explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2784: Drainage Basins

2023-06-04T23:38:39Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ punctuation fix

{{comic
| number = 2784
| date = June 2, 2023
| title = Drainage Basins
| image = drainage_basins_2x.png
| imagesize = 659x500px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = After a pail of water was thrown on the Wicked Witch of the West outside Salt Lake City, Utah's Great Salt Lake was measured to be 7 parts per trillion witch by volume.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LIQUID 90s KID. Do NOT drain this tag too soon.}}
Alex Mack, the main character in the Nickelodeon show ''{{w|The Secret World of Alex Mack}}'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20120516025126/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-02/news/tv-45351_1_alex-mack], developed superpowers after being drenched by an experimental substance. One of these is the ability to turn into a puddle of liquid.

A {{w|drainage basin}} is an area of land where all flowing water converges by one or more outlets to the same body of water. The comic shows a {{w|Drainage divide|watershed map}} for the United States by depicting its drainage basins.

When Randall sees a map of the US's major drainage basins, he thinks of Alex turning into liquid and flowing as part of the basin she happens to be in at the time.

The title text refers to the {{w|Wicked Witch of the West}}, a character from ''{{w|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz}}'', wherein a bucket of water is thrown on her, causing her to dissolve into a puddle. If this happens near {{w|Salt Lake City}} she'll flow into Utah's {{w|Great Salt Lake}}. If its dissolved particles are measured, a tiny fraction will be witch. Seven trillionths of its 18.93 cubic km volume is about 130 liters, which is approximately twice the volume of a typical human being — Randall may be including the Witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, as well. The {{w|Land of Oz}} is described to be somewhere else entirely, surrounded by desert, and thus perhaps has its own salt-lake basin(s); but famously it is not in Kansas, from which any witch-water would have ultimately flowed down to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi. It is possible that Randall's choice of Salt Lake City is referencing the ''{{w|Surrender Dorothy}}'' meme that LDS temples look like Oz.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Title, scribbled out in red:] <s>US Drainage Basins</s>
:[New title, in red, added below:] Where Alex Mack Will End Up

:[Map of the United States, the state borders in light pen; the national borders, seaboards and major lakes in black pen, plus additional boundaries as appropriate between the following labeled drainage basins:]
:[Much or all of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Arizona and about half of Utah:] Pacific Ocean
:[Hawaiian islands, in typical US map repositioning:] Pacific Ocean
:[Alaska, in typical map repositioning, below a line approximately the three quarters up from the south:] Pacific Ocean
:[Remainder of Alaska:] Arctic Ocean
:[Most of Nevada, the western half of Utah (including the Great Salt Lake, outlined) and about a third of California (with the Salton Sea outlined):] Great Basin
:[A small patch of Wyoming, a triangle of New Mexico lying on the Mexican border and a separate thin swathe through parts of New Mexico and Texas:] Various Basins
:[About half of North Dakota and a small section of northern Minnesota:] Hudson Bay
:[From northeast Minnesota across two thirds of Wisconsin, Michigan, a bit of northern Indiana, northern half of Ohio, and most of the eastern seaboard states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia (not West Virginia), North and South Carolinas, half of Georgia and half of Florida (Lake Okeechobee visible):] Atlantic Ocean
:[All remaining states or parts of states:] Gulf of Mexico

:[Caption below the panel:]
:How I still think of these maps, deep down

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with red corrections]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

2770: Tapetum Lucidum

2023-05-03T02:14:59Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2770
| date = May 1, 2023
| title = Tapetum Lucidum
| image = tapetum_lucidum_2x.png
| imagesize = 412x492px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Using a reflective wall in a game to give one shot two chances to hit is called a double-tapetum lucidum.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BILL NYE'S CAT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Bill Nye}}, host of the children's educational series ''Bill Nye the Science Guy'', wearing the same lab coat as in [[200: Bill Nye]], beats an unseen player (presumably [[Randall]]) in an online multiplayer game resembling {{w|XPilot}}, in which players pilot spaceships using simulated rocket physics and attempt to shoot and kill each other. During a laser battle, Bill Nye provides a scientific explanation for the {{w|tapetum lucidum}}, the layer behind the {{w|retina}} of a cat's eye. He explains that the layer reflects back some of the light that bounces off the retina, giving it a second chance to hit the retina again. This allows a cat's eye to capture more light than it otherwise would, and thus improves their night vision. It's also why [https://carnegiemnh.org/meowfest-why-do-cat-eyes-glow-in-the-dark/ cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark].

At the same time, Bill Nye's battle tactic in the online game perfectly analogizes the point he is making. His spaceship is firing energy pulses into the path of an approaching ship in an attempt to destroy it. Due to the difficulty of hitting a small, fast-moving target, it's likely that most or all of these shots will miss. However, because Bill Nye is firing at a reflective wall, each shot that misses bounces back into the path of the opponent's ship, giving it a second chance to hit the target and effectively doubling the density of the firepower. With double the number of shots to avoid, the opponent's ship is hit and explodes.

In the analogy, the weapon shots fired by Bill Nye's ship are the light photons entering the cat's eye, the reflective wall is the tapetum lucidum, and the opponent's ship is a retinal cell. Destroying the opponent's ship with a shot is analogous to a light photon being absorbed by the cat's retina (and therefore seen). If the reflective wall hadn't been there, the ship might have survived, which means the retina would never have seen that photon.

Randall presumably considers this "extra infuriating" because Bill Nye is showing off his scientific knowledge in some other field while also beating him in the game.

The title text is a pun that refers to "tapetum lucidum" and uses "double tap" in the way that online games, memes, and films refer to shooting something twice in rapid succession to ensure its demise. This phrase is famously{{Actual citation needed}} used in the film "Zombieland," and is the subtitle of the 2019 "Zombieland: Double Tap" sequel.

==Transcript==
:[Two triangles with two long sides of equal length (isosceles triangles) but with the short side curving a bit in, are moving inside a black structure, their movement indicated with three and two curved lines below the left and above the right triangle. Both triangles shoots green lasers out of their sharp tip, indicating they represents space ships. They are flying inside a black structure, maybe a maze. There is nothing above the left ship. but below the ships are a black segment making a triangle in the lower left corner. The right ship is inside an opening created by this triangle below it, and another black triangle above it, that centers on the middle of the right side of the panel. The left ship has shot three green laser beams, one of them hits inside the opening on the right triangle and the beam bounces off this wall. But it is not close to the right ship. The right ship has only fires one green laser, which bounces off the left wall also far from the left ship. A voice emanates from the left ship, via a star burst at the top corner. And there are sounds because of the shots it has fired.]
:Left ship: Cats have a shiny layer behind their retina called the tapetum lucidum.
:Laser shots: Pew pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has panned a bit to the left and up so less of the black walls can be seen. The left ship has moved closer to the right wall and has turned so it's sharp tip points almost straight down, still with three curved lines to indicate movement, probably turning movement. It again fires green lasers at the other ship, four this time, with sounds coming from the shooting. The right spaceship is accelerating forward as indicated with three wavy lines behind it's short side moving in to the line of fire. It seems as though all four lasers might miss it, but one of those that already has passed it, is being reflected up against it from below the left black wall. Again a voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: After light passes through the retina, this layer reflects it back through a second time.
:Laser shots: Pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has again panned a bit to show a different segments of the black walls. The ship originally to the left is now above and a bit to the right of where the right ship originally was, and it is even closer to the right wall. It is not firing any more shots, because the reflected shot from the previous panel has hit the right ship which explodes in large green cloud with the black pieces of the ship inside it, and a huge sound. The tail of the laser shot that hits it can be seen entering the explosion. Three other laser shots from before are still moving down, but might all have missed the ship. There are no movement lines now but again the voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: This extra bounce gives photons another chance to interact with the retinal cells...
:Explosion: Boom!

:[A man with short black hair wearing a labcoat is sitting in an office chair typing on his computer while speaking. Below him is a frame with a caption, from which it becomes clear that the man, and the owner of the voice from the left ship, is Bill Nye.]
:Bill Nye: ...Improving their night vision! Isn't science cool?
:Caption: There's something extra infuriating about losing online games to Bill Nye.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring child rapists]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Cats]]

2770: Tapetum Lucidum

2023-05-03T02:13:11Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ This isn't Wikipedia.

