actual_Bridge_with_Vader_and_Tarkin.png here]) and [[Hairbun]] is used 5 times (for instance [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e4/1608_1054x1099y_Corridor_peristalsis_and_two_coin_rooms_at_top_of_hull.png here)].

Two of the main characters are used twice: [[Beret Guy]] ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4f/1608_0990x1074y_If_loving_you_is_wrong_I_dont_want_to.png here] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_1020x1083y_Torpedoes_two_steps_above_Runner_with_Beret_Guy.png here]) and [[White Hat]] ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6f/1608_0995x1083y_Tip_of_Washington_monument.png here] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/1608_1093x1074y_White_Hat_hiding_in_the_grass.png here]).

The only exception is that the main villain of xkcd [[Black Hat]] who is very hard to find. He is only [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/68/1608_1069x1093y_Deer_and_exit_below_lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_bottom_right_side_of_the_cave.png shown once] in the comic where he very uncharacteristically just sits and snores at the right wall in the cave inside the Destroyer (is it really him...?). The only other hint that he is not forgotten is that his hat can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1073x1074y_Ponytail_and_bird_black_hat_on_a_stick_and_Cueball_whistling.png on a stick] under the Destroyer after the three large T-like structures. And this is not that kind of stick characters Randall usually draws. But at least we now know where Danish has hidden it from him this time (see [[405: Journal 3]]). Given that his hat is stuck there, he could also be any of the Cueballs close by…

Also [[Blondie]] seems to be only represented once, while in her reporter mode while discovering a bug before the volcano as can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png here].

There are also several characters that are not recognizable as either any of the standard xkcd characters or in any other way (see for instance a few of the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a6/1037x1073y_Wedding.png wedding guests]). But there are possibly some of the minor characters are used like [[Danish]] at the bridge in the Blockade Runner ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png here]) but this cannot be confirmed, she just looks like her and has some similarities teasing the Star Wars fan.

Several places in the comic it is clear from the size and the behavior that some of the characters are kids, see for instance the Blondie image mentioned above, where two kids looking like Megan and Hairy stand behind her, but they would in principle not be Megan or Hairy despite appearance, as these named characters are adults.

There are also many fictive people from different movies, books, and shows; for instance Darth Vader ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1077x1109y_Darth_Vaders_talks_about_Steven_Universe_on_the_bridge_Megan_adjust_antenna.png here]), Gandalf ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a5/1608_0944x1083y_Rock_with_Gandalf_in_Lava_lake.png here]) and Steven Universe ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png here]) all three mentioned above, and some real life people: you can find {{w|Elon Musk|Elon Musk}}, who has a [[#Secret passages and hidden places|hidden lair]] under the Volcano (see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1608_0945x1074y_Elon_Musks_cave_in_lair.png here]), and Gregor Mendel, hanging out on a Star Destroyer with a pea plant.

Furthermore, there are many animals (like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/1608_1067x1094y_Gazebo_puma_deer_Cueball_with_bow_and_talk_of_Palpatine_in_the_middle_of_the_cave.png the puma and the deer]) in the cave, some even rather big like this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b5/1608_1038x1094y_Giant_octopus_in_Destroyer.png octopus] or even gigantic like this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png ant queen] (all three from inside the Destroyer). There are also a couple of small Star Wars robots, one in a corridor in each space ship ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/df/1608_1034x1091y_Photon_canon_Tetris_piece_and_mini_robot_at_bottom_of_hull.png here from the Destroyer]).

===Extra Hoverboard pages===
*Since this comic is so big and complicated extra pages have been created to include much more information than is wished for on this main page (which is already of considerable size).
*These pages are listed here for convenience, but they are also listed in the relevant sections below:
**[[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]] - The full transcript of the entire comic, as if you played the game can be found here. It is linked from the [[#Transcript|Transcript]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/The whole image]] - A collection of different compilations of the whole Image. It is linked from the [[#Whole Image|Whole Image]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/Images of secret passages]] - Images with an overview of the secret passages in the game. It is linked from the [[#Secret passages and hidden places|Secret passages and hidden places]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/All image links]] It is linked from the [[#All images|All images]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/Images coins]] It is linked from the [[#Coins|Coins]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots]] It can be linked from several sections, but among others from the [[#Messages in Play Area|Messages in Play Area]] section.
**[[1608: Hoverboard/Images of individual scenes]] It will be linked from the [[#List of details and references|List of details and references]] section which will be using these images in the explanation.

==Transcript==
:[This transcript only covers the starting page as shown on xkcd: {{xkcd|1608}}. A full transcript of the entire comic can be found on this [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|page]].]


:[Cueball is shown on a hoverboard in the center of the comic. Around him is a simple maze with 12 yellow coins. Another Cueball without hoverboard is shown standing on one of the platforms to the right. The bottom half of the window is black. Right of where Cueball stands is a ramp. Behind the ramp is a terminal. There is lots of space left of the maze, outside the maze. Text is only written in white below in the black area. The first part of the text is written below Cueball on hoverboard. Then there is an arrow pointing to the terminal and a label. Finally there is a line of text at the bottom of the black area.]

:[Under Cueball:]
:My new book,
:''Thing Explainer,''
:comes out today!
:To celebrate, here's
:a small game.

:[Under the arrow below the terminal.]
:Deposit
:coins here

:[At the bottom:]
:Use the arrow keys to move

:['''For the full transcript of the entire comic as it could be played see [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]].''']
:['''For a transcript only of the text for the scenes with text in the comic see the [[#Table with references|table]] below.''']

==Trivia==
*There is as usual [[:Category:No title text|no title text]] for these interactive comics. But there is actually one listed in the [http://xkcd.com/1608/info.0.json info page] on xkcd. But this text: "Return to the play area", is never shown as a normal title text. But it will erroneously be shown in the unofficial mobile versions of the site.
**This is actually the [[#Messages in Play Area|text that is shown blinking red]] at the bottom of the screen when leaving the Play Area.

==Viewers==
*{{xkcd|1608|1608: Hoverboard}} (native game, use arrows)

Apart from using one of the a full maps below there are also other [[#Cheats and Exploits|cheating possibilities]] where people (or the game) have implemented ways to explore the game world more easily.

*Though you can download the full view, the easiest way to browse it is through a {{w|Zooming user interface}}:
**[http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ Fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages]. '''[Recommended]''' - includes all of the game, zoom-able and with toggle-able passages and coins. Courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on this [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit thread]
**[http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ Quickly hacked overview]. Missing the rock island in the sky. Courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/kyledavide kyledavide] on the same [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit thread].
*Below are several examples of full pictures:
**[http://paste.click/DsPuSL Full-size-png-map]. '''Do not open this directly in the browser!''' It might take a few minutes to download. Full resolution picture of the entire game (also without coins) - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/0x90-0x90 0x90-0x90] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread].
**[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/92/thumb_1608.jpg Incomplete compilation] of the entire game area (note the missing pinnacle of the Washington Monument. It also missed the floating island above the monument).
**[https://i.imgur.com/uYryxss.png Full png-map]. Simple picture of the entire game without coins - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/luke_in_the_sky luke_in_the_sky] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread].
**[https://i.imgur.com/rNU9ZgN.png Full png-map green for non existing tiles]. Here's the transparent spaces in green - also courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/luke_in_the_sky luke_in_the_sky] on the another [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxc1245 reddit thread].
**[https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/content_link/6wIRprxQ7rh3EQGEPer7zCdiaCDeXFM3m2tW9aDd3ECJu9Kgz4s5LPLjjHnJN6SR/file Black areas that you can walk through in red]. This includes the walls and ceilings or other surfaces that you can stand on or hit into. So not only the secret passages are in red.
*See also under the [[#Whole Image|Whole Image]].
**And see also the collection of different versions of [[1608: Hoverboard/The whole image|the whole image]]!

===Standalone application===
*Standalone cross-platform open source remake of hoverboard is available, with some extra features:
** Off-line play
** Arbitrary game window size
** Persistent games state on exit
** Ability to save up to 10 locations and teleport to them at will
** Explorable world map
* Links:
** [https://github.com/AMDmi3/hoverboard-sdl Project on GitHub]
** [https://github.com/AMDmi3/hoverboard-sdl/releases Downloads] (Windows binaries available)

===Metroid XK===
*Satirical crossover with the classic game Super Metroid. Explore the world as Samus in search of powerups and secrets, while encountering danger at every turn.
[[File:1608_MetroidXK.png]]
* [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=113083&start=120#p3913102 more information]
* [http://www.xeloh.com/Releases#MetroidXK download]

==Messages in Play Area==
*Different amounts of coins collected in the play area, will give different messages in yellow on the black part at the bottom of the screen when delivered to the coin collector.
*Below is a table with examples of what may be written depending on the number of coins. The time (and the amount when there is a range with similar rating) is just chosen at random (although in a realistic range). To get above 17 you of course have to leave the play area and come back again...
**In Chrome and Firefox there is not message for those above 9 coins, except 17, 42 and 169. But in Internet Explorer there is still a message for those cases: "Undefined".
**See [[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots#Coin collecting messages|screen-shots]] or click on the links from the number of coins in the table below:

:{| class="wikitable"
!# coins
!Text when depositing this number of coins
"X" is the number of coins collected
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e3/0_coins.PNG 0 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 0 coins in 1 second''' You successfully avoided all the coins.
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/00/1_coin.PNG 1 coin]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got a single coin in 1 second''' It's a start.
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/83/2_coins.PNG 2]-[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/05/4_coins.PNG 4 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got X coins in 3 seconds''' Not bad!
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fc/5_coins.PNG 5]-[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/9_coins.PNG 9 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got X coins in 12 seconds''' Terrific!
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/74/10_coins.PNG 10]-[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/55/16_coins.PNG 16 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got X coins in 10 seconds'''
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7e/17_coins.PNG 17 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 17 coins in 15 seconds''' You found all the coins! Great job!
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bd/18_coins.PNG 18-41 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got X coins in 430 seconds'''
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/42_coins.PNG 42 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 42 coins in 460 seconds''' No answers here.
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d8/45_coins.PNG 43-168 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got X coins in 460 seconds'''
|-
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f7/169_coins_fastest_way.PNG All 169 coins]
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 169 coins in 1457 seconds''' Are you Gandalf?
|}

*Once you leave the area you get a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/Return_to_the_play_area.PNG flashing warning message] in red letters at the bottom of the screen:
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''Return to the play area'''
|}
*This message flashes three times over 1.2 seconds (the message only disappears for about 150 ms each time)
*Then there is a pause for about 1.3 seconds and then this repeats for a total of 5 repetitions, a total of 15 flashes in just about 11.3 second seconds.
*The message will stop immediately if you re-enter the play area during this period.
*If you re-enter later it will flash once you leave again.
*For the program the play area is anything within and below the walls just outside the maze you start in.
**More precisely you first leave the play area if you pass over the middle part at the top of the walls
**Or if you make one jump from standing on top of the walls.

==Animation==
*There have before been several interactive comics and also a few with animations. But these animations have typical been something along the lines of flashing text or changing lights.
**This comic is the first with a character that is specifically changing position in animation style.
**Apart from this there are also flashing text when leaving the play-area and text that appears and disappears when handing in coins at the terminal as described above under [[#Messages in Play Area|Messages in Play Area]].
**This also happens with the text written to begin with explaining how to play the game: ''Use the arrow keys to move'' which disappears when touching the keys.
*Here are two images showing two kinds of animation of the hoverboard Cueball.
**The first image shows the eight standard animation that can easily be seen. They are
***Standing still facing right (starting position)
***Standing still facing left
***Moving left along flat ground (lifting arms)
***Moving right along flat ground (lifting arms)
***Jumping while facing left looking up with hoverboard pointing down
***Jumping while facing right looking up with hoverboard pointing down
***Falling while facing left looking down with hoverboard pointing up
***Falling while facing right looking down with hoverboard pointing up
[[File:1608 Hoverboard Cueball standard animation.png]]
*But there are several in between drawings of the hoverboard Cueball turning from left to right and even more from right to left.
**The second image shows eight in between animations (together with four from above)-
**Not all possible positions are necessarily caught in this collage here, but there is only a limited amount of them and none of them last for more than a split second.
**They have been sorted so it could look like Cueball has just turned to the right standing still, then jumping while turning right, then turning right while in jump, to finish the turn while falling.
**Image 2, 3, 5 and the last are the same used in the image of standard animations
[[File:1608 Hoverboard Cueball turning animation.png]]

==Whole Image==
[[File:1608 full tiny.png|none|frame|Whole Image zoomed very much out, without coins. The part visible at the beginning is marked red.]]
*See also a collection of different versions of [[1608: Hoverboard/The whole image|the whole image]]!

==Secret passages and hidden places==
There are many places where you can disappear behind black areas, as not all of these are solid. You might have discovered this yourself if you stayed in the play area, as the platform below the inverted parentheses is only solid at the edges. Some of these places out of the play area even hide secret passages or hidden rooms. You can reveal them by [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1608:_Hoverboard#Cheats_and_Exploits activating goggles mode].

One notable hidden area is {{w|Elon Musk|Elon Musk's}} volcano lair, which is located beneath the lava in the crater of Mount Doom. It can be difficult to find your way in here without using goggles mode even if you know it is there. (For more details, see [[1608: Hoverboard/Images of secret passages|secret passages]].)

Another hidden place is the floating rock island that floats high above the {{w|Washington Monument}}, which is almost the highest point with solid ground. It is located just outside the left edge of the play area. This island is almost impossible to find by chance, as it takes around 30 seconds of repeatedly pressing the Up Arrow key to reach it from the top of the Monument. Even if you go up enough, you will almost miss it, as the Monument is not aligned to the island. (The [[#Viewers|maps]] can help you if you're having trouble finding it.)

As there are two coins on the floating rock island and four coins in the lair below the lava, it is very hard to find all the coins. There are even several coins that are hard to find because they just float in the air nowhere near any drawn things, or at least no things you can see before seeing the coin. They may hang in the air a few jumps above the ground, or in one case more than a seconds drop below the Destroyer. So getting all coins without help from a map would truly make you a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f7/169_coins_fastest_way.PNG Gandalf-like wizard]. (See more regarding [[#Coins|coins]] below.)

==Boundaries==
The larger game world is physically bounded in the left, right, and down directions, with invisible walls to each side and the ground binding you from going any further down than the deepest depression or hidden caves... In the upward direction, there is in principle also an invisible wall, but while jumping up Cueball on his hoverboard will appear to continue upwards as long as you press to jump, in addition, the longer the up arrow is pressed repeatedly, the longer it will take for [[Cueball]] to fall down again once the button is released. So although there are no new things above, you can keep jumping as high as you like and will then fall proportionally longer to get back to where you started out. Until maps were created it could have been possible that there were some hidden unexplored parts. Not long after the games release, however, the [[#Viewers|maps]] was created, covering the entire game.

To the far right is a platform at the top of a high pole. This platform turns out to be a nest (like a stork nest). Above the three eggs are ten coins (the most collected in one place outside the play area, and these are closer together).

To the far left is a blond haired woman with a hair bun looking right. In front of her are four coins on a row. She tells about the Destroyer (should you have gone this way without finding it yet).
:Woman: In the sky, beyond the mountain, I saw a starship.

Regarding the highest part you find the highest straight rise up in the air to something other than white, under the Rock Island just left of and very high above the Washington monument. Standing on the large rock on top of this floating rock island you are standing almost as high up as possible. There is a coin here one step down from the top of this large rock. This is the highest located coin in the game. Going over the edge also represents the largest possible drop in the game. However this is not the highest point where you can stand, as the very top of the bridge on the Destroyer is just a tat higher. But there is no coin there. Also this is not close enough to the end of the Destroyer that you can jump down to the ground, so the drop from the rock is by far the longest possible.

The deepest part of the lair should have been the lowest point, but as this lair's entrance is up in the volcano crater, it does not reach down to become the lowest part of the image. There is also a deep well (half way left to the Volcano) with a girl at the bottom, that goes just as deep. But the deepest part where you can stand is in the ocean below the Destroyer where a rogue wave is talking to Cueball:
:Wave: I know rogue waves seem implausible, but we're a straightforward consequence of the equations of fluid dynamics.
:Cueball: ...But you can talk?
:Wave: The equations are really complicated.
When standing under this wave you cannot get any lower. There are coins in all three locations, but as the coin is above the top of the high wave, it may be that it is the coin in the well that is the deepest. The coin under the lava is not at the bottom of the room so that is not so low.

Taking a route that takes the hoverboard through all the extremes mentioned above, that is the lowest, highest, left and rightmost coins and solid positions within the game can be done in about 9 minutes and 30 seconds. See a picture here of the coin delivery after such a trip that [[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots#Reaching all the boundaries|reached all the boundaries]].

==All images==
*Coordinates for the images are given in (X, Y) coordinates with the starting point at [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1074+s.png (1000, 1074)].
*In total there are 3440 images on xkcd that can be accessed via links of this format: http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1074+s.png [This link is for the (1000, 1074) starting point image.]
**'''Here is a page with a table of all the links to images: [[1608: Hoverboard/All image links|All image links]].'''
**'''Note:''' This is a large page which may take some time to load.
*The individual images are so small, and cut of at "random" so they do often go straight down through a person, and you can rarely see both a person and the (full) text belonging to them in the same image.
**See for instance this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a6/1037x1073y_Wedding.png wedding scene] to the right under the Destroyer, which only makes sense when these four images are put together (as they are in the link):
***[http://xkcd.com/1608/1037:-1073+s.png (1037, 1073)]
***[http://xkcd.com/1608/1037:-1074+s.png (1037, 1074)]
***[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1073+s.png (1038, 1073)]
***[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1074+s.png (1038, 1074)]
**It will thus not make sense to make a transcript of all individual images, but instead, only of a complete setting (or maybe a part of a setting.)
*Maximum possible number of images in the x-direction is 180.
**Going left will decrease X down to 928 (so 82 pictures left of the starting point in X-direction)
**Going right will increase X up to 1107 (so 107 pictures left of the starting point in X-direction)
*Total number of (possible) images in the y-direction is 44.
**Going down will decrease Y down to 1069 (so 5 pictures down from the starting point in Y-direction)
**Going up will increase Y up to 1112 (so 38 pictures up from the starting point in Y-direction)
***The "(possible)" is included because the number of possible active Y-images depends on the X-coordinate, as there are several non-existing images that are not just totally white (i.e. blank images), but which does not even have a number/or active link on xkcd.
***But the top active image over the floating island and over the top of the bridge section of the Destroyer all have Y coordinate 1112. There are only 20 active images at this Y-coordinate.
***The same by the way also goes for the x coordinate. Above X=1076 there are also many non existing images with not active link.
* All possible images are thus spread over a 180 x 44 grid, with a possible 7920 images. But 4480 of these images are non existing on xkcd, but you can travel through them in the game, as they are just shown as completely blank/white empty air in the game.
**If you try to load one of the completely blank images like [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1077+s.png (1000, 1077)], three images above the starting point, you will get an error message. There are only 76 (vs 180) images at this Y-coordinate.
***Note there are several completely empty/white images that are active, but those can be loaded on xkcd like the one below the missing picture mentioned above: [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1076+s.png (1000, 1076)].
**There are no blank images in completely black areas, like inside structures or under ground. And below Y = 1077 all 180 possible Y-images exist for all X-coordinates, from Y = 1069 to 1076.
***For instance the image below the starting point is completely black [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1073+s.png (1000, 1073)], and so are the next three below.
***The bottom images at Y = 1069 has a white border at the bottom: [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1069+s.png (1000, 1069)].
***All the images at Y = 1069 are the same except the one at the very right edge because at this edge there is also a white border to the right [http://xkcd.com/1608/1107:-1069+s.png (1107, 1069)] (this is not the case to the far left at [http://xkcd.com/1608/928:-1069+s.png (928, 1069)]).
***You will never see the images at Y = 1069 in the game. Actually you will neither see anything of the images with Y = 1070 or 1071. And there is nothing that is not completely black for Y = 1069 to 1072. First from Y = 1073 are there active images which includes white.
***This picture with the wave at [http://xkcd.com/1608/1022:-1073+s.png (1022, 1073)] gives the lowest point where the hoverboard Cueball can actually stand.
***Since you will sink into the water here, you are almost standing on the top of the Y = 1072 image: [http://xkcd.com/1608/1022:-1072+s.png (1022, 1072)], which is of course completely black.
***In places where you can stand in a low position on Y = 1073 images you will actually see some part of the images with Y = 1072, not that it makes any difference since they are all black.
*Here is a list of the places where there are most images at a given X coordinate:
**At X = 1078, right under the highest point of the Destroyers bridge [http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1112+s.png (1078, 1112)] there are 36 active images. Thus even here 8 images are missing between the bottom active image below the Destroyer and the first active near the ground level at Y=1076. (Y = 1077 to 1084 are missing).
**These missing Y coordinates are active in other places, for instance under the torpedo rain at X = 1020 where all Y images are active up until 1100 - 32 images. But since the last 12 images above this are missing it is still 4 less than under the bridge.
**Under the floating island, where there are active images at the top Y = 1112, like [http://xkcd.com/1608/990:-1112+s.png (990, 1112)], there is also the Washington monument below which goes high up, but still there are only 20 active Y images, as there are no active images between 1084 and 1109 (24 missing in between).
**Over the volcano's edges the highest images directly connecting to solid ground is found at Y = 1087. One image above this is also active making the height here going up to 1088, thus also making it 20 active Y images. The only '''not''' completely white image over the volcano at Y = 1088 is the one with the eagles [http://xkcd.com/1608/956:-1088+s.png (956, 1088)].

==Dimensions==
{{incomplete|Here should be an overview of how large the picture is (physical distances and time to traverse it. Speed of hoverboard etc.) Could be based on known monuments sizes.(I added a description but am leaving the tag until someone smarter can verify.)}}
*It takes 1 minute 52 s to reach from the starting point to the left edge. While we do not have a definite speed for the hoverboard, we can obtain the dimensions of the map by using the Washington monument. Since it is referenced by name we can assume that the dimension is properly applied. In this case, the monument is 100 pixels tall (when viewed on my photo editor) and the actual monument is 555' meaning that 1 pixel= 5.55'. The whole map is 1920 pixels wide, for a length of 10,656' or 3247.9488m.

==List of details and references==
{{incomplete|The table with references should be filled out with explanations. Some explanations need to be reviewed}}
*On this page [[1608: Hoverboard/Images of individual scenes]], images covering all individual scenes (in full size and with coins) has been saved and uploaded to be used for reference in the [[#Table with references|table]] below from where they are linked directly.
**There are also several overviews in smaller resolution
**Almost all these images have been made using this [http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ Fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages] which includes all of the game, zoom-able and with toggle-able passages and coins.
***Courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on this [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit thread]

===Explanation of the table===
*The contents of the comic are documented in the [[#Table with references|table]] below.
**It first goes through the entire image from left to right along the ground
***I.e. going up the volcano and down in the lair, down the well and up to the top of the Washington Monument. Only exception so far is that it here goes to the rocky island in the sky. Then it continues right along the ground, only following the wires up to the bottom of the Rebel Runner and then after going over the pyramid it ends up at the far right
**Then it goes back to the Rebel Runner, and after that follows the torpedoes up to the Star Destroyer-
**Finally it goes through the Star Destroyer from tip to rear in four sections, taking everything within each section top to bottom, before moving on to the next section.
**The table can be sorted on all columns, so the above is only valid until any sorting takes place.
*In the table are the following columns:
**Descriptions of the scene depicted in the overview links.
***If the scene is a zoomed out overview that covers the images below this scene's description has been written in '''bold text'''.
***This can be used as a guide to where in the image the scenes are located.
***That is, until any sorting begins.
**Transcript.
***Any text has only been transcribed once. If some scenes overlap, the text has only been written in the first or the one where the text is most central.
***Also any overview that has been zoomed out never has any transcript - these have been listed as (N/A)
***Scenes with no text has written (None) in the transcript.
***The use of parenthesis for those with no transcript makes it possible to sort on the transcript to get all the scenes with text to the top.
**Overview links.
***There can be more than one, even many, but the first will always be the overview.
***If there are secret passages or other situations where it will be interesting to see why the hoverboard can disappear beneath the surface (like in the ocean) then two versions of the images have been included.
***The second version is called ''Hidden passages in red'' as it has these passages changed to appear in red instead of black.
**Tile images on xkcd.
***For those images that are zoomed to 100% (i.e. not the zoomed out overviews) there is also a link to the defining image tile on xkcd.
***In cases where there are more than one interesting image tile in one scene (maybe because there is actually two or more distinct scenes), there can be one more link in the ''Other'' tile column.
**References.
***Three things are referenced many times, and each has their own column so the table can be sorted on these
****SW: Star Wars
****LOTR: The Lord of the Rings
****TE: Thing Explainer
***Other. There is also a column for "other" types of references so they can also be sorted, without drowning in the three recurring types of references.
****These have some further sorting by starting with Comics: or Movies: etc.
**Explanations is in the last column.
***So far lots of scenes still miss explanations, and some are not complete.
***Red text has been used to make this clear.
***If updating this and making a good enough explanation delete the red text.

===Table with references===
*See [[#Explanation of the table|explanation of the table]] above.
**Hint: Open the overview links in a new window and return to this one for the next image and for reading the text.
*Abbreviations:
**'''SW''': Star Wars
**'''LOTR''': The Lord of the Rings
**'''TE''': Thing Explainer
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!
!
!
! colspan="2"|Tiles (X, Y)
! colspan="4"|References
!
|-
! Description
! Transcript
! Overview links
! Defining
! Other
! S W
! L O T R
! T E
! Other
! Explanation
|-
|'''Everything Left of play area.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d4/1608_Everything_Left_of_play_area.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e4/1608_Everything_Left_of_play_area_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Section of the image revealed when going left of the starting point.
|-
|Entire Volcano plateau.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d5/1608_Entire_Volcano_plateau_zoom_out_extra.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3d/1608_Entire_Volcano_plateau_zoom_out_extra_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|About halfway from the Play Area to the volcanos slope, there is a steep plateau. This is the part left of this plateau.
|-
|Woman with white hair bun at the left end of world looking right.
|
:Woman: In the sky,
:Woman: beyond the mountain,
:Woman: I saw a starship.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/63/1608_0928x1082y_At_the_end_of_all_things.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/928:-1082+s.png (928, 1082)]
|
|Y
|
|
|
|The woman at the left end of the world tells about the Star Destroyer in the right part of the world. There are four coins in front of her to anyone coming this far.
|-
|Coin and boulders.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/63/1608_0933x1083y_Coin_and_boulders.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/933:-1083+s.png (933, 1083)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/935:-1083+s.png (935, 1083)]
|
|
|
|
|A single coin hangs in the air above the rocky ground with giant boulders.
|-
|'''Entire Volcano.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6a/Entire_Volcano_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/01/1608_Entire_Volcano_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|Y
|
|Comic: [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]]
|The comic released a week after this one is about a super volcano made in a science fair experiment. As can be seen there is a lair beneath the lava lake. The entrance is revealed by the other link that turns the hidden passages to red. It is for sure possible to get stuck in the lava lake, as everything becomes black in the game when going beneath the surface.
|-
|'''Left Volcano Top.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4e/1608_0943x1087y_Left_Volcano_Top_zoom_out.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|A zoom out of the left rim of the volcanic crater.
|-
|Basketball on the volcano.
|
:Ponytail: OK, as soon as it erupts, go for the dunk. Our sweet moves will be preserved for all eternity!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1608_0936x1084y_Basketball_on_the_volcano.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/936:-1084+s.png (936, 1084)]
|
|
|
|Y
|
|This is a reference to {{w|Pompeii}} a Roman town-city near modern Naples, which has become famous when it was discovered that it had been preserved in the ash when it was mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft.) of volcanic ash in the eruption of {{w|Mount Vesuvius}} in AD 79. When it was {{w|Pompeii#Rediscovery|found again}} it turned out that people had been surprised by the ash, and thus buried alive. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids in the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when they died. This is what Ponytail wishes for her and Megan, when the volcano they are standing on erupts, a rather morbid wish. She wants their sweet basketball moves to be preserved for eternity. In ''Playing Fields'' in TE basketball is mentioned. It is also played on top of the Destroyer close to the bridge. In this case the coin is on top of the basket, but too large to go into the hoop.
|-
|Old man walking up the volcano.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5d/1608_0937x1085y_Old_man_walking_up_the_volcano.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/937:-1085+s.png (937, 1085)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Is it an old man who just walks up a mountain, or a young man using a walking stick? It makes quite a difference to how this scene is viewed.
|-
|Duck at the left crater top.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/41/1608_0940x1087y_Duck_at_the_left_crater_top.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/940:-1087+s.png (940, 1087)]
|
|
|
|
|
|A duck is sitting at the top of the crater. There are several birds in this comic. Another duck looking the other way is found on top of the flag pole near the base of the Washington Monument.
|-
|Megan’s treasure hoard.
|
:Megan: Gooooold!
:Megan: Goold!
:Bags: $ $
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/43/1608_0941x1084y_Megans_treassure_hoarde.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/941:-1084+s.png (941, 1084)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/941:-1083+s.png (941, 1083)]
|
|
|
|
|In the side of the crater there is a small cave where Megan has found a treasury hoard and she is celebrating all the gold she has found, including two coins.
|-
|'''Entire Lava lake.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b1/1608_0946x1083y_Entire_Lava_lake_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/1608_0946x1083y_Entire_Lava_lake_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f4/1608_0942x1081y_Lava_lake_left.png Zoom in left part] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_0942x1081y_Lava_lake_left_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/02/1608_0943x1083y_Left_Lava_lake_zoom_out.png Entire left part] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_0943x1083y_Left_Lava_lake_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d6/1608_0946x1080y_Lava_lake_Upper_shaft_red.png Shaft in lake in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/94/1608_0947x1081y_Lava_lake_center.png Zoom in central part] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/25/1608_0947x1081y_Lava_lake_center_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f7/1608_0949x1083y_Right_Lava_lake_zoom_out.png Entire Right part] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/ba/1608_0949x1083y_Right_Lava_lake_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3f/1608_0944x1076y_Lava_lake_very_bottom_of_shaft_and_shaft_in_lair.png Shaft into lair below] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c0/1608_0944x1076y_Lava_lake_very_bottom_of_shaft_and_shaft_in_lair_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|These images only cover the part beneath the surface where there is actually still lava, as can be seen in the images where ''Hidden passages in red''. Only the top of the lair below is shown here. From the hidden passage it is here possible to see how to enter this lair. In the images that shows the hidden part the two loose boulders that float (or are outcrops) in the right part of the lake can be seen as well as the two other holes in the lava lakes floor, which all explain why it is easy to get stuck in the lake once you go below the surface and move around. Since everything is black, you do not even know if the game still works and many people may have given up, maybe reloading after not being able to get on with the game. There is no place in the lake where you can get really stuck, as long as you just push upwards while changing direction from left to right, you are bound to get out sooner or later.
|-
|Rock with Gandalf in Lava lake.
|
:Megan: If you breathe out through you nose a little as you jump in, it can keep you from getting lava in you nasal passages.
:Cueball: Artex!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a5/1608_0944x1083y_Rock_with_Gandalf_in_Lava_lake.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_0944x1083y_Rock_with_Gandalf_in_Lava_lake_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/944:-1083+s.png (944, 1083)]
|
|
|Y
|
|Film: {{w|The Neverending Story}}
|The wizard on the rock represents Gandalf from LOTR. What Megan tells Cueball works fine with water, not so much with lava. The horse Artax (pronounced Artex in the film) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y688upqmRXo drowns in the swamp of sadness] while Atreyu tries to save it and yells its name. Drowning in a swamp sucks, but doing so in lava will make death swifter. Both situations, however, indicate that you can actually go into the lava. If playing for the first time and becoming uncertain what would happen if the hoverboard touched the lava, the player might actually not even try to go into the lava, thus for certain would miss finding the lair beneath the lava.
|-
|Quadcopters over lava lake right.
|
:Right quadcopter: Remember: There's no such thing as good volcano footage taken by a quadcopter that survived.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1608_0950x1084y_Quadcopters_over_lava_lake_right.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b2/1608_0950x1084y_Quadcopters_over_lava_lake_right_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/950:-1084+s.png (950, 1084)]
|
|
|
|
|Comics: [[1630: Quadcopter]] and in general those about [[:Category:Robots|Robots]] and [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|AI]]
|The comic was released shortly after this one, and is about AI quadcopters that abduct Cueball. One of these {{w|quadcopters}} tells the other that no one will think much of their volcano footage if they actually survive. I.e. they have to get too close to the bubbling surface to survive before they actually obtain the footage wished for. It sounds like it tries to instill courage in them to perform this deadly task. There is a coin below the left copter. Drones has become a [[:Category:Drones|recurrent subject]] xkcd.
|-
|'''Entire Lava lair.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/69/1608_0946x1075y_Entire_Lava_lair_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e0/1608_0946x1075y_Entire_Lava_lair_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|The three rooms of the volcanic lair (and the entrance haft in the image with hidden passages in red).
|-
|Trending on twitter cave in lair and Lava lake bottom shaft.
|
:Cueball: What news of the world above? Please, tell me- what's hot and viral? ''What's trending on Twitter?!!''
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6e/1608_0944x1079y_Trending_on_twitter_cave_in_lair_and_Lava_lake_bottom_shaft.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2a/1608_0944x1079y_Trending_on_twitter_cave_in_lair_and_Lava_lake_bottom_shaft_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/944:-1079+s.png (944, 1079)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/945:-1079+s.png (945, 1079)]
|
|
|
|Comics with [[:Category:Social networking|Social networking]]
|Cueball has been stuck below the lava for some times without access to the internet, and he now craves news from the world above. But it is not really news stories he craves but only the hot and viral videos and what is trending on {{w|Twitter}}. To be addicted to social networks and viral videos is probably a real infliction and it is a pain for Cueball to not be able to get on-line. Two coins are behind him.
|-
|Elon Musk’s cave in lair.
|
:Left Cueball: I always assumed Elon Musk's volcano lair would be like... Tropical. And ...Well, ''pleasant''.
:Elon Musk in the high chair: Back to your desks, swine!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1608_0945x1074y_Elon_Musks_cave_in_lair.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/945:-1074+s.png (945, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/946:-1074+s.png (946, 1074)]
|
|
|
|Comics with [[:Category:Comics featuring Elon Musk|Elon Musk]]
|It turns out that this is {{w|Elon Musk's}} lair. Having a secret lair with a hidden entrance is an often uses trope in films. Often it would be the villain (like in a {{w|James Bond}} film) that has such a place, but also heroes, like {{w|Batman}}, uses such hiding places. The joke here is that Cueball has assumed that Elon Musk, a very rich and enterprising man, that could be one of these megalomaniacs that might end up being a super villain, would have a bit more class over his secret lair. It also turns out that Elon sits in the cave and shouts at his workers to get back to work, even calling them names. There is also a coin here.
|-
|Ground symbol in lair.
|
:Ponytail: So ''this'' is where it is.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1608_0947x1073y_Antenna_cave_in_lair.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/947:-1073+s.png (947, 1073)]
|
|
|
|
|
|The antenna looking item hanging from the ceiling is the embodiment of the {{w|Ground_%28electricity%29#Electronics|Earth ground symbol}} commonly used in circuit diagrams for electronics. So this is where the Earth is grounded in "real life" and finally Ponytail has found it. To protect themselves i their long search for this Ponytail and Megan seem to be wearing {{w|Antistatic_wrist_strap|antistatic wrist straps}}. This may also be a reference to the Circuit Diagram comic in which a ground is labeled as "bury deep, but not too deep"
|-
|'''Right Volcano Top'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/70/1608_0953x1087y_Right_Volcano_Top_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/1608_0953x1087y_Right_Volcano_Top_zoom_out_extra.png Extra zoom out] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_0953x1087y_Right_Volcano_Top_zoom_out_extra_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|A zoom out of the right rim of the volcanic crater. In the extra zoom out the eagles can be seen as well, they are high enough to be missed entirely when moving along the crater surface.
|-
|Ring of power and lave floor at the right crater top.
|
:Megan: One of these is probably a ring of power or whatever.
:Girl with hair bun: Let's play a game where the lava is the floor of a house.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/1608_0952x1087y_Ring_of_power_and_lave_floor_at_the_right_crater_top.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/952:-1087+s.png (952, 1087)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/953:-1087+s.png (953, 1087)]
|
|Y
|
|
|Megan tells Cueball that one of the many rings she throws into the crater is probably a {{w|One Ring|''ring'' of power}}, a reference to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXpF3SUFaDw the scene] from the {{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|last LOTR film}} where {{w|Frodo Baggins|Frodo}} fails and {{w|Gollum}} attacks inside the volcano {{w|Mount Doom}}, thus making it clear that the volcano in the game represents this volcano. From her last comment, ''or whatever'', it seems she doesn't care too much, which make it clear, from the LOTR universe, that neither of these rings in the one ring. It would not have be this easy throwing them into the lava if it had been. There seems to be 16 rings, which is less than the other rings that are ruled by the one ring, the 9 for the humans, the 7 for the dwarfs and the 3 for the elves (19 plus the one ring 20 rings in total).