{{comic
| number = 2770
| date = May 1, 2023
| title = Tapetum Lucidum
| image = tapetum_lucidum_2x.png
| imagesize = 412x492px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Using a reflective wall in a game to give one shot two chances to hit is called a double-tapetum lucidum.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BILL NYE'S CAT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Bill Nye}}, host of the children's educational series ''Bill Nye the Science Guy'', wearing the same lab coat as in [[200: Bill Nye]], beats an unseen player (presumably [[Randall]]) in an online multiplayer game resembling {{w|XPilot}}, in which players pilot spaceships using simulated rocket physics and attempt to shoot and kill each other. During a laser battle, Bill Nye provides a scientific explanation for the {{w|tapetum lucidum}}, the layer behind the {{w|retina}} of a cat's eye. He explains that the layer reflects back some of the light that bounces off the retina, giving it a second chance to hit the retina again. This allows a cat's eye to capture more light than it otherwise would, and thus improves their night vision. It's also why [https://carnegiemnh.org/meowfest-why-do-cat-eyes-glow-in-the-dark/ cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark].

At the same time, Bill Nye's battle tactic in the online game perfectly analogizes the point he is making. His spaceship is firing energy pulses into the path of an approaching ship in an attempt to destroy it. Due to the difficulty of hitting a small, fast-moving target, it's likely that most or all of these shots will miss. However, because Bill Nye is firing at a reflective wall, each shot that misses bounces back into the path of the opponent's ship, giving it a second chance to hit the target and effectively doubling the density of the firepower. With double the number of shots to avoid, the opponent's ship is hit and explodes.

In the analogy, the weapon shots fired by Bill Nye's ship are the light photons entering the cat's eye, the reflective wall is the tapetum lucidum, and the opponent's ship is a retinal cell. Destroying the opponent's ship with a shot is analogous to a light photon being absorbed by the cat's retina (and therefore seen). If the reflective wall hadn't been there, the ship might have survived, which means the retina would never have seen that photon.

Randall presumably considers this "extra infuriating" because Bill Nye is showing off his scientific knowledge in some other field while also beating him in the game.

The title text refers to "tapetum lucidum" and uses "double tap" in the way that online games, memes, and films refer to shooting something twice in rapid succession to ensure its demise. This phrase is famously{{Actual citation needed}} used in the film "Zombieland," and is the subtitle of the 2019 "Zombieland: Double Tap" sequel.

==Transcript==
:[Two triangles with two long sides of equal length (isosceles triangles) but with the short side curving a bit in, are moving inside a black structure, their movement indicated with three and two curved lines below the left and above the right triangle. Both triangles shoots green lasers out of their sharp tip, indicating they represents space ships. They are flying inside a black structure, maybe a maze. There is nothing above the left ship. but below the ships are a black segment making a triangle in the lower left corner. The right ship is inside an opening created by this triangle below it, and another black triangle above it, that centers on the middle of the right side of the panel. The left ship has shot three green laser beams, one of them hits inside the opening on the right triangle and the beam bounces off this wall. But it is not close to the right ship. The right ship has only fires one green laser, which bounces off the left wall also far from the left ship. A voice emanates from the left ship, via a star burst at the top corner. And there are sounds because of the shots it has fired.]
:Left ship: Cats have a shiny layer behind their retina called the tapetum lucidum.
:Laser shots: Pew pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has panned a bit to the left and up so less of the black walls can be seen. The left ship has moved closer to the right wall and has turned so it's sharp tip points almost straight down, still with three curved lines to indicate movement, probably turning movement. It again fires green lasers at the other ship, four this time, with sounds coming from the shooting. The right spaceship is accelerating forward as indicated with three wavy lines behind it's short side moving in to the line of fire. It seems as though all four lasers might miss it, but one of those that already has passed it, is being reflected up against it from below the left black wall. Again a voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: After light passes through the retina, this layer reflects it back through a second time.
:Laser shots: Pew pew

:[Same setting but the scene has again panned a bit to show a different segments of the black walls. The ship originally to the left is now above and a bit to the right of where the right ship originally was, and it is even closer to the right wall. It is not firing any more shots, because the reflected shot from the previous panel has hit the right ship which explodes in large green cloud with the black pieces of the ship inside it, and a huge sound. The tail of the laser shot that hits it can be seen entering the explosion. Three other laser shots from before are still moving down, but might all have missed the ship. There are no movement lines now but again the voice emanates from the left ship via a starburst in the left corner:]
:Left ship: This extra bounce gives photons another chance to interact with the retinal cells...
:Explosion: Boom!

:[A man with short black hair wearing a labcoat is sitting in an office chair typing on his computer while speaking. Below him is a frame with a caption, from which it becomes clear that the man, and the owner of the voice from the left ship, is Bill Nye.]
:Bill Nye: ...Improving their night vision! Isn't science cool?
:Caption: There's something extra infuriating about losing online games to Bill Nye.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring child rapists]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Cats]]

722: Computer Problems

2023-04-18T18:52:13Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Trivia */ fixed bulleting issue, added info

{{comic
| number = 722
| date = April 2, 2010
| title = Computer Problems
| image = computer_problems.png
| titletext = This is how I explain computer problems to my cat. My cat usually seems happier than me.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] explains to [[Megan]] that he is having computer problems. Normally, he is able to manipulate a "pattern" on his "metal rectangle full of little lights" (a reasonable, if oversimplified description of generated images displayed on a monitor). Today, however, the "pattern" is "all wrong". Megan suggests that he might be able to fix it by pressing more buttons, but following her advice doesn't seem to have the desired effect.

According to the title text, [[Randall]] uses a similar technique to explain his computer problems to his cat. Some cats have the habit to walk over or lie on keyboards (pressing a lot of buttons) or to lie on it (because keyboards of notebooks are designed to dispense heat, which many cats enjoy sleeping on). This is, however, not to fix a "pattern" which they usually don't care about but rather to get the same attention the keyboard receives from the cat's owner. "My cat seems happier than me," implies that "pressing buttons to make the pattern [of the 'metal rectangle full of lights'] change," makes a person less happy. Randall's cat is happier than he is because Randall's cat does not have to deal with computer problems.

As evidenced by both past and future comics, Randall likes to [[1133: Up Goer Five|make an effort]] to explain things for simple minds.

Speculatively, Randall may be commenting on the abstract nature of events that effect Cueball's happiness or well being. While the work Cueball does on the computer seems very important to him, the deconstructed version as discussed by Megan and Cueball make his resulting distress seem out of proportion. This interpretation is further supported by the title text in which Randall's cat, unaware of more abstract representations of activity on the computer, enjoys greater happiness overall.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are looking at his computer, on the desk.]
:Cueball: You know this metal rectangle full of little lights?
:Megan: Yeah.

:Cueball: I spend most of my life pressing buttons to make the pattern of lights change however I want.
:Megan: Sounds good.

:Cueball: But today, the pattern of lights is ''all wrong''!
:Megan: Oh god! Try pressing more buttons!
:Cueball: ''IT'S NOT HELPING!''

==Trivia==
*The concept of using simple English to explain complicated problems was first used in [[547: Simple]] and has been revisited in [[1133: Up Goer Five]], [[1322: Winter]], [[1364: Like I'm Five]] [[1436: Orb Hammer]], [[2163: Chernobyl]] and of course [[Thing Explainer]]. See Category:Simplified Language.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Simplified language]]
[[Category:Cueball Computer Problems]]

722: Computer Problems

2023-04-18T18:50:45Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ added additional explanation

{{comic
| number = 722
| date = April 2, 2010
| title = Computer Problems
| image = computer_problems.png
| titletext = This is how I explain computer problems to my cat. My cat usually seems happier than me.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] explains to [[Megan]] that he is having computer problems. Normally, he is able to manipulate a "pattern" on his "metal rectangle full of little lights" (a reasonable, if oversimplified description of generated images displayed on a monitor). Today, however, the "pattern" is "all wrong". Megan suggests that he might be able to fix it by pressing more buttons, but following her advice doesn't seem to have the desired effect.