The two girls are playing a dangerous game, the exact opposite of the normal version of the children’s game {{w|Hot lava (game)|Hot lava}}, where they pretend the floor in the house is made out of lava, and that you die if you touch it. However, in this version of the game they pretend to play that the lava is the floor in a house, and they may then just walk out into the lava pool, where they would die.
|-
|Megan sliding down slope on snow sleigh.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/15/1608_0956x1085y_Megan_sliding_down_slope_on_snow_sleigh.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/956:-1085+s.png (956, 1085)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/956:-1086+s.png (956, 1086)]
|
|
|
|
|Megan is sliding fast down the crater side. She will hit a jump near the coin, and would probably fly a considerable distance given the speed she seems to have.
|-
|Eagles over right crater top.
|
:Left eagle: Tolkien said Frodo left the cloak somewhere over here.
:Right eagle: Can't ''he'' just fix it?
:Left eagle: He doesn't want to rewrite that chapter.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cb/1608_0956x1088y_Eagles_over_right_crater_top.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/956:-1088+s.png (956, 1088)]
|
|
|Y
|
|
|Did Frodo lose his cloak in the books? Is this a reference to any real plot holes (not just using eagles) about the cloak being lost somewhere but then back later? If you can dismiss this, then make a note below. If there is something please explain Two of the {{w|Eagle (Middle-earth)|great eagles}} from LOTR flies above the right crater top. In this situation the eagles are being used to find {{w|Frodo|Frodo's}} cloak, with one eagle complaining that "he", meaning {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien}} the author of LOTR, should just fix the issue without the eagles. This is a reference to the eagles use in LOTR as a {{w|Deus ex machina|deus ex machina}} and the [http://periannath.com/feature/why-doesnt-frodo-just-ride-an-eagle-to-mount-doom/ supposed plot hole] of the eagles not [http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Eagles#Flying_the_Ring_to_Mount_Doom flying the ring to mordor]. However, this was of course not possible before Sauron and his ringwraiths were defeated.
|-
|Ponytail racing down the steep slope on a bike.
|
:Ponytail: 114 mph!
:Ponytail: Suck it, previous downhill volcano record-holder!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cd/1608_0958x1083y_Ponytail_racing_down_the_steep_slope_on_a_bike.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/958:-1083+s.png (958, 1083)]
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|Ponytail is trying to break the world record for downhill race on a bike on a volcano. The {{w|Cycling_records#History_of_downhill_records|record}} at the time of this comic was from 2002 and was 107 mph (172 km/h) easily beaten by the 114 mph (183 km/h) that Ponytail reaches as she mocks the previous record holder. There were two different records, one for prototype bike by {{w|Éric Barone}} (the 107 mph (172 km/h)) and one for serial production bicycle (102.5 mph (164.95 km/h) set in 2011 by {{w|Markus Stöckl}}). She beat them both and it looks like a very ordinary bike she rides. The all-time record for downhill racing is not using the ashy slopes on volcanos but from racing on snow, and here the record is not in danger from Ponytail as it is a staggering 138 mph (222 km/h) again with a lesser record for serial produced bikes of 130 mph (210 km/h). She will soon hit a rock outcrop so hopefully she has very good brakes...
|-
|Tell my wife why you left me there, and Megan and Cueball with a device
|
:Right Cueball: If I don't make it back...
:Right Cueball: ...Tell my wife...
:Right Cueball: ...Where I am...
:Right Cueball: ...And why you left me there…
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/ce/1608_0960x1081y_Tell_my_wife_why_you_left_me_there.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/960:-1081+s.png (960, 1081)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/961:-1081+s.png (961, 1081)]
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|''If I don't make it back'' is a common [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IfIDoNotReturn trope] in films and books used when the speaker is about to make a noble sacrifice. The speaker will then usually tell the other to go tell his wife that he died bravely or that his friends should remember him. There is even a [https://vimeo.com/58319575 song] with the same title by {{w|Tracy Lawrence}}. In Cueball's case, both him and his companion are attempting to scale a dangerous mountain and neither are inclined to sacrifice their own lives for the other. Cueball appears to be struggling, climbing on all fours while his friend is standing. Subverting the trope, he attempts to guilt trip his friend into helping him.

Also here are Megan with some kind of device and Cueball on top of a large boulder. Maybe they are investigating the environment on the volcanic slope. Cueball has just discovered the coin hanging above them.
|-
|It becomes a V7 if the volcano erupts and Ponytail and Cueball on the slope
|
:Megan: This is currently a V2, but it becomes a V7 if the volcano erupts.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_0962x1080y_It_becomes_a_V7_if_the_volcano_erupts.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/962:-1080+s.png (962, 1080)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/963:-1079+s.png (963, 1079)]
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|Megan and Cueball climb a very steep part of the mountain slope. In {{w|bouldering}}, the relative difficulty of a bouldering problem is graded using the {{w|Grade (bouldering)|V scale}}. She exclaims that at the moment the climb is only a V2, but if the volcano erupts this would increase to V7. The joke is that the shaking ground and the lava resulting from the eruption would obviously make it harder to complete the bouldering problem without getting killed. In reality, passing environmental conditions do not affect the grade that a bouldering problem receives.
|-
|Megan reading for children about Sauron’s ring.
|
:Megan: ”The time has come” the Walrus said, and put on a Sauron's ring…
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/66/1608_0964x1078y_Megan_reading_for_children_about_Saurons_ring.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/964:-1078+s.png (964, 1078)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/964:-1079+s.png (964, 1079)]
|
|Y
|
|
|The line "”The time has come” the Walrus said, to talk of many things" is from the poem {{w|The Walrus and the Carpenter}} by {{w|Lewis Carroll}}'s book {{w|Through the Looking-Glass}}, the sequel to {{w|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland}}. {{w|Sauron}} is the main enemy in LOTR, the one who has made the ring, and now needs it to gain his powers back. In this mixed poem the second line is changed but follows the same rhyme scheme. But although ''rings'' would have rhymed with ''things'', it of course have to ''ring'' as the {{w|walrus}} can only put the {{w|One Ring|one ring of power}} on, while uttering the now much more ominous sounding phrase ''The time has come''. Megan is reading this poem/story at the base of the volcano Mount Doom where the ring was created and later destroyed. Like Frodo, Sauron is one of the characters from LOTR who is only mentioned, not shown, in the comic.
|-
|Vaping Earth.
|
:Cueball: The Earth is vaping.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bd/1608_0969x1077y_Vaping_Earth.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/969:-1077+s.png (969, 1077)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/968:-1077+s.png (968, 1077)]
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|{{w|Vaping}} is a term used instead of smoking for the use of electronic cigarettes. There is even a game called the {{w|Vaping game}} for blowing extra large clouds of vapor out while using these substitutes for cigarettes. Cueball remarks that here it is the Earth that does so, due to the volcanic activity of the nearby volcano.
|-
|'''Left of play area to Kite.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/1608_Left_of_play_area_to_Kite.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/80/1608_Left_of_play_area_to_Kite_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|This is the area from below the volcano's slope and towards the play area. There are several hidden places and pools that can be seen in the second image link.
|-
|Kite and weird bug.
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:Mom: Check out this one weird bug, discovered by a local mom.
:Girl: Oh my God, mom, stop saying everything like that.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/970:-1077+s.png (970, 1077)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/972:-1077+s.png (972, 1077)]
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|Y
|Comic [[1614: Kites]] and in general the [[:Category:Kites|kite category]]. Also the [[:Category:Clickbait|Clickbait category]]
|The comic was released only two weeks after this game, and although it is clearly a girl in this comic, she looks like Megan who sets up the kite in the next comic. There is also a kite in ''Sky Toucher'' in TE and kites is a recurring theme in xkcd.

The mother that discovers the bug is [[Blondie]]. She talks like she is one of the {{w|clickbait}} headlines used for getting people to click in on the link generally aimed at generating online advertising revenue, which fits nicely with her recurring theme of as a news anchor. Her daughter is tired of this, especially as it seems like the mother speaks like that all the time. The girl may be embarrassed by this, especially if she is with a friend rather than a brother. Maybe the mother has been reading too many clickbait news on-line? As noted in the other references ''clickbait'' is a recurring theme in xkcd. The mother is near a small lake, so it is likely that there is plenty of insects and other bugs. It is possible to sink into the lake as can be seen in the second image with the hidden parts shown in red.
|-
|Space capsule with parachutes.
|
:Bird thinking: I don't remember laying these but ''wow'' they're already flying. Gonna be awesome when they hatch.

:Cueball: Yes! My phone has a signal.
:Voice from inside: How many new likes did we get during reentry?
:Cueball: I'm checking!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e2/1608_0976x1079y_Space_capsule_with_parachutes.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/976:-1079+s.png (976, 1079)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/976:-1080+s.png (976, 1080)]
|
|
|Y
|Comic : [[1133: Up Goer Five]]
|The book TE was based on the comic ''Up Goer Five'' which was about the rocket that took this space capsule to the moon. When it lands it uses three large parachutes to slow down after the main brake-down during reentry. On top of these sits a bird looking like a hen. It is a hen that can think, but it is still not very clever. It believes that this is three eggs, and is amazed that they are already flying before they hatch, which is of course ridiculous, but they do float in the air...

The astronauts inside (two at least, but there should be three if it was one of the moon landing missions) has just been waiting to get close enough to Earth again that they can get a signal on their smart phones. Cueball is even opening the hatch during descend to increase this chance, which would be highly dangerous. Also normally they would land in water (which will though not be the case this time). The reason he does this is that they wish to know how many more likes they (and their mission) has received during the reentry. This would have been relevant if the moon landings had taken place today. There where no social media or internet back in 1969. This is similar to the Cueball who is trapped in the lava lair without connection to Twitter.
|-
|Girl running to other girl and small forest.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/1608_0978x1077y_Girl_running_to_other_girl_and_small_forrest.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/978:-1077+s.png (978, 1077)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/976:-1077+s.png (976, 1077)]
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|Just two young girls playing near a forest of low trees. But with the space capsule above the forest.
|-
|Entire well - zoom out.
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:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2e/1608_0980x1075y_Entire_well_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1608_0980x1075y_Entire_well_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|Comics in the [[:Category:Well|Well series]].
|There are many similarities in this well to the well series. Someone is looking into a well that has the same general appearance and there is a person inside which turned out to be the case in [[568: Well 2]]. People throw coins into it and there is a coin at the bottom in the game (although above the water.)
|-
|Well top.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/70/1608_0980x1077y_Well_top.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/980:-1077+s.png (980, 1077)]
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|Cueball looks into the deep well.
|-
|Well bottom.
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:Girl: I'm not a ghost. I just like wells.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_0980x1073y_Well_bottom.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/aa/1608_0980x1073y_Well_bottom_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/980:-1073+s.png (980, 1073)]
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|At the bottom of the well in the water (see also the hidden passages image) is a girl. Above to the left of her is a coin. Maybe thrown in by Cueball at the top. Ghost living in wells is a common theme, for instance there is a Japanese movie {{w|Banchō Sarayashiki}} whose [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202946/releaseinfo English title] is ''Ghost in the Well''. So this is why this real girl explains that she is actually not a ghost, she just like wells and thus likes to sit in the cold water at the bottom of wells. This could be very dangerous, and she will probably have a hard time getting up. It is also a very deep well, so falling into this well might very well be lethal. There are also many stories (in this case also real stories like the one about {{w|Jessica McClure}}) about kids that fall into wells, some of them surviving being stuck for several days in the wells. Also in movies this story is often used, for instance in {{w|Batman Begins}} the young Bruce Wayne falls down a dry well and is attacked by a swarm of bats, subsequently developing a fear of bats.
|-
|Entire gas station with birds above
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b3/1608_0982x1079y_Gas_station_with_birds_above_with_coin_on_string.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/83/1608_0982x1079y_Gas_station_with_birds_above_without_coin_on_string.png Without coin]
|Overview
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|The two birds with a coin between them flying above the gas station is way too high up, to be discovered when just moving normally over the gas station, even jumping once up from the highest spot. This is thus one of several coins that are easily missed. There are more explanation this scene where these two individual scenes are described.
|-
|Gas station with x-wing.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/44/1608_0982x1077y_Gas_station_with_x-wing.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/982:-1077+s.png (982, 1077)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/983:-1077+s.png (983, 1077)]
|Y
|
|
|
|Megan has managed to land her {{w|x-wing}} fighter from the rebel fleet in Star Wars right next to a standard gas station. And she has planned to fill her space ship up. That it could run on petrol for cars seems highly unlikely. The question is if she has already filled it up and is heading back with the handle to the gas stander, or if she has just discovered that the hose is not long enough to reach all the way under the wing to the fighter. It will have taken considerable skills to land this close to the station without hitting the cover over the stander. Ponytail is sitting in the shop with a coin. This is the first coin to be discovered when going left from the play-area. There is a long stretch without coins to begin with. The coins on the rock island in the sky it on this stretch, but so far above that most people would miss them altogether. There is also a coin with two birds straight above the right wing on the X-wing. But about three jumps up, so it is easy to miss. the To get into the shop you need to go over the stander and back. Why Cueball have crawled up in the roof is not clear. But maybe he is enjoying the view over the cliff that is to the right of the station. There is a stop sign to the left, but there seems to be no road that way. Maybe that is why you should stop...
|-
|Birds with coin.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7e/1608_0982x1079y_Birds_with_coin.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/9e/1608_0982x1079y_Birds_without_coin.png Without coin]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/982:-1079+s.png (982, 1079)]
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|Film: {{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}
|In the film it is discussed if two swallows could carry a coconut between them on a string as the two birds do with the coin here. First when the coin has been taken, can the string between the birds be seen (see the other image). The birds are three jumps above the X-wing below, and this coin is thus easily missed by the players. In the film the horses are simulated with the sound of two coconuts shells being hit together. Someone asks how they happened to be in England and there is discussion about migratory birds like {{w|swallows}} and the possibility that they have brought the coconuts along with them. But the consensus is that they cannot do this by themselves the coconut being to heavy, but then it is suggested that two swallows could carry it on a string between them. Later in the film someone is seen actually tying two birds together to a coconut. In this comic, we now know how the coins have been transported through the image...
|-
|Our kingdom from a cliff.
|
:Cueball: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
:Girl: What's with the shadowy place over there?
:Cueball: That is beyond our borders.
:Girl: No, I mean what object casts a shadow over a whole region?
:Cueball: Oh, that's god. He lives over there.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a0/1608_0986x1076y_Our_kingdom_from_a_cliff.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/986:-1076+s.png (986, 1076)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/986:-1075+s.png (986, 1075)]
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|Film: {{w|The Lion King}} and comic: [[1504: Opportunity]] as well as [[:Category:The Lion King|The Lion King category]]
|Cueballs lines is from The Lion King and has been used directly before in the comic Opportunity. Randall has made several references to the film in xkcd, and it is obvious that he was very affected by this film that came out when he was just the right age.

Cueball is talking to a child version of Ponytail, whose mother may be the one climbing up the cliff side below. The first three lines of the quote goes as in the film, but then it turns out that the girl is properly referring to the Star Destroyer that would be clearly visible from this cliff as it covers almost the entire right part of this world from just beyond the play-area. (They do not look high enough to see the rock island in the sky, and it would also not cast shadow over an entire region.) As it is not certain players coming here have already been to the right to see the Destroyer it is not necessarily clear that the reply from Cueball should apply to the Destroyer. But if it does then it would be the Emperor Palpatine that he reefers to as God. The emperor is on board the Destroyer near the bridge at the very top rear end of the space ship and has God like powers. It could however also just be a general reference to the {{w|God}} and thus be inferred as if God cast a shadow over an entire region (country). Maybe just in general as if he has a place in the sky that cast a shadow (like sitting on a cloud). Alternatively it could be the people who believe too much in any God, that can be viewed as living under a shadow, as they will not try to see any reality if it does not fit with their religious beliefs.
|-
|Hamster ball bowling.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_0987x1075y_Hamsterball_bowling.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/987:-1075+s.png (987, 1075)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/989:-1074+s.png (989, 1074)]
|
|
|Y
|Comics: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball category]]
|There have been several xkcd comics with human sized hamster balls, and there is even one more in this comic up in the Destroyer. In this scene it is two young girls that use the hamster ball as a bowling ball in a human sized {{w|ten pin bowling}} game. Hopefully the little girl with the hair bun behind the pins get away in time if it is a strike. It is the first time hamster ball and bowling has been matched, but in TE there are bowling alleys both on the ship ''The USS Laws of the Land'' and on the suspension of the longest bridge in ''Tall roads'' and such an alley is also used for measuring length in ''How to count things''. One of the many large trees that are found in the drawing is standing alone in this scene. Most other places there are more than one tree together.
|-
|If loving you is wrong I don’t want to and Beret Guy following insects
|
:Cueball: If loving you is wrong, I don't want to.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4f/1608_0990x1074y_If_loving_you_is_wrong_I_dont_want_to.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/990:-1074+s.png (990, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/991:-1074+s.png (991, 1074)]
|
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|Song (or quote): {{w|(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right}}
|A reference to either the [http://krexy.com/if-loving-you-is-wrong general love quote] or maybe more likely to the song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvJj7SN9EWI performed most notably] by {{w|Luther Ingram}}. Recently (2014), there has also been a TV series produced called {{w|If Loving You Is Wrong (TV series)|If Loving You Is Wrong}}.

The quote is very romantic, because the speaker is stating that if it is wrong to love a specific person, the speaker chooses to be in love and does not wish to be right. However, Cueball twist the quote quite a lot, saying instead that if it is wrong to love Ponytail then he does not want to love her at all - taking all romance out of the statement.

Also in this scene is one of only two instances where Beret Guy appears. Typical of his past appearances, he seems to be occupied by following a small flying insect through the tall grass.
|-
|'''Entire Washington monument'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_0995x1079y_Entire_Washington_monument_extra_zoom_out.png Overview]
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0995x1079y_Entire_Washington_monument_extra_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7a/1608_0995x1078y_Middle_of_Washington_monument_zoom_out.png Central hidden passage] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6d/1608_0995x1078y_Middle_of_Washington_monument_zoom_out_red.png Hidden passages in red]

|Overview
|
|
|
|
|Comic: [[1600: MarketWatch]]
|The tallest man made structure on the ground in this game is the {{w|Washington Monument}} which recently before the release of this comic was refereed to in the mentioned comic. As can be seen in the hidden passages images there are two secret passages, one at the bottom (see this scene for more) and one in the middle of the monument. The one in the central part of the monument is actually quite large, and as can be seen in the images zooming in on the central part there is also a fault line in the monument at the base of this hidden passage. But it doesn't really lead to anywhere interesting. The fault line could be a reference to the {{w|Washington_Monument#2011_earthquake_damage|earthquake damage}} from 2011 where several stones cracked.
|-
|Base of Washington monument with Cueball and Megan
|
:Cueball: Honestly, it doesn't even look that much like Washington.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/dc/1608_0994x1074y_Base_of_Washington_monument.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/16/1608_0994x1074y_Base_of_Washington_monument_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/994:-1074+s.png (994, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/995:-1074+s.png (995, 1074)]
|
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|
|At the base of the Washington Monument Megan and Cueball is looking up at it, and Cueball complains that it doesn't even look like {{w|Washington, D.C.|Washington}}. By "Washington" he could be referring to the city of Washington DC or to the real Washington monument, but he is probably referring to the first US President George Washington, since monuments often depict (look like) the person they are dedicated to but the real Washington monument is not meant to look like Washington himself. Cueball seems to have expected all presidential monuments to include a statue of the honored president and is confused and disappointed when the monument fails to meet his expectations. Of course since this is the only Washington based building in the game it is true that the place doesn't look like the city. If he refers to the monument then it can be questioned if this is because the monument is not an exact replica (in proportions and/or scale). In any case it is clearly meant as an indicator that this is supposed to look like the monument, and with the tips apex being made of aluminum (see that scene) as on the real monument, there can be no doubt what is referenced. It is possible to get to the left side of the monument without going up to see the tip, if the player immediately understands the sign with the white arrow that points to a hidden passage through the base of the monument, as can be seen in the second image with the hidden passages shown in red.

To the left of the monument there is a flag pole with a blown out flag. It is all black, but it should be the {{w|Flag of the United States|the Stars and Stripes}} as there are fifty flag poles with the US flag (one for each [[1653: United States Map|state]]) surrounding the monument in a circle. On top of the pole there sits a duck looking left. Towards the end of the world to the left on top of the left volcanic rim there also sits a similar duck looking right.
|-
|Tip of Washington monument with Cueball and White Hat
|
:Cueball: Look at that- Solid aluminum!
:Cueball: We´re gonna be rich!
:White Hat: Uh, what the heck is ''that?!''
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6f/1608_0995x1083y_Tip_of_Washington_monument.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/995:-1083+s.png (995, 1083)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/995:-1084+s.png (995, 1084)]
|
|
|
|
|The tip of the monument is actually {{w|Washington_Monument#Aluminum_apex|made of solid aluminum}} and at the time this {{w|aluminum}} apex was installed it was a rare metal as valuable as {{w|silver}}, but today it is maybe about 1/300 as valuable as silver. So Cueball and White Hat will not become rich based on the metal value. Of course if they did steal the tip of such a famous monument, they might actually be able to sell it to a scrupulous collector at a value comparable to if was just a lump of silver of that weight.

White Hat looking over his shoulder spots the Star Destroyer and thus help guide a player that has started going left towards the Destroyer to the right. How they have managed the climb, getting the ropes over the tip, or how Cueball intends to get down with the tip is left to the readers imagination...
|-
|'''Entire floating rock island.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1608_0994x1110y_Entire_floating_rock_island_zoom_out.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|Film: {{w|Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar}}
|This floating rock island may be a reference to the film Avatar where floating rocks is part of the scenery of the fictive moon {{w|Fictional_universe_of_Avatar#Astronomy_and_geology|Pandora}}. The rock in the game is very hard to find by chance, it is kind of unobtainable, which may be a further reference to the film since the reason the rocks do float is a combination of a weak gravity, a strong magnetic field and a mineral whose {{w|Superconductivity|superconductive properties}} allow it to float in magnetic fields. Of course the levitating Hallelujah Mountains in the film contain significant quantities of the mineral which is called {{w|Unobtanium}}. Only thing pointing towards it is the Washington Monument and even if you go up from there, pushing the up arrow continuously for more than half a minute you may almost miss it, as only the far right girl would move through the view. And with two coins around this island it is important to find it in order to get all coins. Apart from the coins and the surprise there is little of interest here, and not even any spoken text.

To the right just beneath the rear end of the Destroyer there is a small lump of earth that has floated up from the ground, hovering over the corresponding hole in the ground. Maybe this is caused by the same force that have created this floating island.
|-
|Top left of floating rock island with coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f5/1608_0989x1112y_Top_of_floating_rock_island_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/990:-1112+s.png (990, 1112)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/990:-1111+s.png (990, 1111)]
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|The large rock on top of the floating island is one of only two places where there is anything at a coordinate of Y=1112. On top of the globe of Death over the bridge of the destroyer, there are three images at the top of this that enters 1112. And there [http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1112+s.png the very top] is just slightly higher up. But there is no coin there, so the coin that would be in the tile used for main reference here that holds the coin is the highest location for any coin in the game, as the Globe of Death has its coin in its center below the top.
|-
|Top right of floating rock island with base jumpers.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/92/1608_0993x1112y_Top_of_floating_rock_island_with_base_jumpers.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/994:-1111+s.png (994, 1111)]
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|Y
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|In ''Sky Toucher'' in TE two people jump of a cloud, like the base jumpers Megan and Ponytail does here from the floating rock, but at least these two girls do have parachutes on (as opposed to the cloud jumpers in TE). How they got here is a good question, but of course they could have flown here in for instance the X-wing from below at the gas station.
|-
|Bottom of floating rock island with coin.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_0992x1109y_Bottom_middle_of_floating_rock_island_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/992:-1109+s.png (992, 1109)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/993:-1109+s.png (993, 1109)]
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|At the bottom of the island several small and large boulders can be seen hanging only loosely on to the bottom. At the center the largest rock can be seen, but even this is slipping a little as can be seen by the small white speck high over the very bottom of this boulder. Right of this is the other coin that belongs to this hidden place in the sky.
|-
|'''Entire Play Area - zoom out.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1608_1001x1074y_Entire_Play_Area_Zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8b/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Coins_Hoverboard_and_View.png With starting view]
|Overview
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|The entire play area with the walls and their outer foundation. See also the insert with the starting view shown in red in the second image link and see more about the buildup of scenes from the individual image tiles using the [[#Play Area used as example|play area down below]]. It is easy to see how a player of the game, with no knowledge of Randall's way of thinking, may not even think about exploring outside this area, even if they do try to go outside the maze. Because it is possible to jump around in the maze without discovering that you can actually fly rather than just jump. If you only jump once you cannot see the too op the walls. On top of this there is the large [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/Return_to_the_play_area.PNG red warning letters] telling you to go back if you try to leave the confines of the wall.
|-
|The Play Area.
|
:My new book,
:''Thing Explainer,''
:comes out today!
:To celebrate, here's
:a small game.

:Deposit coins here
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6c/1608_1000x1074y_The_Play_Area.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/1608_1000x1074y_The_Play_Area_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1074+s.png (1000, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1075+s.png (1000, 1075)]
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|Y
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|This is the starting area where the game begins. There is even some extra text telling you to ''Use arrow keys to move'' but as soon as you do, this text disappears, just like the [[#Messages in Play Area|message you can receive]] below in the view depending on your action in this area. The text below the starting point of the hoverboard Cueball that you control, explains that the game is released on this day to celebrate the release of Randall's new book [[Thing Explainer]] and thus directly references the book. And also explains why this comic has been made, and furthermore why it was released on a Tuesday rather than the usual Wednesday release, which was then skipped this week. It also explains that if you collect coins you can deposit them at the terminal, and when you do it list the score (number of coins and the time used) and rates your achievement. By noting that [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7e/17_coins.PNG you got all the coins] if you collect all 17 coins in the play area maze, then it is one more trick to try to make you stay inside the walls of the maze. There is only one small feature that can be spotted from within the maze that breaks the symmetry and may give away the clue of the game. And that is the small stone that lies on the ground to the left. Because why should it be there, if this was just a platform/maze game. The walls cannot be seen if you stay in or just around the outer wall of the maze. But if you go to them you may think this is the end. Another detail about the game to be learned already here is that there can be "solid" black parts of the surroundings which are not solid at all. This can be seen in the image showing the hidden passages in red. Here it can be seen that the ledge beneath the two inverted parenthesis " )( " is not solid, and that you can fall or jump up through this section. This could forewarn you of the hidden passages, especially to the lair beneath the volcano which are the only real hidden place based on hidden passages, but also for those in the Washington Monument and in the cotton trap in the Destroyer and the glitch floor also on the Destroyer.
|-
|'''Everything Right of Washington monument.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/66/1608_Everything_Right_of_washington_monument.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Most of the details in the image is found to the right of the play-area, mainly in the form of the rooms in the Destroyer. On the ground only a few artifacts are large enough to be seen in this zoomed out version. The three T's and the forest, and then of course the pyramid. Interestingly enough there are almost more to be seen inside the Destroyer with the two large rooms (the cave and the Glitch floor room) both being large enough to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/1608_Entire_Cave_With_entire_pyramid_for_scale.png accommodate the entire pyramid].
|-
|Cueball outside play area.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c0/1608_1004x1074y_Cueball_outside_play_area.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1004:-1074+s.png (1004, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1003:-1074+s.png (1003, 1074)]
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|Typically reading direction would lead a player to this location first after escaping the play area. Is this is indeed the case then the grass and after that Cueball is the first hint that something more is going to happen in this game. Apart from the Cueball standing inside the play area, this is the closest person to the play area. He is just standing there doing nothing, so it is still not clear how big this is going to be.
|-
|Megan points at Runner after forest.
|
:Megan: Wow.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_1008x1074y_Megan_points_at_Runner_after_forest.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1008:-1074+s.png (1008, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1006:-1074+s.png (1006, 1074)]
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|The small forest with two large trees and several small ones is the first really interesting to show up if exiting the play area to the right for the first time and finally a person actually speaking shows up (although Cueball at the base of the Washington Monument to the right would be closer). Megan is not saying much, but she is clearly reacting to something. It could be to one or both the space ships above her. Since the Destroyer is already on top of her, as the front end of that ship is just short of being above the right wall of the play area, then it could also be the Rebel Runner she is pointing out. No matter what, following her arm going up and right it is likely that the runner will enter the view, but it is possible to miss it, in which case there would be a long way up to the Destroyer. Megan and Cueball is standing on the edge of a cliff, offering them an excellent view. Stepping down on the plateau below the cliff takes the player close to the lowest possible level to be at in the game. There are no tiles with any white below that level (1073). But the lowest point is first in the Ocean.
|-
|Cliff with rock and cactus.
|
:(None, or rather the text has been written in the previous scene)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f2/1608_1010x1073y_Cliff_with_rock_and_cactus.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c4/1608_1010x1073y_Cliff_with_rock_and_cactus_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1010:-1073+s.png (1010, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1008:-1073+s.png (1008, 1073)]
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|After the grassy ground and the forest above the cliff to the left this marks the beginning of a long stretch of barren land ending in a dessert before reaching the ocean. Here a cactus and two large boulders display this inhospitable terrain. It seems like something is sitting on top of the smaller boulder, this could be a lizard, but it is too small to be certain. But that it is not part of the rock can be seen in the other image showing the parts of the image that you can walk through in red. And this small "lizard" is obviously sitting on top of the boulder.
|-
|Entire wires from ground to Runner.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/76/1608_1014x1076y_Entire_wires_from_ground_to_Runner.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Here is the first direct link from the ground to the Destroyer. This specific link takes the player from the ground level up along one of the three wires to the bottom of the hull of the Rebel Runner. If you went straight for the runner without going further right, the first coin you would find to the right would be one of the three at the runner. Else the first coin to the right (along the ground) would be in the dunes before Ponytail to the right.As can be seen the three wires are held by people and are then attached with anchors to the hull. Megan is climbing up the last of the three wires. See more in the specific scenes.
|-
|Three wires and people holding on on the ground
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c9/1608_1013x1073y_Three_wires_and_people_holding_on.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1073+s.png (1013, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1011:-1073+s.png (1011, 1073)]
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|Three pairs of people are trying to hold on the three wires going straight up. Cueball and Megan holds on leaning left on the left wire, another Cueball and Hairy hold on to each side of the middle wire and finally yet a Cueball holds on to the last, while a small girl with a hair bun steps on the end of the wire, like she would be able to walk it like a tightrope. This should not be physically possible as the ropes do not seem to be attached to the ground, at least not the one to the left. But there can be no doubt that the drawing shows her standing with both feet on the rope. She is thus not helping Cueball. From here it is not yet known to the player that it is the Rebel Runner they have caught (with anchors) above, but when this becomes clear it will also be clear that they have no chance of holding on to the space ship. But here it seems they are doing a great job. The ground is barren between these wires and a {{w|tumbleweed}} is blowing along to make this even more clear. This part of a plant was also mentioned in a toast in [[1645: Toasts]].
|-
|Three wires Megan hanging on that reaches up to three anchors in the bottom hull of the Runner.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/1608_1014x1078y_Three_wires_and_reaching_up_to_anchors_in_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1015:-1076+s.png (1015, 1076)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1014:-1078+s.png (1014, 1078)]
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|Y
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|Megan tries to climb up the last of the wires going from the ground, and it turns out that it leads up to the bottom of the hull of the Rebel Runner. Not to a really good spot in her wires case, as there seems to be nothing to help her get inside the runner from there. The other two wires comes up to a cannon close to an entrance, where Cueball is fishing birds with a crumb of bread or a cracker on the end of the hook. (The bird fishing scene is also depicted when going through the Runner [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png down below]). All three wires ends in anchors that are here used the reverse way of a normal anchor, with the anchor attached to the ship instead of to the bottom of the sea (or at least the ground below an air ship). In ''Red world space car'' in TE, Megan is also seen hanging on to a rope like this.
|-
|Ponytail in the dunes - zoom out.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/33/1608_1015x1073y_Ponytail_in_the_dunes_zoom_out.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Y
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|Ponytail is standing in the dunes of the desert that continues after the barren landscape to the left of the desert. Here a zoom out of the entire desert with the first three coins along the ground to the right. The Rebel Runner flying above this dune landscape is a reference to the desert planet {{w|Tatooine}} where the opening scene is taking place.
|-
|Ponytail in the dunes.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c4/1608_1015x1073y_Ponytail_in_the_dunes.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1015:-1073+s.png (1015, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1016:-1073+s.png (1016, 1073)]
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|Ponytail is standing in the desert on top of a small dune, as these get increasingly higher further right into the desert. The coin to the left of her at the tip of a dune is the first along the ground when going right. It is soon followed by a second one at the base of the largest dune in desert.
|-
|The largest dune.
|
:(None - the text is written in the scene centered on the ocean)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0a/1608_1017x1073y_The_largest_dune.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1017:-1073+s.png (1017, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1018:-1073+s.png (1018, 1073)]
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|The largest dune in the desert, also shown partly in the scene with Ponytail, also has a coin at the other base. After this there is only one smaller dune and then the desert stops at the shore of a small sea or ocean.
|-
|Entire ocean.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0e/1608_1022x1073y_Entire_ocean.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1608_1022x1073y_Entire_ocean_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|The sea/ocean consist of a rather large body of water with a tall wave in the center. It is quite deep as can be seen in the other image with the water shown in red. Where the sea is deepest, is also the point that is the lowest hoverboard Cueball can get in the entire image. It is the closest that anything other than completely black comes to the level with Y=1072.
|-
|Megan rates the Sea.
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:Megan: This is an OK sea.
:Megan:★★⯪☆☆
:[a rating of 2.5 stars].
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/99/1608_1019x1073y_Megan_rates_the_Sea.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/1608_1019x1073y_Megan_rates_the_Sea_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1019:-1073+s.png (1019, 1073)]
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|It is very unusually to rate a sea, like you would a film or book, or a restaurant or museum. But today it is also common to rate anything you have used on-line like an internet shop or a company you have used. So this may be a jab at all the people that rate everything in stars. According to [[1098: Star Ratings]] 2½ stars as an online star ratings means that the sea is a crap sea, so this indicates that Megan's rating should not be viewed as such, since she also exclaims that it is an OK sea, as in a acceptable. All in all another joke about online behavior, like the reference to Twitter and likes in the volcanic lair and the space shuttle respectively.
|-
|Rouge wave.
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:Wave: I know rogue waves seem implausible, but we're a straightforward consequence of the equations of fluid dynamics.
:Cueball: ...But you can talk?
:Wave: The equations are really complicated.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/11/1608_1022x1073y_Rouge_wave.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/1608_1022x1073y_Rouge_wave_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1022:-1073+s.png (1022, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1023:-1073+s.png (1023, 1073)]
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|Comic: [[1315: Questions for God]]
|{{w|Fluid dynamics}} is a complex subdiscipline of {{w|fluid mechanics}} that deals with fluid flow. Although it is not their main target they can also be used for {{w|surface waves}} which would be like the {{w|rogue wave}} in this scene. This kind of waves is also known as freak waves, monster waves etc. They are large and spontaneous surface waves that occur far out in open water, and can be extremely dangerous. But as the wave describes to Cueball these big waves can be predicted from the equations in fluid dynamics. Of course Cueball is less afraid of the wave (even though it is {{w|Rogue (vagrant)|rouge}}), than he is fascinated by the fact that it speaks. The wave just replies that the equations are really complicated. That this is the case was for instance part of [[1315: Questions for God]] where a famous quote regarding turbulent motion of fluids is mentioned. {{w|Turbulence}} is also described by fluid dynamics, so they are part of the equations and the {{w|Horace_Lamb#Career| quote}} by {{w|Horace Lamb}} was: "I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is {{w|quantum electrodynamics}}, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic." He turned out to be correct as nowadays we have a much clearer understanding of QED, while our understanding of turbulence has improved little. {{w|Richard Feynman}}, who was himself largely responsible for explaining QED, famously {{w|Turbulence|described turbulence}} as "the most important unsolved problem of classical physics". So who knows if these formulas could describe a talking wave? A coin crowns the wave.
|-
|Ruins with Cueball singing of Spiders and Panama.
|
:Cueball singing:
::Spider-man
:::Spider-plan
::Spider-canal
:::Spider-Panama
::Gates let in
:::Spider boats
::Flood the locks
:::Spiders float
::''Look out!''
::Spiders in both oceans.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0d/1608_1026x1073y_Ruins_with_Cueball_singing_of_Spiders_and_Panama.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1026:-1073+s.png (1026, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1027:-1073+s.png (1027, 1073)]
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|Comic: [[1632: Palindrome]] and the [[:Category:Spiders|Spiders category]]
|Any explanation for the ruin? The palindrome comic was released shortly after this and used a palindrome about the {{w|Panama canal}} which is the first four lines with ''Spider-'' changed with "A" the first three times and then with nothing before Panama as in ''"A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama''. The song is inspired by the {{w|Spider-Man (theme song)|Spider-Man theme song}} (see this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUtziaZlDeE video]), but takes it in a rather different direction. Spiders have been a recurring theme and as the rest of the song tells that the spiders have now breached through the Panama canal using spider-boats and by flooding the gates (in the canal) so now there are spiders in both oceans. If they came from the {{w|Atlantic ocean}} to the {{w|Pacific ocean}} or the other way around is not clear, but there are now spiders on both sides of the {{w|Central America|Central American}} strip of land. If the line ''Spiders float'' refer to actually floating spiders or just because they float on their boat is unclear. But we are forewarned about these spreading spiders with a '''''Look out!''''' (another lyric from the Spider-Man theme song). This threat continues the theme of the [[:Category:Red Spiders|Red Spiders]] especially those from [[126: Red Spiders Cometh]].

There is a coin inside the ruin beneath Cueball who sits on top of the ruin and both sings the song and plays the guitar. Megan just stands inside the ruin at ground level and listens. It is not difficult to get to the coin, but there is only entrance into the little coin room between the ledge under Cueball and the ceiling of the lower room. But it is possible to walk directly in their from the left. Maybe the ruin is in this state of affair because the spiders have crossed the ocean just to the left, the shore of this can be seen at the edge of the scene. But there is no indication of any spiders anywhere else in the comic, in spite of the many animals throughout the comic.
|-
|Ponytail flying.
|
:Ponytails arms: Flap Flap Flap Flap Flap Flap Flap
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3b/1608_1029x1073y_Ponytail_flying.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1029:-1073+s.png (1029, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1030:-1073+s.png (1030, 1073)]
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|Ponytail manages to fly by just flapping her arms violently, a feat that is of course not possible. It keeps he above the coin on the ground, so the player can get to it first... In the Destroyer another Ponytail seems to be [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/76/1608_1053x1091y_Ponytail_flying_up_a_shaft_towards_a_coin.png flying straight up in a shaft] towards a coin this time without using her arms as wings. So her flying is a small theme in the game. (It is not close to being directly above the Ponytail on the ground as the Ponytail in the Destroyer is just past the pyramid on the ground).
|-
|Entire forest - zoom out.
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:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3a/1608_1032x1074y_Entire_forest_zoom_out.png Overview]
|Overview
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|This is the largest collection of such tall trees, and if all smaller trees are counted probably also the largest collection of trees in general. In the left part of the world there is a scene with lots of trees, but they are all smaller than even the two medium-sized trees besides the five really large. the last tree to the right somehow belongs more to the wedding scene just right of it, but there are smaller trees all the way up to it, making it part of this forest. Drawing trees like this is often used in xkcd and in particularly also allot in ''click and drag''.
|-
|Left part of forest.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1608_1032x1074y_Left_part_of_forest.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1032:-1074+s.png (1032, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1033:-1074+s.png (1033, 1074)]
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|The left part of the forest has the largest trees and also the two coins, one in the fork of the first big trees and another some way above the first substantial tree to the left. It is just high enough that it will be missed by just sliding along the ground, and even when jumping to get the other coin it will still not necessarily enter into the viewing frame, so it can be considered one of the slightly hidden coins in the game.
|-
|Right part of forest.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/37/1608_1034x1073y_Right_part_of_forest.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1034:-1073+s.png (1034, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1035:-1073+s.png (1035, 1073)]
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|The right part of the forest has the last two trees in the clump of four large ones, and then small to tiny trees continue the "forest" until the final tree, just beyond which the wedding takes place, and this tree also seems to be part of that scene.
|-
|Wedding and picnic.
|
:Priest: And if any here can give cause why these two should not be wed,
:Priest: The Great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c9/1608_1038x1073y_Wedding_and_picnic.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1073+s.png (1038, 1073)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1040:-1074+s.png (1040, 1074)]
|Y
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|Megan, in a black wedding dress, and Cueball, with a tie, is married by a female priest in front of a crowd of five sitting in chairs in front of them. In the crowd there are yet another Cueball, Hairy and Ponytail, but the last two are not the familiar versions in xkcd: one has a cap on backwards and then a person (M/W?) with black. Just before a {{w|wedding}} it is sometimes customary to ask if any in the crowd could give a cause why these two people should not be wed. What is not customary is to threaten those who do have any objections that they would then have to plead these in front of the great gangster boss from Star Wars, {{w|Jabba the Hutt}}. In case he has condoned this wedding, you may end up pleading for him to kill you mercifully if you did object anyway. The normal form of the priest's question goes more [http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/marriage.pdf like this]: "If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace." (See the top of page 4 of the pdf file in the link (page 424) and a discussion about this sentences use [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635317 in real life]).

Beyond the wedding, another Megan is sitting on a large boulder facing the wedding, and behind her a third Cueball is having a picnic with a second Ponytail. The question here is if Megan looks at the wedding or turns her back to the picnic. Depending if the player went right along the ground to begins with and saw the wedding first or went through the Destroyer and came back the other way and saw the picnic first the players preconceptions on this questions may be completely different. In either case it still looks like Megan would have liked to be with Cueball (either the one in the tie or the one at the picnic. Of course with characters drawn "randomly" in many places she may bot even belong to either scene. Standing on the rock with Megan hoverboard Cueball cannot see either of the scenes, but standing between Megan and either scene, she can be seen together with either of the relevant Cueball and another girl. In the first case with the wedding, she might have wished she had the courage to speak up in spite of the Jabba threat. In the other case she may feel rejected by the happy picnic couple and has turned her back to them. Poor Megan. Ponytail and Cueball seems to enjoy their picnic lunch in the open air though.
|-
|Cemetery.
|
:Megan: They're inscribed with our family motto, ”Cur ego committitur dictar latinae,” which means ”Why did I just start speaking Latin?”
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1608_1042x1074y_Cemetary.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1042:-1074+s.png (1042, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1043:-1074+s.png (1043, 1074)]
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|Someone with better Latin knowledge than using Google translate would be most welcome to chip in here It is so common to have your motto translated in to the dead language {{w|Latin}} that there even is an entire category for {{w|Category:Latin mottos|Latin mottos}} on Wikipedia. Since no one really speaks the language anymore, and only few learn it well enough to just read any sentence, by doing so you actually hide this motto that you probably would like to tell people about. The only Latin that has entered popular usage are generally idioms, like {{w|Carpe diem}} (seize the day), etc. (et cetera, meaning "and the rest"). However, most of the time, like the one Megan is explaining to her friend, it would make much more sense to just write it in your native language (English in this case); but then of course there would be no need for a motto, where you ask yourself why you are speaking Latin. In this way, the joke is quite self-referential. There is also a cemetery in Click and Drag.

The Latin in the motto is not correct, but close, and it could both be Randall's accidental errors or purposeful errors (as there are probably many "private" mottoes out there that are not completely correct. The original sentence:

'''Cur''' - why. '''Ego''' - I. '''Committitur''' - can be translated as "start", but is incorrectly conjugated; in view of the proper translation, a more acceptable word would be "commisi". '''Dictar''' - likely a misspelling of "dictare", an acceptable translation of "to speak". '''Latinae''' - Latin, but in the wrong case; a more correct translation would probably be "Latinam". A possible translation of this sentence is therefore "Why did I start to speak Latin?". The word ''just'' is completely missing, and could have been included by using ''modo''. However, Megan could have added it to make it more "natural" in English. In this way, the family motto given here is a slightly misused satirical statement on Latin family mottoes.
|-
|Huge foot.
|
:Cueball: It says ”Yo, future dirtbags! Check out my huge foot!”
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/1608_1046x1074y_Huge_foot.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1046:-1074+s.png (1046, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1047:-1074+s.png (1047, 1074)]
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|Y
|
|In ''How to count things'' in TE there is also a drawing of a huge foot, used to count mass, not length... The two Cueballs check out an inscription at the foot ([[559: No Pun Intended|pun intended]]) of a monument. Typically old relics from the past has been demolished, and if only part of a human body is displayed (at least when it is not just a {{w|Bust (sculpture)|bust}} supposed to only have head and shoulders), then it is often assumed that the rest of the statue has been lost. Just like the missing arms of the ancient Greek statue {{w|Venus de Milo}}. These arms was there originally. But as it turns out as Cueball reads the transcription someone in the past just wished to show the future his huge foot. Suggesting that this is either actual size, or just that he was very proud of at least one of his feet. He also mock anyone reading the inscription by calling them the derogating word [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dirtbag dirtbags]. This is a recent word so if this was an ancient monument it would be highly unlikely that it said that. Of course it could be Cueballs translation of what is actually written, or as this is not necessarily old, it is not just part of the original monument but the entire unbroken statue of a foot, then it could be a contemporary artist who made it. However it is just in front of the pyramid to the right, and in front of the real pyramid {{w|Pyramid of Khafre}} the {{w|Great Sphinx of Giza}}, also much larger than life size lies. (It has lost it's nose by the way). So this could be the games version of such a large statue in front of a pyramid.

As from the scene to the left of this giant foot, the inscription that Cueball reads is probably in Latin, in which case it could have read something along the lines of: ''Io, de futuro sacculo terra! Reprehendo sicco meus ingens radices!'' (which could be translated back to ''Io, for the future of the bag, earth Check out my huge foot!'', since there was no words for ''Yo dirtbags'' in Latin.

This is likely to be a reference to Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem ''{{w|Ozymandias}}'', which starts:
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
[..."]
|-
|Entire Pyramid.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1050x1075y_Pyramid_Entire_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/1608_Entire_Cave_With_entire_pyramid_for_scale.png Size scale of Destroyer]
|Overview
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|A smooth pyramid with Ponytail in front of the left side and a coin at the tip. It is large but not compared to the Destroyer above it. To illustrate the other image shows that the pyramid could comfortably be placed inside the cave in the Destroyer. There is also a pyramid in Click and Drag.
|-
|Pyramid protip.
|
:Ponytail: Protip:
:Ponytail: Don't stop climbing just because you reach the top.
:Ponytail: ☑ Show tips on startup
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/50/1608_1048x1074y_Pyramid_protip.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1048:-1074+s.png (1048, 1074)]
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|Comics: [[:Category:Protip|Protip category]]
|Ponytail greets the player as (if) they approach the pyramid from the left. She points up the side of the pyramid and gives a protip (a feature often used in xkcd). The tip is yet another indication that the Destroyer is above (the tip) of the pyramid. She tells the player to keep "climbing" after the top (that is not usually possible, but the hoverboard can keep on flying). By doing so the player may reach up to the entrance leading into the spiral corridor (although it will be difficult to keep the same incline as the pyramid on the way up). Ponytails last remark about showing tips on startup makes her sound like she is some kind of program, that can give you interesting hints and tips every time you start the program. If you do not wish this, you can just leave the [http://help.formulatrix.com/rock-maker/3.4/Content/Resources/Images/RM%203.0.3/StartUp%20Tips.png check box unchecked]. This is the last scene with spoken words (or other text) along the right ground, although it is only halfway from the play area to the right end of this world.
|-
|Pyramid tip.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f6/1608_1050x1076y_Pyramid_tip.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1051:-1076+s.png (1051, 1076)]
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|At the very tip of the pyramid there is a coin. This is the highest point in the right part of the world, that is directly connected with the ground through a fixed structure (i.e. not a wire). In most of the left part of the world even the ground level is higher, and the Washington Monument is much taller. The next coins is five scenes longer to the right as nothing much happens on the remaining stretch along the ground towards the end of the right part of the world from here.
|-
|Pyramid Right bottom.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c5/1608_1053x1074y_Pyramid_Right_bottom.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1053:-1074+s.png (1053, 1074)]
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|As opposed to the left side of the pyramid with a protip, there is nothing on the right side of the pyramid, even the ground is completely featureless, and actually continuous to be so for a while as can be seen in the next two scenes. It is the longest stretch along the ground with no features of interest and also almost completely flat ground. Even the third scene from here is still without characters although there at least is some ground features. For certain the entertainment of the right side is up above in the Destroyer.
|-
|Flat and bare ground.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/19/1608_1056x1074y_Flat_and_bare_ground.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1056:-1074+s.png (1056, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1057:-1074+s.png (1057, 1074)]
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|The first of several "boring" scenes without much feature. This though, even without much plant life probably takes the prize as thee most featureless scene in the game.
|-
|Flat grassy ground.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1059x1074y_Flat_grassy_ground.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1059:-1074+s.png (1059, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1060:-1074+s.png (1060, 1074)]
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|The second in a row of several "boring" scenes without much feature. This though have a little more grass than the previous scene...
|-
|Small cliff or hill.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/99/1608_1063x1075y_Small_cliff_or_hill.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1063:-1075+s.png (1063, 1075)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1062:-1074+s.png (1062, 1074)]
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|Almost as boring as the previous two scenes, but at least there is a little cliff.
|-
|The three T's.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/15/1608_1066x1075y_The_three_Ts.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1066:-1075+s.png (1066, 1075)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1075+s.png (1067, 1075)]
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|Computer games
|Could there be another explanation than computer games, or at least another game that comes even closer in appearance? These three T's with Megan on top of the first, looks similar to scenes from many {{w|Platform game|platform computer games}}, like for instance [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlatformGame this example] from {{w|Mario Bros.}}.
|-
|Coin over grass hole.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/71/1608_1071x1074y_Coin_over_grass_hole.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b6/1608_1071x1074y_Coin_over_grass_hole_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1071:-1074+s.png (1071, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1072:-1074+s.png (1072, 1074)]
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|The fourth "boring" scene in a row at least have a coin. The grass is rather tall in this location and there are also two small hills to the left, and behind the coin another small bump to the right. The coin is located over a small hole that is filled with grass, so when the player takes the coin hoverboard Cueball will [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/Grasshole_under_coin.PNG sink to his waist].
|-
|Ponytail and bird black hat on a stick and Cueball whistling.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1073x1074y_Ponytail_and_bird_black_hat_on_a_stick_and_Cueball_whistling.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1073:-1074+s.png (1073, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1074:-1074+s.png (1074, 1074)]
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|Ponytail is walking towards a small cliff with a flying bird following behind her. She approaches a black hat on a stick, looking like Black Hats hat. He usually never leaves without it, so it seems a little strange to find i hanging there. It is actually quite hard to find any Black Hat's in the comic, but above in the Destroyer, just slightly to the left of this hat the only instance of Black Hat in the game sits and snores in the Cave. So he is not only represented by this hat. A kid looking like Cueball stand to the right below the cliff. He seems to be either singing or whistling.
|-
|Small stone pile.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/04/1608_1078x1074y_Small_stone_pile.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1074+s.png (1078, 1074)]
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|After a small step down in the terrain height the only feature of this fifth boring scene is a small stone pile that seems to be made of 5-6 small stones with different size not ordered after size, so it looks like it could easily fall over. The pile is solid, so the player need to jump to get past it and hoverboard Cueball can stand on top of it.
|-
|Two birds and coin above them.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/33/1608_1081x1074y_Two_birds_and_coin_above_them.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1081:-1074+s.png (1081, 1074)]
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|Once again two birds are seen together, this time they are not (as over the gas station to the left) tied together with string. But also here there is a coin, and just like there it is hidden. Not so much as over the gas station, as here the birds can be seen from the ground, but the coin can only be seen by jumping once. Walking along the ground would let the birds enter into the view but not the coin right above them.
|-
|Pedestal.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/1608_1086x1074y_Pedestal.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1086:-1074+s.png (1086, 1074)]
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|Once again a very boring scene (6th) but at least there is a small pedestal to the right. In it self not very interesting, but if the player drops straight down out of the rear entry of the Destroyer above, hoverboard Cueball will land on this pedestal.
|-
|Medusa and floating earth.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e5/1608_1088x1074y_Medusa_and_floating_earth.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1088:-1074+s.png (1088, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1090:-1075+s.png (1090, 1075)]
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|The first character in four scenes is no one else but {{w|Medusa}} coming towards the player (if going right) arms outstretched and what appears to ne about 10 snakes jutting out of her head which Medusa is known for. The snakes are venomous and people who gaze upon her face would be turned to stone. So not so nice to come by and it for sure relates to the coming end of the world, at least of this worlds right end.

The floating earth to the right may be of similar origin as the floating rock island above the Washington Monument, maybe the same forces are at work. Seems like it has just been torn up from the hoke in the ground below it, like it is now floating up. If the player drops straight down from the very end of the Destroyer up above, hoverboard Cueball will land on this floating earth. Anything right of the start of the hole is no longer under the Destroyer, which anything else right of the play area until this hole has been. Could be the Destroyer's influence that creates this hole? (But not just because it passes over, because then the earth should be floating up all the way behind it).
|-
|White Hat hiding in the grass.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/1608_1093x1074y_White_Hat_hiding_in_the_grass.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1093:-1074+s.png (1093, 1074)]
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|Another flat scenery but at least White Hat is hiding in the grass to the right, only his head showing above the high grass, so her must be either sitting or even lying down propped up on his arms. This is one of only two scenes with White Hat throughout the game.
|-
|Lollipop plant and coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/1608_1095x1075y_Lollipop_plant_and_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1095:-1075+s.png (1095, 1075)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1094:-1074+s.png (1094, 1074)]
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|The seventh boring scene is lit up by a coin that hangs in the air slightly before the only feature of the scene, which appears to be a plant, with a strange lollipop shape.
|-
|Drifting Cueball.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/9d/1608_1098x1074y_Drifting_Cueball.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1098:-1074+s.png (1098, 1074)]
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|Another completely flat grassy landscape but with a strangely elongated Cueball drifting in the wind. Characters flying is depicted in two scenes where Ponytail flies, but she does this of her own will. Here is seems like Cueball is just drifting with the wind towards the end of the world, which is only two scenes away, and he is the last character along the ground towards the end. This is in some way reminiscent of Click and Drag, where the Cueball floating with the balloon to begin with, can also be seen at the very right end of the world. But then again here it more seems like Cueball doesn't have a choice, and he also seems to be out of shape. The shape he is in, and the relation to the end of the world could be a (loose) reference to the sixth and seventh day in [[1245: 10-Day Forecast]].
|-
|Just grass.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/30/1608_1103x1074y_Just_grass.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1103:-1074+s.png (1103, 1074)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1104:-1074+s.png (1104, 1074)]
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|The eight boring scene since the pyramid, with a rolling hill of grass, but only the 2nd most boring, as the most boring scene was the first scene after the pyramid because that one did not even have grass.
|-
|Storks nest at right end of the world with 10 coins.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/ce/1608_1107x1075y_Storks_nest_at_right_end_of_the_world_with_10_coins.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1107:-1075+s.png (1107, 1075)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1107:-1074+s.png (1107, 1074)]
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|This is the right end of the world, marked by a high pole raising up from a foundation, and on the top of the pole there is a large {{w|White stork|stork}} nest with three eggs in it. Maybe it is not a stork nest (though it looks like a {{w|White_stork#Conservation|man-made nest platform}} for storks), but an eagle nest, though they do not usually use mad made structures for their nest as do storks. But if it was an eagles nest, it could be for those two that are flying over the right tip of the volcano crater in the far of left part of the world.

With ten coins on top of the three eggs in the nest this is the place with the highest coin density in the game, but not most coins over a single image tile as that price goes to the starting tile with 11 coins. There are also 17 coins in the play area scene, but they are not as closely gathered as here, where all 10 coins are almost as close together as possible, and all of them in the same [http://xkcd.com/1608/1107:-1076+s.png completely white image tile] right above the tile with the nest and eggs.
|-
|'''Entire Rebel Blockade Runner'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fd/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebbel_Blockade_Runner_and_wires_zoom_out.png Also with wires] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/04/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebbel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out_to_torpedoes_and_ground.png Also with torpedoes]
|Overview
|
|Y
|
|
|
|An overview of the entire Rebel Blockade Runner ''{{w|Tantive IV}}'' from the opening scene of the original Star Wars movie. It has four rooms (one blown open), a small cannon room that cannot be entered by the hoverboard and two corridors. The rear is the large engines. There are three coins. There is a clear symmetry along the center, as the two cannons and the two parabolic antennas are placed symmetrical on the top and bottom hull, and also the curves of the hull is symmetric. In the second image link the way to find the runner from the ground via the wires can be seen (six coins). And in the third the way to find the Destroyer above via the torpedoes can be seen (14 coins). The Destroyer is thus not hidden, like for instance the Floating Rock Island or the Hidden Lair beneath the lava lake, and there are many less direct indications that there is a runner from all the people who comment on them or even directly or indirectly point the way to the Destroyer. The Runner is supposed to be 150 m long.
|-
|Bridge on the Rebel Blockade Runner.
|
:First scene:
:Long haired woman: Captain's log, stardate November 24th, 2015...
:Hairbun: ''Augh!'' No!
:Second scene:
:Megan: Good against remotes is one thing, but a ''true'' Jedi trains with a T-shirt cannon.
:Box: Shirts
:Third scene:
:Box: Bullets
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1012:-1078+s.png (1012, 1078)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1078+s.png (1013, 1078)]
|Y
|
|Y
|Film: The {{w|Star Trek}} universe
|The bridge of the Rebel Blockade Runner is crammed with interesting scenes. First on the bridge itself a long haired woman (the captain) is mocking both Star Wars and Star Trek fans alike by using the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcRX0Gw1aaw opening line] from the Star Trek series about stating the {{w|stardate}} for the captains log on board the first space ship ever shown in the Star Wars franchise. Hairbun behind her (it could be {{w|Princess Leia}} who also has buns but above each ear) is clearly distressed by this ”mistake”. This could either be because she is a Star Wars fan that dislike Star Trek or because the stardate used is the real date, November 24, 2015, on which the comic was released (as well as the book ''Thing Explainer'') instead of using the normal convention for stardates with a four or five digit number plus a decimal like 1513.1. Given that the long haired woman has the appearance of [[Danish]], this may be intentionally rather than a mistake. There is another reference to the Star Trek universe in the scene where the torpedoes are fired from the Destroyer above, so no less than two Trek infiltrations in the opening scene of Star Wars.

Beneath the bridge there is a smaller room where Ponytail and Megan spoofs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X69NCLxwLEY Luke's Lightsaber Training] from the original Star Wars movie where {{w|Luke Skywalker}} practices under {{w|Ben Kenobi}}'s guidance while {{w|Han Solo}} comes with snide remarks. Ponytail (in Luke's place) holds a {{w|lightsaber}} above which floats a sphere which represents the small remote controlled {{w|Jedi}} training device from that scene. Megan both guides like Ben and comments like Han. She holds some kind of cannon that she obviously loads with T-shirts from the box behind her. As she tells Ponytail, a true Jedi trains with a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgCz7C6jEIk t-shirt cannon]. Han Solo's quote begins like it but ends quite differently: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOuCbDkKIs4 Good against remotes is one thing good against the living it's something else]. He would also prefer a {{w|Blaster (Star Wars)|blaster}} as he explains: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V268Qk6-xsw Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side kid]. There is a coin behind Ponytail.

Above the bridge there is a hatch open where hoverboard Cueball may enter and a Cueball is standing behind the hatch looking down along the hull.

There are cannons both above and below the hull, the one on top has a coin in front of the barrel. There is a similar cannon with a coin in front on top of the Destroyer. Beneath this cannon is a tiny room where another Cueball is pouring several small bullets from a bucket into a black box labeled bullets (for the cannon). From this room there is a small shaft down to the main corridor in the Runner. But this shaft is too slim for hoverboard Cueball to pass up through it, or rather for the board to get in. Cueball can pass into the hole but the board holds him back from reaching up in the small room. The cannon below has two of the anchors from the wires going to the ground attached around its barrel. The third anchor is stuck in the bottom hull further down the hull. It is unclear how this last has become attached to the hull!

In the corridor that runs away from the bridge a small robot on wheels drive towards left. Similar types of robots are often seen in the Star Wars universe and there is also [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5f/1608_1034x1091y_Torpedo_canon_below_Destroyer.png another robot] looking like two of these on top of each other in the Destroyer above where the torpedoes connecting them ends up. Further down the corridor Ponytail is walking to the right while singing indicated with two notes.

Above the cannon at the bottom of the hull on a ledge with an entry to the ship is a third Cueball holding a fishing rod out over the ledge so the hook hangs in the air. Maybe he is fishing for either of the two birds that are flying around the line. What appears to be a loaf of bread or [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/1608_1014x1078y_Three_wires_and_reaching_up_to_anchors_in_Runner.png a cracker is attached to the hook] at the end of the line. A similar scene is also found in TE in ''Sky Toucher''.
|-
|Death Star Plans in the Rebel Blockade Runner.
|
:First scene:
:First Cueball: The Death Star plans are ''not'' in the main computer.
:Second Cueball: Darn.
:Second Cueball: See, if we had found them in the main computer, that would be good news, since it would mean no one else had them.
:Second Cueball: But since we didn’t find them, we need to keep searching for anyone with a copy.
:Second Cueball: That all makes sense and I ''definitely'' understand how computers work.
:Second scene:
:Third Cueball: So you just came down and made a hole in our ship without permission?
:Fourth Cueball: Yup
:Third Cueball: Wow, Rude.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1017x1078y_Death_Star_Plans_in_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1017:-1078+s.png (1017, 1078)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1016:-1079+s.png (1016, 1079)]
|Y
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|Further explanation needed by someone with more computer skill than Second Cueball and me who wrote the current version... Also is there some reference to someone saying something like that to an attack, rather than the one with C3PO The reference to the Death Star plans are from [https://youtu.be/yHfLyMAHrQE?t=340 the opening scene] in the first Star Wars movie. The sentence uttered by First Cueball is said by a Storm Trooper to Darth Vader. The [http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/quotes?qt=qt0440708 rest of the quote] is not quite like in the comic. Rather is goes like this:
:Darth Vader: [addressing the Tantive IV's captain, whom he is interrogating] Where are those transmissions you intercepted? WHAT have you DONE with those plans?
:Captain Antilles: We intercepted no transmissions... This is a consular ship... We're on a diplomatic mission...
:Darth Vader: [shouting] If this is a consular ship, WHERE is the ambassador?
:Darth Vader: Commander, tear this ship apart until you find those plans! And bring me all passengers, I want them ALIVE!
The comic jokes with the way Darth Vader seems to assume that if the plans had been found on the computer, then no one else would have had access to them. The second Cueball, although not Vader, represents a superior that have absolutely no idea about how computers work, in spite of his insistence that he actually do. If the data has once been intercepted they could have been shared or copied to several other computers or devices or even been printed. By finding them in the main computer they would only make sure that they were indeed intercepted, but not be certain that they have not been delivered to the rebel base.

The other two Cueballs on top of the ship stand over a hole in the hull going into a small room above and left of the large room. It seems that the fourth Cueball has made this hole directly from the outside (i.e. it is not caused by an exploding torpedo from the Destroyer above). Because he confirms when the third Cueball asks if he just came down to make the hole without permission. The third Cueball thinks this is rude. This is, of course, hilarious as if a space pirate or any other attacker of a space ship would ask permission before attacking. And also the idea that he might get permission for asking is likewise crazy. To call this rude is also a weird way to look at such an attack. {{w|C3PO}} uses [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWoG9tKf1lA this as reply] to a comment made to him by a similar droid in the second movie.
|-
|Top rear end of the Rebel Blockade Runner.
|
:First scene:
:First Cueball: That thing is ''huge. Imperial''-class?
:Second Cueball: Yeah. Maybe a MK-1. Depends on whether this is the expanded universe or not.
:Second scene:
:Third Cueball's bow: Twang
:Torpedo: Boom
:Third scene:
:Fourth Cueball: Why are they still firing?
:Fifth Cueball: Oh, the turret operators pretty much do their own thing.
:Fifth Cueball: It's definitely a pain sometimes.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f1/1608_1018x1079y_Top_rear_end_of_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1018:-1079+s.png (1018, 1079)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1019:-1080+s.png (1019, 1080)]
|Y
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|Y
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|In this overview of the top rear of the hull of the Runner, there are four scenes with two persons in each, with no less than six Cueballs. Beginning with the scene to the far left the two first Cueballs discuss what type of Star Destroyer is shooting at their ship from above them. They are clearly tilting their head far back to look up. The first Cueball comments on how huge it is and asks if it is an {{w|Star_Destroyer#Imperial_class|''Imperial'' class}} Destroyer. "''Imperial'' class" is the designation of the Destroyer ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Devastator Devastator]'' that followed the Rebel Runner ''Tantive IV'' in the opening scene. There is also an more than 10 times as large version called a {{w|Star_Destroyer#Super_Star_Destroyer|Super Star Destroyer}}, which were featured in the two sequels in the original trilogy. But even the original Star Destroyers were improved during the movies, so when the improved Destroyers came out they became known as ([http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_II-class_Star_Destroyer Mark II], Mk-II or plainly II, and the original (as Devastator) became known as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_I-class_Star_Destroyer Mk-1]. The second Cueball agrees with the first and suggest that it is an Mk-1 and thus makes it even more clear that this scene is actually the opening scene of the original Star Wars movie. But then again, he continues, it depends weather this is the {{w|Star Wars expanded universe|expanded universe}} (now known as ''Star Wars Legends'') where all authorized media (books etc.) released based on the Star Wars franchise should be counted in, or if it is only the movies sanctioned directly by George Lucas (and now Disney). What he says is that in all those work there could be so many other types os ships mentioned, that he could mistake for an Mk-1, that in that universe he would not be certain at all. But in the "official" universe he would claim that it was an Mk-1 ''Imperial'' class Star Destroyer.

In the next scene Ponytail and a third Cueball fights a ridicules fight with bows and arrows against the Destroyers 100+ torpedoes raining down from above. Ten of these can be seen falling, one hits the ship and one has just exploded in a big ''boom'', to be compared with the feeble ''twang'' made by Cueballs bow when he fires the arrow. When later discovering how far there is up to the bottom of the Destroyer it only becomes even more silly.

In the third scene two more Cueballs (four and five) look up at the torpedoes falling down in an arch over their heads. The fourth Cueball asks why they still keep firing. And the fifth Cueball tries to explain. A {{w|Gun turret|turret}} is generally a weapon mount that houses the crew and a projectile-firing weapon and lets the weapon be aimed and fired in a given cone of fire. So it is this crew, that are the turret operators. There is also such [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png an operator] on the Rebel Runner below the top cannon (or turret), in the scene with the bridge. The reason they keep fighting is given that they just do their own thing and that is annoying. This indicates that these two Cueballs do no longer think that the Destroyer needs to fire anymore on the Runner, and thus also indicates that they are part of the crew from the Destroyer send down to take over the Runner. Thus it is annoying that the shooting has not stopped as it puts them in danger. If they belong to the Runner then they would not think it weird that the shooting continued. It turns out to be Megan who is the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5f/1608_1034x1091y_Torpedo_canon_below_Destroyer.png turret operator in the Destroyer]! At least they can be happy that it is regular torpedoes. (See the explanation of the scene regarding the Torpedo cannon below Destroyer).