According to the title text, [[Randall]] uses a similar technique to explain his computer problems to his cat. Some cats have the habit to walk over or lie on keyboards (pressing a lot of buttons) or to lie on it (because keyboards of notebooks are designed to dispense heat, which many cats enjoy sleeping on). This is, however, not to fix a "pattern" which they usually don't care about but rather to get the same attention the keyboard receives from the cat's owner. "My cat seems happier than me," implies that "pressing buttons to make the pattern [of the 'metal rectangle full of lights'] change," makes a person less happy. Randall's cat is happier than he is because Randall's cat does not have to deal with computer problems.

As evidenced by both past and future comics, Randall likes to [[1133: Up Goer Five|make an effort]] to explain things for simple minds.

Speculatively, Randall may be commenting on the abstract nature of events that effect Cueball's happiness or well being. While the work Cueball does on the computer seems very important to him, the deconstructed version as discussed by Megan and Cueball make his resulting distress seem out of proportion. This interpretation is further supported by the title text in which Randall's cat, unaware of more abstract representations of activity on the computer, enjoys greater happiness overall.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are looking at his computer, on the desk.]
:Cueball: You know this metal rectangle full of little lights?
:Megan: Yeah.

:Cueball: I spend most of my life pressing buttons to make the pattern of lights change however I want.
:Megan: Sounds good.

:Cueball: But today, the pattern of lights is ''all wrong''!
:Megan: Oh god! Try pressing more buttons!
:Cueball: ''IT'S NOT HELPING!''

==Trivia==
*The concept of using simple English to explain complicated problems was first used in [[547: Simple]]
**and has been revisited in [[1133: Up Goer Five]], [[1322: Winter]], [[1364: Like I'm Five]] [[1436: Orb Hammer]], [[2163: Chernobyl]] and of course [[Thing Explainer]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Simplified language]]
[[Category:Cueball Computer Problems]]

1084: Server Problem

2023-04-18T18:47:03Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ changed a line to be more screenreader-friendly; added additional explanation

{{comic
| number = 1084
| date = July 20, 2012
| title = Server Problem
| image = server_problem.png
| titletext = Protip: Annoy Ray Kurzweil by always referring to it as the 'Cybersingularity'.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has messed up his {{w|Linux server}}, {{tvtropes|WalkingTechbane|apparently not for the first time}}. [[Megan]] offers to take a look at the PC, and she casually types in "ls" — a very basic command that lists the files in the current directory. The computer returns a bizarre error message — it trips over one of the simplest commands, indicating that Cueball's system is messed up. ''Really'' messed up.

The {{w|Filesystem Hierarchy Standard#Directory structure|/usr/share}} path should indicate "architecture-independent shared data". Adobe is the software company that produces Acrobat and Photoshop. Android VM would be a virtual machine for Android. The .jar extension suggests a Java-language program. None of Adobe software, Android, or Java are needed to run "ls". All of the above have nothing to do with each other, with the exception that Android applications (but not core command line utilities, like ls) are written in Java. Also, basic system executables like "ls" would never be placed within /usr/share or within some "example" or "doc" directory. On Linux, executables don't have filename extensions like ".exe" or ".jar". Core executables such as "ls" are often shipped with the operating system as binaries, so the presence of "ls.jar" suggests Cueball was attempting to unorthodoxly replace the existing executable with his own Java implementation. Additionally, it would require the folder to be within {{w|PATH (variable)|$PATH}}. In other words, the error message implies that the server is in a very bad state.

In the last frame Megan is bewildered by this result and asks ''"what did you do?"''. Cueball suggest a course of action which mimics a common error message: "[X] is busy, please try again later." Obviously he has seen this type of message frequently enough to try it as a general cure in all similar cases (even scarier, there is a good possibility that his tech issues are so bizarre that it often works for him).

Megan then tells Cueball to "shut down the system and wait for the {{w|technological singularity|singularity}}," referring to a hypothetical future event when superintelligence can be artificially created. Since future superintelligent humans/computers transcend our comprehension, we can't predict or even understand what will happen after the singularity. One interpretation is that Megan is telling Cueball that his system is such a mess that it will take a post-singularity superintelligence to fix it (or run it in its current state, as only an intelligence beyond present comprehension would be capable of doing). It also indicates that either [[1782: Team Chat]] or [[1668: Singularity]] could be the sequel to this comic. Since the singularity is a hypothetical event that may never happen, or may happen at a date unimaginably far in the future, Megan is essentially telling Cueball to give up completely on fixing his server. This is her way of declaring that no human can fix or understand his server.

The title text is yet another [[:Category:Protip|protip]] from [[Randall]]. {{w|Ray Kurzweil}} is an author and futurist who has {{w|Singularity Summit|talked}} and {{w|The Singularity Is Near|written}} much about a ''{{w|technological singularity}}''. Presumably, mangling the jargon (by confusing the concept of the "singularity" with the science fiction term "{{w|cyberspace}}") is something Kurzweil (as an expert) would find annoying. Also, as Randall later pointed out in [[1573: Cyberintelligence]], the prefix "cyber" has not really been used for a decade...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball at his computer calls out for Megan who comes walking in to the frame.]
:Cueball: I, um, messed up my server again.
:Megan: I'll take a look. You have the ''weirdest'' tech problems.

:[Zoom in on only Megan who uses the root prompt on the computer.]
:<code>~# ls</code>

:[Megan stands next to the computer, Cueball sits behind her on his chair. The computer returns the following:]
:<code>/usr/share/Adobe/doc/example/android_vm/root/sbin/ls.jar:
:Error: Device is not responding.</code>

:[Megan turns towards Cueball who lifts his hands with palm up.]
:Megan: What did you ''do!?''
:Cueball: Maybe the device is busy. Should I try it later?
:Megan: You should shut down this system and wait for the Singularity.

== Trivia ==

* This is the first comic to have a high-resolution (pixel-doubled) version of its image.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Singularity]]
[[Category:Cueball Computer Problems]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

1914: Twitter Verification

2023-04-13T22:21:46Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Transcript */ added temporal markers

{{comic
| number = 1914
| date = November 10, 2017
| title = Twitter Verification
| image = twitter_verification.png
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.
}}

==Explanation==

Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/xkcd Randall Munroe], [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], and [https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark was used to indicate that the user is who they say they are, rather than being a fake account made by someone else using their picture and name (however, that has since been replaced by the orange checkmark). This helps fans find the real accounts of their favorite celebrities. However, since the most notable people benefit from this the most, there is some ambiguity in the granting of the verified mark, as it also seems to be interpreted as a status symbol to indicate the notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. For this reason, Twitter has removed verified checkmarks from real accounts of celebrities because of political controversies in the past. Examples of this are political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos (before he was banned from the service). One recent controversial decision regarding the verified mark is that Twitter gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent far-right rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it.]

The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it seems to imply endorsement or, at least, favors some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups [''citation NOT needed''], neither set will ever be empty and Twitter will always be seen as either endorsing unworthy or snubbing worthy people. There have been considerable problems created by this; see {{w|Twitter verification}} for more information.

The last line of dialogue is a typical English sentence and has nothing to do with the Twitter Moments feature, which can be used to compile several tweets with a shared theme into a browsable gallery. The character depicted is the (at the time of publication) Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}, judging by the beard.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded figure, who is meant to be Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO at the time, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]
:Jack: Everyone calm down—
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one.
:Jack: This should only take a moment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1914: Twitter Verification

2023-04-13T22:20:37Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Transcript */ fixed phrasing issue - Dorsey is not depicting himself. If he were, he'd be painting a self-portrait.