In the final scene at the very end of the hull is the sixth Cueball together with Megan. She holds on to him as he tries to toasts a giant marshmallow on a stick by holding it in front of the exhaust pipe of the Runner. This would must likely melt the marshmallow instantaneously... In ''Red world space car'' in TE the Mars rower also toasts a marshmallow on a stick over a small fire.
|-
|Bottom rear end of the Rebel Blockade Runner.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5b/1608_1020x1078y_Bottom_rear_end_of_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1020:-1078+s.png (1020, 1078)]
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|The rear end of the Rebel Runner with the last part of the big Death Star plan room to visible to the left. Three engines are visible, with the top one being cut of (Cueball is roasting a marshmallow above the cut off - see previous scene). This is consistent with the three rows of engines as [http://cdn-static.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeek/files/styles/insert_main_wide_image/public/2016/04/tantive_iv_over_tatooine.png?itok=1k3g3pFH can be seen in the film], with four engines in top and bottom row and three in the middle. There is a coin behind the lowest of the engines. There appear to be {{w|truck nuts}} attached to the rear of the ship beneath the hull. These are plastic or metal accessories, typically for cars, which resemble a pair of dangling testicles/balls. They are attached under the rear bumper of the vehicle so they are visible from behind as a practical joke. Some find it is in so bad a taste that it should be banned or fined.
|-
|'''Entire torpedoes rain from Runner to Destroyer.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/87/1608_1023x1085y_Entire_torpedoes_rain_from_Runner_to_Destroyer.png Overview]
|Overview
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|An overview of the entire rain of torpedoes fired down from the Star Destroyer to the Runner. There are 100 undamaged torpedoes in the air, two that are hitting each other exploding, one that has just made contact with the hull and one that has just exploded on the hull of the Runner. A total of 104 torpedoes has thus been fired at this moment in time. The rain is not so much there for jokes but to guide the player up to the Destroyer. Only real interesting scene on the way up is Beret Guy riding a torpedo, and apart from that and the two torpedoes hitting each other and exploding, there is nothing else to see. But there are two coins to collect.
|-
|Torpedoes just above Runner with coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a7/1608_1019x1081y_Torpedoes_just_above_Runner_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1019:-1081+s.png (1019, 1081)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1020:-1081+s.png (1020, 1081)]
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|11 torpedoes just above the Runner with a coin.
|-
|Torpedoes two steps above Runner with Beret Guy.
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:Beret Guy: Horsey!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/21/1608_1020x1083y_Torpedoes_two_steps_above_Runner_with_Beret_Guy.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1020:-1083+s.png (1020, 1083)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1021:-1083+s.png (1021, 1083)]
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|Film: {{w|Dr. Strangelove}}
|Beret Guys only second appearance in this comic. He is flying down from the Destroyer sitting astray a torpedo riding it like it was a horse. In the film Dr. Stangelove a man is also flying down like this riding a bomb like it is a horse (a nuclear bomb in that case though). Beret Guy will likely survive due to his [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]]. With his torpedo there are eight torpedoes in this scene
|-
|Torpedoes three steps above Runner.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a7/1608_1023x1085y_Torpedoes_three_steps_above_Runner.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1023:-1086+s.png (1023, 1086)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1024:-1086+s.png (1024, 1086)]
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|21 torpedoes are shown. This image is so large that it goes outside the "active" images, and thus the lower right part is in gray. In the game this part will be displayed as white, but there is no image below to save (but many all white images are active though!)
|-
|Torpedoes two steps below Destroyer with exploding torpedoes.
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:Torpedoes: Boom
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a8/1608_1025x1087y_Torpedoes_two_steps_below_Destroyer_with_exploding_torpedoes.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1025:-1087+s.png (1025, 1087)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1026:-1087+s.png (1026, 1087)]
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|21 torpedoes are shown, but two of them are hitting each other exploding. Where you can stand on the torpedoes, you can not stand on the "boom", but still on the black part of the exploding torpedoes. If the two exploding torpedoes are the same and if they have no means of self-propelling, then they should not hit each other under normal conditions. Only if a wind gust slowed down the one and not the other (which could of course be the case.) But else they would follow the same parabolic path from cannon to target without getting closer.
|-
|Torpedoes one step below Destroyer with coin.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2b/1608_1029x1089y_Torpedoes_one_step_below_Destroyer_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1029:-1089+s.png (1029, 1089)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1031:-1090+s.png (1031, 1090)]
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|19 torpedoes just below the Destroyer with a coin.
|-
|Torpedo cannon below Destroyer.
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:Megan: We have no photon torpedoes, so I'm firing regular ones
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5f/1608_1034x1091y_Torpedo_canon_below_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1034:-1091+s.png (1034, 1091)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1033:-1091+s.png (1033, 1091)]
|Y
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|Film: The {{w|Star Trek}} universe
|The 12 last torpedoes leads up to the cannon below the Destroyer that has fired them all towards the runner far below. In the control room (or turret room see explanation of scene where the torpedoes hits the Runner) is Megan and Cueball. She explains that she used regular torpedoes rather than the much more powerful {{w|Weapons_in_Star_Trek#Projectile_weapons|'''photon''' torpedoes}}. This may cheat some to think this is a reference to the weapon Luke Skywalker used when destroying the Death Star in the original Star Wars movie. But they were called {{w|List_of_Star_Wars_weapons#Ship-mounted|'''proton''' torpedoes}}. Photon torpedoes are a standard ship-based weapon armed with an {{w|antimatter}} warhead and one of those alone would probably take a ship like the Runner out if it was not shielded... However, they are used by the {{w|Starship Enterprise}} in the Star Trek universe. So this is the second (but more subtle) mixing of the two competing franchises connected with the torpedoes in the opening scene of Star Wars. The first being on the bridge of the Runner below. Above the control room there is a shaft up to a corridor in which a small robot of the types typically seen on spaceships in Star Wars is seen. There is a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png similar robot] down in the Runner but only half this ones height.
|-
|'''Entire Star Destroyer.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cd/1608_Entire_Star_Destroyer.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Y
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|This is the only reference to Star Wars just because of the Destroyer. Anything inside the spaceship will only be listed as SW reference if there is something in relation to SW, or at least to part of the ship itself (like using special outcrops on the ship for a special room, like the Globe of Death at the top of the bridge).
|-
|'''Entire front end.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_Entire_front_end.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/22/1608_Entire_front_end_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|This overview is shown to illustrate how far apart the rooms are even in the very front end of the Destroyer where it is slimmest. The image with hidden passages shows how deep the swimming pool is and that the hoverboard can also sink into the playpen pit. Moving just a little further right than this overview, and the Destroyer becomes wider than the zoom scale for these overviews.
|-
|Overview of the very tip of the front end.
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:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/92/1608_Zoom_out_of_the_very_front_end.png Overview]
|Overview
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|The front has both a mouth a nose and an eye with a pupil. It has just eaten a coin and can smell the one above its nose. See more on this interpretation under the ''Colon like structure'' below.
|-
|Very front with Cueball looking out at bottom of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/60/1608_1002x1094y_Very_front_with_Cueball_looking_out_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1002:-1094+s.png (1002, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1003:-1094+s.png (1003, 1094)]
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|The closest entrance to the Destroyer from the starting point is guarded by Cueball. Going straight up from the right wall in the play area will take the hoverboard straight up in front of Cueball. There is a coin behind him where this first corridor turns up into a shaft.
|-
|Very front with playpen balls pit at top of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a7/1608_1004x1095y_Very_front_with_playpen_balls_pit_at_top_of_hull.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/35/1608_1004x1095y_Very_front_with_playpen_balls_pit_at_top_of_hull_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1004:-1095+s.png (1004, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1005:-1095+s.png (1005, 1095)]
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|[[150: Grownups]] and the [[:Category:Playpen balls|Playpen balls Category]].
|The top part of the front of the Star Destroyer also has an entrance as does the bottom section (see above). There is a coin above the hull. This first corridor leads to a playpen pit filled with playpen balls, which is a recurring subject in xkcd. Cueball and Megan is adult sized (i.e. as big as hoverboard Cueball) and it is thus a clear reference to Grownups. There could be water down below the balls as a fish is seen jumping out over the surface. But given that there are no splashes from the balls Cueball throws in the air, it could also just be a gimmick by Randall. To have something like this in a Star Destroyer kind of ruins the mood surrounding these war machines. Something seen several times throughout the space ship.
|-
|Piñata and Cueball with lightsaber at top of hull.
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:Cueball: No, I got this.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1006x1095y_Pinata_and_Cueball_with_lightsaber_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1006:-1095+s.png (1006, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1007:-1095+s.png (1007, 1095)]
|Y
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|Comic: [[1620: Christmas Settings]]
|Although the original {{w|piñata}} was star shaped it is now common to use different shapes like the horse or donkey displayed in the comic. Children usually hits the piñata with a club until it breaks and falls down revealing candy or toys inside. The two Cueballs, Megan and Hairy are adults though as big as hoverboard Cueball, just like in the playpen pit. It is though not uncommon for adults to participate in hitting down a piñata. But to do it with a {{w|lightsaber}} would defeat the purpose of this game as it will go right through the piñata on contact thus spilling the contest out on the floor in the first go. The Cueball with the lightsaber can thus confidently say that he got this. But it seems like the other Cueball is trying to stop him and that Hairy, holding the club they were intended to use, puts a hand protectively on Megan. A lightsaber would be a very dangerous weapon, and should not be used lightly in a playful setting. As a side note any candy/toy in the path of the ligtsaber as it passes through the piñata will melt/burn immediately. Lightsaber noises are mentioned in the title text of the Christmas Settings comic coming out shortly after this one.
|-
|Shaft and corridor at bottom of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/eb/1608_1007x1094y_Shaft_and_corridor_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1007:-1094+s.png (1007, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1008:-1094+s.png (1008, 1094)]
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|Lots of sections inside the Destroyer consist of long corridors with shafts going up and down here and there, but with no interesting features or objects. This is the first example of such a corridor, near the bottom hull of the Destroyer, showing that it is not a featureless outer hull. Apart from the ever increasing width of the Destroyer there are some steps up and down, to indicate some of the features seen in the Star Wars movie.
|-
|Swimming pool with Ponytail jumping at bottom of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/ba/1608_1010x1094y_Swimming_pool_with_Ponytail_jumping_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e6/1608_1010x1094y_Swimming_pool_with_Ponytail_jumping_at_bottom_of_hull_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1010:-1094+s.png (1010, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1011:-1094+s.png (1011, 1094)]
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|Another enjoyable activity to attend to by adults is located here in the front sections of the Destroyer: A swimming pool. Don't worry about Ponytail jumping head first into the water, as can be seen in the hidden passage image it is rather deep. Cueball and Megan is already in. Supposedly there is a rung ladder up again on the side, but it cannot be seen in this slice through the Destroyer. A coin hangs in the top corner of the room. When standing with the hoverboard on the bottom of the pool it will be possible to see that there is a coin on the outside of the hull in the indentation in the hull below the pool. From the outside, however, it will not be possible to see that there is a pool above as the water is the same black (to the eye) as the solid hull.
|-
|Shaft and corridor with three coins at top of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/ba/1608_1011x1096y_Shaft_and_corridor_with_three_coins_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1011:-1096+s.png (1011, 1096)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1009:-1095+s.png (1009, 1095)]
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|After leaving the piñata room going down the corridor there are two coins. One under the shaft going up and one further down the corridor. Going up the shaft there is also a coin on the outside of the top hull at the top of another of the small step where the hulls width increases faster than the steady slope that are always there. This coin is almost on top of the one in the corridor below.
|-
|Dead end shaft with rubbles at bottom of hull.
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:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1608_1015x1093y_Dead_end_shaft_with_rubbles_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1015:-1093+s.png (1015, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1016:-1093+s.png (1016, 1093)]
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|From the shaft that exits the Destroyers bottom hull there goes a corridor to the left. But only for a short while. Then there is a pile of rubble like there has either been a cave in or as if someone has been digging this tunnel and then has stopped. This is consistent with the mining company seen much further down the Destroyer. There is a coin in front of the rubble.
|-
|Zoom out of shaft and corridors with Hairy looking down a shaft at top of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/34/1608_1019x1095y_Zoom_out_of_shaft_and_corridors_with_Hairy_looking_down_a_shaft_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
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|This zoom out gives an overview of a large section of the Destroyer with only a long corridor and two shafts going down from it. There is almost no features, but for Hairy standing carefully at the edge of one shaft looking down into it. So again an example of the larger areas inside the destroyer where nothing happens.
|-
|Hairy looking down a shaft at top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1608_1016x1095y_Hairy_looking_down_a_shaft_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1016:-1095+s.png (1016, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1096+s.png (1013, 1096)]
|
|
|
|
|This is the shaft that came out of the piñata room. At the end of this image is the first shaft going down where Hairy is standing carefully at the edge looking down. Before that a shaft goes up to the top hull where a coin is situated on top of a small step down. At the other end of this "step" to the left there was also a coin.
|-
|Three coins room and shafts.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e6/1608_1023x1095y_Three_coins_room_and_shafts.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1023:-1095+s.png (1023, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1022:-1095+s.png (1022, 1095)]
|
|
|
|
|This is the room where the long corridor going from the piñata room ends. Although it is a quite boring room it has three coins, the highest coin density seen so far when entering the Destroyer from the front end. A shaft down outside the room prevents this from being a dead end.
|-
|Triple coins and a single coin on top of a shaft at top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/1608_1023x1097y_Triple_coins_and_a_single_coin_on_top_of_a_shaft_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1023:-1097+s.png (1023, 1097)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1025:-1097+s.png (1025, 1097)]
|
|
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|
|There is a very long straight stretch on top of the hull where nothing happens after the step down, but suddenly there are three coins in a row, and then a shaft down, with a ledge out over the shaft opening, with yet a coin, makes it worth the players while to come up there as well.
|-
|Zoom out of shaft and corridors with ledge at bottom of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6f/1608_1025x1092y_Zoom_out_of_shaft_and_corridors_with_ledge_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
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|
|This overview at the bottom of the hull shows the shaft (to the right) that was covered with a ledge at the top of the hull. Although it takes a small turn left before going down and out at the bottom it thus almost runs straight through the Destroyer and also here at the bottom a thin ledge covers the shafts exit. But here are no coins. There are another shaft and two corridors.
|-
|Shall '''not not''' pass room and parachutes at one of two ledges at bottom of hull.
|
:Cueball: You shall not not pass!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ad/1608_1026x1093y_Shall_not_not_pass_room_and_parachutes_at_one_of_two_ledges_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1026:-1093+s.png (1026, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1028:-1092+s.png (1028, 1092)]
|
|Y
|
|
|The shaft going out at the bottom left is the one mentioned above. Going through the corridor above takes hoverboard Cueball into a room with a Cueball blocking his way holding a hand out towards him. He almost uses the last part of a [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/quotes?item=qt0445998 famous quote by Gandalf] when facing the {{w|Balrog}} in the mines of {{w|Moria (Middle-earth)|Moria}}, but here with an '''extra not''' added to negate the "not" from the quote. So "You shall ''not'' '''not''' pass" = You '''shall''' pass, and when you do you get a coin. It is easy to miss that there are two times not in the sentence which is for certain intentionally by Randall, as the spoken sentence thus do not match the appearance of Cueball with a hand out.

If hoverboard Cueball jump ship at the ledge to the left he can fly over to the next ledge where Cueball and a guy with black hair is preparing to jump of the ship using parachutes. Behind them there is a shaft going up into the ship with a coin.
|-
|Two coins room and shafts.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5d/1608_1026x1095y_Two_coins_room_and_shafts.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1026:-1095+s.png (1026, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1027:-1095+s.png (1027, 1095)]
|
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|The shaft going up in the two coins room comes from a corridor below that also connects to the shaft to the left. The corridor is right above the ''you shall not not pass'' room below. The shaft to the left goes up the ledge covered exit to the top hull.
|-
|Steven Universe and Crystal Gems; and ice cream prediction.
|
:Megan: Prediction: Seconds before you die, you will remember these words.
:Box: Ice cream
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1031:-1095+s.png (1031, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1028:-1095+s.png (1029, 1095)]
|
|
|
|TV series: {{w|Steven Universe}}
|In the room to the left, Megan talks to Cueball while they walk towards an ice cream freezer (at the end of the room with a coin on top). Her comment that she can predict that he will remember those words when he dies could be quite sinister. Since they are so boring the only way she can make this prediction come through is if she now turns around killing him. If she waits a little longer she will not have to move him so far before she can hide his body in the freezer...

In the room to the right is a group of four stick figures representing {{w|Steven Universe (character)|Steven Universe}} and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Steven_Universe_characters#/media/File:StevenFinalPoster.jpg Crystal Gems]. From left to right, Steven is next to {{w|Pearl (Steven Universe)|Pearl}} (as a stick figure with shorter hair), {{w|Garnet (Steven Universe)|Garnet}} (as a taller stick figure with sunglasses and an afro), and {{w|List_of_Steven_Universe_characters#Amethyst|Amethyst}} (as a shorter stick figure with long hair). The Crystal Gems are a "superhero" team of alien "Gems" who protect the earth, with their newest member being the half-Gem, half-human Steven. (Elsewhere on the bridge of the Destroyer, Darth Vader references Steven Universe in that Steven is half Gem.) A coin is hovering over Garnet's raised left hand.

Below these two rooms runs a corridor that goes left to the shaft going up to the top hull. The shaft going down goes to the two guys with parachutes. There is a coin next to the shaft. To get from this corridor to the rooms above hoverboard Cueball either have to go out on the top hull or move through the rotary that follows to the right.
|-
|'''Entire Rotary section.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/67/1608_Entire_Rotary_section.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e4/1608_Entire_Rotary_section_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_swallowed_by_Destroyer.png Swallow Runner]
|Overview
|
|
|Y
|
|
|To the left in this overview is the roundabout like structure that Cueball above it calls a rotary, which has given name to this section of the ship that follows after it up to the section with the cave. The Destroyer becomes much broader here especially due to the two large steps that the top part of the hull takes in the middle and to the right in this image.

In the hidden passage image the cotton trap is revealed with the two entrances to the room below and to the corridor to the right that leads past different traps into the cave. At the top and bottom middle of the image there are two cars, and as it can be seen in the hidden passage image the hoverboard cannot rest on top of those.

In the composite ''Swallow Runner'' image the Rebel Runner has been placed in the opening in the bottom hull to reveal that this is indeed the opening in the bottom of the Destroyer that swallows the entire Rebel Runner in the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie. This feature is thus a direct reference to the "real" Devastator Destroyer and thus a direct reference to the opening scene and to Star Wars. Below the individual scenes in the Rotary section will be described.
|-
|Empty room and Cueball on corridor going to rotary at top of hull.
|
:Cueball: Ugh, rotaries.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cf/1608_1029x1097y_Empty_room_and_Cueball_on_corridor_going_to_rotary_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1032:-1096+s.png (1032, 1096)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1030:-1097+s.png (1030, 1097)]
|
|
|
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|A big empty room near the top hull and a coin in a shaft going down from the top hull. The shaft going down will lead to both the room with the ice dream box and the one with Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems. The corridor going right will go down into the rotary, see next scene. Cueball is looking down into this and expressing his dislike of this {{w|Traffic circle|type of structures}}. Maybe he has bad experience with these in real life traffic.
|-
|The rotary.
|
:(none)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3e/1608_1033x1095y_The_rotary.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1033:-1095+s.png (1033, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1035:-1095+s.png (1035, 1095)]
|
|
|
|
|This is the {{w|Traffic circle|Rotary}} that has given it's name to the section of the Star Destroyer from the structure itself and right of this until the section where the cave is located. A rotary is also known as a ''traffic circle'' and is a large version of a roundabout with several roads exiting from it. At the top of the upper left passage (see the scene above) Cueball is looking down into this structure and calls it a rotary (hence the name).

The centre contains a small room with a stick figure wearing a tonsure haircut (where only the top of the head is shaved bald), a potted plant, and a coin. The plant resembles a pea plant, and the tonsure is a haircut associated with monks, so this is likely to be Gregor Mendel. Mendel was a 19th century Czech monk who discovered the principles of genetic inheritance by crossing strains of pea plants.

Large rotaries may have more than four roads leading away, but in this case there are four, and neither of them are leading straight away up/down or left/right. Three of them are almost at a 45 degree angel, but the one going down is only a little of to the right, and soon turns straight down.

Only other feature is the Cueball rushing right on his bike in the corridor leading away from the rightmost exit. There are several bikes throughout the comic, with two more in the Globe of Death above the bridge of the Destroyer and one going down the right slope of the Volcano.

Entering the rotary for the first time there are of course three new directions to move along in, making it a special point in the users exploration of the Destroyer.
|-
|Photon cannon Tetris piece and mini robot at bottom of hull.
|
:(None - the cannon part has been transcribed in the torpedo section)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/df/1608_1034x1091y_Photon_canon_Tetris_piece_and_mini_robot_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1034:-1093+s.png (1034, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1034:-1092+s.png (1035, 1092)]
|
|
|
|Computer game: {{w|Tetris}}
|The bottom part of the scene has already been described in relation to the torpedo rain. But as can be seen here it is possible to enter the torpedo room almost directly from the bottom exit of the rotary above. Coming down that way is also a T-shaped {{w|Tetris#Colors_of_Tetriminos|tetriminos}} from the Tetris computer game. At the end of the corridor with the small robot there is a shaft, and in the exit from the corridor there is a coin.
|-
|Shaft corridor with coin and room with coin over ledge at bottom of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d3/1608_1038x1092y_Shaft_corridor_with_coin_and_room_with_coin_over_ledge_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1092+s.png (1038, 1092)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1036:-1092+s.png (1036, 1092)]
|
|
|
|
|Going down from the corridor from the scene above takes the player through a small room with a coin at the bottom of the hull and then out over a thick ledge in the air beneath the Destroyer. There is a large gap starting here that ends in the ''Atmosphere worry and car room at bottom of hull''. This large section is the section in which [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_swallowed_by_Destroyer.png the Destroyer swallows the Rebel Runner] in the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie, as mentioned in the overview above.
|-
|Giant octopus in Destroyer.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b5/1608_1038x1094y_Giant_octopus_in_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1094+s.png (1038, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1093+s.png (1038, 1093)]
|
|
|Y
|
|A giant octopus with a dome shaped head in a dome shaped room with coins above its tentacles left and right. In TE there are several octopuses, and this animal is also often used in xkcd in general. But particularly in ''The USS Laws of the Land'' there is both a large octopus beneath the ship and one giant tentacle reaching up from the deep. If this is considered a monster then this section of the ship may be the monster section as there also seem to be some kind of horned monster in the room to the right of this room.
|-
|Hamster ball and stilts room.
|
:Megan: ''AaaaAaaa''
:Guy with hair: I can't leave.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1038:-1095+s.png (1038, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1039:-1096+s.png (1039, 1096)]
|
|
|Y
|Comics: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball category]]
|This room is the first after exiting the rotary to the upper right. The shaft goes down past the octopus room (see scene above). It is the second instance with a hamster ball in this comic, the first being a small girl (with Megan like hair) in the left part of the world just before the plateau. But in this case it is the adult Megan that is inside the ball, not only running but actually standing on a skateboard. She is clearly not in control. As the player is on a hoverboard there is some kind of connection with a girl on skateboard. In ''Sky Toucher'' in TE Megan also uses a skateboard, inside a rounded structure.

Megan is not alone though as there is also a guy (with a wee bit of hair) on stilts. The stilts seems to be very high and if the guy wishes to stay on these stilts his assessment, that he can't leave the room, is true. Between his stilts there is a coin. The world highest stilts is shown in [[482: Height]] and in the next "game" comic after this one, [[1663: Garden]], it is possible to "[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png grow]" a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/Garden_Stilt_walker.png girl on stilts].
|-
|Box with horns and coin room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a2/1608_1043x1093y_Box_with_horns_and_coin_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1043:-1093+s.png (1043, 1093)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Is there any clear references to a horned box that is being missed here? In this room across from the giant octopus room there is yet a possible monster hidden in a box. Two large horns jut out of the box, but if they are standing on the box or is sitting on some horned beast inside the box is not clear. But they look rather ominously, and if it is a monster it would with the giant octopus make this section a monster section. A coin is hovering between the horns. The shaft up is the only way to move further down inside the Destroyer without moving over or under the hull.
|-
|Zoom out of three empty rooms near bottom of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e6/1608_1046x1094y_Zoom_out_of_three_empty_rooms_near_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|A dead end with three empty room with no coins or any interesting features, thus only this zoomed out version is displayed here. The rooms are just right of the horned box and below is the part of the hull that is the opening where the Runner will be swallowed by the Destroyer. It is not a complete waste to come over this way, as the room to the right with the hoverboard is central to the comic. But no need to go into these rooms if trying to pick up all the coins as fast as possible.
|-
|Corridor with coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a2/1608_1046x1097y_Corridor_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1046:-1097+s.png (1046, 1097)]
|
|
|
|
|
|This is one of the longer corridors without any features. It is the only way to move right inside the destroyer in this section. The corridor goes above the three empty rooms in the scene above and also above the hoverboard room in the scene below. At the end of the corridor there is a shaft up. The only reason this segment is shown is because of the coin.
|-
|Two hoverboards room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/01/1608_1048x1095y_Two_hoverboards_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1048:-1095+s.png (1048, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1048:-1094+s.png (1048, 1094)]
|
|
|
|Comic: [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]]
|Self-reference to title of this comic, and the conversation guide comic released shortly after this is also referencing this entire comic as it complains that hoverboards are not real yet. There is both another hoverboard Cueball and a hoverboard Megan in this room, but compared to the players hoverboard Cueball these two are some what more advanced, and managed to swoop around the coin in the middle. The room can only be entered from the right. To the left there is only a dead end with three completely empty rooms, so don't bother going there if you are in a hurry to pick up all the coins...
|-
|Zoom out with dead end corridor car room and shaft at top of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f9/1608_1051x1097y_Zoom_out_with_dead_end_corridor_car_room_and_shaft_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Overview of the end of the long corridor with the coin mentioned above. It ends here in the dead end at the bottom. The corridor above has Cueball lying on the hood of a car in a small room quite a distance from any exits to the outside.
|-
|Cueball on hood of car room and a giant step with coins at top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d4/1608_1048x1099y_Cueball_on_hood_of_car_room_and_a_giant_step_with_coins_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1048:-1099+s.png (1048, 1099)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1049:-1099+s.png (1049, 1099)]
|
|
|Y
|
|In this dead end room Cueball is lying on the hood of a car. Hoverboard Cueball cannot copy this as the car is not a solid segment of the image. The hull is not far away, and the car room is right where one of the large steps in the upper hull appears. Right outside there are two coins at the bottom and top of the step. These cannot be seen from inside the room. There is no fast way to get outside from here, and actually no easy way to get a car into this room either. In ''Sky Toucher'' in TE there is also a car stuck in the middle of the sky scraper a long way from the parking cellar. In this comic there is actually even one more car in the Destroyer, but that is at least close to an exit ledge (see scene below).
|-
|Atmosphere worry and car room at bottom of hull.
|
:Megan: Is this ship designed to fly in the atmosphere like this?
:Blonde woman with hair bun: Whatever. Who cares it’s probably fine.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1049x1090y_Atmosphere_worry_and_car_room_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1049:-1090+s.png (1049, 1090)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1050:-1090+s.png (1050, 1090)]
|Y
|
|
|
|Megan is referring to the fact that space ships in Star Wars often fly fast also inside the atmosphere of a planet. Not something you would normally design for. Though in the case with the Destroyer and Runner they did not go inside the atmosphere as depicted here in the comic, in the scene from the original Star Wars movie. The blonde woman comes with a comment typical for b-moves, who cares if this would work in real life, it is just a film.

There is a large gap in the bottom hull ending here and starting in the ''Shaft corridor with coin and room with coin over ledge at bottom of hull''. This large section is the section in which [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_swallowed_by_Destroyer.png the Destroyer swallows the Rebel Runner] in the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie, as mentioned in the overview above.

Behind the two women, who are standing on a thin ledge where the large gap ends, there is another car (see scene above). At least it is clear how this car could get into this room (and out again). Above the car there is a coin. Behind the car there is a corridor going into the Destroyer, but quite high up on the wall for a normal exit. The car cannot be used as a step to jump in there, as it is not part of the solid picture.
|-
|Ponytail flying up a shaft towards a coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/76/1608_1053x1091y_Ponytail_flying_up_a_shaft_towards_a_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1053:-1091+s.png (1053, 1091)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1054:-1091+s.png (1054, 1091)]
|
|
|
|
|The corridor from the room with Megan and the car is long. In the middle of it there is a shaft going up (a long way). Just inside this shaft Ponytail is seen flying up, hands in front of her like another Superman. Above her in the shaft there is a coin. This is not the only place in the comic where Ponytail is flying. Although here it seems like an automatic thing (like Superman), whereas down below on the ground below the Destroyer she has to flap her arms violently, but then actually manages to take of from the ground. In a space ship like this Destroyer there could both be a system to let people float upwards, some gravitational effects or just plain effects of the flying itself, wheres down on the ground flying like that would be magic for sure. But at least there seems to be some correlation since it is Ponytail that flies in both cases.
|-
|Trap covered with leaves and flying Ponytail at bottom of hull.
|
:Cueball: ...And we cover it with leaves so no one sees it.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fd/1608_1055x1090y_Trap_covered_with_leaves_and_flying_Ponytail_at_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1055:-1090+s.png (1055, 1090)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1055:-1091+s.png (1055, 1091)]
|
|
|
|
|After the shaft where Ponytail flies up (see more in the scene above) the corridor continues to a pit which Cueball and a kid have been covering with leaves and sticks. It seems like they are making a trap, which is even more likely seeing that the bottom of the pit has six sharp spikes that would likely impale any unlucky victims that fell in. Alternatively (given the words Cueball uses), they have made this hole by mistake, and now tries to cover it so no one sees it. If he meant it to be a trap he might instead have phrased it, "so they won't see it until it is too late". The kid looks like the kid in the room at the rotary, as they have the same hairdo.
|-
|Corridor and shaft with coin.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8f/1608_1053x1094y_Corridor_and_shaft_with_coin.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1053:-1094+s.png (1053, 1094)]
|
|
|
|
|
|The shaft going up from Ponytail below goes past the corridor to the left that goes to the hoverboards room. There is a coin in the entrance.
|-
|'''Entire Corridor peristalsis and colon.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c6/1608_Entire_Corridor_peristalsis_and_colon.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/be/1608_Entire_area_around_Corridor_peristalsis_and_colon.png Zoom out to entire area]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|With the comment from Hairbun about peristalsis - the bowel movement getting food etc. through the digestive system, and with the three chambers with coins above a colon like structure, leading into the corridor with these motions, with a coin both going down the colon and through the peristalsis, there can be no doubt that this is the digestive system for this ”living” space ship, and coins is what it lives off. This interpretation can further be extended to the very front end, where there is the appearance of a head that eats coins (see the front end overview) and at the rear end a coin is bouncing out at the very last shaft before the very end of the ship. Suggesting where this animal gets rid of the waste products afterwards. (The rest of the ship is not part of this interpretation).
|-
|Corridor peristalsis and two coin rooms at top of hull.
|
:Hairbun: Ah, yes. Corridor peristalsis.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e4/1608_1054x1099y_Corridor_peristalsis_and_two_coin_rooms_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1054:-1099+s.png (1054, 1099)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1057:-1100+s.png (1057, 1100)]
|
|
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|
|Following the corridor from the room with Cueball on the hoof of a car leads to a part of that corridor experiencing {{w|peristalsis}}. This is the kind of muscle movements that causes food to move through the {{w|human gastrointestinal tract}}. Hairbun is telling Cueball that this is indeed corridor peristalsis, so a way for the corridor to move stuff along. As there are coins at both end of this section it is quite clear that these coins are moved along by the corridor itself. The indentations of the corridor is so strong that the corridor is not wide enough to allow hoverboard Cueball to pass through. So to get both coins another route needs to be found. The shortest way is to go up the shaft behind Hairbun, passing the two empty rooms with coins on the way to the top of the Destroyers hull. To get to the other side hoverboard Cueball will then have to pass through the Destroyers colon like structure to the right. See below. As mentioned in the overview above this is a clear reference to the human digestive system, or in this case the Destroyers ditto.
|-
|Corridor peristalsis and colon.
|
:Cueball: Wheee!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0a/1608_1055x1099y_Corridor_peristalsis_and_colon.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1055:-1099+s.png (1055, 1099)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1056:-1099+s.png (1056, 1099)]
|
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|Y
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|Moving a little further down right than the peristalsis scene above the bottom part of the {{w|Large intestine|colon}} like structure can be seen, closely connected to this other intestine like structure (The three coins in the left part of the image are the same as in the scene above). The reason for showing this scene is to show the closeness of these two digestive system structures. In ''Box that cleans food holders'' in TE Ponytail yells Wheee! as she slides through a pipe inside the machine on her stomach, a mix of the action performed by Cueball and Ponytail in the colon like structure. Ponytail is sliding towards a coin at the bottom in one of the colon loops. The top part of the colon can be seen in the next scene.
|-
|Colon like structure with Ponytail and Cueball sliding down.
|
:(None - text already transcribed in the scene above ''Corridor peristalsis and colon''.)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b3/1608_1058x1100y_Colon_like_structure_with_Ponytail_and_Cueball_sliding_down.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1058:-1100+s.png (1058, 1100)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1058:-1101+s.png (1058, 1101)]
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|The entrance from the top to the colon like structure have a Cueball looking down into it. The rest of the scene has been described above.
|-
|Huge step and three room with coin and Cueball looking into shaft at top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/14/1608_1058x1102y_Huge_step_and_three_room_with_coin_and_Cueball_looking_into_shaft_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1058:-1102+s.png (1058, 1102)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1056:-1103+s.png (1056, 1103)]
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|This is the upper entrance to the colon like structure into which Cueball is looking. (See scenes above). To the left is the top hull of the Destroyer which takes two huge steps up at this place. Cueball is standing in a corridor with three small rooms, each with a coin in the top of the room. This seems to be a place to hold the coins until they are ready to move down the colon like structure, where another coin is already moving through, going down to the corridor peristalsis in the corridor below, where more coins are moving through the ships digestive system. Going over the hull and down this colon like structure is the fastest/shortest way between the two separated sides of the corridor peristalsis.
|-
|Coin in corridor under Buffer stop room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_1060x1099y_Coin_in_corridor_under_Buffer_stop_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1060:-1099+s.png (1059, 1099)]
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|Moving away to the right from the corridor peristalsis takes hoverboard Cueball past a small shaft up into a room with two coins in front of what looks like a train {{w|buffer stop}}. One coin in front of each of the buffers. Continuing along the corridor there is another coin. The corridor continues and a shaft is going up. This part of the Destroyer is the beginning of the cave section. The cave can be entered from above by continuing along the corridor.
|-
|Cannon with coin on top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a0/1608_1060x1103y_Canon_with_coin_on_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1060:-1103+s.png (1060, 1103)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1062:-1103+s.png (1062, 1103)]
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|There is a similar cannon with a coin in front of the barrel on the top of the Runner below the Destroyer. This cannon is on top of the hull above and right of the three room above the colon like structure. The shaft going down right is over the next cave section.
|-
|Coin in corridor below mining company in dead end corridor.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/1608_1062x1101y_Coin_in_corridor_below_mining_company_in_dead_end_corridor.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1062:-1101+s.png (1062, 1101)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1063:-1101+s.png (1063, 1101)]
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|Two Cueballs work as a mining company in this corridor which they are expanding. It could be that they are digging for gold, but if that gold should be represented by coins, it is weird that the coin hangs above the Cueball with the {{w|pickaxe}} in the higher section of this corridor, instead of being in front of him. The other Cueball drives away with a wheelbarrow full of the rubble they have dug free from the ship. This is another indication of how big the ship is. It is easier to just dig a new corridor than to build the corridor into the ship to begin with. Further to the left in the Destroyer there was another dead end corridor that looked like it had been dug out - see the scene ''Dead end shaft with rubbles at bottom of hull.'' But here the mining company had left (even though there also was a coin there). The shaft to the left goes up to the hull right of the cannon from the scene above. The corridor below goes left (past another coin) to the shaft down to the corridor with peristalsis. To the right it goes above the cave to the dance hall room with piano.
|-
|Mining company in dead end corridor also coin on top of hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/ca/1608_1063x1102y_Mining_company_in_dead_end_corridor_also_coin_on_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1063:-1102+s.png (1063, 1102)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1063:-1103+s.png (1063, 1103)]
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|The same mining company scene as described above but with the view moved to show the top hull, right of the cannon. Right of the shaft going up there is a coin. At the very top right of the hull, the basketball dropped by the Cueball like kid can be seen as it comes bouncing down the length of the hull. This basketball scene is part of the cave section and will be describved below.
|-
|'''Entire cotton trap and spark gap room.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/78/1608_Entire_cotton_trap_and_spark_gap_room.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/65/1608_Entire_cotton_trap_and_spark_gap_room_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/36/1608_Entire_area_around_cotton_trap.png Entire area around] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_Entire_area_around_cotton_trap_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|Here are two different zoom out of the cotton trap room with the spark gap room below. In the first overview a zoom out is shown with only these two rooms. There are four coins inside and two on the outside of the hull. The three coins around the cotton trap is almost connected by the cotton, as can be seen in the next overview where the hidden passage through the cotton is clearly marked in red. As can be seen there is a very deep black hole beneath the surface of the cotton (which Ponytail states is cotton). From the bottom of the cotton trap going left will lead to a hidden entrance to the top of the spark gap room. Going right will lead to the hidden entrance to the corridor with traps going to the left entrance to the cave. There are coins on each exit as well as just above the cotton to the right. The third image is a further zoom out to show the entire surroundings of the cotton trap room. (And the last is with the cotton etc. turned red). Here the traps in the corridor leading to the cave can be seen as well as the opening into the cave. Below that the strange spiral corridor can be seen. Both these scenes will be described below in the cave section. To the left the shaft and corridors that connect the two rooms even if not noticing the hidden passage can be seen. It is the corridor with the trap covered by Cueball and the shaft where Ponytail flies up. Three more coins are visible in this wider zoom out for a total of nine coins in this area. The two rooms will be described in further detail below. All of the rooms that can be entered through the cotton trap can also be entered through different entrances from other routes. This means that failing to find out how the cotton trap works, will not prevent the player in reaching either the spark gap from below or the cave to the right.
|-
|Entire Cotton trap room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/be/1608_1058x1094y_Zoom_out_of_Cotton_trap_room.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/11/1608_1058x1094y_Zoom_out_of_Cotton_trap_room_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|Overview with the entire cotton trap with and without the cotton shown in red. See above and below for more details.
|-
|Coins in two corridors towards cotton trap.
|
:(None - transcript is written in the scene below.)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1055x1095y_Coins_in_two_corridors_towards_cotton_trap.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1055:-1095+s.png (1055, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1056:-1095+s.png (1056, 1095)]
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|The corridor going from the shaft with the flying Ponytail to the Ponytail warning about the cotton trap also has a coin. The coin in the exit of the other corridor to the shaft was mentioned previously as it is the exit from the room with two hoverboards. See more about the cotton trap below.
|-
|Cotton trap room with Ponytail.
|
:Ponytail: Watch out for the cotton. It's a trap for someone, I think.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/28/1608_1058x1094y_Cotton_trap_room_with_Ponytail.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/42/1608_1058x1094y_Cotton_trap_room_with_Ponytail_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1057:-1095+s.png (1057, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1059:-1094+s.png (1059, 1094)]
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|Entering this room along the top corridor reveals Ponytail standing at the beginning of a steep descend. She clearly warns the player about a trap made of cotton. As can be seen in the hidden passage image most of the black at the bottom of the descend is not solid floor but a hidden passage. Given Ponytails comment it must be assumed to be made of cotton. Given that hoverboard Cueball is not affected by the cotton and can move either up again, or out left or right it is not a trap for him. But other unlucky persons falling into the cotton might not be as lucky. If this is not a trap in it self, there are several traps if moving out to the right (where the coin is below the cotton level). This corridor goes to the cave, but first after passing five traps. See more about the entire surroundings in the overview scenes above.
|-
|Cotton trap room bottom.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/32/1608_1058x1092y_Cotton_trap_room_bottom.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1608_1058x1092y_Cotton_trap_room_bottom_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1058:-1092+s.png (1058, 1092)]
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|The bottom of the cotton trap is a dark place. But as can be seen in the red hidden passage image it is possible to move both left and right to get out. In either case a coin can be obtained at the exit. The left exit leads to a shaft going into the spark gap room below, and the right exit leads through a corridor with traps into the cave. Going up in the spark gap room below will clearly reveal the shaft up. But if the cotton trap has not been discovered at this time, it is likely that the player will not attempt to breech the wall, and would thus fail to enter the cotton trap from below. The coin could easily seem enough reason for this dead end shaft above the room.
|-
|Entire spark gap room to bottom of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1608_1058x1090y_Zoom_out_of_spark_gap_room_to_bottom_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
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|An overview of the entire spark gap room, both showing the two coins beneath the outside hull as well as the coin in the top shaft (leading to the cotton trap to the right of this) and the coin behind the spark gap. See more below.
|-
|Spark gap room
|
:Cueball on wall: Shh.
:Electrode bottom: JS
:Electrode top: JS
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4d/1608_1057x1092y_Spark_gap_room_with_Cueball_on_the_wall.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6a/1608_1058x1090y_Spark_gap_room_only_with_Cueball_on_floor_and_coins_at_bottom_of_hull.png Buttom part to below hull]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1058:-1090+s.png (1058, 1090)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1057:-1092+s.png (1057, 1092)]
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|Why is ''JS'' written on both electrodes This room is called the {{w|spark gap}} room, because there seems to be a spark between the two large electrode like structures marked JS. Cueball is watching this, maybe he is the evil inventor that has created this device. At least another Cueball is climbing high above him up on the wall to the left, and when the player passes him on his hoverboard he asks the player no to tell about him (''shh''). It is unclear if he is sneaking away, spying or sneaking down to attack the other Cueball. A coin is hidden behind the spark gap, but as the spark gap is of the "red" type of black hoverboard Cueball can pass without problems into the coin. As can be seen in the other image displaying the lower part of this scene, the coin outside of the hull is close by, and actually the two coins above each other down there are in the same small image (see the first of the small images).
|-
|Corridor with fire and hammer traps.
|
:Hammers left: Chomp Chomp
:Hammer right: Chomp
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a2/1608_1061x1093y_Corridor_with_fire_and_hammer_traps.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/16/1608_1061x1093y_Corridor_with_fire_and_hammer_traps_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1060:-1094+s.png (1060, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1061:-1093+s.png (1061, 1093)]
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|This is the corridor exiting the cotton trap room (with a coin as mentioned previously), see the cotton in the hidden passage in red image. The corridor leads to the cave, but to get there five traps has to be passed. First there are four hammers with jagged edges that opens and closes with much force as perceived by the noises. And then a pit with a fire has to be surpassed. Of course as can be seen in the "red" image, neither of these traps are any problem for hoverboard Cueball as they are all of the red type of black. But it is a clear indication that the player is about to enter some interesting place, which is true as the cave is one of the most interesting places in the Destroyer. Although there are two other ways to get into the cave, it is by far the most interesting way to enter the cave for the first time!
|-
|Corridor to cave opening.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/32/1608_1062x1094y_Corridor_to_cave_opening.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1062:-1094+s.png (1062, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1063:-1094+s.png (1063, 1094)]
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|Same scene as above but only the right part with the fire, to show how the corridor enters the beginning of the cave.
|-
|Zoom out with spiral corridor at bottom of the hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/45/1608_1063x1091y_Zoom_out_with_spiral_corridor_at_bottom_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Below the corridor to the cave is a strange corridor which spirals into nothing in the middle. There are no coins in this section so this is a zoom out without any further zoom in on this section. The room at the top seems like a starting point to go into the spiral. The corridor to the right goes into the huge glitch floor room below the cave. The shaft down goes out the bottom of the hull.
|-
|'''Entire Cave Bridge and rear end.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/74/1608_Entire_Cave_Bridge_and_rear_end.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e0/1608_Entire_Cave_Bridge_and_rear_end_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
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|Explanation missing
|-
|'''Entire cave section.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_Entire_cave_section.png Overview]
|Overview
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Entire Cave and Glitch floor room.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1608_Entire_Cave_and_Glitch_floor_room.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|Y
|
|
|
|From this image it is clear that the two largest rooms in the Destroyer are almost of the same size, and positioned almost on top of each other. They only need a little parallel shift to make them into one big circular room. The Glitch floor room, is a feature that can be seen in the Star Wars film, as a protrusion beneath the hull of the Destroyer.
|-
|'''Entire Cave.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/58/1608_Entire_Cave.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/24/1608_Entire_Cave_and_shaft_above.png With shaft and room above] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/1608_Entire_Cave_With_entire_pyramid_for_scale.png Size scale of Pyramid]
|Overview
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|In ''Sky Toucher'' there is also a floor in the sky scraper with trees inside, just like the tree inside the cave inside the Destroyer.
|-
|Lake with tree birds and puma on rock at exit in the bottom left side of the cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/75/1608_1053x1093y_Lake_with_tree_birds_and_puma_on_rock_at_exit_in_the_bottom_left_side_of_the_cave.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/81/1608_1053x1093y_Lake_with_tree_birds_and_puma_on_rock_at_exit_in_the_bottom_left_side_of_the_cave_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1065:-1093+s.png (1065, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1094+s.png (1067, 1094)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Three birds in the top left side of the cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1608_1065x1095y_Three_birds_in_the_top_left_side_of_the_cave.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1065:-1095+s.png (1065, 1095)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Gazebo puma deer Cueball with bow and talk of Palpatine in the middle of the cave.
|
:Cueball: I know it seems weird, but every Star Destroyer has one of these rooms.
:Cueball: Say what you will about Palpatine's politics, but he's a staunch supporter of the imperial parks and the Coruscant Audubon society.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/1608_1067x1094y_Gazebo_puma_deer_Cueball_with_bow_and_talk_of_Palpatine_in_the_middle_of_the_cave.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1068:-1093+s.png (1068, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1068:-1094+s.png (1068, 1094)]
|Y
|
|
|
|The {{w|National Audubon Society}} is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Palpatine is the evil emperor and the capital ”planet” Coruscant is a planet with city all over the solid parts of the surface. So that he is interested in keeping parks both on this planet and on all his Star Destroyers comes as a surprise...
|-
|The broad shaft going into the top of the cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a5/1608_1067x1097y_The_broad_shaft_going_into_the_top_of_the_cave.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1097+s.png (1067, 1097)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1068:-1096+s.png (1068, 1096)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Deer and exit below lamp coin and Black Hat in the bottom right side of the cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/68/1608_1069x1093y_Deer_and_exit_below_lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_bottom_right_side_of_the_cave.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/69/1608_1069x1093y_Deer_and_exit_below_lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_bottom_right_side_of_the_cave_no_coin.png Without coin]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1069:-1093+s.png (1069, 1093)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1071:-1093+s.png (1071, 1093)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Lamp coin and Black Hat in the top right side of the cave.
|
:Insects: ''Bzzzzz''

:Black Hat: Zzz
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0d/1608_1070x1095y_Lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_top_right_side_of_the_cave.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/aa/1608_1070x1095y_Lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_top_right_side_of_the_cave_no_coin.png Without coin]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1095+s.png (1070, 1095)]
|
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|In this image the coin is part of the scenery as it is the lamp the buzzing insects fly around. When it is gone it reveals a broken lamp, and an insect that had been hidden behind the coin.
|-
|Corridor from shaft to the two coins in corridors.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1608_1063x1099y_Corridor_from_shaft_to_the_two_coins_in_corridors.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1065:-1099+s.png (1065, 1099)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1064:-1098+s.png (1064, 1098)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Two coins in corridors and four coin room above shaft to cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0b/1608_1067x1104y_Two_coins_in_corridors_and_four_coin_room_above_shaft_to_cave.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1100+s.png (1067, 1100)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1098+s.png (1067, 1098)]
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Chandelier room with two coins above cave.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d6/1608_1070x1098y_Chandelier_room_with_two_coins_above_cave.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1098+s.png (1070, 1098)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1071:-1098+s.png (1071, 1098)]
|
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Zoom out with dance room and basketball and slinky stair at top of hull.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f3/1608_1068x1101y_Zoom_out_with_dance_room_and_basketball_and_slinky_stair_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Basketball on top of Destroyer - zoom out.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1608_1065x1104y_Basket_ball_on_top_of_Destroyer_zoom_out.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
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|Explanation missing
|-
|Coin close to basketball on top of Destroyer.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4e/1608_1063x1104y_Coin_close_to_basket_ball_on_top_of_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1065:-1104+s.png (1065, 1104)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1064:-1104+s.png (1064, 1104)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Basketball on top of Destroyer.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1067x1104y_Basket_ball_on_top_of_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1067:-1104+s.png (1067, 1104)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1066:-1104+s.png (1066, 1104)]
|
|
|Y
|
|In ''Playing Fields'' in TE basketball mentioned, and it is also played on the left side of the volcano crater
|-
|Dancing room with piano.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a7/1608_1069x1101y_Dancing_room_with_piano.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1069:-1101+s.png (1069, 1101)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1101+s.png (1070, 1101)]
|
|
|
|
|Possibly a reference to Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant in "An American In Paris."
|-
|Slinky staircase at top of hull.
|
:Slinky: Slink slink slink
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1608_1069x1104y_Slinky_stair_case_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1069:-1104+s.png (1069, 1104)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1103+s.png (1070, 1103)]
|
|
|
|
|While it is unclear why the slinky is on the star destroyer at all, the stairs are a reference to the slinky {{w|jingle}} which says "walks down stairs..." The noise is also a reference to the creation of the name "slinky" which was based on the word slink in the dictionary.
|-
|Upside down room and Giddyayup cowboy riding the ship at top of hull.
|
:Cowboy: Giddyayup!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/79/1608_1073x1104y_Upside_down_room_and_Giddyayup_cowboy_riding_the_ship_at_top_of_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1072:-1104+s.png (1072, 1104)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1074:-1103+s.png (1074, 1103)]
|
|
|
|
|The man on top of the hull is a reference to riding a horse and specifically an American cowboy riding a horse. The (Cueball?) is using reins to "steer" the star destroyer much the same as one would steer a horse. In addition "Giddyayup" is the command for a horse move. The upside-down room is most likely just a simple visual gag, but could also be a reference to the fact that star destroyers have artificial gravity in SW and thus any direction could be "up" depending on where you are.
|-
|'''Entire Glitch floor room.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/52/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6b/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/63/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room_and_two_close_rooms.png Including two rooms] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/dd/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room_and_two_close_rooms_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/49/1608_Entire_area_around_Glitch_floor_room.png Entire area around the room] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/00/1608_Entire_area_around_Glitch_floor_room_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/63/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room_and_two_close_rooms.png Also including two close rooms] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/dd/1608_Entire_Glitch_floor_room_and_two_close_rooms_red.png Hidden passages in red] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/49/1608_Entire_area_around_Glitch_floor_room.png Entire area around the room] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/00/1608_Entire_area_around_Glitch_floor_room_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|In the zoom outs the coin below the hidden glitch in the floor can be seen at the very bottom of the pictures. It is quite a drop to catch it, but if you did not expect it, it is likely you would reach it before going up again.
|-
|Bottom center of Glitch floor room with coin sign and Cueball.
|
:Large sign:
::!
::Caution:
::Glitchfloor.

:Floor signs:
::!
::!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1070x1089y_Bottom_center_of_Glitch_floor_room_with_coin_sign_and_Cueball.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/71/1608_1070x1089y_Bottom_center_of_Glitch_floor_room_with_coin_sign_and_Cueball_red.png Hidden passages in red]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1069:-1088+s.png (1069, 1088)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1088+s.png (1070, 1088)]
|
|
|
|
|You are warned not to step onto this glitch floor! But if you do you can drop down to yet another coin far below the Destroyer, but even farther up above the ground.
|-
|Two rooms with coins right of Glitch floor room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2e/1608_1074x1090y_Two_rooms_with_coins_right_of_Glitch_floor_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1073:-1092+s.png (1073, 1092)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1074:-1091+s.png (1074, 1091)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Cannon protruding below the hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f4/1608_1075x1088y_Canon_protruding_below_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1075:-1088+s.png (1075, 1088)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1076:-1088+s.png (1076, 1088)]
|
|
|
|
|This cannon is a standard cannon seen on a star destroyer in star wars, and is not out of place here. It is somewhat unusual that this is on the bottom, since these cannons are generally on top though they are all over the ship, and there are turrets on the bottom of the First Order star destroyer in Force Awakens. Also the shape is more reminiscent of a real tank gun than the more square turrets in star wars, though this is probably just an effect of Randall's drawing style, rather than anything significant.
|-
|Entire area around the bridge.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bd/1608_Entire_area_around_the_bridge.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/4b/1608_Entire_Bridge_and_rear_section.png Entire bridge area] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f1/1608_Entire_Bridge_and_emperor.png Brdige and emperor] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c2/1608_Entire_Bridge_and_globe_of_death.png Bridge and globe of death] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/54/1608_Actual_Bridge_with_Vader_and_Tarkin.png Actual bridge] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c7/1608_Vader_twice_and_emperor_on_and_near_bridge.png Vader twice and emperor]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Ponytail with paper plane and coin below her on top hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/11/1608_1077x1107y_Ponytail_with_paper_plane_and_coin_below_her_on_top_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1106+s.png (1078, 1006)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1105+s.png (1077, 1105)]
|
|
|Y
|
|Cueball also throws out a plane in Click and Drag from the sky scraper. This also happens in the ''Sky Toucher'' in TE where it is Ponytail again.
|-
|Tarkin on the bridge and Ponytail with paper plane.
|
:Cueball: The fault, dear Tarkin, is not in our star destroyers, but in ourselves.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1077x1107y_Tarkin_on_the_bridge_and_Ponytail_with_paper_plane.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1107+s.png (1077, 1107)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1108+s.png (1077, 1108)]
|Y
|
|
|
|| This is most likely a reference to the book (then made into a movie) titled {{w|The_Fault_in_Our_Stars |"The Fault in Our Stars"}}. The title of which is a reference to a line in {{w|William Shakespeare |Shakespeare's}} play {{W|Julius Caesar (play) |Julius Ceasar}}; "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves". Grand Moff Tarkin is the commander of the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
|-
|Darth Vader talks about Steven Universe on the bridge Megan adjust antenna.
|
:Megan: Such a pain adjusting this thing every time we move

:Darth Vader: ''Breathe''
:Darth Vader: But Steven's ''mother'' is a crystal gem,
:Darth Vader: ''Breathe'')
:Darth Vader: so he's half- Are you getting all this?
:Hairy: Yes, my Lord!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1077x1109y_Darth_Vaders_talks_about_Steven_Universe_on_the_bridge_Megan_adjust_antenna.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1109+s.png (1077, 1109)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1110+s.png (1077, 1110)]
|Y
|
|
|TV series: {{w|Steven Universe}}
|Darth Vader refers to Steven Universe from the TV series. His mother is a Crystal Gem, so since his father is human, he is only a half gem, which is a joke in itself. Steven and his family are located inside a room in the middle of the Destroyer. Maybe as prisoners or it could be Vader is just a big fan since he talks about them on the bridge.
|-
|Globe of Death at the top of the Destroyer.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1608_1078x1111y_Globe_of_Death_at_the_top_of_the_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1110+s.png (1078, 1110)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1112+s.png (1077, 1112)]
|Y
|
|
|
|This structure of the Globe of death is part of the Star Destroyer as can be seen in the films.
|-
|Fire system with pure oxygen and two coins room.
|
:Hairbun: In the event of a fire on one of the decks, this system will seal it off and pump in pure oxygen.
:Ponytail: Wait, ''Oxygen?'' Not a fire suppressant like-
:Hairbun: Ugh, ''boring''.

|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/1608_1080x1105y_Fire_system_with_pure_oxygen_and_two_coins_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1080:-1105+s.png (1080, 1105)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1081:-1105+s.png (1081, 1105)]
|
|
|
|
|This is a reference to a {{w|Gaseous fire suppression}} in which tanks similar to those shown are filled with an inert gas, usually nitrogen. Similar systems are referenced in [[1737: Datacenter Scale]]. This system is generally used in large server rooms, where a room with fire will be sealed off from the rest of the servers, and the inert gas will flow into the room, extinguishing the fire, at the cost of whatever was in the room. Since this could be deadly these systems are only legal in rooms with little or no human interaction. The character on the left (Possibly Megan with hair buns) starts off by describing this system, though the system on the star destroyer has the key difference of piping in oxygen, instead of nitrogen, which Ponytail questions. Megan responds "Uhh, ''Boring''." which is technically true. An Inert gas will have a little visible effect, and the fire will slowly die. Piping in oxygen, however, is not a valid way to extinguish flames, as it would feed the fire instead of extinguishing it, though, if you have an adequate seal, this might not be as much of a problem as it sounds. The fire will eventually consume all of the oxygen and die. Unfortunately, there are 3 problems with this. The first is simple: there are people on a star destroyer, and this system will kill them if they happen to be near the fire. The second is that in addition to simply feeding the fire the oxygen is explosive, which could potentially blow the doors that seal the decks, allowing the fire to spread. The third is in the wording of (Megan?); who says that it will seal off the affected ''deck'' which is SW generally refers to an entire level. While this may just be a wording error by Randall, given the humor of the rest of the system, it would not be a great leap to imagine a system that seals off a whole floor regardless of the size of the fire, killing everyone on that floor. In addition given that the Empire is evil, it is also not a stretch to believe that they would kill an entire deck for a small fire just because the alternative is boring. This kind of scenario was in fact explored in the novel {{w|Star Wars: Lost Stars}} where it is described that entire decks were destroyed during the scene in {{w|The Empire Strikes Back}} where a star destroyer chases the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field. This destruction is pointed out in the novel and dismissed, as it is in this comic.
|-
|Darth Vader’s gold bullion and Cueball and Ponytail in small room at the top of the hull.
|
:Cueball: Aha! Darth Vader's secret gold bullion reserves! We'll be rich!
:Megan: I'm not sure this is canon.
:Bags: $ $ $
:Boxes: $ $ $ $ $
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7e/1608_1080x1108y_Darth_Vaders_gold_bullion_and_Cueball_and_Ponytail_in_small_room_at_the_top_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1080:-1108+s.png (1080, 1108)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1079:-1109+s.png (1079, 1109)]
|Y
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Large crocodile near globe of death at the top of the hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e8/1608_1081x1110y_Large_crocodile_near_globe_of_death_at_the_top_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1081:-1110+s.png (1081, 1110)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1079:-1111+s.png (1079, 1111)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|The Emperor Palpatine and his birds at the top of the hull.
|
:Guy: My emperor...
:Guy: We all share in your newfound enthusiasm for birdwatching.
:Guy: But normally one watches them in the wild, rather than drugging and imprisoning them in a house of stairs.
:Emperor: ''Silence.''
:Bird: Chirp
:Bird: Chirp
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6b/1608_1083x1109y_The_Emperor_Palpatine_and_his_birds_at_the_top_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1083:-1109+s.png (1083, 1109)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1084:-1109+s.png (1084, 1109)]
|Y
|
|
|
|House of Stairs may refer to the M. C. Escher {{w|House Of Stairs|lithograph}} with that title, but this is more likely to be a reference to the William Sleator novel {{w|House of Stairs (Sleator novel)|House Of Stairs}} (named for the Escher work) which features five teenage orphans who wake up inside an environment with similarities to that in the Escher print (but with normal gravity).
|-
|Coin behind the rear end at the top of the hull.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/01/1608_1087x1108y_Coin_behind_the_rear_end_at_the_top_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1087:-1108+s.png (1087, 1108)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|'''Entire Prince of Persia maze.'''
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/1608_Entire_Prince_of_Persia_maze.png Overview] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_Entire_Prince_of_Persia_maze_with_both_exits.png Including both exits]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|Computer game: {{w|Prince of Persia}}
|Compare to this [http://cdn.wikimg.net/strategywiki/images/a/a2/Princeofpersia_dos_level1.png picture of level 1] taken from the game.
|-
|Corridor left of Prince of Persia maze.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5b/1608_1073x1101y_Corridor_left_of_Prince_of_Persia_maze.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1073:-1101+s.png (1073, 1101)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1072:-1101+s.png (1072, 1101)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Left entrance to Prince of Persia maze.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/6c/1608_1076x1101y_Left_entrance_to_Prince_of_Persia_maze.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1076:-1101+s.png (1076, 1101)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1101+s.png (1077, 1101)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Left part of Prince of Persia maze.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/03/1608_1079x1102y_Left_part_of_Prince_of_Persia_maze.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1102+s.png (1077, 1102)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1080:-1102+s.png (1080, 1102)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Right part and exit of Prince of Persia maze.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1082x1101y_Right_part_and_exit_of_Prince_of_Persia_maze.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1082:-1101+s.png (1082, 1101)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1081:-1102+s.png (1081, 1102)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Right exit of Prince of Persia maze and shafts.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/42/1608_1084x1103y_Right_exit_of_Prince_of_Persia_maze_and_shafts.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1083:-1102+s.png (1083, 1102)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1083:-1103+s.png (1083, 1103)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Ant Queen and alarm ante room.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/10/1608_Ant_Queen_and_alarm_ante_room.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|In this section all rooms have the same dome shaped ceiling that goes a little below the walls of the corridors.
|-
|Corridor with alarm and trapped Cueball.
|
:Alarm: …Beep…
:Alarm: …Beep…
:Alarm: …Beep…
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/01/1608_1075x1094y_Corridor_with_alarm_and_trapped_Cueball.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1075:-1094+s.png (1075, 1094)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1074:-1094+s.png (1074, 1094)]
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Ant Queen in Destroyer.
|
:Cueball: What's up?
:Ant queen: The usual. Poopin' out ants.
:Cueball: Eww.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1078:-1095+s.png (1078, 1095)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1077:-1094+s.png (1077, 1094)]
|
|
|Y
|Comic: [[1610: Fire Ants]] and [[1641: Hot Dogs]]
|The ant comic was released only a week after this comic and refers how cool ants are. Ants are also used twice in TE A zoom in on an ant is used to indicate size in ''Earth's past'' and under the ''Tree'' in that explanation there is an ant colony where one ant is much bigger than the others; an ant queen, a clear reference to the ant queen in the Destroyer. The other comic is a discussion running along exactly the same template ending in ''Eww''.

This is probably a reference to a part of Orson Scott Card's "Xenocide" in his Ender series. In it, the main character, Ender, visits a hive queen "bugger" he saved on his travels and became friends with, at a time after the queen has settled in on a new planet. At one point, Ender brings other humans to meet the queen at a time when she was giving birth to some of her drones. This is most likely meant to represent a parody of that conversation or else represent a comedic idea of his first conversation with her when she had been birthing, where Ender is alone and is speaking to the Hive Queen. In this version, when he finds out that she is in the process of birthing more ants, rather than being compassionate and understanding with the Queen (as he is in the book), Ender is weirded out like the other humans he brings along with him later.
|-
|Entire shafts from top to bottom towards the rear end.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/ce/1608_Entire_shafts_from_top_to_bottom_towards_the_rear_end.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|This is the longest shaft in the Destroyer, and with the other shaft going out at the rear end, it is possible to go from the top room at the emperor and out beneath in a very short time.
|-
|Coin in the longest shaft.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1608_1084x1099y_Coin_in_the_longest_shaft.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1084:-1099+s.png (1084, 1099)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Cueball and Megan hanging on to each other in a shaft figuring this out.
|
:Cueball: Okay
:Cueball: We can figure this out.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c4/1608_1084x1095y_Cueball_and_Megan_hanging_on_to_each_other_in_a_shaft_figuring_this_out.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1084:-1095+s.png (1084, 1095)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Possibly a reference to a similar scene in "The Emperor's New Groove", although neither character here is obviously a llama.
|-
|Zoom out on light bulb with corridor and other room.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5b/1608_1084x1092y_Zoom_out_on_light_bulb_with_corridor_and_other_room.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Giant light bulb room.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1084x1090y_Giant_light_bulb_room.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1084:-1090+s.png (1084, 1090)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1085:-1090+s.png (1085, 1090)]
|
|
|Y
|
|In ''The pieces everything is made of'' in TE a light bulb is used as reference for the entry on tungsten as the filament in such bulbs is made from this element.
|-
|Hairbun proposition room and Cueball losing his sandwich at the rear end.
|
:Hairbun: Use a proposition instead of a preposition if you need something to end a sentence with, baby.

:Cueball: My sandwich!
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/63/1608_1086x1091y_Hair_Bun_Girl_proposition_room_and_Cueball_losing_his_sandwich_at_the_rear_end.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1086:-1091+s.png (1086, 1091)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1089:-1091+s.png (1089, 1091)]
|
|
|
|
|One comment is inside the other on the outside of the Destroyer. Cueballs sandwich will fall to the ground.
|-
|Coin bouncing out from a shaft below the hull.
|
:Coin: Bounce
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/44/1608_1086x1088y_Coin_bouncing_out_from_a_shaft_below_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1086:-1088+s.png (1086, 1088)]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1086:-1090+s.png (1086, 1090)]
|
|
|
|
|In relation to the colon interpretation (see above) then this would literally be the rear of this living space ship, and the coin is the waste going out the rear entry!
|-
|Megan hanging on below the bottom of the hull.
|
:Megan Hmm.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ee/1608_1082x1088y_Megan_hanging_on_below_the_bottom_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1082:-1088+s.png (1082, 1088)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Zoom out on shaft and small dead end room at the rear end.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/11/1608_1088x1098y_Zoom_out_on_shaft_and_small_dead_end_room_at_the_rear_end.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Zoom out on shafts and part of the rear end.
|
:(N/A)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/4/45/1608_1088x1105y_Zoom_out_on_shafts_and_part_of_the_rear_end.png Overview]
|Overview
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Coin in a small indentation corridor at the rear end.
|
:(None)
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/35/1608_1090x1102y_Coin_in_a_small_indentation_corridor_at_the_rear_end.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1090:-1102+s.png (1090, 1102)]
|
|
|
|
|
|Explanation missing
|-
|Megan wants synesthesia at the rear end at bottom of the hull.
|
:Megan: I want synesthesia so bad I can ''taste'' it.
|[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/9d/1608_1090x1088y_Megan_want_synesthesia_at_the_rear_end_at_bottom_of_the_hull.png Overview]
|[http://xkcd.com/1608/1090:-1088+s.png (1090, 1088)]
|
|
|
|
|Comic: [[1213: Combination Vision Test]]
|{{w|synesthesia}} is a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. One typical version is where numbers are perceived as having colors. This was used in the comic referenced. In this comic a wish for something makes Megan almost taste it. If she did indeed have this dysfunction, she might already have what she wished for... This is one of the rare incidences where there are two almost identically Megans in one scene.
|}

==Coins==
*There are 169 coins.
*For more details see here for [[1608: Hoverboard/Images coins|coins location]].
*The Coins are not part of the drawing.
**They are added later for the game, and they are superimposed on top of the image.
**This means they are always on top of the black parts of the image.
**There are no coins located over any part of the type of black that you cannot pass through.
**But in more than one occasion the coins cover some of the black parts that you can walk through.
***See example here [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0b/1608_with_coin_1070_1095.png with coin] vs. [http://xkcd.com/1608/1070:-1095+s.png without coin].
***The coin is here a lamp, and then when it is removed it reveals an exploded lamp beneath the coin, and also one more insect.
****This means that the coins can never be hidden by anything black, and although coins can be hidden away in a secret lair, they can never be hidden under water or lava or holes in the Washington Monument.
****Because if there were any coins in these dark areas, the coins would still be shown on top of the image.

==Technical aspects==
The game was made by [http://chromakode.com Max Goodman] who has previously worked on [[1416: Pixels]]. The source code for the game can be found [https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.js here].

===Image tiles and coordinates===
As previously noted, the comic bears considerable resemblance to [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The comic is made in much the same way, with 'drawn' images "glued" together to form a large "map", with the illusion of infinite bounds made possible through space saving techniques where blank tiles are not stored and are instead painted white. The boundary between blank squares and 'drawn' squares is made clear as any white space in the normal images has a very slight grey tint. Thus, seams between images and blank spaces can be discerned.

The tiles for the map are stored as simple PNG files in the naming scheme: X:-Y+s.png. An example from the starting tile can be seen here: http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1074+s.png, with the coordinate (X, Y) coordinate (1000, 1074).

Each file is 513x513 pixels in size, one pixel is reserved as overlap to ensure seamless joining of images. The image tiles names are listed as coordinates in an X - Y grid with X in the range from 928 to 1108 and Y in the range from 928 to 1112.

Internally in the game, the position of the player is given for instance as (X: 512187, -Y: -549668) for the starting position. Then these numbers are divided by 512 and rounded down. This gives the coordinate of the tile that the hoverboard is currently in.
:(X: 512187, -Y: -549668)/512 => (X, Y) = (1000.37, -[-1073,6]) => (1000, 1074) when the numbers are rounded down.
The bottom left corner of the first tile, would thus be (1000, 1073), and the top left corner (1000, 1074) => (512000, -549888).

The collision map is encoded in the darkness of the black. Using an image manipulation program, one can easily find the secret pathways even in the zoomed out maps provided below by enhancing the contrast of the dark areas.

====Play Area used as example====
*Using the Play Area as an example some of the features mentioned in this section will be explained.
**The images used below can be seen together [[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots#All of Play Area|here]].
*The hoverboard begins in in (X, Y) = [http://xkcd.com/1608/1000:-1074+s.png (1000, 1074)].
**But even while staying within the Play Area, defined as the area where you will not be told to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/Return_to_the_play_area.PNG Return to the Play Area], you can see all or part of 20 images.
***You can move one image left and right of the starting point before reaching the walls, and one image up without getting too high. But from there you can see part of the images one step further left, right and up, and from the starting level you can see part of the black images below as well.
***This makes it a 5 times 4 images rectangle.
*This first example shows a full size image combined from these 20 images that make up the play area starting in the top left corner with image [http://xkcd.com/1608/998:-1076+s.png (998, 1076)] and finishing down the right corner with image [http://xkcd.com/1608/1002:-1073+s.png (1002, 1073)].
**Here is only the images themselves, nothing with the game parts, i.e. coins and hoverboard Cueball:
***[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/eb/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Images_Only.png Play Area Full Size Images Only].
*This next example shows both where the tiles are and what you see to begin with, i.e. the starting view when loading the comic to begin with. Still without any in game details.
**Here the tiles are lines out with green and the view frame is in red. From this it can be seen that the view is somewhat larger than a single image.
**More precisely the view is 1.43 times longer and 1.34 higher than a tile giving an area almost twice as big (1.93 times), but only going about 1/3 of a tile length in each direction:
***[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Tiles_and_View.png Play Area Full Size Tiles and View].
*This third example shows the game version, with coins and hoverboard, but still the hole Play Area and hence also the read viewing square.
**This is included to indicate which coins can be seen to begin with and also how the view is centered around Cueball and the hoverboard.
**Cueballs center is also the center of the view. His center is defines as the line of his body in the X direction and just above his hands in the Y direction.
**The view is 12 times as high and 30 times as wide as the Cueball on hoverboard (and compared to a tile these numbers are 9.4 and 20.8 times).
***[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8b/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Coins_Hoverboard_and_View.png Play Area Full Size Coins Hoverboard and View].
*The last and fourth example is the same as above, but again with the green tiles.
**This to indicate the size of a tile compared to Cueball
**It also shows that although there are 12 coins in the starting view, the one at the top left is clearly in the image above, and the three other at the top are grazing the top edge of the image:
***[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a3/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Coins_Hoverboard_Tiles_and_View.png Play Area Full Size Coins Hoverboard Tiles and View].