{{comic
| number = 1914
| date = November 10, 2017
| title = Twitter Verification
| image = twitter_verification.png
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.
}}

==Explanation==

Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/xkcd Randall Munroe], [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], and [https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark was used to indicate that the user is who they say they are, rather than being a fake account made by someone else using their picture and name (however, that has since been replaced by the orange checkmark). This helps fans find the real accounts of their favorite celebrities. However, since the most notable people benefit from this the most, there is some ambiguity in the granting of the verified mark, as it also seems to be interpreted as a status symbol to indicate the notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. For this reason, Twitter has removed verified checkmarks from real accounts of celebrities because of political controversies in the past. Examples of this are political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos (before he was banned from the service). One recent controversial decision regarding the verified mark is that Twitter gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent far-right rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it.]

The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it seems to imply endorsement or, at least, favors some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups [''citation NOT needed''], neither set will ever be empty and Twitter will always be seen as either endorsing unworthy or snubbing worthy people. There have been considerable problems created by this; see {{w|Twitter verification}} for more information.

The last line of dialogue is a typical English sentence and has nothing to do with the Twitter Moments feature, which can be used to compile several tweets with a shared theme into a browsable gallery. The character depicted is the (at the time of publication) Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}, judging by the beard.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded figure, who is meant to be the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]
:Jack: Everyone calm down—
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one.
:Jack: This should only take a moment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1914: Twitter Verification

2023-04-13T22:19:33Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ added info and link

{{comic
| number = 1914
| date = November 10, 2017
| title = Twitter Verification
| image = twitter_verification.png
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.
}}

==Explanation==

Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/xkcd Randall Munroe], [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], and [https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark was used to indicate that the user is who they say they are, rather than being a fake account made by someone else using their picture and name (however, that has since been replaced by the orange checkmark). This helps fans find the real accounts of their favorite celebrities. However, since the most notable people benefit from this the most, there is some ambiguity in the granting of the verified mark, as it also seems to be interpreted as a status symbol to indicate the notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. For this reason, Twitter has removed verified checkmarks from real accounts of celebrities because of political controversies in the past. Examples of this are political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos (before he was banned from the service). One recent controversial decision regarding the verified mark is that Twitter gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent far-right rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it.]

The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it seems to imply endorsement or, at least, favors some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups [''citation NOT needed''], neither set will ever be empty and Twitter will always be seen as either endorsing unworthy or snubbing worthy people. There have been considerable problems created by this; see {{w|Twitter verification}} for more information.

The last line of dialogue is a typical English sentence and has nothing to do with the Twitter Moments feature, which can be used to compile several tweets with a shared theme into a browsable gallery. The character depicted is the (at the time of publication) Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}, judging by the beard.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded figure, depicting the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]
:Jack: Everyone calm down—
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one.
:Jack: This should only take a moment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1670: Laws of Physics

2023-04-13T21:55:55Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ added clarity

{{comic
| number = 1670
| date = April 20, 2016
| title = Laws of Physics
| image = laws_of_physics.png
| titletext = The laws of physics are fun to try to understand, but as an organism with incredibly delicate eyes who evolved in a world full of sharp objects, I have an awful lot of trust in biology's calibration of my flinch reflex.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]], being Black Hat, is deliberately perverting a classic physics demonstration. In the normal version of the demonstration, a heavy ball on a pendulum is pulled to one side until it is almost, but not quite, touching the demonstrator or volunteer's nose or chin. When the ball is released at rest, it swings down and away, then back up to (almost) the same distance in the arc from where it started — but ''never'' (by the laws of physics) farther than where it started. As long as the demonstrator doesn't lean in or push the ball, it's impossible for it to strike them. It's a natural instinct to move away or protect yourself if you see a heavy object moving quickly toward you, but confidence in the physics of the demonstration means there is no reason to flinch. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2GdY1OlDpA Sample video.])

In this comic, Cueball is not standing at the beginning edge of the ball's movement, but rather at the base of its swing, meaning that the ball will strike him at its maximum speed. Presumably, Black Hat is entirely aware of this and is hoping that Cueball's understanding of physics is insufficient to see through this prank. Judging from the "slack" of the rope, the ball should not hit Cueball in the head but could certainly hit him in the groin, which could be quite painful...

The title text refers to the fact when someone flinches during the pendulum experiment, they are commonly accused of not having faith in the laws of physics. Randall is rebutting this argument by stating that, rather than not having faith in science, he is actually in tune with it, specifically the biological processes that led to the flinch reflex. His eyes and his flinch reflex have been calibrated through millions of years of evolution. To instantly dismiss his body's natural reaction when a heavy object comes quickly towards his face does not give enough credit to these mechanisms that successfully kept him (and every one of his ancestors) alive. In other words, while flinching may indicate doubt of the laws of physics, it may equally well indicate trust in the laws of biology.

The idea of hitting someone else with a pendulum is also the topic of [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[2539: Flinch]].

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is standing on a ladder, holding a heavy ball attached to a line from above. Cueball stands beneath, where if the ball swings it will smack him in his upper body.]
:Black Hat: Okay, hold still.
:Black Hat: And remember, if you ''really'' believe in the laws of physics, you won't flinch.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Physics]]

2539: Flinch

2023-04-13T21:54:29Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ added paragraph

{{comic
| number = 2539
| date = November 8, 2021
| title = Flinch
| image = flinch.png
| titletext = Premed: "Does this count for a physics credit? Can we shorten the string so I can get it done faster? And can we do one where it hits me in the face? I gotta do a thing for first aid training right after."
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] is performing [https://youtu.be/4a0FbQdH3dY?t=1518 a common physics demonstration] in which a heavy ball is hung from a rope or cable. The demonstrator, or a volunteer, pulls the ball back until it's close to their face (possibly even touching it), then releases it, allowing it to swing, and then return. Due to conservation of energy, the ball cannot return any further than its original release point, making it impossible for the person to be struck by it. Because a heavy pendulum will tend to lose little energy on each swing (relative to its overall energy), it will come back very close to its original point, so the experiment creates a conflict between the instinctive desire to escape a heavy object flying at your face, and the theoretical knowledge that it won't harm you.

[[Megan]] is a physicist, who understands the principles of the experiment and claims she won't flinch, confident that it can't harm her.

[[Hairy]] is a biologist, and implies that he has no intention of avoiding the flinch reflex, as he trusts the {{w|Reflex|automatic reflexes}} that the human body has evolved more than he trusts the premise of the experiment. In both [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[1670: Laws of Physics]], the same experiment is referenced. In the title text of the latter [[Randall]] makes a very similar argument as the biologist does here.

[[Ponytail]], an engineer, replies that she doesn't trust Cueball to have hung the pendulum correctly. Engineers are trained in science, but work with practical applications, and tend to be very aware that practice is rarely as simple as scientific theories might imply. Even if the physical laws are constant, the experiment might not go according to plan. For example, if the cable were to snap or come loose while swinging toward the subject, the ball could strike them in the body, or land on their feet. If the cable is more elastic than anticipated, it could stretch unpredictably, once again striking someone. If the anchor point is not stable, it could shift during the experiment, once again causing harm. Also if the ball is not released but pushed, or if the one releasing it leans forward after release they might get hit in the face.

The punch line basically makes the point that failure to trust the safety of an experiment doesn't necessarily imply a lack of scientific knowledge. If you lack confidence in the design of an experiment, then it's not safe to assume that the laws of physics will protect you.

The comic as a whole demonstrates that members of different disciplines have differing perspectives on the world: Physicists trust physics, biologists trust biology, and engineers do ''not'' trust engineering. This creates irony, because the reader might expect that an engineer would trust engineering, but in actuality, engineers distrust things designed by humans, since they so often design things poorly and/or encounter things others have designed poorly.

The title text shows a pre-med student's response. {{w|Pre-medical}} university courses have a reputation for being more intense and demanding than other undergraduate degrees, so the student is portrayed as being very stressed and time-conscious; showing little interest in the experiment itself, only in how it impacts their degree. In addition, medical students are commonly the subject of "interesting" medical experiments which may lead to long-term psychological and physical side-effects.