===Functionality===
By observing page code while playing, the game grabs and displays images based on location, and subsequently clears all non-visible images. The game uses what seems to be a position syntax to retrieve the intended images live, and returns an error if such an image does not exist, such as a blank area. This technically means things could be added to the world and updated live. If the player is moving sufficiently fast or if the internet connection is slow, this means that the player can get stuck in a black area that does not load in time.

This also means that the game does not have coded top or bottom limits, so any attempt to find the ''ceiling'' of the game will be futile unless the game is tweaked. The game does however have side limits, and it is not possible to go down further than image with Y coordinate 1073 (and it goes down to 1069 in the full image), so there is a bottom limit in the game. If using a [[#Cheats and Exploits|cheat mode]] this may be different.

Opening the console will display the text: what? hoverboard not enough for you!? in the log. Activating goggles mode will cause the text 'B-)' to appear in the log.

===Bugs and errors===
*On a slow connection, it's possible to move into an 'open' area and then the black image loads in and (probably permanently, without tricks) traps you immobile.
*Sometimes the timing of the game is completely off. This can make the Cueball move extremely slowly. Or on the other extreme make him go faster so the images jumps and makes the graphic look horrible.
**This error was actually used to discover something about how you move when pressing the arrows - see under [[#Controls|Controls]].
*If the focus switches from the game to the page, the Cueball can freeze in midair. The same thing can happen if the window border overlaps the play area.

===Controls===
The keyboard controls are as follows:

*'''Go Left''' - Left arrow key, a or h
*'''Go Right''' - Right arrow key, d or l
*'''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Up arrow key, w, or k
*'''Go Down (if gravity disabled)''' - Down arrow key, s, or j

This control scheme covers the three commonly used directional key sets: WASD a set of keys commonly used by modern games; HJKL a set of movement keys used by vi and applications which attempt to mimic vi key controls (vim); and the arrow keys, the most generic set of keys which is usually accepted by most applications which take movement as input, these were commonly used in older games.

On devices which have a touch screen and tilt sensor (portable devices like mobile phones and tablets) the controls are as follows:
*'''Go Left''' - Roll the device anticlockwise
*'''Go Right''' - Roll the device clockwise
*'''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Tap the screen

After inspecting the source code, there appears to be no way to move down on a portable device, this is only relevant if gravity is disabled (see [[#Cheats and Exploits|Cheats and Exploits]]).

*If you keep down the left/right control you will keep moving along in that direction as long as no object blocks you.
*A jump will only take you a certain height.
**Then you drop down.
**The jump is fast to begin with, then gravity stops you and revert the direction.
**When descending again you accelerate to begin with but quickly reach a terminal velocity.
*If you jump repeatedly while keeping a left/right control down you will jump in that direction.
**But if you only jump one time, while keeping down the direction control, then you will stop moving forward after about 2.8s, from then on you will just keep falling straight down, or stop where you reached if on the ground.
**This makes quite a difference when you jump into an opening from a high structure. If the background is completely white, you cannot see that you do not continue to move forward, and will thus not be aware that you are now falling straight down, instead of going left/right.
**It can actually be quite difficult to notice as you will leave any structures that can indicate this issue very quickly.
***Of course if you notice that you land much too close to some high structure from where you base jumped, you will begin to understand. For instance falling off the floating rock, and not moving away from under neath it during that long fall.
***The timing was discovered because of one of the [[#Bugs and errors|bugs]] in the program that sometimes makes Cueball move extremely slow, so one jump takes more than 3s.
**The solution: if you wish to keep moving to either side while descending, is that after the jump, you release and repress the left/right control. Then you will continue moving in that direction as long as you do not jump again.
**As long as you continue to jump you will also keep moving laterally if you keep one of those buttons down. The is quite counter intuitive.
***This also means that when you jump up over a long distance (or continue to jump hover over the landscape), you will not have this issue, since every jump reactivates the lateral movement.
***But if you jump over a small obstacle and then just keep another arrow down, you will soon stop, which could fool you into believing that it was an obstacle on the ground that held you back.

===Cheats and Exploits===
Aside from the obvious ability to move out of bounds in the game, there are some more obscure hidden features which can't be enabled through normal gameplay, the ones found so far are as follows:

'''Modes''' are activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands. 
'''Click to expand:'''

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">

*'''Gandalf Mode:''' ''i.am.gandalf = true'' - jumps and runs further. displays a white gandalf hat that works well in places where the avatar can't be seen.
*'''Speedhack:''' ''explorer.opts.speed= *Value*'' - Speed hacking, with 1 = normal speed
*'''Jump Hack:''' '' explorer.opts.jumpForce= -*Value*'' - Jump hacking, with -10 = normal jump (positive values cause the hoverboard guy to move down when jumping)
*'''Mewtwo mode:''' ''mewtwo = true'' - disables gravity
*'''Noclip mode:''' ''noclip = true'' - player is able to move around the map without collision. Combine with Gandalf and Mewtwo modes for free easy map traversal.
*'''Goggles mode:''' ''ze.goggles()'' - displays a small window showing area around the player in a pixelated manner. The goggles indicate collision boundaries (where the player touches the world) in cyan lines. Black pixels that are passable (such as other characters or text) will be highlighted red (allowing secret passages to be discovered).
*'''Position Tracking:''' ''explorer.pos'' - Returns the player location to the console. Can be used to track position and test to ensure you are still moving. Must be re-entered to compare positioning.
*'''Position Setting:''' ''explorer.pos.x = *Value* or explorer.pos.y = *Value*'' - Can be used to manually set a position within the world. The start is at x: 512106, y: -549612. The left terrain bound is at x: 475210, y: -553711. The right terrain bound is at x: 567281, y: -549712. Mewtwo and Noclip modes are a must for exploring in this way.
* '''All the above:''' ''explorer.opts'' - Contains all the game's parameters. You can directly mess with ''gravity'', collision (''disableCollision''), jump force (''jumpForce'') and speed (''maxSpeed''), among others. Run ''Object.keys(explorer.opts)'' to list all available parameters you can tweak.
* '''List all coins:''' ''explorer.objects'' - Array containing the position of the 169 coins of the game.
* '''Disable tilt input:''' ''getEventListeners(window)['deviceorientation'][0].remove()'' - on Macs with motion sensor, disables tilt input which causes problems controlling the avatar

'''Getting All Coins: ''' To instantly get all coins, input the below into the console window. Does not use standard formatting of [i] to avoid conflicts with i.am.gandalf

for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
explorer.objects[T].got = true;
}

To teleport to the next coin every time you press the left or right arrow:

var T = 0;
document.onkeydown = function(event){
if (event.keyCode == 37) { T = T-1 }
else if (event.keyCode == 39) { T = T+1 }
else { return }
T = T % explorer.objects.length;
var coin = explorer.objects[T];
explorer.pos.x = coin.x1; explorer.pos.y = coin.y1;
}

For a quick tour of all the coins:

var delayInMilliseconds = 1000; // 1 second delay between each teleport. feel free to change this.
var index = 0;
explorer.objects.forEach(function(x){
setTimeout(function(){
explorer.pos.x = x.x1;
explorer.pos.y = x.y1;
x.got = true;
explorer.frame(); // forces a redraw
},
(index + 1) * delayInMilliseconds);
index++;
});

To see a list of coin coordinates you have not yet collected:

var coinsfound = 0;
for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
if (explorer.objects[T].got == true) {coinsfound++}
}
console.log(coinsfound);

To display the distance and direction to the closest coin (with inverted colors once you have all the coins):

function distance(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

function angle(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.atan2(dy, dx) * 180 / Math.PI;
}

function renderRadar() {
var mindist = 10000000000;
var closest = {
x1:512278.0, y1:-549613.0
};
var linecolor = "blue";
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (!I.got) {
var dist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, I.x1, I.y1);
if (dist < mindist) {
mindist = dist;
closest = I;
}
}
}
if (mindist == 10000000000) {
mindist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "blue") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "blue";
}
linecolor = "deepskyblue";
} else {
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "deepskyblue") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "deepskyblue";
}
}
var ang = angle(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
var indicator = "";
if (ang > 112.5 || ang < -112.5) {
indicator += "left";
}
if (ang < 67.5 && ang > -67.5) {
indicator += "right";
}
if (ang > -157.5 && ang < -22.5) {
indicator += " up";
}
if (ang > 22.5 && ang < 157.5) {
indicator += " down";
}
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML = "Distance: " + mindist.toFixed(1).toString() + " ";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += indicator + " (" + -ang.toFixed(1).toString() + "°)";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='circle' style='border: 1px solid black; border-radius: 50px; width: 100px; height: 100px; position:absolute; top:50px; left:25px'/>";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='line' style='width: 50px; height: 1px; background-color: " + linecolor + "; position:absolute; top:100px; left:75px; transform:rotate(" + ang + "deg); transform-origin:0% 0%'/>";
}

var d = document.createElement("div");
d.id = "radar";
d.style.position = "fixed";
d.style.left = "0px";
d.style.top = "0px";
d.style.width = "150px";
d.style.height = "160px";
d.style.border = "1px solid blue";
d.style.zIndex = "2";
d.style.backgroundColor = "deepskyblue";
d.style.color = "#8f8";
document.body.appendChild(d);

setInterval(renderRadar, 100);

To see how many coins you've collected:

var coinsfound = 0;
for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
if (explorer.objects[T].got == true) {coinsfound++}
}

console.log(coinsfound);

To display your current coordinates:

function renderRadar2() {
document.getElementById("radar2").innerHTML = "x: " + explorer.pos.x.toFixed(1).toString() + " y: " + explorer.pos.y.toFixed(1).toString()
}

var d = document.createElement("div")
d.id = "radar2"
d.style.position = "fixed"
d.style.left = "150px"
d.style.top = "0px"
d.style.width = "150px"
d.style.height = "35px"
d.style.border = "1px solid red"
d.style.zIndex = "2"
d.style.backgroundColor = "green"
d.style.color = "#8f8"
document.body.appendChild(d)

setInterval(renderRadar2, 1000)
</div>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:No title text]] 
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]] 
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Elon Musk]] 
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[[Category:Volcanoes]]

1230: Polar/Cartesian

2022-05-30T01:18:07Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1230
| date = June 26, 2013
| title = Will/Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Protip: Any two-axis graph can be re-labeled 'coordinates of the ants crawling across my screen as a function of time'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays upon the difference between reading a {{w|Polar coordinate system|polar coordinate plot}} and the more common {{w|Cartesian coordinate system|cartesian coordinate plot}}.

The graph purports to show the certainty in the viewers mind that it is a clockwise polar plot, as a function of time.

If seen as a Cartesian plot, the y (vertical) axis represents 'certainty' while the x (horizontal) axis represents 'time'. Each point on the plot is represented by two coordinates, the x-value and the y-value. As time increases, we move to the right and see the initial certainty of 50% decreases gradually to zero. That is, after a certain amount of time, we are certain that it is NOT a Polar plot.

In a Polar plot, each point on the plot is also located by two values, but in this case they are the radius (the distance from the origin) and the angle between the radius and an arbitrary starting line. Here, the radius represents 'certainty' and the angle to the vertical represents 'time'. In this view, we see that as time increases (as we move clockwise around the plot) the initial certainty (the same 50%) now ''increases'' to a final value of 100%. That is, after a certain amount of time, we are certain that it IS a Polar plot.

The intended joke seems to be that the graph is an exercise in confirmation bias. Whichever type you initially hypothesize is correct, that view will be confirmed by investigation. This is because the two different views are both correct - the graph can equally be considered a Cartesian or Polar plot. This is somewhat counter-intuitive.

Throughout the graph, the sum of the two probabilities is 100%, i.e. (polar-observer's certainty that the graph is polar) + (cartesian-observer's certainty that the graph is polar) = 100%. The shape of the graph appears to be (in clockwise polar form) r(t)=100/(1+cos(t)).

If the reader is open-minded, they would never reach certainty (0% / 100% depending on how you read the graph) because there isn't enough information to clearly decide either way.

The title text is a joke that if you are unsure how to label any two-axis (two-dimensional) graph, you can just say it represents the 'coordinates of the ants crawling across my screen as a function of time', and nobody could then argue with your data. "Hey, that's the path they walked!"

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Certainty that this is a clockwise polar plot, not a Cartesian one, as a function of time:
:[There is a graph. The Y axis is marked out from 0% to 100%. The X axis is unmarked. A red line starts at 50% and traces out a roughly parabolic trend downwards along the X axis.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2625: Field Topology

2022-05-30T01:12:46Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2625
| date = May 27, 2022
| title = Will Allen loves Field Topology
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = The combination croquet set/10-lane pool can also be used for some varieties of foosball and Skee-Ball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by SOMEBODY HOMEOMORPHIC TO YOUR DOG - We did a great job at explaining topology. Wonderful. Now if someone could just EXPLAIN THE FREAKING JOKE, that would be great! Remember to use words like "this is funny because" or "this implies" and add as much sarcasm and "citation needed"s as desired. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Field Topology is [https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Topological_field a subject in mathematics], but in this comic, Randall has taken the term literally. The comic strip depicts a situation where the common practice of multi-use athletic facilities has been organized by the "topology department" and constructed to be shared by all sports whose normal playing fields are {{w|topology|topologically equivalent}}. (Not to be confused with {{w|Field (mathematics)|mathematical fields}}, or the {{w|Fields Medal}} prize -- although successfully {{w|Straightedge and compass construction|constructing}} these fields might lead to medals of one kind or another being granted).

In topology, shapes which can be smoothly deformed into one another without adding or removing holes are considered to be "equivalent". Note that a topological hole is an area of the nominal space (or area, or other manifold) through which nothing restricted to this topology can pass. In describing a real-world archway, for example, this would be where the material of the arch is, not the actual 'hole' passing ''through'' the constructed arch, which is the path that one indeed may (or must!) pass through to get from one region of the layout to another. A loop is a path across the allowable territory of a topology (or a viable circuit to make through the world it describes) that end up where it started. If a loop cannot be tightened (ultimately adjusted to take a shorter path) down to a single point, then it must be wrapped around at least one 'topological hole' (i.e. through a physical one), and you have separately unique paths (or points, i.e. on different disconnected topologies) where you cannot adjust one loop to take the route of another, without severing a looped-path and reconnecting it.

{{w|Baseball}}, and {{w|tetherball}} are played on fields without any holes that the ball or players can completely pass through, so they are ({{w|Group (mathematics)|grouped}}) (physically and mathmatically) into one continuous field without holes. The goals on a {{w|soccer}} field presumably do not create holes because the goalposts and crossbar are connected to the field by the net, so the goals and field are topologically equivalent to a smooth disc. Any path taken into and out of the goal (any number of times) is topologically equivalent to one that does not go into this pocket of space at all.

{{w|Volleyball}} and {{w|badminton}} are played on a court through the center of which passes a net suspended from poles, and the {{w|high jump}} has a bar that contestants jump over. The space bounded by the bottom of the net (or bar), the supporting poles, and the ground can be considered to be a hole, a path over and under the net/bar cannot be simplified to one that does not, so their fields all have one "hole".

A basketball court has two physical pathable holes, the nets. Parallel bars can be thought of as two rectangles and thus as two topographical "holes". Both have opportunities to path through either (or both) structures, and so the material of the structures define a hole in the topological abstract of the playing 'surface'. Since we are told that these sports fields belong to the Topology Department - and are not necessarily generalized to all sports fields - we may safely assume that their "football" field is for "American football" and uses the older H-shaped football goals rather than the more modern Y-shaped ones. An "H" shaped goal creates a topological hole under the crossbar at both ends of the field. A more modern football field with Y-shaped goals would have no holes.

The lane dividers in a swimming pool create bounded holes on the 'playing surface' equivalent to one less than the number of lanes. And each hoop in croquet is a hole with one edge bounded by the playing surface. Similarly, as mentioned in the title text, this configuration is also {{w|homeomorphism|homeomorphic}} to a {{w|foosball}} table (with each rod sustaining the player figures above the table defining a hole) or a {{w|Skee-Ball}} lane (which is even more straightforward, as it is just a plane with several holes in which to throw balls).

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

A row of four signs, each held up by two posts, followed by a row of four roughly lozange shapes, one for each sign. The signs and lozange shapes are shaded as if three-dimensional objects, all being flattish with a small third dimension. The four oblongs are presented at an oblique angle, as if they are in "front" of the signs extending towards the viewer. All but the first oblong have various numbers of holes "through" them.

zero holes: "Baseball. Soccer. Tetherball."

one hole: "Volleyball. Badminton. High jump."

two holes: Basketball. Football. Parallel bars."

nine holes: "Olympic swimming. Croquet."

Image caption: "No one ever wants to use the topology department's athletic fields."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sport]]

1363: xkcd Phone

2022-05-30T01:07:39Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1363
| date = May 2, 2014
| title = Will Allen doesn't use the xkcd Phone
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Presented in partnership with Qualcomm, Craigslist, Whirlpool, Hostess, LifeStyles, and the US Chamber of Commerce. Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts. Price includes 2-year Knicks contract. Phone may extinguish nearby birthday candles. If phone ships with Siri, return immediately; do not speak to her and ignore any instructions she gives. Do not remove lead casing. Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal. Volume adjustable (requires root). If you experience sudden tingling, nausea, or vomiting, perform a factory reset immediately. Do not submerge in water; phone will drown. Exterior may be frictionless. Prolonged use can cause mood swings, short-term memory loss, and seizures. Avert eyes while replacing battery. Under certain circumstances, wireless transmitter may control God.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of a multitude of mobile-technology related issues that, when brought together, create a general satire of smartphone advertising. It was the first entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]] with the next [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]] released about nine months later.

The advertised features here either make previously useful capabilities useless or add features nobody wants. Except for "your mobile world (going) digital", which is old news.

The first generation of cell phones (introduced in the early 1980s) used analog radio signals to send voice traffic - and this was the standard used by the first ever smartphone, the IBM Simon. But the second generation (2G) standards, introduced from 1991 onwards, were digital, and analog services had been phased out by 2010 in most countries, long before this comic was published in 2014.

To market something as "going digital" implies that the corporation has found a way to integrate computers and/or the internet into a market that previously existed without them; the market for mobile phones has ''always'' involved computers,{{Citation needed}} making the xkcd phone's marketing feel dated and clueless.

=== Explanations of features ===
From the top, going clockwise:
*'''Custom blend OS:''' iOS and Android are offered by different conglomerates and run on different kernels ({{w|Darwin (operating system)|Darwin}} and {{w|Linux kernel|Linux}}, respectively). A "custom blend" would probably be a nightmare to work with.
*'''Simulates alternative speed of light:''' This renders the clock useless as a means of telling time. The {{w|speed of light}} is 299,792,458 meters per second; relativistic effects, such as {{w|time dilation}}, are only noticeable at significant fractions of the speed of light. Since the phone is simulating a much slower speed of light, driving at even highway speeds will cause a significant amount of time dilation. For example, driving at 90 mph (90% of the default simulated speed of light) will give a time dilation factor of about 2.29, causing the clock to advance only 26 minutes for each hour; driving at exactly 100 mph makes the dilation factor infinite and will stop the clock entirely. Driving beyond 100 mph would make the clock start advancing through imaginary/complex time rather than real time, somehow, or maybe the phone will refuse to travel faster than 100 mph.
*'''Wireless:''' as in cordless phone. This is the bare minimum a phone has to have in order to be a mobile phone, so advertising it as a feature feels dated by decades. The alternative explanation, as in the phone has no wires at all, even inside, would render the phone either useless or extremely advanced technologically.
*'''Accelerometer screams in free fall:''' A humorous function. Rather than having some sort of feature to prevent breakage or cracking when a drop is detected, the phone just makes you more aware of its potential imminent doom.
*'''When exposed to light, phone says "Hi!":''' Bait and switch, and also a build from the previous joke. The implied feature is that the screen or camera will automatically adjust, but instead the phone is weirdly anthropomorphized. This may also be an annoying feature as many people's phones are exposed to light quite frequently.{{citation needed}}
*'''FlightAware partnership:''' This is a reference to the [http://www.flightaware.com/ FlightAware] flight tracking service. This FlightAware partnership results in the phone playing airplane engine noise whenever a flight passes over the phone's current location, an annoying and arbitrary feature. It may also be superfluous, as such noise may be heard from the plane itself, depending on altitude.
**This app was referenced in [[1660: Captain Speaking]].
*'''Realistic case:''' possibly a joke on various audiovisual devices like gaming consoles that advertise realistic sound, graphics, etc. Of course, applying "realistic" to an actual physical case is ridiculous. Either the case is actually real, or it doesn't actually function as a case. Possible reference to [[331: Photoshops]], where [[Cueball]] finds a physical object to not look realistic. Could also be a reference to "case" as in "best case" or "worst case", which would make this the realistic case. This would also be ridiculous.
*'''Clear screen:''' This is a pointless descriptor from the perspective of the consumer. Of course the screen is clear.{{Citation needed}} This joke works in tandem with the previous joke, as a play on "clear case, realistic screen," which are both hypothetically viable selling points. It could also mean that the screen is clear all the way through, allowing you to see the electronics inside.
*'''Side Facing Camera:''' There was a recent controversy surrounding an [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spy-cam-peek-i Indiegogo for a surreptitious, side-mounted camera device] for smartphones due to the advertisement of the device as a good way to take creep shots, which are illegal in many places. Widespread dissemination of these devices as a built-in feature would likely result in a sharp increase in delinquency of this nature. May also be an ''ad absurdum'' extension of devices with both forward and backward facing cameras.

==== Title text ====
The ominous warnings and disclaimers in the title text are probably a reference to the ''Saturday Night Live'' parody ad for {{w|Happy Fun Ball}} ([https://youtu.be/GmqeZl8OI2M watch on YouTube]).

*'''Presented in partnership with Qualcomm, Craigslist, Whirlpool, Hostess, LifeStyles, and the US Chamber of Commerce.''' {{w|Qualcomm}} is a semiconductor company that designs and produces chips for mobile phones. {{w|Whirlpool Corporation}} is a large American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, while {{w|Whirlpool (website)|Whirlpool}} is a prominent Australian tech forum website, originally created for discussion of Australian broadband providers but now extending to cover general tech topics, including mobile phones. The other companies and lobbying organizations mentioned here have no association with mobile phones , though there is a long history of unrelated companies attempting to leverage their respective brands to help promote each other. The {{w|US Chamber of Commerce}} is a lobbyist group known for sponsoring political campaign ads, so their partnership with a phone manufacturer would imply some sort of political motive to its design.
*'''Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts.''' A warning often seen on candy and other foods for people with a peanut allergy. It is highly unlikely that equipment used to produce mobile phones would also process food.{{Citation needed}}
*'''Price includes 2-year Knicks contract.''' Mobile phones are often sold by phone companies in combination with a cell phone contract. The {{w|New York Knicks|Knicks}}, a team with a history of questionable personnel decisions, might in fact be willing to offer 2-year contracts (worth at least $1,100,000) to cellular phone purchasers regardless of their skill at basketball, though the vast majority of customers wouldn't be interested.
*'''Phone may extinguish nearby birthday candles.''' A rather oddly specific capability, which might also be annoying for anyone attempting to host a birthday party. As to how it would do this, a very powerful directional speaker would be able to blow out a nearby candle, but the speakers in mobile phones aren't going to be that big. It is also difficult to work out how the phone would detect and identify birthday candles. Perhaps when the phone senses light from candles, it says "hi" (see above) so loudly that they blow out.
*'''If phone ships with Siri, return immediately; do not speak to her and ignore any instructions she gives.''' {{w|Siri}} is a virtual personal assistant application for Apple devices. Not speaking to it and not following its instructions would defeat its purpose. It may suggest that a malevolent "Siri AI" has sneaked itself onto some devices, at the manufacturing stage, for some diabolical purpose. This may be a reference to the Companion Cube in the game {{w|Portal (video game)|Portal}}, in which the player is instructed by GLaDOS to disregard its advice if the cube appears to be animate, or it may be a reference to the [[1450: AI-Box Experiment|AI-Box Experiment]], in which allowing the AI to engage you in conversation will almost certainly result in it successfully convincing you to let it out of the box (here, probably connecting the phone to a data network).
*'''Do not remove lead casing.''' A mobile phone encased in lead would not function because it could not transmit or receive data. Devices that emit high levels of ionizing radiation are often encased in lead, but a phone that would emit that level of radiation would be unhealthy to carry around. If encased in sufficient lead to mitigate the danger, it would be uncomfortably heavy. This might be reference to [[925: Cell Phones]] where Randall makes fun of the {{w|WHO}} claiming that cell phones might cause cancer despite huge studies showing the opposite. This could also mean the device is an actual bananaphone as regular phones emit no ionizing radiation ([http://xkcd.com/radiation xkcd Radiation Dose Chart]). Regrettably, the lead casing would render the phone inedible, although this somewhat mitigates the issues with having been manufactured on equipment that also processes peanuts.
*'''Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal.''' Some plants, like the {{w|Venus flytrap}}, attract and trap insects, but mobile phones are not known to exhibit this behavior.{{Citation needed}} This could possibly be a play on software ''bugs'' being introduced to the phone more easily than usual, depending on the specifics of its operating system (made much more likely by its apparent custom-made blended OS (see above)). Also may be a reference to {{w|Rasberry crazy ants}} which are attracted to electronics.
*'''Volume adjustable (requires root).''' {{w|Android rooting|Rooting}} is the method to gain privileged access on Android phones, allowing one to access features that normal users would not and should not normally modify. Adjusting the volume should be available to any user and should not be restricted to root access only.{{Citation needed}}
*'''If you experience sudden tingling, nausea, or vomiting, perform a factory reset immediately.''' These symptoms are usually associated with chemical or {{w|radiation poisoning}}. It is unclear why these would be cured by a {{w|factory reset}}, though software apps could plausibly be used to display nauseating visual effects. Radiation poisoning as a possible cause may also relate to the lead casing mentioned above. It is unclear how a (software-only) factory reset would repair a damaged lead casing. This may also be a reference to the series of similar disclaimers at the end of many medical advertisements.
*'''Do not submerge in water; phone will drown.''' Most phones are not waterproof and will probably short-circuit when submerged. The specific term of drowning would however imply that the phone breathes air (which actually would be possible if it had a {{w|Lithium–air battery}}).
*'''Exterior may be frictionless.''' The front of a smartphone is usually made of glass and should have a surface with very low friction. The back of a phone is usually made from a material that has higher friction to make it pleasant to hold and to make sure it doesn't slide off objects it is placed on. A [[669: Experiment|completely frictionless surface]] would make it almost impossible to hold and would make it very susceptible to drops (at which point the phone will scream).
*'''Prolonged use can cause mood swings, short-term memory loss, and seizures.''' These are all side effects that are associated with certain kinds of medication or radiation treatment of the brain and would not be acceptable for mobile phones. This may be the explanation for the memory loss in [[1660: Captain Speaking]].
*'''Avert eyes while replacing battery.''' Actions that would warrant averting your eyes are usually associated with high-intensity light capable of causing eye damage. Depending on the specific energy source, this may be accompanied by high levels of other types of radiation (e.g. making an {{w|X-ray}} photo). This may hint that the phone might be powered by a {{w|radionuclide}} battery which would explain the lead casing and the possible radiation side effects. A phone that emits X-ray radiation would not be healthy to be around. Alternately, this may be a reference to the {{w|Ark Of The Covenant}}, implying that gazing upon the battery or the compartment wall behind it is forbidden on pain of severe punishment. Or merely that with its back removed the phone would be naked, and the user should avert their eyes to preserve the phone's modesty.
*'''Under certain circumstances, wireless transmitter may control God.''' In {{w|monotheistic religions}}, God is the omnipotent creator of the universe; the very notion that He could be controlled is both heretical and, under some definitions of omnipotence, impossible (under others, omnipotence includes the ability to be or not to be controlled).

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone standing up with a small dot on the side and a single button at the bottom. Many labels are pointing to different parts of it. Clockwise from the top left they read:]
:Runs custom blend of Android and iOS
:Simulates alternative speed of light (default: 100 miles per hour) and adjusts clock as phone accelerates
:Wireless
:Accelerometer detects when phone is in free fall and makes it scream
:When exposed to light, phone says "Hi!"
:FlightAware partnership: Makes airplane noise when flights pass overhead
:Realistic case
:Clear screen
:Side-facing camera

:''Introducing''
:<big><big>'''The xkcd Phone'''</big></big>
:Your mobile world just went digital®

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Religion]] 
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]

11: Barrel - Part 2

2022-05-30T01:02:07Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 11
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Will Allen loves a good Barrel - Part 2
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Awww.
}}

==Explanation==
Like in the previous comic in the Barrel series, the boy is floating in the ocean in a barrel. The previous comic made a point about the uncertainty of life; here, the boy's lament at not finding a mother is pure sentimentality, as accentuated by the title text.

According to Freud, the first stage of psycho-sexual development is the Oral Stage, which relates to a baby's relationship with its mother. The realization that 'mommy' cannot be found is the first point at which a person learns to stop trusting the world and realizes that the world is not always comforting and safe.

This is the second in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] that is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character is in a barrel.

After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on xkcd, it has been clear that the original [[Ferret]] story should also be included as part of the barrel series.

The full series can be found [[:Category:Barrel|here]]. But below they are listed in the order Randall has put them in his collection linked to above:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[A boy sits in a barrel which is floating in an ocean.]
:Boy: none of the places i floated had mommies.

==Trivia==
*This was the 13th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[14: Copyright]].
**The next was [[15: Just Alerting You]].
*This comic kept it's original title: "Barrel - Part 2 "
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "The story continues."
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
*The drawing style is very reminiscent of the {{w|The Little Prince|Little Prince}}.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 13]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 13]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Barrel|03]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 02]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

1058: Old-Timers

2022-05-30T00:57:51Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1058
| date = May 21, 2012
| title = Old-Timers (but more importantly, Will Allen)
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = You were on the internet before I was born? Well, so was I.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic the man with the beard thinks he is {{w|Leet}} and tries to show this to his conversations partner by calling her {{w|Newbie|noob}} (see also {{w|Leet#n00b|n00b}}). He claims that he has been on the internet since the BBS days, and thus long before his conversation partner was even born.

A {{w|Bulletin Board System}}, or BBS, is an online service based on microcomputers running appropriate software. They were the precursors to modern day online forums.

However, he is up against [[Science Girl]] who tells him he is wrong. She explains that her parents took samples of their sperm and egg and {{w|Genome#Sequencing_and_mapping|sequenced}} the {{w|DNA}}. The resulting {{w|genome}} was then e-mailed to the {{w|J. Craig Venter Institute|Venter Institute}} where they synthesized the genome and used this to create the egg and sperm that became Science Girl.

The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is a non-profit genomics research institute founded by {{w|J. Craig Venter}}, Ph.D. in October 2006. Although what Science Girl is describing may be possible this comic must take place in the future as this has not yet been used to create human beings.

Her point though is, that the man is wrong when he says that he has been on the internet. When you are "on-line" you are really just looking on the screen where the results found "on" the internet is displayed. So he has been '''looking''' at the internet. The girl's genome (which is basically the closest you can come to the data a computer would need to create you) has been sent on-line in an e-mail. So in her words, she has actually '''been''' there.

Objectively, the Science Girl is just as bad as her adult conversational partner; simply being the most significant advancement in test tube babies in over two decades doesn't prove anything about your personal knowledge or experience. ''Subjectively'', however, her reputation alone is more than enough to stun and thus "defeat" anyone who actually understands her special heritage, as well as of course her pun and correction regarding being and looking on the internet. It is also worth noting that it was technically her parents' sex cells, not her, which traversed the internet.

The title text is another common retort from "old timers" that they have been doing X since before the younger person was born. In this case, Science Girl accepts that the old timer was "on the Internet" before she was born, but so was she... At least in the form of her genetic information.

==Transcript==
:[A man with black hair and a neck beard types away at his computer screen.]
:Man (typing): Whatever, noob. I've been on the internet since the BBS days.
:Screen (reply from the noob): ''Wrong.''
: ''type type''

:[The noob turns out to be Science Girl, with two hair buns, who kneels on her chair, typing at a laptop on a table in this frame-less panel.]
:Science Girl (typing): Before I was born, a lab took egg and sperm samples from my parents and sequenced the DNA.
:''type type''

:[The man sits at his desk, reading his screen.]
:Screen (Science Girls writing): They emailed the genome to the Venter Institute, where they synthesized the genome and implanted it into sperm and eggs which became me.

:[Science Girl still typing on the laptop.]
:Science Girl (typing): So, no.
:Science Girl (typing): You've '''''looked''''' at the internet.
:Science Girl (typing): I've '''''been''''' there.
:''type type''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Internet]]

2625: Field Topology

2022-05-30T00:55:45Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2625
| date = May 27, 2022
| title = Will Allen teaches Field Topology
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = The combination croquet set/10-lane pool can also be used for some varieties of foosball and Skee-Ball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by SOMEBODY HOMEOMORPHIC TO YOUR DOG - We did a great job at explaining topology. Wonderful. Now if someone could just EXPLAIN THE FREAKING JOKE, that would be great! Remember to use words like "this is funny because" or "this implies" and add as much sarcasm and "citation needed"s as desired. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Field Topology is [https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Topological_field a subject in mathematics], but in this comic, Randall has taken the term literally. The comic strip depicts a situation where the common practice of multi-use athletic facilities has been organized by the "topology department" and constructed to be shared by all sports whose normal playing fields are {{w|topology|topologically equivalent}}. (Not to be confused with {{w|Field (mathematics)|mathematical fields}}, or the {{w|Fields Medal}} prize -- although successfully {{w|Straightedge and compass construction|constructing}} these fields might lead to medals of one kind or another being granted).

In topology, shapes which can be smoothly deformed into one another without adding or removing holes are considered to be "equivalent". Note that a topological hole is an area of the nominal space (or area, or other manifold) through which nothing restricted to this topology can pass. In describing a real-world archway, for example, this would be where the material of the arch is, not the actual 'hole' passing ''through'' the constructed arch, which is the path that one indeed may (or must!) pass through to get from one region of the layout to another. A loop is a path across the allowable territory of a topology (or a viable circuit to make through the world it describes) that end up where it started. If a loop cannot be tightened (ultimately adjusted to take a shorter path) down to a single point, then it must be wrapped around at least one 'topological hole' (i.e. through a physical one), and you have separately unique paths (or points, i.e. on different disconnected topologies) where you cannot adjust one loop to take the route of another, without severing a looped-path and reconnecting it.

{{w|Baseball}}, and {{w|tetherball}} are played on fields without any holes that the ball or players can completely pass through, so they are ({{w|Group (mathematics)|grouped}}) (physically and mathmatically) into one continuous field without holes. The goals on a {{w|soccer}} field presumably do not create holes because the goalposts and crossbar are connected to the field by the net, so the goals and field are topologically equivalent to a smooth disc. Any path taken into and out of the goal (any number of times) is topologically equivalent to one that does not go into this pocket of space at all.

{{w|Volleyball}} and {{w|badminton}} are played on a court through the center of which passes a net suspended from poles, and the {{w|high jump}} has a bar that contestants jump over. The space bounded by the bottom of the net (or bar), the supporting poles, and the ground can be considered to be a hole, a path over and under the net/bar cannot be simplified to one that does not, so their fields all have one "hole".

A basketball court has two physical pathable holes, the nets. Parallel bars can be thought of as two rectangles and thus as two topographical "holes". Both have opportunities to path through either (or both) structures, and so the material of the structures define a hole in the topological abstract of the playing 'surface'. Since we are told that these sports fields belong to the Topology Department - and are not necessarily generalized to all sports fields - we may safely assume that their "football" field is for "American football" and uses the older H-shaped football goals rather than the more modern Y-shaped ones. An "H" shaped goal creates a topological hole under the crossbar at both ends of the field. A more modern football field with Y-shaped goals would have no holes.

The lane dividers in a swimming pool create bounded holes on the 'playing surface' equivalent to one less than the number of lanes. And each hoop in croquet is a hole with one edge bounded by the playing surface. Similarly, as mentioned in the title text, this configuration is also {{w|homeomorphism|homeomorphic}} to a {{w|foosball}} table (with each rod sustaining the player figures above the table defining a hole) or a {{w|Skee-Ball}} lane (which is even more straightforward, as it is just a plane with several holes in which to throw balls).

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

A row of four signs, each held up by two posts, followed by a row of four roughly lozange shapes, one for each sign. The signs and lozange shapes are shaded as if three-dimensional objects, all being flattish with a small third dimension. The four oblongs are presented at an oblique angle, as if they are in "front" of the signs extending towards the viewer. All but the first oblong have various numbers of holes "through" them.

zero holes: "Baseball. Soccer. Tetherball."

one hole: "Volleyball. Badminton. High jump."

two holes: Basketball. Football. Parallel bars."

nine holes: "Olympic swimming. Croquet."

Image caption: "No one ever wants to use the topology department's athletic fields."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sport]]

1027: Pickup Artist

2022-05-30T00:54:42Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1027
| date = March 9, 2012
| title = Will Allen the Pickup Artist
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Son, don't try to play 'make you feel bad' with the Michael Jordan of making you feel bad.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Hairy]] and [[Cueball]] are sitting at a table with drinks. Hairy tells Cueball that he's learned some {{w|pickup artist}} tricks. Cueball is appalled, declaring that pickup artists are "dehumanizing creeps". Hairy argues that he's simply learning new tactics such as "[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=negging negging]" (undercutting the target's self-esteem so that she'll feel vulnerable and crave approval), evidently oblivious to the fact that he's proving Cueball's point. Rejecting Cueball's advice to simply talk to women "like a fucking human being", Hairy sets off to try out the technique.

Meanwhile, [[Black Hat]] and [[Danish]] are sitting at another table. Black Hat leaves to roll a bowling ball through the restroom stalls to smash the feet of anyone there using them. In North America, public restrooms usually have a 1-foot (30 cm) gap between the floor and the bottom of the stall dividers. As people sit down to use a stall most of the time, their feet would be vulnerable to being hit in sequence. Perhaps Black Hat is going for a 'strike'. Hairy approaches Danish, while Cueball looks on and says "oh no" — seemingly recognizing Danish and anticipating the disaster Hairy is walking into, or perhaps simply not wanting Hairy to use his tricks on anyone.

Hairy makes an attempt at "negging" by suggesting that Danish's fruit plate reflects a need to lose weight. Danish, naturally being a master at psychological manipulation, immediately realizes his game, and crushes him utterly by taking [[440: Road Rage|another shot in the psychological dark]] — telling him that he's trapped in an endless cycle of failure because he's ultimately a mediocre person and will never do anything of value with his life. Demoralized, Hairy declares that he needs to go home and think about his life; Danish tells him, "It won't help.” (This may be a reference to the "deathsticks" scene in ''Star Wars: Attack of the Clones''.) Of course, once Black Hat discovers his shenanigans, Hairy might not have much more life to rethink.

The title text refers to {{w|Michael Jordan}}, a very popular and accomplished {{w|basketball}} player who played for the {{w|Chicago Bulls}} and the {{w|Washington Wizards}}. His name is often used as a noun to denote that someone is the best in their field, which is later used in [[1120: Blurring the Line]].

The pick up subject and Hairy returned in [[1178: Pickup Artists]], where he tries to improve his skills (which he must have felt he needed after this experience), by hanging out with other pickup artists, thus the plural version of the comic title. This comic is one of a small set of comics with the same or almost the same title as another comic (only plural form of artist the difference).

==Transcript==
:[Hairy and Cueball sitting at a table.]
:Hairy: I've been learning tricks from pickup artist forums.
:Cueball: Pickup artists are dehumanizing creeps who see relationships as adversarial and women as sex toys.

:[Close-up of Hairy's head, with a faint outline of Black hat and Danish sitting at a table in the background.]
:Hairy: No, it's just a bunch of tips! Like ''negging'': you belittle chicks to undermine their self-confidence so they'll be more vulnerable and seek your approval.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: Just talk to them like a fucking human being.
:Hairy: Nah, that's a sucker's game.
:Hairy: Ok— wish me luck!

:[Small frame across top of panel reads ''Meanwhile...'' and Danish is sitting at a table with Black hat standing next to the table holding a bowling ball under his arm.]
:Black Hat: I'm going to the bathroom to roll a bowling ball down under the line of stalls.
:Danish: Cool.

:[Close up of Cueball's head, with Hairy approaching Danish's table in the background.]
:Cueball: Oh no.

:[Hairy and Danish at a table. Hairy is standing up and leaning on the table.]
:Hairy: You look like you're on a diet. That's great!
:Hairy: How's the fruit plate?

:[Close-up of Danish's head.]
:Danish: Ooh- are we negging?
:Danish: Let me try!

:[Close-up of Danish's head, with her hand raised.]
:Danish: You look like you're going to spend your life having one epiphany after another, always thinking you've finally figured out what's holding you back, and how you can finally be productive and creative and turn your life around.
:Danish: But nothing will ever change. That cycle of mediocrity isn't due to some obstacle. It's who you ''are''.
:Danish: The thing standing in the way of your dreams
:Danish: is that the person having them is ''you''.

:[Hairy and Danish at a table. Hairy is standing up.]
:Danish: Ok, your turn! Ooh, try insulting my hair!
:Hairy: I think I need to go home and think about my life.
:Danish: It won't help.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Pickup Artist01]]

1269: Privacy Opinions

2022-05-30T00:51:34Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1269
| date = September 25, 2013
| title = Privacy Opinions of Will Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = I'm the Philosopher until someone hands me a burrito.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is about opinions on internet privacy in general. Six positions are offered as options. Four of the positions are tagged negatively by [[Randall]] by their subtitles alone: the Crypto Nut, the Conspiracist, the Nihilist, and the Exhibitionist, all of which have negative meanings in contemporary English. That the viewer is encouraged to identify negatively with these four positions is further encouraged by the content of the panels, as those characters are depicted either as having such boring lives that they have no need for privacy (the Crypto Nut, the Nihilist), or as being crazy (the Conspiracist, the Exhibitionist).

A fifth position, the Philosopher, is tagged somewhat ambivalently by Randall: Megan, or possibly a look-alike, is depicted as boring her interlocutor, yet in the title text, Randall admits that he is usually the Philosopher. Also, “Philosopher” in vernacular English is neutrally valenced, potentially having the ability to expound either wisdom ("sophia") or {{w|Sophist#Modern_usage|sophistry}}. It is also a synonym for Sage, the sixth position. As Randall condones his own movement from Philosopher to Sage, he thus indicates that the Philosopher is to be viewed negatively, even if it is a tempting position to hold.

The title of the sixth position, the “Sage”, is positively valenced in contemporary English, and the author in the title text states that once he obtains a “burrito” — i.e., a “real” thing, he switches from the Philosopher to the Sage. The internal evidence presented thus far therefore is entirely consistent; Randall encourages the reader to identify with the Sage. However, the choice of [[Beret Guy]] to represent the Sage undercuts this somewhat as Beret Guy is frequently seen as bizarrely disconnected from reality in a way that is maladaptive (e.g. [[1030: Keyed]]) and overly obsessed with food to the point of creating trouble and potential self-harm (e.g. [[452: Mission]]).

By presenting five negatively tagged positions followed by a positively tagged sixth and final one, the author follows a rhetorical commonplace of listing and refuting a number of positions one by one, concluding with the favored and best one, which is not refuted and should be accepted both on its own merits and by virtue of being the last one standing. The comic therefore implies that no other (significant) positions exist.

Having completed the rhetorical analysis of the comic, we are now in a position to understand the meaning of “Internet Privacy”.

Panels #3 and 5 directly reference the American NSA. Panel #5's “exhibitionist” also references Google, but the characters in the panel appear to be NSA agents (one wears an official cap and they are viewing the exhibitionist on an official, government-looking monitor). Likewise, the focus of the “Nihilist” is that the joke is on the people who gather the data, rather than those who are subsequently able to make use of it (such as Facebook's users rather than “Facebook” itself; i.e., Facebook's employees and, by extension, its advertisers). The content of the actual data is only mentioned in panels #2, 4, and 5, and in each panel, it is suggested that it is meaningless or trivial. The Sage underscores the notion that any data known about him does not bother him, and therefore must be meaningless or trivial. The reader is thus encouraged to believe that it does not actually matter whether others discover personal data about him/her.

The comic is therefore what social theorists call '''reductive''', because it reduces the range of possibilities of “Opinions on Internet Privacy” to an artificially and simplistically narrow subset; in this case, individuals concerned with government or corporate agencies using data that they have gathered on individuals, and the futility of worrying about such things. The comic does not admit the possibility of other “opinions on internet privacy” – namely, that individuals might have legitimate concerns with governmental or corporate uses of their data, let alone other individuals' access to data that is assembled and distributed by corporations such as Facebook. The comic likewise does not consider the possibility of individuals having more interesting lives than the characters depicted, and therefore very real concerns about their privacy due to the activities that they engage in that are potentially more career limiting (should they be discovered) than obsessing about cryptography or eating a burrito.

The comic is “functionally” reductive, as opposed to “intentionally” reductive, because the reduction is the function or effect of the comic for readers who read it straightforwardly. There is not enough internal evidence in the comic to maintain that the author intentionally excluded other viable opinions on internet privacy; it could be that they are just not on his radar. For example, we do not have enough information in the comic to claim that Randall is against civil rights; it could be simply that he doesn't often think about them. Likewise, it would exceed the evidence of the comic to claim that the author believes that schoolteachers who use the internet to facilitate legal but frowned-upon sexual behaviors should lose their jobs if they are found out due to internet privacy breaches; it could be that Randall simply hasn't bothered to worry about these matters if they don't affect him personally. This adjudication – whether the comic is “intentionally” reductive or not – may only be made on the basis of external evidence; that is, data known about [[Randall]] from sources beyond this comic.

An alternative interpretation of the title text is that it is not Randall speaking his own opinion, but instead represents Beret Guy's (i.e. the “Sage's”) perspective. Randall may indeed have some concern with internet privacy, which would be consistent with the views on open-source security expressed in [[463: Voting Machines]], for example. In other cases, such as [[1490: Atoms]] and [[1419: On the Phone]], the title text has been used as additional, farcical statements made by characters in the strip, rather than as Randall expressing his own views. Under this interpretation, Beret Guy would be prone to philosophizing about security, but then be easily distracted by a burrito; this is consistent with Beret Guy's general behavior.

Additional observations about the comic follow.

*The {{w|Philosopher}} - the intellectual who likes to talk about the topic, often boring those around him who don't think or worry much about privacy.
*The {{w|Cryptography|Crypto Nut}} - the one who goes crazy with security, even for things needing none.
:Since a large percentage of people and companies present in the internet don't have the ability or intention to do strong cryptography, the crypto nut's communication is limited to talking with other crypto nuts - which indicates cryptography as a topic. A real crypto nut will encrypt not just the important stuff because otherwise the attacker (in this context, assumed to be a government agency, network operator or corporation) will know which mails contain stuff that was secret enough to warrant encrypting, thus giving them information about whom he's doing secret business with.
*The {{w|Conspiracist}} - the one who sees super-secret data-gathering agencies everywhere.
:The (data) warehouse mentioned is the {{w|Utah Data Center}} which seems to be of impressive size. The punchline is created by taking the iceberg and warehouse analogies literally.
*The {{w|Nihilism|Nihilist}} - Nihilists believe that life lacks purpose and meaning. Someone who espouses this philosophy would think that a life spent spying someone else's meaningless life is hence doubly lacking in meaning.
*The {{w|Exhibitionist}} - Assumes people are invading his privacy, and using it to show off.
:This type is predominantly associated with twitter, but other social networks as well. This archetype is humorously combined with a ''sexual'' exhibitionist, who gets a sexual rise from the knowledge that others are spying on him/her.
:The awkwardness of the spying officials is magnified by the fact that they appear to be of opposite sexes, increasing the discomfort of the seated male.
*The {{w|Wisdom|Sage}} - Seems to know the difference between the real and the imaginary - or does he?
:The monologue alludes to a scene in {{w|The Matrix}} in which Cypher arranges with the evil machines to become a traitor.
:The Sage is apparently immediately satisfied when he has food and prosperity. He does not need privacy or other democratic rights as long as he does not individually suffer from their absence.

The release of the comic on this date could be to coincide with the premiere of {{w|South Park}}'s 17th season on the same date, which starts with an episode ({{w|Let Go, Let Gov}}) in which Cartman discovers that the NSA has been spying on him.

The title text is to suggest that he enjoys burritos so much that being handed one even while philosophizing (his natural state) would stop him in his tracks to eat the burrito, thus becoming a ''pseudo-sage'' concerned only with the burrito at the exclusion of the topic of internet security. The burrito is later mentioned as a way to stay connected to the real word (compared to the world of art) in [[1496: Art Project]].

==Transcript==
:'''Opinions on Internet Privacy'''
:The Philosopher:
::Megan: "Privacy" is an impractical way to think about data in a digital world so unlike the one in which our soci--
::Ponytail: ''' ''So bored.'' '''
:The Crypto Nut:
::Cueball: My data is safe behind six layers of symmetric and public-key algorithms.
::Friend: What data is it?
::Cueball: Mostly me emailing with people about cryptography.
:The Conspiracist:
::[Cueball talks to Megan.]
::Cueball: These leaks are just the tip of the iceberg. There's a warehouse in Utah where the NSA has the ''entire'' iceberg. I don't know how they got it there.
:The Nihilist:
::Megan: Joke's on them, gathering all this data on me as if anything I do means anything.
:The Exhibitionist:
::[Cueball is watching a surveillance console, Officer Ponytail stands behind him.]
::Console: ''Mmmm,'' I sure hope the NSA isn't watching me bite into these juicy strawberries!! ''Oops,'' I dripped some on my shirt! Better take it off. Google, are you there? Google, this lotion feels soooo good.
::Cueball: Um.
:The Sage:
::[Beret Guy and Cueball sitting at a table. Beret Guy is holding a burrito.]
::Beret Guy: I don't know or care what data ''anyone'' has about me. Data is imaginary. This burrito is real.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Computers]]

544: Pep Talk

2022-05-30T00:50:56Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number =544
| date =February 16, 2009
| title =Pep Talk with Will Allen
| image =Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext =Listen! They said a team of chess players coached by someone with no understanding of basketball would never be competitive in the NBA! Well, it turns out they're pretty perceptive.
}}

==Explanation==
Another comic where [[Randall]] takes a less than serious look at sports.

The halftime {{w|Motivational speaker|pep talk}} of a {{w|basketball}} game is commonly used by coaches to inspire their team to either turn the game around, or to defend the lead, and to make strategic changes that will help them do so. Unfortunately, the basketball coach [[Cueball]] has absolutely no fundamental understanding of the sport, and has pulled his team (of Cueball-like players) into the locker room while the game is still in progress, not during halftime, enabling the other team to score at will.

He could have tried to get a {{w|Time-out (sport)|time-out}}, but still he would not have been allowed to take his team down to the locker room.

The title text parodies a common plot of, especially US, {{w|List_of_sports_films#Basketball|sports movies}} in which {{tvtropes|UnderdogsNeverLose|an inexperienced team (and sometimes coach) still manage to win}} a title after a highly motivational pep talk (see for instance {{w|Hoosiers}}). These Pep talks usually take place during regular pauses of the game, and can lead to a come back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit. In this case the players are not even just poor basketball players but rather {{w|chess}} players and the coach knows nothing of the sport, the opposite of what is usually the case in said movies. And, of course, in this case those pessimistic about their chances were proven right.

==Transcript==
:[Coach-Cueball stands at the end of a double row of benches in the players locker room. He speaks to his team of five Cueball-like players, two are sitting with towels on the left bench, one stands behind them, and two are sitting on the right bench, one of them resting his head on his hands.]
:Coach-Cueball: Okay, team. We're sixteen points down. If we want to come back from this—
:Offscreen: Woo!! Score!!!
:Coach-Cueball: Okay, now we're eighteen points down. ...Listen—I'm starting to think we should only take these breaks at halftime.

==Trivia==
*In [[1392: Dominant Players]] Randall compares basketball with chess.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Basketball]]

2379: Probability Comparisons

2022-05-30T00:49:36Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2379
| date = October 30, 2020
| title = Probability of Will Allen holding fish
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = Call me, MAYBE.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a list of probabilities for different events. There are numerous recurring themes, of which the most common are free throws (13 entries), birthdays (12), dice (12, split about evenly between 6-sided (d6) and 20-sided (d20) types), {{w|M&M's|M&M}} candies (11), playing cards (9), {{w|NBA}} basketball mid-game victory predictions (9), {{w|Scrabble}} tiles (7), coins (7), white Christmases (7), and the NBA players {{w|Stephen Curry}} and {{w|LeBron James}} (7 each).

Themes are variously repeated and combined, for humorous effect. For instance, there are entries for both the probability that St. Louis will have a white Christmas (21%) and that it will not (79%). Also given is the 40% probability that a random Scrabble tile will contain a letter from the name "Steph Curry".

There are 80 items in the list, the last two of which devolve into absurdity - perhaps from the stress of preparing the other 78 entries.

The list may be an attempt to better understand probabilistic election forecasts for the {{w|2020 United States presidential election}}, which was four days away at the time this comic was published and had also been alluded to in [[2370: Prediction]] and [[2371: Election Screen Time]]. Statistician and {{w|psephologist}} {{w|Nate Silver}} is referenced in one of the list items. On the date this cartoon was published, Nate Silver's website FiveThirtyEight.com was [https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-election-forecast/ publishing forecast probabilities] of Donald Trump and Joe Biden winning the US Presidential election. On 31 October 2020, the forecast described the chances of Donald Trump winning as "roughly the same as the chance that it’s raining in downtown Los Angeles. It does rain there. (Downtown L.A. has about 36 rainy days per year, or about a 1-in-10 shot of a rainy day.)" A day previously, when the chances were 12%, the website had also described Trump's chances of winning as "slightly less than a six sided die rolling a 1".

The probabilities are calculated from [https://xkcd.com/2379/sources/ these sources], as mentioned in the bottom left corner.

The title text refers to the song "{{w|Call Me Maybe}}" by {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}} (cited twice in the list). "MAYBE" is emphasized, perhaps because the probability of getting her phone number correct, as in the last item in the list, is very low. The capitalization could also be a reference to Scrabble tiles, as was previously mentioned in association with Carly Rae Jepsen.

==Table==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Odds
! Text
! Explanation
|-
| 0.01%
| You guess the last four digits of someone's {{w|Social Security Number}} on the first try
| There are nine digits in a {{w|Social Security Number}}, but the last four are commonly used as an identity verification factor. (1/10)4 = 0.0001, or 0.01%
|-
| 0.1%
| Three randomly chosen people are all left-handed
| The chances of having left-{{w|handedness}} is about [https://www.healthline.com/health/left-handers-and-health-risk 10%], and 10%3 = 0.1%.
|-
| rowspan="2" | 0.2%
| You draw 2 random {{w|Scrabble}} tiles and get M and M
| This appears to be an error. Under standard English {{w|Scrabble letter distribution}} there are 100 tiles of which 2 are M. This would give a probability of randomly drawing M and M as 2/100 × 1/99 ≈ 0.02%. However, other language editions of Scrabble have different letter distributions, some of which could allow this to be true.
|-
| You draw 3 random {{w|M&Ms}} and they're all red
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of reds is either 0.131 or 0.125 . 0.131^3 ≈ 0.225%; 0.125^3 ≈ 0.177% .
|-
| 0.3%
| You guess someone's birthday in one try.
| 1/365 ≈ 0.27%. Taking into account that a person might have been born February 29, the probability with a random guess is slightly lower. If the guesser knows on which days there are slightly more births (for example, early October, believed to be because of conceptions occurring on the evening of December 31) and which days there are slightly fewer (for examples, holidays on which a planned, pre-scheduled C-section is unlikely to be held), then the probability is slightly higher.
|-
| rowspan="2" | 0.5%
| An {{w|NBA}} team down by 30 at halftime wins
| This calculation, along with all related ones, use the source [http://stats.inpredictable.com/nba/wpCalc.php NBA Win Probability Calculator]. Entering Q2, 0:00, and -30 into the calculator yields 0.6% .
|-
| You get 4 M&Ms and they're all brown or yellow
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of them that is brown or yellow is either 0.25 or 0.259 . 0.254≈ 0.39%; 0.2594 ≈ 0.45% . Both are closer to 0.4% .
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1%
| {{w|Steph Curry}} gets two free throws and misses both
| Curry is a 91% career free throw shooter, so the percentage of missing 1 free throw is about 9%. The chance of missing 2 free throws is about 0.8% ≈ 1%.
|-
| {{w|LeBron James}} guesses your birthday, if each guess costs one free throw and he loses if he misses
| LeBron James' free-throw odds are ~73% . The odds of him winning on the first round are 1/365, for the second (1/364)(0.73), for the third (1/363)(0.73)2... Summing all of these from 1 to 365 gives us his total odds of winning at any point in the game are ≈ 1.022% .
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1.5%
| You get two M&Ms and they're both red
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of reds is either 0.131 or 0.125 . 0.131^2 ≈ 1.7%; 0.125^2 ≈ 1.6% .
|-
| You share a birthday with a {{w|Backstreet Boys|Backstreet Boy}}
|Each of the five Backstreet Boys has a different birthday, so the odds that you share a birthday with one is 5/365.25 ≈ 1.3% .
|-
| 2%
| You guess someone's card on the first try
| There are 52 cards in a normal deck of cards (excluding jokers), so the probability is 1/52, which is approximately 0.019 (1.9%).
|-
| rowspan="2"| 3%
| You guess 5 coin tosses and get them all right
| The chance of correctly predicting a coin toss is 0.5. The chance of predicting 5 in a row is 0.55, or 3.125%.
|-
| Steph Curry wins that birthday free throw game
| Swap out 0.73 for 0.91 in the above calculations to find Steph Curry's odds of winning. This sum yields ~3.13% .
|-
| rowspan="3"| 4%
| You sweep a 3-game {{w|rock paper scissors}} series
| Picking randomly, you have a 1 in 3 chance of beating an opponent on the first try. (1/3)3 = 1/27 ≈ 4% .
|-
| {{w|Portland, Oregon}} has a {{w|White Christmas (weather)|white Christmas}}
| According to Randall's source (from the ''Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society''), the probability of snow cover in Portland is 4%.
|-
| You share a birthday with two {{w|US Senator}}s
| At the time this comic was published, 15 days were birthdays for more than one Senator, and 15/365.25 ≈ 4%.<ref>Rand Paul and John Thune - January 7 
Chris Van Hollen and Roy Blunt - January 10 
Tina Smith and James Lankford - March 4 
Tammy Duckworth and Mitt Romney - March 12 
Angus King and Patrick Leahy - March 31 
Jim Risch and Ron Wyden - May 3 
Dianne Feinstein and Elizabeth Warren - June 22 
Todd Young and Joe Manchin - August 24 
Kamala Harris, Brian Schatz, and Sheldon Whitehouse - October 20 
Jeff Merkley and Mike Rounds - October 24 
Jim Inhofe and Pat Toomey - November 17 
Dick Durbin and John Kennedy - November 21 
Rick Scott and Gary Peters - December 1 
John Boozman and David Perdue - December 10 

Based on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_senators List of current US Senators on Wikipedia] (and processed through [https://bit.ly/2HZeqQs this Google sheet)].
</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 5%
| An NBA team down 20 at halftime wins
| Entering Q2, 0:00, and -20 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 5.2% or 5.3% .
|-
| You roll a natural 20
| A natural 20 indicates a critical hit in the {{w|Dungeons & Dragons}} role playing game. "Natural" means that it is the number showing when rolling a d20 (a 20-sided die), as opposed to an overall total of 20 when counting the die roll plus modifiers. There are twenty sides to a d20 die. 1/20 = 0.05 = 5%
|-
| 6%
| You correctly guess someone's card given 3 tries
| Picking a random card within 3 times gives 1 - (51/52)(50/51)(49/50) ≈ 6% .
|-
| 7%
| LeBron James gets two free throws and misses both
| James' career free throw percentage is 73%, so the probability of a miss is 27%. The probability of 2 misses is (27%)2, which is about 7%.
|-
| 8%
| You correctly guess someone's card given 4 tries
| Assuming you guess four different cards, 4/52 = 0.0769 ≈ 8% .
|-
| 9%
| Steph Curry misses a free throw
| Curry's career free throw percentage is 91%, so the probability of a miss is 9%.
|-
| rowspan="2"|10%
| You draw 5 cards and get the Ace of Spades
| There are 52 cards in a normal deck of cards (excluding jokers), and the Ace of Spades is one of them. The chances of getting the card is 1 - 51/52 * 50/51 * 49/50 * 48/49 * 47/48 which is approximately 0.096, which rounds to the given 0.1 or 10%. 
|-
| There's a {{w|Moment magnitude scale|magnitude}} 8+ earthquake in the next month
| Note that, unlike other earthquake examples, this does not specify where the earthquake occurs.
|-
| 11%
| You sweep a 2-game rock paper scissors series
| You have a 1/3 chance of winning the first comparison, and a 1/3 chance of winning the second. (1/3) * (1/3) = 1/9 ~ 0.11 = 11% .
|-
| rowspan="3"|12%
| A randomly-chosen American lives in {{w|California}}
| California is the most populous state in the US. Out of the approximately 328.2 million Americans (as of 2019), 39.51 million live in California. This means that a randomly chosen American has about a 39.51/328.2 ≈ 10.33% chance of living in California. Due to population change and rounding based on different sources, this could be pushed to 12%.
|-
| You correctly guess someone's card given 6 tries
| Assuming you don't repeat previous wrong guesses, the probability is 6/52 ≈ 11.54%.
|-
| You share a birthday with a {{w|US President}}
| Presidents {{w|James Polk}} and {{w|Warren Harding}} share a birthday, and are the only presidents so far (in 2020) to do so. Additionally, {{w|Grover Cleveland}} served two non-consecutive terms and is counted twice (as the 22nd and 24th presidents). He therefore shares a birthday with himself. With 43 distinct birthdays, the odds of sharing a birthday are 43/365 ≈ 12%. (This does not consider February 29 or that more births occur on some days than others.)
|-
| rowspan="3"|13%
| A {{w|Dice#Polyhedral_dice|d6}} beats a {{w|Dice#Polyhedral_dice|d20}}
| The odds of a d6 beating a d20 are (0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5)/(6*20) = 0.125 ≈ 13% .
|-
| An NBA team down 10 going into the 4th quarter wins
| Entering Q3, 0:00, and -10 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 12.6% or 12.8% .
|-
| You pull one M&M from a bag and it's red
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of reds is either 0.131 or 0.125 .
|-
| 14%
| A randomly drawn scrabble tile beats a D6 die roll
| {{w|Scrabble}} is a game in which you place lettered tiles to form words. Most of the scores per letter are 1, making it rare to beat a d6. The odds are (70/100)(0) + (7/100)(1/6) + (8/100)(2/6) + (10/100)(3/6) + (1/100)(4/6) + (4/100)(6/6) ≈ 14%.
|-
| 15%
| You roll a D20 and get at least 18
| The set of "at least 18" on a d20 is 18, 19, and 20. The odds of rolling one of these is 3/20 = 15% .
|-
| 16%
| Steph Curry gets two free throws but makes only one
| Steph Curry's free throw percentage is 91%, so (0.91)(0.09) = 8.19% . However, the order of these is irrelevant, so the total odds are 16.38% .
|-
| 17%
| You roll a D6 die and get a 6
| The odds are 1/6 ≈ 17% .
|-
| 18%
| A D6 beats or ties a D20
| The odds are (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6)/(120) = 17.5% .
|-
| 19%
| At least one person in a random pair is left-handed
| The chances of being left handed is about 10%, so the probability of both people in the pair not being left-handed is 0.92=0.81, and 1-0.81=0.19.
|-
| 20%
| You get a dozen M&Ms and none of them are brown
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of browns is either 0.124 or 0.125 . (1 - 0.125)^12 ≈ 20.1%; (1 - 0.124)^12 ≈ 20.4% .
|-
| 21%
| {{w|St. Louis}} has a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in St. Louis is 21%.
|-
| 22%
| An NBA team wins when they're down 10 at halftime
| Entering Q2, 0:00, and -10 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 22.3% or 22.5% .
|-
| rowspan="2"| 23%
| You get an M&M and it's blue
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of blues is either 0.207 or 0.25 .
|-
| You share a birthday with a US senator
| There are 100 Senators, but 31 Senators share 15 birthdays and 69 Senators have unique birthdays, so there are a total of 84 days of the year that are the birthday of a Senator.
|-
| 24%
| You correctly guess that someone was born in the winter
| By date, the cited U.S. census data gives that 24,545,230 of the 101,909,161 people were born in the ''meteorological'' winter (December through February), or 24.09%.
|-
| rowspan="2"| 25%
| You correctly guess that someone was born in the fall
| By date, the cited U.S. census data gives that 25,701,366 of the 101,909,161 people were born in the ''meteorological'' fall (September through November), or 25.22%.
|-
| You roll two plain M&Ms and get M and M.
| An M&M can land on one of two sides, one with an M and one without. The odds of "rolling" two Ms is 1/4 = 25%. The term "rolling" is used jokingly in reference to the d6s and d20s above, suggesting that an M&M is a standard d2; this becomes especially true once you consider that a more accurate reference would have been to a coin, not a die.
|-
| 26%
| You correctly guess someone was born in the summer
| By date, the cited U.S. census data gives that 26,475,119 of the 101,909,161 people were born in the ''meteorological'' summer (June through August), or 25.98%.
|-
| 27%
| LeBron James misses a free throw
| James' career free throw percentage is 73%, so the probability of missing is 27%.
|-
| 32%
| {{w|Pittsburgh}} has a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in Pittsburgh is 32%.
|-
| rowspan="3"| 33%
| A randomly chosen Star Wars movie (Episodes I-IX) has "of the" in the title
| Episodes II (Attack of the Clones), III (Revenge of the Sith), and VI (Return of the Jedi) are the movies. This gives the odds of 3/9 ≈ 33% .
|-
| You win the Monty Hall sports car by picking a door and refusing to switch
| The {{w|Monty Hall problem}} is a counterintuitive logic problem, in which you pick one of three doors at random. One of the doors has a car behind it, so the odds that you picked the door are 1/3 ≈ 33%. Thus, by not switching doors, your odds remain the same. The Monty Hall problem has previously appeared in [[1282: Monty Hall]] and [[1492: Dress Color]].
|-
| You win rock paper scissors by picking randomly
| The odds of beating an opponent on the first try by picking randomly is 1/3 ≈ 33% .
|-
| 34%
| You draw five cards and get an ace
| The odds are 1 - (48/52)(47/51)(46/50)(45/49)(44/48) ≈ 34% .
|-
| 35%
| A random Scrabble tile is one of the letters in "random"
| The odds of drawing a letter in "random" are (6 + 9 + 6 + 4 + 8 + 2)/100 = 35% .
|-
| 39%
| LeBron James gets two free throws but misses one
| LeBron James' free throw percentage is 73% , so the odds are (0.73)(0.27) = 19.71% . However, the order is irrelevant, so the odds are actually twice, or 39.42% .
|-
| 40%
| A random Scrabble tile is a letter in "Steph Curry"
| The odds of drawing a letter in "Steph Curry" are (4 + 6 + 12 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 2)/100 = 40% .
|-
| 46%
| There's a magnitude 7 quake in LA within 30 years
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|48%
| {{w|Milwaukee}} has a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in Milwaukee is 48%.
|-
| A random Scrabble tile is a letter in Carly Rae Jepsen
| The odds of a Scrabble tile being in her name are (2 + 9 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 4 + 6)/100 = 48% .
|-
| 50%
| You get heads in a coin toss
| There are two options in a coin toss, heads or tails, so the odds of getting heads is 50% (1/2). Uncharacteristically for Randall, this ignores the minuscule possibility that the coin might land on its edge.
|-
| 53%
| {{w|Salt Lake City}} has a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in Salt Lake City is 53%.
|-
| 54%
| LeBron James gets two free throws and makes both
| James' career free throw percentage is 73%, so the probability of making 2 free throws is (73%)2 = 53.9%.
|-
| 58%
| A random Scrabble tile is a letter in "Nate Silver"
| {{w|Nate Silver}} is a recurring person on xkcd. The odds of a Scrabble tile being in his name are (6 + 9 + 6 + 12 + 4 + 9 + 4 + 2 + 6)/100 = 58% . 
|-
| 60%
| You get two M&Ms and neither is blue
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of blues is either 0.207 or 0.25 . (1 - 0.207)^2 ≈ 62.9%; (1 - 0.25)^2 ≈ 56.3%.
|-
| 65%
| {{w|Burlington, Vermont}} has a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in Burlington is 65%.
|-
| 66%
| A randomly chosen movie from the main Lord of the Rings trilogy has “of the” in the title twice
| The titles are:
* ''The Lord '''of the''' Rings: The Fellowship '''of the''' Ring''
* ''The Lord '''of the''' Rings: The Two Towers''
* ''The Lord '''of the''' Rings: The Return '''of the''' King''
All of them have “of the” at least once, in “The Lord of the Rings”, but only the first and third have it twice, and 2/3 ≈ 66%. This number typically rounds up to 67% , however, and it is unclear why it is not, given that the same reduced fraction is written in the 67% category below.
|-
| 67%
| You roll at least a 3 with a d6
| The set of "at least 3" on a d6 refers to 3, 4, 5, and 6. The odds are 4/6 ≈ 67%.
|-
| 71%
| A random Scrabble tile beats a random dice roll
| This is a typo, as the correct probability is at the 14% entry. A random (d6) die roll beats a random Scrabble tile 71% of the time. [[Randall]] probably meant to write '''A random d6 dice roll''' beats '''a random Scrabble tile'''.
|-
| 73%
| LeBron James makes a free throw
| This is James' career free throw percentage, 73%.
|-
| 75%
| You drop two M&Ms and one of them ends with the "M" up so it's clear they're not Skittles
| The odds of at least one 'M' showing up is 1 - (1/4) = 75% . The reference to {{w|Skittles}} is that the two candies look similar to one another, and Randall has probably bit into a Skittle thinking it was an M&M, or vice versa. This trick might prevent that from happening in the future.
|-
| 76%
| You get two M&Ms and neither is red
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of reds is either 0.131 or 0.125 . (1 - 0.131)^2 ≈ 75.5%; (1 - .125)^2 ≈ 76.6%.
|-
| 77%
| You get an an M&M and it's not blue
| Depending on the source of one's M&Ms in the U.S., the proportion of blues is either 0.207 or 0.25 . (1 - 0.207) = 79.3%; (1 - 0.25) = 75.0%.
|-
| 78%
| An NBA team wins when they're up 10 at halftime
| Entering Q2, 0:00, and 10 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 77.5% or 77.7% .
|-
| 79%
| St. Louis doesn't have a white Christmas
| According to Randall's source, the probability of snow cover in St. Louis is 21%, thus the probability of ''no'' snow cover is 79%.
|-
| 81%
| Two random people are both right-handed
| The probability of 1 person being right-handed is about 90%, thus the probability of 2 right-handers is (90%)2 = 81%.
|-
| 83%
| Steph Curry gets two free throws and makes both
| Curry's career free throw percentage is 91%, so the probability of making 2 free throws is (91%)2 = 82.81%.
|-
| 85%
| You roll a d20 and get at least a 4
| The set "at least 4" on a d20 refers to 4, 5, 6... 18, 19, 20. The odds of this are 17/20 = 85% .
|-
| rowspan="2"| 87%
| An NBA team up by 10 going into the 4th quarter wins
| Entering Q3, 0:00, and 10 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 87.2% or 87.4% .
|-
| Someone fails to guess your card given 7 tries
|Assuming they guess seven different cards, there are 45 unguessed cards left. 45/52 = 0.865384615 ~ 86.5%
|-
| 88%
| A randomly chosen American lives outside California
| This is the opposite of the previous California probability. As the probability of an American living in California is 12%, the opposite would be 88%.
|-
| 89%
| You roll a 3 or higher given two tries
| The probability of rolling a 3 or higher (on a 6-sided die) is 66%, so the percentage of rolling a 3 or higher given 2 tries is 1 - (1-.66)2 = 89%.
|-
| 90%
| Someone fails to guess your card given 5 tries
| Assuming they guess five different cards, there are 47 unguessed cards left. 47/52 = 0.90385 ~ 90%
|-
| rowspan="2"| 91%
| You incorrectly guess that someone was born in August
| If the odds of someone being born in August are ~9% , then the odds that a person was not born in August are ~91%. (In an average month, 8 1/3% of the population was born. August has an above average number of days, but still only about 8.5% of the year is in August.)
|-
| Steph Curry makes a free throw
| This is Curry's career free throw percentage, 91%.
|-
| 92%
| You guess someone's birth month at random and are wrong
| On average, a month lasts 8⅓% of the year. Thus, if you were to guess someone's birth month at random, you would be wrong 91 ⅔% of the time.
|-
| 93%
| Lebron James makes a free throw given two tries
| James' career free throw percentage is 73%, so the percentage of his making at least 1 free throw given 2 tries is 1 - (1-.73)2 = 93%.
|-
| 94%
| Someone fails to guess your card given 3 tries
| The odds of this happening are (51/52)(50/51)(49/50) ≈ 94% .
|-
| 95%
| An NBA team wins when they're up 20 at halftime
| Entering Q2, 0:00, and 20 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 94.7% or 94.8% .
|-
| 96%
| Someone fails to guess your card given 2 tries
| The odds of this happening are (51/52)(50/51) ≈ 96% .
|-
| 97%
| You try to guess 5 coin tosses and fail
| The odds of this happening are 1 - (1/2)5 ≈ 97% .
|-
| 98%
| You incorrectly guess someone's birthday is this week
| The odds of this happening are about 51/52 ≈ 98%. (This depends on the week; there are more births in early October and fewer in holiday weeks.)
|-
| 98.5%
| An NBA team up 15 points with 8 minutes left wins
| Entering Q4, 8:00, and 15 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 98.0% or 98.6% .
|-
| 99%
| Steph Curry makes a free throw given two tries
| James' career FT percentage is 91%, so the percentage of his making at least 1 FT given 2 tries is 1 - (1-.91)2 = 99%.
|-
| 99.5%
| An NBA team that's up by 30 points at halftime wins
| Entering Q2, 0:00, and 30 into the NBA Win Probability Calculator yields 99.4% .
|-
| 99.7%
| You guess someone's birthday at random and are wrong
| The odds of this are 364/365 ≈ 99.7%.
|-
| 99.8%
| There's not a {{w|Moment magnitude scale|magnitude}} 8 quake in {{w|California}} next year
|
|-
| 99.9%
| A random group of three people contains a right-hander
| About 90% of people are right-handed, so the percentage of at least 1 right-hander in a group of 3 is 1 - (1-.9)3 = 99.9%.
|-
| 99.99%
| You incorrectly guess the last four digits of someone's social security number
| There are nine digits in a Social Security Number, but the last four are commonly used as an identity verification factor. The odds of this are 1 - (1/10)4 = 99.99% .
|-
| 99.9999999999999995%
| You pick up a phone, dial a random 10-digit number, and say 'Hello Barack Obama, there's just been a {{w|Moment magnitude scale|magnitude}} 8 earthquake in {{w|California}}!" and are wrong
| This probability combines two events.