The student first asks if participating in the demonstration will count for a physics credit, implying that they're not willing to spend time on it unless it contributes to their academic requirements. They then ask if they can shorten the string to make the demonstration go faster. Shortening a pendulum does, indeed, cause it to swing faster, but the time saved would be less than the time necessary to make the modification, so the demonstration would not end sooner. Finally, they ask to do a variant where they ''deliberately'' get struck in the face, because they have a "thing for first aid training" immediately after. This would likely injure them, but the student is apparently willing to sacrifice their own safety and well-being in service to their academic career. It's not clear how this would help, although it could potentially help ''others'' learn first aid by having them practice on the new injury.

Various alternate takes on this experiment have been previously featured in [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[1670: Laws of Physics]], but this is the first time experiment is performed in a proper manner.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a bowling ball in both hands. It is attached to a string that goes behind him and up disappearing off panel around double his height. He is talking to Megan, Hairy, and Ponytail who is looking at him. Between Cueball and the other three is a cross in a dotted circle on the floor.]
:Cueball: If you stand with the bowling ball in front of your face and let go, will you flinch when it swings back?

:[Zoom in on Megan in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Physicist
:Megan: I won't flinch.
:Megan: I trust conservation of energy.

:[Zoom in on Hairy, in a wide panel. He has lifted arm holding his hand palm up toward Cueball (who is off-panel). There is a caption in a frame above him.]
:Caption: Biologist
:Hairy: I trust my flinch reflex, which was honed by millions of years of evolution to protect my delicate face. I'm not messing with it.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Engineer
:Ponytail: I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]

2751: March Madness

2023-03-18T00:06:47Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added clarification

{{comic
| number = 2751
| date = March 17, 2023
| title = March Madness
| image = march_madness_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x333px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = My bracket has 76 trombones led by John Philip Sousa facing off against thousands of emperor penguins led by Morgan Freeman.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PENGUIN OVERLORD - Do we need a chart? - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Randall]] has created [[:Category:Tournament bracket|yet another]] {{w|Tournament bracket|single-elimination tournament bracket}}. This time, everything in the bracket relates to the word March. The first section has things that are named after March.

{{w|NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|March Madness}} is a college basketball tournament played each spring in the US.

{{w|March Hare|The March Hare}} is a character famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

{{w|Middlemarch|Middlemarch}}, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot.

{{w|Ides of March|The Ides of March}}, is the 74th day of the Roman Calendar, corresponding to March 15th, and is notorious for being the date {{w|Assassination of Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar was assassinated}}.

The Lower left quadrant all refers to {{w|Seventy-Six Trombones|Seventy-Six Trombones}}, which is a song from the 1957 musical "The Music Man," about the instruments in an imagined parade. ("March" is another word for "parade.") The [https://genius.com/Meredith-willson-seventy-six-trombones-lyrics opening line] of that song states that "76 trombones led the big parade, with 110 cornets close behind." Later in the song the lyrics "there were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds" and "there were fifty mounted cannon in the battery" inspire the next match up.

{{w|March of Dimes|March of Dimes}} is a charity program advocating for moms and babies.

{{w|March of the Toy Soldiers|March of the Toy Soldiers}} is a musical piece from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

{{w|Ent|The Last March of the Ents}} is a scene in the Lord of the Rings: The Two towers, where ents, fictional treelike creatures, march against Isengard.

{{w|March of the Penguins|March of the Penguins}} is a 2005 nature documentary directed by Luc Jacquet.

Wedding March may refer to {{w|Wedding March (Mendelssohn)|Felix Mendelssohn's musical composition in C Major}}, or as a more general description of a bridal chorus as the bride enters a wedding.

{{w|Funeral March|Funeral March}} is a musical genre, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession.

{{w|The Imperial March|The Imperial March}} is a theme from Star Wars which often plays when characters from the empire, particularly large batches of storm troopers, are on screen.

{{w|Nissan Micra|The Nissan March}} is a supermini car produced in Japan.

In the alt text, Randall claims his bracket has 76 trombones being led by Sousa (a famous bandleader; the lead character in "The Music Man" claims that he led the supposed parade) against the March of the Penguins, led by Morgan Freeman (who narrated the English release of the film).

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

:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 competitors, 8 on the left and 8 on the right side]

:[Left side:]
:Madness
:Hare

:Middle
:Ides

:76 Trombones
:110 Cornets

:1000+ Reeds
:50 Mounted Cannon

:[Right side:]
:Dimes
:Toy Soldiers

:Ents
:Penguins

:Wedding
:Funeral

:Imperial
:Nissan

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tournament bracket]]

2751: March Madness

2023-03-18T00:05:11Z

Birdsinthewindow: added end punctuation

{{comic
| number = 2751
| date = March 17, 2023
| title = March Madness
| image = march_madness_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x333px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = My bracket has 76 trombones led by John Philip Sousa facing off against thousands of emperor penguins led by Morgan Freeman.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PENGUIN OVERLORD - Do we need a chart? - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Randall]] has created [[:Category:Tournament bracket|yet another]] {{w|Tournament bracket|single-elimination tournament bracket}}. This time, everything in the bracket relates to the word March. The first section has things that are named after March.

{{w|NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|March Madness}} is a college basketball tournament played each spring in the US.

{{w|March Hare|The March Hare}} is a character famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

{{w|Middlemarch|Middlemarch}}, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot.

{{w|Ides of March|The Ides of March}}, is the 74th day of the Roman Calendar, corresponding to March 15th, and is notorious for being the date {{w|Assassination of Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar was assassinated}}.

The Lower left quadrant all refers to {{w|Seventy-Six Trombones|Seventy-Six Trombones}}, which is a song from the 1957 musical "The Music Man," about the instruments in an imagined parade. The [https://genius.com/Meredith-willson-seventy-six-trombones-lyrics opening line] of that song states that "76 trombones led the big parade, with 110 cornets close behind." Later in the song the lyrics "there were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds" and "there were fifty mounted cannon in the battery" inspire the next match up.

{{w|March of Dimes|March of Dimes}} is a charity program advocating for moms and babies.

{{w|March of the Toy Soldiers|March of the Toy Soldiers}} is a musical piece from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

{{w|Ent|The Last March of the Ents}} is a scene in the Lord of the Rings: The Two towers, where ents, fictional treelike creatures, march against Isengard.

{{w|March of the Penguins|March of the Penguins}} is a 2005 nature documentary directed by Luc Jacquet.

Wedding March may refer to {{w|Wedding March (Mendelssohn)|Felix Mendelssohn's musical composition in C Major}}, or as a more general description of a bridal chorus as the bride enters a wedding.

{{w|Funeral March|Funeral March}} is a musical genre, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession.

{{w|The Imperial March|The Imperial March}} is a theme from Star Wars which often plays when characters from the empire, particularly large batches of storm troopers, are on screen.

{{w|Nissan Micra|The Nissan March}} is a supermini car produced in Japan.

In the alt text, Randall claims his bracket has 76 trombones being led by Sousa (a famous bandleader; the lead character in "The Music Man" claims that he led the supposed parade) against the March of the Penguins, led by Morgan Freeman (who narrated the English release of the film).

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

:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 competitors, 8 on the left and 8 on the right side]

:[Left side:]
:Madness
:Hare

:Middle
:Ides

:76 Trombones
:110 Cornets

:1000+ Reeds
:50 Mounted Cannon

:[Right side:]
:Dimes
:Toy Soldiers

:Ents
:Penguins

:Wedding
:Funeral

:Imperial
:Nissan

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tournament bracket]]

2751: March Madness

2023-03-18T00:04:34Z

Birdsinthewindow: added comma

{{comic
| number = 2751
| date = March 17, 2023
| title = March Madness
| image = march_madness_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x333px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = My bracket has 76 trombones led by John Philip Sousa facing off against thousands of emperor penguins led by Morgan Freeman.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PENGUIN OVERLORD - Do we need a chart? - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Randall]] has created [[:Category:Tournament bracket|yet another]] {{w|Tournament bracket|single-elimination tournament bracket}}. This time, everything in the bracket relates to the word March. The first section has things that are named after March.

{{w|NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|March Madness}} is a college basketball tournament played each spring in the US.

{{w|March Hare|The March Hare}} is a character famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

{{w|Middlemarch|Middlemarch}}, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot.

{{w|Ides of March|The Ides of March}}, is the 74th day of the Roman Calendar, corresponding to March 15th, and is notorious for being the date {{w|Assassination of Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar was assassinated}}

The Lower left quadrant all refers to {{w|Seventy-Six Trombones|Seventy-Six Trombones}}, which is a song from the 1957 musical "The Music Man," about the instruments in an imagined parade. The [https://genius.com/Meredith-willson-seventy-six-trombones-lyrics opening line] of that song states that "76 trombones led the big parade, with 110 cornets close behind." Later in the song the lyrics "there were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds" and "there were fifty mounted cannon in the battery" inspire the next match up.

{{w|March of Dimes|March of Dimes}} is a charity program advocating for moms and babies.

{{w|March of the Toy Soldiers|March of the Toy Soldiers}} is a musical piece from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

{{w|Ent|The Last March of the Ents}} is a scene in the Lord of the Rings: The Two towers, where ents, fictional treelike creatures, march against Isengard.

{{w|March of the Penguins|March of the Penguins}} is a 2005 nature documentary directed by Luc Jacquet.

Wedding March may refer to {{w|Wedding March (Mendelssohn)|Felix Mendelssohn's musical composition in C Major}}, or as a more general description of a bridal chorus as the bride enters a wedding.

{{w|Funeral March|Funeral March}} is a musical genre, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession.

{{w|The Imperial March|The Imperial March}} is a theme from Star Wars which often plays when characters from the empire, particularly large batches of storm troopers, are on screen.

{{w|Nissan Micra|The Nissan March}} is a supermini car produced in Japan.

In the alt text, Randall claims his bracket has 76 trombones being led by Sousa (a famous bandleader; the lead character in "The Music Man" claims that he led the supposed parade) against the March of the Penguins, led by Morgan Freeman (who narrated the English release of the film).

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

:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 competitors, 8 on the left and 8 on the right side]

:[Left side:]
:Madness
:Hare

:Middle
:Ides

:76 Trombones
:110 Cornets

:1000+ Reeds
:50 Mounted Cannon

:[Right side:]
:Dimes
:Toy Soldiers

:Ents
:Penguins

:Wedding
:Funeral

:Imperial
:Nissan

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tournament bracket]]

1044: Romney Quiz

2023-01-15T01:13:20Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added more explanation

{{comic
| number = 1044
| date = April 18, 2012
| title = Romney Quiz
| image = romney quiz.png
| titletext = Charlie actually delivered the Medicare line almost verbatim in the 1971 movie's Fizzy Lifting Drink scene, but it was ultimately cut from the final release.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes "either/or" quizzes seen on websites such as mentalfloss.com. These quizzes normally have an element of challenge by presenting tonally similar quotes, such as "Who Said It: Ted Nugent or Cartman from ''South Park''?". The two people are generally chosen carefully to fulfill a particular role, for example:
*Polar opposites - Republican vs Democrat, Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice, Christian vs Atheist
*Real vs fictional
*Politician/Celebrity vs villain - George Bush vs Hitler, Nigel Farage vs Ku Klux Klan, Obama vs Lucifer

In each case the idea is usually to surprise the reader with the fact that the quotes are difficult to tell apart, with the implied "conclusion" that person A is essentially indistinguishable from person B. In some cases the quizzes may be used as a tool to portray a particular person or group in a certain way, or alternatively may be light-hearted jest.

{{w|Mitt Romney}} was the {{w|Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012|Republican candidate for President of the United States}} (officially declared presumptive nominee on April 25, 2012, one week after this comic) during the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 US presidential election}} and, as it says above, the former Governor of Massachusetts. During the election, Mad Magazine published a popular [https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/03/02/who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns article] ([https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/11/16/mad-asks-who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns-volume-2 volume 2]) which compared quotes from Romney with quotes from the ''{{w|The Simpsons|Simpsons}}'' villain {{w|Montgomery Burns}}, the implication being that like Burns, Romney was a corrupt out-of-touch plutocrat and had similar views and affectations. In this comic, Burns is substituted with Charlie Bucket, the main character of the 1964 {{w|Roald Dahl}} children's novel, ''{{w|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}},'' adapted to film in 1971 as ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.''

The joke here is that the two categories of quotes are not at all similar, and thus are very easy to attribute. Where the question "Is there even a difference?" usually implies some kind of political satire, in this case the point of the quiz appears to be lost, leading to a situation of bewilderment for the reader.

The answers, which are given upside down so that the reader has a chance to complete the quiz before checking their work, are all correct.

The title text refers to a Romney comment on {{w|Medicare (United States)|Medicare}}, a national program launched in 1965 to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history. So the quote being used in a movie in 1971, while obviously not true, is indeed ''possible''. (Though, given that Charlie's supposed to have said it while floating in midair in the Fizzy Lifting Drinks scene, he'd have been more likely to be referring to ''himself'' as needing to regain "solid footing.")

==Transcript==
:[One long panel, with a large headline at the top, flanked by two small pictures on each side: a portrait of Mitt Romney on the left, and a child (Charlie Bucket) running with a golden ticket in his hand on the left. Below is a list numbered 1 - 12 down the left. The answers on the bottom are written upside down.]
:QUIZ: Who said it - former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or Wonka contest winner Charlie Bucket?
:''Is there even a difference?''

:1. ———— "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
:2. ———— "Returning Medicare to solid footing represents our greatest entitlement challenge."
:3. ———— "Look, everyone, look, I've got it! The fifth golden ticket is mine!"
:4. ———— We have lost faith in government. Not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government."
:5. ———— "This banana's fantastic! It tastes so real."
:6. ———— "Grandpa... on the way home today, I ran into Mr. Slugworth."
:7. ———— "I'm not happy exporting jobs, but we must move ahead in technology and patents."
:8. ———— "Hey, the room is getting smaller."
:9. ———— "It would be impossible to reach unanimity on every aspect of our budget."
:10. ——— "Grandpa, look over there across the river! They're little men!"
:11. ——— "I'm... going too high! Hey, Grandpa, I can't get down! Help! Grandpa, the fan!"
:12. ——— "Barack Obama has failed America."

:Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.
:[Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

886: Craigslist Apartments

2022-07-04T00:59:16Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Added some more explanation

{{comic
| number = 886
| date = April 15, 2011
| title = Craigslist Apartments
| image = craigslist apartments.png
| titletext = $1600 / 1386153BR 3BATH, MODERN SLIDING DOORS, GUEST ROOMS, GARBAGE DISPOSAL. FREE MANDATORY PARKING (ENFORCED). CONVENIENT TO ALDERAAN.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a comic about the potential pitfalls in finding an apartment on {{w|Craigslist}}. Just as in Craigslist, some of the posts are re-posted several times. Additionally, lots of posts use lots of tildes, exclamation points or asterisks as above to set their posts apart from others.

'''BR''' means bedroom, e.g. 3BR means that apartment has 3 bedrooms (common measurement of apartment size).

*'''$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats OK, limit one per square foot.'''
:This ad is aimed at people who compulsively keep a number of cats much greater than is appropriate to the living space.

*'''$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****'''
:This is the first repetition of an entry that appears multiple times. It is also extremely generic, telling the reader little useful about the house. The square house might be a garage, or just a regular square house. Beside that, most houses have a door in front. There's nothing special about a door. It's possible this refers to an elevator. The different places it appears on the page could be the different floors it stops on.

*'''$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.'''
:A strobe light is a very bright light that, instead of remaining on, flashes very quickly. It's frequently used in parties. A constant strobe light and the stated lack of a floor would probably make living in the apartment somewhat difficult. It is not clear whether "no floor" means a dirt floor with no foundation or tiling, or whether there is literally some form of pit where a floor would be.

*'''$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.'''
: This is a post to live as an oarsman on a {{w|Viking ship}}. The water and heat presumably both come from the sky, in the form of rain and sunlight.