First, the probability that a random 10-digit telephone number belongs to Obama is 1/1010. This ignores potential complications from Obama owning multiple phones or failing to answer personally (perhaps using an assistant or answering machine). Additionally, it assumes numbers are dialed at random rather than making more intelligent guesses, such as using likely addresses to guess area codes.

Second, the probability of a magnitude 8 California quake is given in a previous entry as 0.2% per year. Although the time window for an earthquake to "just occur" is not given, a 15 minute window corresponds (within rounding error) to the total probability given.
|-
| 0.00000001%
| You add "Hang on, this is big — I'm going to loop in Carly Rae Jepsen", dial another random 10-digit number, and she picks up
| Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian singer. As Canada uses the 10-digit {{w|North American Numbering Plan}}, the odds of a random number being hers would be 1 - (1/10)10 = 0.00000001%. Like Obama, this ignores the possibility that she has multiple phones or that she doesn't answer personally.
|}

==Trivia==
In the original comic, "outside" in the 88% probability section is spelled incorrectly as "outide". In addition, the 39% section had "two free throw" instead of "throws".

The (seemingly unimportant) odds of LeBron James' versus Stephen Curry's free throws and names in Scrabble refer to [[2002: LeBron James and Stephen Curry]].

==Transcript==
[Large heading, centered.]

<big>Probability Comparisons</big>

[Left column.]

0.01% You guess the last four digits of someone's social security number on the first try

0.1% Three randomly chosen people are all left-handed

0.2% You draw 2 random Scrabble tiles and get M and M

You draw 3 random M&Ms and they're all red

0.3% You guess someone's birthday in one try.

0.5% An NBA team down by 30 at halftime wins

You get 4 M&Ms and they're all brown or yellow

1% Steph Curry gets two free throws and misses both

LeBron James guesses your birthday, if each guess costs one free throw and he loses if he misses

1.5% You get two M&Ms and they're both red

You share a birthday with a Backstreet Boy

2% You guess someone's card on the first try

3% You guess 5 coin tosses and get them all right

Steph Curry wins that birthday free throw game

4% You sweep a 3-game rock paper scissors series

Portland, Oregon has a white Christmas

You share a birthday with two US Senators

5% An NBA team down 20 at halftime wins

You roll a natural 20

6% You correctly guess someone's card given 3 tries

7% LeBron James gets two free throws and misses both

8% You correctly guess someone's card given 4 tries

9% Steph Curry misses a free throw

10% You draw 5 cards and get the Ace of Spades

There's a magnitude 8+ earthquake in the next month

11% You sweep a 2-game rock paper scissors series

12% A randomly-chosen American lives in California

You correctly guess someone's card given 6 tries

You share a birthday with a US President

13% A d6 beats a d20

An NBA team down 10 going into the 4th quarter wins

You pull one M&M from a bag and it's red

14% A randomly drawn scrabble tile beats a d6 die roll

15% You roll a d20 and get at least 18

16% Steph Curry gets two free throws but makes only one

17% You roll a d6 die and get a 6

18% A d6 beats or ties a d20

19% At least one person in a random pair is left-handed

20% You get a dozen M&Ms and none of them are brown

21% St. Louis has a white Christmas

22% An NBA team wins when they're down 10 at halftime

23% You get an M&M and it's blue

You share a birthday with a US senator

24% You correctly guess that someone was born in the winter

25% You correctly guess that someone was born in the fall

You roll two plain M&Ms and get M and M.

26% You correctly guess someone was born in the summer

27% LeBron James misses a free throw

32% Pittsburgh has a white Christmas

33% A randomly chosen Star Wars movie (Episodes I-IX) has "of the" in the title

You win the Monty Hall sports car by picking a door and refusing to switch

You win rock paper scissors by picking randomly

34% You draw five cards and get an ace

35% A random Scrabble tile is one of the letters in "random"

[Right column.]

39% LeBron James gets two free throws but misses one

40% A random Scrabble tile is a letter in "Steph Curry"

46% There's a magnitude 7 quake in LA within 30 years

48% Milwaukee has a white Christmas

A random Scrabble tile is a letter in Carly Rae Jepsen

50% You get heads in a coin toss

53% Salt Lake City has a white Christmas

54% LeBron James gets two free throws and makes both

58% A random Scrabble tile is a letter in "Nate Silver"

60% You get two M&Ms and neither is blue

65% Burlington, Vermont has a white Christmas

66% A randomly chosen movie from the main Lord of the Rings trilogy has “of the” in the title twice

67% You roll at least a 3 with a d6

71% A random Scrabble tile beats a random dice roll

73% LeBron James makes a free throw

75% You drop two M&Ms and one of them ends with the "M" up so it's clear they're not Skittles

76% You get two M&Ms and neither is red

77% You get an an M&M and it's not blue

78% An NBA team wins when they're up 10 at halftime

79% St. Louis doesn't have a white Christmas

81% Two random people are both right-handed

83% Steph Curry gets two free throws and makes both

85% You roll a d20 and get at least a 4

87% An NBA team up by 10 going into the 4th quarter wins

Someone fails to guess your card given 7 tries

88% A randomly chosen American lives outside California

89% You roll a 3 or higher given two tries

90% Someone fails to guess your card given 5 tries

91% You incorrectly guess that someone was born in August

Steph Curry makes a free throw

92% You guess someone's birth month at random and are wrong

93% Lebron James makes a free throw given two tries

94% Someone fails to guess your card given 3 tries

95% An NBA team wins when they're up 20 at halftime

96% Someone fails to guess your card given 2 tries

97% You try to guess 5 coin tosses and fail

98% You incorrectly guess someone's birthday is this week

98.5% An NBA team up 15 points with 8 minutes left wins

99% Steph Curry makes a free throw given two tries

99.5% An NBA team that's up by 30 points at halftime wins

99.7% You guess someone's birthday at random and are wrong

99.8% There's not a magnitude 8 quake in California next year

99.9% A random group of three people contains a right-hander

99.99% You incorrectly guess the last four digits of someone's social security number

99.9999999999999995% You pick up a phone, dial a random 10-digit number, and say 'Hello Barack Obama, there's just been a magnitude 8 earthquake in California!" and are wrong

0.00000001% You add "Hang on, this is big — I'm going to loop in Carly Rae Jepsen", dial another random 10-digit number, and she picks up

[In light grey colour and in the lower left corner there is text.]

Sources: https://xkcd.com/2379/sources/

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Nate Silver]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Food]]

1416: Pixels/Images

2022-05-30T00:48:54Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

Here in this gallery can be added any pictures not yet shown from the interactive comic: [[1416: Pixels]].
*There are 79 pictures. A program has been used to get them all.
**On the [[Talk:1416: Pixels|talk page for Pixels]] it has been noted that all 79 images has been isolated (and then uploaded to xkcd).
**This has been done by more than one user here. The second to mention this has explained how on his [http://azttm.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/xkcd-com-1416-pixels/ blog].
*The titles of the pictures are the ones used by [[Randall]]
*Some of the pictures are almost identical, but have different titles by Randall. For instance:
**[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:pixels-sky.png pixels-sky] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:pixels-sky-4.png pixels-sky-4]
**[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:pixels-assembly-planet-1.png pixels-assembly-planet-1] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:pixels-upgoer-planet.png pixels-upgoer-planet]
*Here below they are sorted as well as possible according to stories or relations - zoom out (of course) to see it better...

[[File:Will Allen holding fish.jpg]]
[[File:pixels-turtles.png]]
[[File:pixels-quiet-turtle.png]]
[[File:pixels-i-am-a-turtle.png]]
[[File:pixels-blank-figure.png]]
[[File:pixels-whatif-trade.png]]
[[File:pixels-whatif-king.png]]
[[File:pixels-book-launch.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-4.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-5.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-6.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-7.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-planet.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-planet-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-assembly-planet-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-4.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-5.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-6.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-planet.png]]
[[File:pixels-launch-planet.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-planet-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-planet-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-planet-4.png]]
[[File:pixels-upgoer-space.png]]
[[File:pixels-sun.png]]
[[File:pixels-moon.png]]
[[File:pixels-saturn.png]]
[[File:pixels-stars-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-stars-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-sky.png]]
[[File:pixels-sky-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-sky-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-sky-4.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-entry.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-sitting-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-sitting-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-sitting-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-sitting-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-n1.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-n2.png]]
[[File:pixels-mario-n3.png]]
[[File:pixels-server-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-clouds-1.png]]
[[File:pixels-clouds-2.png]]
[[File:pixels-clouds-3.png]]
[[File:pixels-clouds-4.png]]
[[File:pixels-clouds-5.png]]
[[File:pixels-walking.png]]
[[File:pixels-stockholm.png]]
[[File:pixels-time-turner.png]]
[[File:pixels-walking-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-fire-hydrant.png]]
[[File:pixels-e1.png]]
[[File:pixels-e2.png]]
[[File:pixels-e3.png]]
[[File:pixels-e4.png]]
[[File:pixels-e5.png]]
[[File:pixels-e6.png]]
[[File:pixels-eb.png]]
[[File:pixels-evolution.png]]
[[File:pixels-rope.png]]
[[File:pixels-chess-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-chess-w.png]]
[[File:pixels-cantor.png]]
[[File:pixels-particles.png]]
[[File:pixels-atom.png]]
[[File:pixels-string.png]]
[[File:pixels-mu.png]]
[[File:pixels-mu-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-holism.png]]
[[File:pixels-holism-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-reductionism.png]]
[[File:pixels-reductionism-b.png]]
[[File:pixels-du.png]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:1416}}
[[Category:Comic subpages]]

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-30T00:47:51Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Will Allen will eat a Crêpe
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ÇRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:crêpe.png|thumb|The word "crêpe" in the comic]]
[[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine, which he proudly announces. However, the {{w|circumflex}} (the accent above the e) is written strangely. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like the outline of a flattened arrowhead (⮝). [[Megan]], who can apparently {{tvtropes|PsmithPsyndrome|hear the orthography}} of spoken text, comments on the odd shape with an appropriate pun.

Megan's response, "Weird circumflex but okay" is a play on the recent expression [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok Weird flex, but ok]. A "flex" is bragging about something. A "weird flex" is used when the speaker acknowledges (perhaps ironically) that the first person is attempting to brag about something, but doesn't recognise the thing as brag-worthy.

Her answer could also be applied to the shape of the crêpe, as circumflex means "bent around".

In some dialects of English (e.g. British English), and in the original French pronunciation, "crêpe" is said so that the ê is pronounced as in "get" (i.e. "cr-eh-p"), but American English speakers pronounce it like an "A" (i.e. "cr-ay-p").

The title text continues the wordplay by saying that "A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic".

The word diäretic is a pun on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production), {{w|Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis}} (a symbol in the form of two dots placed above a vowel, as the ä in the made up word diäretic; the adjective form of diaeresis can be spelled "[https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Diaresis dieretic]") and {{w|diacritic}} (a glyph added to a letter to distinguish its sound from the normal version, what both the circumflex and the diaeresis are). See also the comic [[1647: Diacritics]] about the use of these. Taking a diäretic medicine would supposedly cause you to use diaeresis (also known as umlaut) över möre lëtters thän wöuld üsuallÿ bë thë cäse.

Diacritics are rarely used in English, potentially because of the diverse set of origin languages it developed from, or the wide variation of pronunciations within a same nation, but are a common feature of other languages. In English, they are normally only seen in specific loanwords (such as crêpe) or used for emphasis or decoration (for example the {{w|metal umlaut}} seen in rock bands like {{w|Motörhead}}, {{w|Mötley Crüe}}, {{w|Queensrÿche}}, or {{w|Spın̈al Tap}}). The exception to this is the diaresis, which when it is used at all, is placed over the second vowel in a double-vowel word to indicate a morphological break between them as opposed to a diphthong (e.g. naïve or coöperation). The diaresis is optional, and, especially with words beginning with the co- prefix (e.g. cooperation, coevolution, or coincidence), rarely used. The New Yorker magazine is a famous outlier, advising consistent use of the diaresis in [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis its style guide].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a plate up in both hand, showing Megan the crepe lying on the plate. His word for crêpe has a different diacritic over the "e" than the normal circumflex (^). Instead it looks more like an open arrow head.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Food]]

455: Hats

2022-05-30T00:47:18Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 455
| date = July 28, 2008
| title = Will Allen wearing a Hat
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = ...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]] encounters a person who is wearing not one, but two black hats. Black Hat is not a person to be trifled with, but from his reaction, he apparently believes that Two Black Hats represents a considerable danger to him. Black Hat knows how dangerous he is to those with one fewer black hat than him, so he continues the logic and realises that one who has one ''more'' black hat must be proportionally dangerous to him.

If a black hat is assumed to be akin to a badge of rank, then Two Black Hats certainly is superior to him in the capacity and willingness to do evil. Alternatively, and even more worrying, Two Black Hats could be someone who has the desire and the ability to acquire black hats (possibly killing the previous owners in the process if having two black hats really means that the individual is more malevolent than Black Hat), which he then wears like a badge of honor. With all this in mind, Black Hat edges away, keeping Two Black Hats in sight at all times. This movement and the accompanying line could also be interpreted as Black Hat being physically pushed away, like two negative or two positive poles of a magnet, although this does not explain why it only starts after a beat panel.

This comic is also a metatextual joke about xkcd itself. Because of the comic's simplistic art style and characterization, Black Hat has only two defining physical traits: his hat and his hair, which we see when he takes off his hat, and one defining personality trait, his malevolence. Randall then implies that the two traits must be correlated, so that a black hat signifies malevolence, and accordingly two hats must signify even more malevolence -- an idea that wouldn't make any sense in real life, where a person with two hats would just be making an odd fashion choice.{{Citation needed}}

The title text is simply "..." This may represent the slow-motion pause during which Black Hat's nefarious life flashes before his eyes, as he considers his impending doom. It may also emphasize how the usually witty Black Hat is, for once, speechless. Or the title text is similar to that in [[412: Startled]], where Black Hat also becomes the little one (and with much focus on the black hat, as in this comic). As mentioned there, such a short title text could be due to the fact that it's a somewhat surreal comic, and any further commentary might have detrimentally brought it down to Earth. See also [[82: Frame]], with the same title text, but no relation to black hats.

Two Black Hats makes a reappearance in [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]], down by the restrooms.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is walking.]

:[Black Hat stops in front of another man with two Black Hats, the uppermost hat tilted about 45 degrees back.]

:[After two panels, the original Black Hat steps backward, shuddering slightly.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]

466: Moving

2022-05-30T00:46:33Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 466
| date = August 22, 2008
| title = Will Allen not Moving
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = We need a special holiday to honor the countless kind souls with unsecured networks named 'linksys'.
}}

==Explanation==

The caption notes that few forces are more powerful than a geek trying to get Internet in a new apartment, thus explaining the title of the comic: ''Moving''. One of the consequences of moving one's place of residence is having to arrange connection to various essential utilities, including the internet. One way to reduce the time where such utilities are unavailable is to steal them off your neighbours. As geeks prioritise access to Minecraft over common human values, they are more likely to access other's internet via such underhanded means.

A {{w|cantenna}} is a do-it-yourself antenna made from a can, in this case a {{w|pringles}} can. [[Cueball]] is pointing his cantenna to the neighbors across the road, which, as he says, will allow him to connect to the {{w|wifi}} network there.

[[Megan]] asks if the neighbors themselves have internet access, to which Cueball answers that they don't, but he thinks that they will get hooked up to the internet first. Potentially this is because they are more likely to pay for their internet access rather than hacking someone else's.

The title text continues this theme of connecting to other people's networks, noting that we should have a holiday in honour of those people who don't bother reconfiguring their Linksys routers (thus leaving them with the default name of 'linksys'; this was very common when this comic was published in 2008), which allows other people to connect to those networks very easily, as they aren't encrypted by default and don't need a password.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:There are few forces more powerful than geeks desperately trying to get internet in a new apartment.
:[Cueball is pointing an empty can out the open window. It is placed on a moving box, and lots of small parts are lying on the floor in the otherwise empty room. Megan stands behind him with a laptop in one hand.]
:Cueball: Okay, the pringles cantenna has let us patch into the WiFi network across the road.
:Megan: And they have internet?
:Cueball: No, but I think the cable van will hook up their house first.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Computers]]

2625: Field Topology

2022-05-30T00:44:39Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 2625
| date = May 27, 2022
| title = Topology of a Will Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = The combination croquet set/10-lane pool can also be used for some varieties of foosball and Skee-Ball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by SOMEBODY HOMEOMORPHIC TO YOUR DOG - We did a great job at explaining topology. Wonderful. Now if someone could just EXPLAIN THE FREAKING JOKE, that would be great! Remember to use words like "this is funny because" or "this implies" and add as much sarcasm and "citation needed"s as desired. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Field Topology is [https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Topological_field a subject in mathematics], but in this comic, Randall has taken the term literally. The comic strip depicts a situation where the common practice of multi-use athletic facilities has been organized by the "topology department" and constructed to be shared by all sports whose normal playing fields are {{w|topology|topologically equivalent}}. (Not to be confused with {{w|Field (mathematics)|mathematical fields}}, or the {{w|Fields Medal}} prize -- although successfully {{w|Straightedge and compass construction|constructing}} these fields might lead to medals of one kind or another being granted).

In topology, shapes which can be smoothly deformed into one another without adding or removing holes are considered to be "equivalent". Note that a topological hole is an area of the nominal space (or area, or other manifold) through which nothing restricted to this topology can pass. In describing a real-world archway, for example, this would be where the material of the arch is, not the actual 'hole' passing ''through'' the constructed arch, which is the path that one indeed may (or must!) pass through to get from one region of the layout to another. A loop is a path across the allowable territory of a topology (or a viable circuit to make through the world it describes) that end up where it started. If a loop cannot be tightened (ultimately adjusted to take a shorter path) down to a single point, then it must be wrapped around at least one 'topological hole' (i.e. through a physical one), and you have separately unique paths (or points, i.e. on different disconnected topologies) where you cannot adjust one loop to take the route of another, without severing a looped-path and reconnecting it.

{{w|Baseball}}, and {{w|tetherball}} are played on fields without any holes that the ball or players can completely pass through, so they are ({{w|Group (mathematics)|grouped}}) (physically and mathmatically) into one continuous field without holes. The goals on a {{w|soccer}} field presumably do not create holes because the goalposts and crossbar are connected to the field by the net, so the goals and field are topologically equivalent to a smooth disc. Any path taken into and out of the goal (any number of times) is topologically equivalent to one that does not go into this pocket of space at all.

{{w|Volleyball}} and {{w|badminton}} are played on a court through the center of which passes a net suspended from poles, and the {{w|high jump}} has a bar that contestants jump over. The space bounded by the bottom of the net (or bar), the supporting poles, and the ground can be considered to be a hole, a path over and under the net/bar cannot be simplified to one that does not, so their fields all have one "hole".

A basketball court has two physical pathable holes, the nets. Parallel bars can be thought of as two rectangles and thus as two topographical "holes". Both have opportunities to path through either (or both) structures, and so the material of the structures define a hole in the topological abstract of the playing 'surface'. Since we are told that these sports fields belong to the Topology Department - and are not necessarily generalized to all sports fields - we may safely assume that their "football" field is for "American football" and uses the older H-shaped football goals rather than the more modern Y-shaped ones. An "H" shaped goal creates a topological hole under the crossbar at both ends of the field. A more modern football field with Y-shaped goals would have no holes.

The lane dividers in a swimming pool create bounded holes on the 'playing surface' equivalent to one less than the number of lanes. And each hoop in croquet is a hole with one edge bounded by the playing surface. Similarly, as mentioned in the title text, this configuration is also {{w|homeomorphism|homeomorphic}} to a {{w|foosball}} table (with each rod sustaining the player figures above the table defining a hole) or a {{w|Skee-Ball}} lane (which is even more straightforward, as it is just a plane with several holes in which to throw balls).

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

A row of four signs, each held up by two posts, followed by a row of four roughly lozange shapes, one for each sign. The signs and lozange shapes are shaded as if three-dimensional objects, all being flattish with a small third dimension. The four oblongs are presented at an oblique angle, as if they are in "front" of the signs extending towards the viewer. All but the first oblong have various numbers of holes "through" them.

zero holes: "Baseball. Soccer. Tetherball."

one hole: "Volleyball. Badminton. High jump."

two holes: Basketball. Football. Parallel bars."

nine holes: "Olympic swimming. Croquet."

Image caption: "No one ever wants to use the topology department's athletic fields."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sport]]

1262: Unquote

2022-05-30T00:44:13Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 1262
| date = September 9, 2013
| title = UnWill Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = I guess it's a saying from the Old Country.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Randall]] poses the future possibility that at some time in the future, even a popular film as ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' will become forgotten by society.

"{{w|May the Force be with you}}" is one of the many famous phrases from the ''Star Wars'' movies. ''Star Wars'' has become popular enough to remain part of today's popular culture almost forty years since its initial release, and the source and meaning of the quote is commonly recognized. This comic suggests that eventually even the enormously popular Star Wars will fade into obscurity — by which time, ironically, Star Wars-like hovercraft will have been invented.

It is not uncommon for once-popular sayings to lose popularity and come into disuse; particularly when the sayings are sourced from a pop-culture reference such as a book or film. In fact, there are entire [http://www.amazon.ca/Lets-Bring-Back-Collection-Forgotten-Yet-Delightful/dp/1452105308 books] dedicated to such topics. Each generation generally develops its own pop culture-references which frequently become unrecognizable to the next generation. Only a handful of pop-culture quotes tend to survive for decades. For example, the phrase "Sit on it", coined by the creators of "{{w|Happy Days}}" as a TV-friendly but derogatory-sounding comeback for the character Fonzie. The phrase was very popular during the show's 1970s-80s heyday, but today is far less recognizable to those born after that era, and is not commonly referenced today.

The title text suggests that the characters will write off the phrase as a saying from the "Old Country" (the foreign country or place where one's ancestors emigrated from). This is a play on the fact that ubiquitous film and TV quotes have not been around long enough for society to generally forget their origins, and the most common source for unfamiliar sayings in today's world are sayings from other countries where one's ancestors originated. The use of the expression in this comic implies that the speaker has no idea about the origins of the phrase. To him it might be a translation of a foreign expression, or from a long left-behind homeland.

A similar topic was addressed in [[493: Actuarial]], with [[Black Hat]] predicting when the last of the original Star Wars cast would die, and in [[1093: Forget]], predicting when the release of ''The Return of the Jedi'' would be forgotten. Also, [[794: Inside Joke]] is about how much pop culture of centuries past has been forgotten.

The sentiment in this comic is similar to a quote from psychiatrist and author Irvin D Yalom:

<blockquote>“Some day soon, perhaps in forty years, there will be no one alive who has ever known me. That's when I will be truly dead - when I exist in no one's memory. I thought a lot about how someone very old is the last living individual to have known some person or cluster of people. When that person dies, the whole cluster dies, too, vanishes from the living memory. I wonder who that person will be for me. Whose death will make me truly dead?”</blockquote>

==Transcript==
:[Two figures with spiky hair and backpacks are conversing. One is riding in a hover-car, or similar.]
:Future Hair: Bye!
:Friend: May the Force be with you!
:Future Hair: Huh?
:Friend: It's just something my grandma used to say. No idea what it means.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I wonder on what date ''Star Wars'' will be quoted for the last time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

716: Time Machine

2022-05-30T00:43:01Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

{{comic
| number = 716
| date = March 19, 2010
| title = Back to Will Allen
| image = Will Allen holding fish.jpg
| titletext = We never see any time travelers because they all discover it's a huge mistake. This is also why your friend at the lab suddenly looked a year older recently.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Rob]] is about to discover {{w|Time travel|time traveling}}, but a future version of him comes back in time and hits him with a baseball bat before he can actually build this time machine.

A common theme in time travel fiction is going back into the past to fix some mistake or stop some tragedy before it happens (see for instance {{w|The Terminator}} movies). In this comic, it is implied that Rob's time traveling turned out to cause a tragedy of some kind, so in order to stop it, Future-Rob must go back in time to stop himself from time traveling in the first place. The last panel supports this by suggesting that at least once a month somebody discovers time travel, but inevitably ends up going back in time to prevent themselves from doing so.

This is a plot point from the 2004 time-travel drama film [[wikipedia:Primer (film)|''Primer'']]: one character intends to travel back in time to prevent them from discovering time travel in this way, and another character has already traveled back in time, drugged his earlier self, and taken over the operation to discover time travel before the narrative of the film begins. ''Primer'' has a notoriously complicated plot that Randall already has made a jocular attempt at explaining in [[657: Movie Narrative Charts]]. Some more thorough attempts to explain it can be found [http://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/334/can-someone-explain-the-sequence-of-events-in-primer here] and [http://qntm.org/primer here]. Doubtless, this has also been spoofed in countless other comedic settings.

The blood on the bat suggests that future Rob actually killed past Rob. This is of course a paradox like the {{w|grandfather paradox}} - but there are theories about how it would still be possible - see the link. The obvious paradox is that when Rob dies the future Rob never existed. But also the time travel Future Rob undertakes uses a technique that is now never invented. This was the reason for future Rob's travel.

The title text states that this is why we never see any time travelers since they would have stopped their own past selves from time traveling. After getting rid of their past selves they would then assume their place in the timeline, hence why a friend would suddenly look older: they ''have'' aged, just in another timeline before returning to the past.

==Transcript==
:[Rob is working at a workbench. Future-Rob appears out of nowhere with a baseball bat.]
:Future-Rob: Hi, Rob.
:Rob: Whoa, you're me!

:[Future-Rob holding the baseball bat, standing next to Rob.]
:Future-Rob: You're about to have an idea for a time machine.
:Rob: I am?

:[In a frameless panel, Future-Rob hits Rob over the head with the baseball bat.]
:''WHAM''

:[Megan approaches Future-Rob working at the workbench, with Rob nowhere to be seen. The bloody baseball bat is stashed behind it.]
:Megan: Hey, Rob. What's up?
:Future-Rob: Nothing.

:[Caption below the last panel:]
:This happens somewhere roughly once a month.

==Trivia==
This comic's title is very similar to [[1203: Time Machines]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Time Machine]]

User:Vandalbane

2022-05-30T00:42:05Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

I'm a big guy (for you).

2625: Field Topology

2022-05-30T00:37:22Z

Bane, bane, vandalbane!:

[[File:Will Allen holding fish.jpg]]{{comic
| number = 2625
| date = May 27, 2022
| title = Field Topology
| image = field_topology.png
| titletext = The combination croquet set/10-lane pool can also be used for some varieties of foosball and Skee-Ball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by SOMEBODY HOMEOMORPHIC TO YOUR DOG - We did a great job at explaining topology. Wonderful. Now if someone could just EXPLAIN THE FREAKING JOKE, that would be great! Remember to use words like "this is funny because" or "this implies" and add as much sarcasm and "citation needed"s as desired. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Field Topology is [https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Topological_field a subject in mathematics], but in this comic, Randall has taken the term literally. The comic strip depicts a situation where the common practice of multi-use athletic facilities has been organized by the "topology department" and constructed to be shared by all sports whose normal playing fields are {{w|topology|topologically equivalent}}. (Not to be confused with {{w|Field (mathematics)|mathematical fields}}, or the {{w|Fields Medal}} prize -- although successfully {{w|Straightedge and compass construction|constructing}} these fields might lead to medals of one kind or another being granted).

In topology, shapes which can be smoothly deformed into one another without adding or removing holes are considered to be "equivalent". Note that a topological hole is an area of the nominal space (or area, or other manifold) through which nothing restricted to this topology can pass. In describing a real-world archway, for example, this would be where the material of the arch is, not the actual 'hole' passing ''through'' the constructed arch, which is the path that one indeed may (or must!) pass through to get from one region of the layout to another. A loop is a path across the allowable territory of a topology (or a viable circuit to make through the world it describes) that end up where it started. If a loop cannot be tightened (ultimately adjusted to take a shorter path) down to a single point, then it must be wrapped around at least one 'topological hole' (i.e. through a physical one), and you have separately unique paths (or points, i.e. on different disconnected topologies) where you cannot adjust one loop to take the route of another, without severing a looped-path and reconnecting it.

{{w|Baseball}}, and {{w|tetherball}} are played on fields without any holes that the ball or players can completely pass through, so they are ({{w|Group (mathematics)|grouped}}) (physically and mathmatically) into one continuous field without holes. The goals on a {{w|soccer}} field presumably do not create holes because the goalposts and crossbar are connected to the field by the net, so the goals and field are topologically equivalent to a smooth disc. Any path taken into and out of the goal (any number of times) is topologically equivalent to one that does not go into this pocket of space at all.

{{w|Volleyball}} and {{w|badminton}} are played on a court through the center of which passes a net suspended from poles, and the {{w|high jump}} has a bar that contestants jump over. The space bounded by the bottom of the net (or bar), the supporting poles, and the ground can be considered to be a hole, a path over and under the net/bar cannot be simplified to one that does not, so their fields all have one "hole".

A basketball court has two physical pathable holes, the nets. Parallel bars can be thought of as two rectangles and thus as two topographical "holes". Both have opportunities to path through either (or both) structures, and so the material of the structures define a hole in the topological abstract of the playing 'surface'. Since we are told that these sports fields belong to the Topology Department - and are not necessarily generalized to all sports fields - we may safely assume that their "football" field is for "American football" and uses the older H-shaped football goals rather than the more modern Y-shaped ones. An "H" shaped goal creates a topological hole under the crossbar at both ends of the field. A more modern football field with Y-shaped goals would have no holes.

The lane dividers in a swimming pool create bounded holes on the 'playing surface' equivalent to one less than the number of lanes. And each hoop in croquet is a hole with one edge bounded by the playing surface. Similarly, as mentioned in the title text, this configuration is also {{w|homeomorphism|homeomorphic}} to a {{w|foosball}} table (with each rod sustaining the player figures above the table defining a hole) or a {{w|Skee-Ball}} lane (which is even more straightforward, as it is just a plane with several holes in which to throw balls).

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

A row of four signs, each held up by two posts, followed by a row of four roughly lozange shapes, one for each sign. The signs and lozange shapes are shaded as if three-dimensional objects, all being flattish with a small third dimension. The four oblongs are presented at an oblique angle, as if they are in "front" of the signs extending towards the viewer. All but the first oblong have various numbers of holes "through" them.

zero holes: "Baseball. Soccer. Tetherball."

one hole: "Volleyball. Badminton. High jump."

two holes: Basketball. Football. Parallel bars."

nine holes: "Olympic swimming. Croquet."

Image caption: "No one ever wants to use the topology department's athletic fields."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sport]]