*'''$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.'''
: This is a vague ad for a very unusual apartment. First off, the ad indicates that the two bedrooms are nested. This is an impractical layout, and it is very rare to see this.{{Citation needed}} Possibly this refers to a {{w|tesseract}}, a four-dimensional cube. This conjecture is supported by mention of a Klein Bottle. Running water "in a sense" is both vague and concerning. The note about heat is similar. Short intense blasts of heat are not a comfortable way to heat a room. Depending on how intense the blasts are, they also may be dangerous or deadly. (Alternatively, the house could have a {{w|geyser}} inside, which would explain both the 'free heat in short, intense bursts', along with the 'water that runs in a sense'.) A {{w|Klein bottle}} is a surface which has no difference between "inside" and "outside", similar to a mobius strip but with an extra dimension. It is physically impossible to build a Klein bottle in a three-dimensional space. It isn't certain what Klein stairs are, but they probably aren't very useful. This may be a pun on "clean" stairs.

*'''$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)'''
:This is a disguised "adult services" (sex) posting, with references to trimmed pubic hair, an attractive body, a desire for penetrative sex, and a lack of {{w|Sexually transmitted disease|STD}}s. This is supported by the fact that $120 per night is highly expensive for an apartment but more usual as a sex worker's rate. Craigslist no longer allows posts for this, because prostitution is illegal in most places in the US. This post tries to evade the adult services ban by pretending to be something else. "No animals" would normally be assumed to mean "no pets", but in this context probably refers to STDs (possibly {{w|Pediculosis pubis|crabs}} or {{w|scabies}}) or {{w|bestiality}}.

*'''$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.'''
: This {{w|Minotaur}} house is an ad for the house in the novel ''{{w|House of Leaves}}''. It may also refer to the Labyrinth in Ancient Greek mythology.

*'''$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.'''
:This is an ad for a residence in the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}}, located near to the town of {{w|Pripyat}}, in northern Ukraine. The NPP is a 3-level structure, and contains a pool for temporary spent nuclear fuel storage. The rooftop now has plants growing on it after years of neglect, and the glass facade references radioactive glassy minerals created by the explosion. Pripyat was founded in 1970 to serve the power plant, so is only 'historic' in the sense that it is associated with the Chernobyl disaster.

*'''$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.'''
:This house is a submarine, as indicated by the advertisement, presumably operated by a navy. The "previous tenants", being members of the armed forces, would undoubtedly resist entry of someone attempting to board their submarine. The sixty bedrooms refers to the crew members' bunks on board the ship, which are in extremely tight quarters and can be very uncomfortable. This may also be a reference to [[496: Secretary: Part 3]], which makes reference to [[Black Hat]] stealing a submarine, presumably for [[405: Journal 3]] - apparently this is him trying to get rid of it.

*'''$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets OK but won't survive long.'''
: This is an ad for a house in a generic horror movie.

*'''$1600 / 1386153BR 3bath, modern sliding doors, guest rooms, garbage disposal. Free mandatory parking (enforced). Convenient to Alderaan.'''
:Appearing in the title text, this is a reference to the {{w|Death Star}} in ''Star Wars''. {{w|Alderaan}} is the home planet of {{w|Princess Leia}}, which was obliterated by the Death Star. Mandatory parking references the tractor beams used to drag nearby ships (such as the Millennium Falcon) into the base. The garbage disposal refers to an iconic scene from Star Wars aboard the Death Star, in which the heroes are in danger of being crushed to death inside a trash compactor chamber. It seems somewhat inconvenient that this "apartment" has over a million bedrooms but only three bathrooms. The guest rooms are probably the detention blocks such as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Detention_Block_AA-23 Detention Block AA-23].

==Transcript==
:[The comic is a single panel, presented as an apartment search.]
:[Title bar.]
:All apartments
:Search for: [_______] in: All apartments ( ) Title only (*) Entire post Search
:Rent: [Min] [Max] 0+ BR [ ] Cats [ ] Dogs [ ] Has image
:[Date bar.]
:Fri Apr 15
:[Begin the apartment listings.]
:$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats ok, limit one per square foot.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.
:$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)
:$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.
:$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.
:$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets ok but won't survive long.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]

886: Craigslist Apartments

2022-07-04T00:53:25Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Removed some humor that just wasn't that funny; fixed grammar; removed unnecessary gendering

{{comic
| number = 886
| date = April 15, 2011
| title = Craigslist Apartments
| image = craigslist apartments.png
| titletext = $1600 / 1386153BR 3BATH, MODERN SLIDING DOORS, GUEST ROOMS, GARBAGE DISPOSAL. FREE MANDATORY PARKING (ENFORCED). CONVENIENT TO ALDERAAN.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a comic about the potential pitfalls in finding an apartment on {{w|Craigslist}}. Just as in Craigslist, some of the posts are re-posted several times. Additionally, lots of posts use lots of tildes, exclamation points or asterisks as above to set their posts apart from others.

'''BR''' means bedroom, e.g. 3BR means that apartment has 3 bedrooms (common measurement of apartment size).

*'''$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats OK, limit one per square foot.'''
:This ad is aimed at people who compulsively keep a number of cats much greater than is appropriate to the living space.

*'''$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****'''
:This is the first repetition of an entry that appears multiple times. It is also extremely generic, telling the reader little useful about the house. The square house might be a garage, or just a regular square house. Beside that, most houses have a door in front. There's nothing special about a door. It's possible this refers to an elevator. The different places it appears on the page could be the different floors it stops on.

*'''$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.'''
:A strobe light is a very bright light that, instead of remaining on, flashes very quickly. It's frequently used in parties. A constant strobe light and the stated lack of a floor would probably make living in the apartment somewhat difficult. It is not clear whether "no floor" means a dirt floor with no foundation or tiling, or whether there is literally some form of pit where a floor would be.

*'''$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.'''
: This is a post to live as an oarsman on a {{w|Viking ship}}. The water and heat presumably both come from the sky, in the form of rain and sunlight.

*'''$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.'''
: This is a vague ad for a very unusual apartment. First off, the ad indicates that the two bedrooms are nested. This is an impractical layout, and it is very rare to see this.{{Citation needed}} Possibly this refers to a {{w|tesseract}}, a four-dimensional cube. This conjecture is supported by mention of a Klein Bottle. Running water "in a sense" is both vague and concerning. The note about heat is similar. Short intense blasts of heat are not a comfortable way to heat a room. Depending on how intense the blasts are, they also may be dangerous or deadly. (Alternatively, the house could have a {{w|geyser}} inside, which would explain both the 'free heat in short, intense bursts', along with the 'water that runs in a sense'.) A {{w|Klein bottle}} is a surface which has no difference between "inside" and "outside", similar to a mobius strip but with an extra dimension. It is physically impossible to build a Klein bottle in a three-dimensional space. It isn't certain what Klein stairs are, but they probably aren't very useful. This may be a pun on "clean" stairs.

*'''$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)'''
:This is a disguised "adult services" (sex) posting, with references to trimmed pubic hair, an attractive body, and a lack of {{w|Sexually transmitted disease|STD}}s. Craigslist no longer allows posts for this, because prostitution is illegal in most places in the US. This post tries to evade the adult services ban by pretending to be something else. "No animals" would normally be assumed to mean "no pets", but in this context probably refers to STDs (possibly {{w|Pediculosis pubis|crabs}} or {{w|scabies}}) or {{w|bestiality}}.

*'''$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.'''
: This {{w|Minotaur}} house is an ad for the house in the novel ''{{w|House of Leaves}}''. It may also refer to the Labyrinth in Ancient Greek mythology.

*'''$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.'''
:This is an ad for a residence in the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}}, located near to the town of {{w|Pripyat}}, in northern Ukraine. The NPP is a 3-level structure, and contains a pool for temporary spent nuclear fuel storage. The rooftop now has plants growing on it after years of neglect, and the glass facade references radioactive glassy minerals created by the explosion. Pripyat was founded in 1970 to serve the power plant, so is only 'historic' in the sense that it is associated with the Chernobyl disaster.

*'''$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.'''
:This house is a submarine, as indicated by the advertisement, presumably operated by a navy. The "previous tenants", being members of the armed forces, would undoubtedly resist entry of someone attempting to board their submarine. The sixty bedrooms refers to the crew members' bunks on board the ship, which are in extremely tight quarters and can be very uncomfortable. This may also be a reference to [[496: Secretary: Part 3]], which makes reference to [[Black Hat]] stealing a submarine, presumably for [[405: Journal 3]] - apparently this is him trying to get rid of it.

*'''$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets OK but won't survive long.'''
: This is an ad for a house in a generic horror movie.

*'''$1600 / 1386153BR 3bath, modern sliding doors, guest rooms, garbage disposal. Free mandatory parking (enforced). Convenient to Alderaan.'''
:Appearing in the title text, this is a reference to the {{w|Death Star}} in ''Star Wars''. {{w|Alderaan}} is the home planet of {{w|Princess Leia}}, which was obliterated by the Death Star. Mandatory parking references the tractor beams used to drag nearby ships (such as the Millennium Falcon) into the base. The garbage disposal refers to an iconic scene from Star Wars aboard the Death Star, in which the heroes are in danger of being crushed to death inside a trash compactor chamber. It seems somewhat inconvenient that this "apartment" has over a million bedrooms but only three bathrooms. The guest rooms are probably the detention blocks such as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Detention_Block_AA-23 Detention Block AA-23].

==Transcript==
:[The comic is a single panel, presented as an apartment search.]
:[Title bar.]
:All apartments
:Search for: [_______] in: All apartments ( ) Title only (*) Entire post Search
:Rent: [Min] [Max] 0+ BR [ ] Cats [ ] Dogs [ ] Has image
:[Date bar.]
:Fri Apr 15
:[Begin the apartment listings.]
:$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats ok, limit one per square foot.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.
:$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)
:$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.
:$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.
:$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets ok but won't survive long.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1594: Human Subjects

2022-07-03T19:56:02Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Again, people can be terrible for reasons other than having personality disorders

{{comic
| number = 1594
| date = October 23, 2015
| title = Human Subjects
| image = human_subjects.png
| titletext = After meeting with a few of the subjects, the IRB actually recommended that you stop stressing out so much about safety guidelines.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip plays on certain experiments involving {{w|Human subject research|human subjects}}. [[Ponytail]] is questioning the reliability of [[Megan]]'s experimental results, given that her human subjects appear to be extremely unusual and surprisingly evil.

In the second panel, she mentions that several people in one study had been arrested for {{w|arson}}. Megan begins to suggest that the arson is a {{w|side effect}} of whatever is being tested before she learns that the arsonists are in the {{w|Treatment and control groups|control group}} – that is, the group that is ''not'' subjected to whatever is being tested and is used as a comparison to see the differences in the people who are actually being tested. This result is "troubling", as the control group would not be expected to have such a high rate of incidence of arsonists. The implication is that her subjects are not representative of the general population, but appear to have been selected from a group unusually fond of arson. Perhaps she recruited them through an announcement that catered in some way to arsonists. An alternate explanation comes from comic [[790: Control]], in which [[Randall]] notes his hobby of sneaking into experiments and giving LSD to the control groups. Yet another explanation could be that Ponytail went looking for some clusters of characteristics in the sample population, which had no connection to the study criteria, and happened upon the arson arrests - such clusters are expected if you look at enough different characteristics.

The third panel alludes to the {{w|prisoner's dilemma}}, in which two subjects must independently decide whether to "collaborate" with or "betray" the other subject based on different rewards for each choice (often framed as a different length of prison sentence, or a different amount of money). The rewards tier are selected so that the outcomes for each individual from best to worst are: betraying a collaborator, collaborating with a collaborator, betraying a betrayer, collaborating with a betrayer.
The thought experiment is considered interesting as it's uncertain what the most logical course of action, as choosing betrayal always improves one's situation, yet being in identical situations with no knowledge of each other, it's also logical for both prisoners to make the same choice and both collaborating is better than both betraying. Of course, it would not be expected that normal people would simply betray each other for no reason, without benefiting from it in any way.

The last panel references the {{w|Milgram experiment}}, in which subjects were instructed by experimenters to administer electric shocks to an unseen third party. The unseen third party was part of the experiment and pretended to be in agony. As shocks escalated they would beg for them to stop. The results suggest that people will continue to administer harm, despite the pleading of the victim, simply if told to do so by an authority figure, even when no incentive is provided to the subject to continue. In this case, however, the actual experiment did not involve electric shocks, and thus suggests that the subjects, of their own volition, brought equipment to produce electric shock and simply engaged in the activity unprompted.

In each of these cases, the subjects seem to have some "negative" psychological traits. While it might not be unusual to find one or two people with such traits in a randomly selected group, the fact that all three experiments contain multiple subjects with these traits (and seemingly the same traits in each study) is very unusual, given that most were not studies on psychology, but studies of drugs and moisterizers. Obviously, there would be no need for electric shocks and such in a studies like this{{Citation needed}}, and Megan's claim that a side effect of using the investigational drug is arson is unlikely if it wasn't treating psychological issues. Even if it was, arson is a very specific issue that is unlikely to not coexist with other problems.

The title text refers to safety procedures normally required by {{w|institutional review board}}s, which are centralized groups within universities that ensure that experiments are ethical and safe. The implication is that for an IRB to recommend dispensing with safety procedures after meeting the subjects, the subjects must really, ''really'' deserve bad treatment. Or that after hanging out with the jerks in the study they are more relaxed on rulebreaking, and adopting their mindset. Or the members of the IRB are, like the human subjects, just awful people. Or that Megan is selecting for these subjects, or causing these abnormalities, as a side effect of spending (probably significantly) more effort than is necessary to adhere to the procedures.

The overall theme of experiments that are overwhelmingly skewed by outlier human factors is in itself reminiscent of the recent discovery that [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/science/many-social-science-findings-not-as-strong-as-claimed-study-says.html many psychological experiments cannot be replicated]. That news made quite a bit of noise in the world of science and even made its way in the general press. Just like in the experiments that could not be replicated, it is likely that if the experiments in this comic were attempted again, the outcome would be drastically different than the one achieved here.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Megan sit at a desk.]
:Ponytail: We're concerned that some of your results may be tainted by the fact that your human subjects are ''awful''.
:Megan: What do you mean?

:[Ponytail picks up a sheet of paper.]
:Ponytail: Several participants in your drug trial were arrested for arson.
:Megan: Side effects can be unpredictable.
:Ponytail: They were in the control group.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail.]
:Ponytail: In your prisoner's dilemma study, 80% of the participants chose to betray their partners '''''before''''' the experimenter had a chance to tell them about the reward.
:Megan (off-panel): Definitely troubling.

:[Ponytail shows Megan another sheet of paper.]
:Ponytail: In one experiment, your subjects repeatedly gave electric shocks to a stranger in another room.
:Megan: That's a famous psychological-
:Ponytail: This was a study of moisturizing creams!
:Megan: Yes, we're not sure how they snuck in all that equipment.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Research Papers]]

1594: Human Subjects

2022-07-03T19:53:13Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Let's not bring stereotypes about mentally ill folks or incarcerated folks into this.

{{comic
| number = 1594
| date = October 23, 2015
| title = Human Subjects
| image = human_subjects.png
| titletext = After meeting with a few of the subjects, the IRB actually recommended that you stop stressing out so much about safety guidelines.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip plays on certain experiments involving {{w|Human subject research|human subjects}}. [[Ponytail]] is questioning the reliability of [[Megan]]'s experimental results, given that her human subjects appear to be extremely unusual and surprisingly evil.

In the second panel, she mentions that several people in one study had been arrested for {{w|arson}}. Megan begins to suggest that the arson is a {{w|side effect}} of whatever is being tested before she learns that the arsonists are in the {{w|Treatment and control groups|control group}} – that is, the group that is ''not'' subjected to whatever is being tested and is used as a comparison to see the differences in the people who are actually being tested. This result is "troubling", as the control group would not be expected to have such a high rate of incidence of arsonists. The implication is that her subjects are not representative of the general population, but appear to have been selected from a group unusually fond of arson. Perhaps she recruited them through an announcement that catered in some way to arsonists. An alternate explanation comes from comic [[790: Control]], in which [[Randall]] notes his hobby of sneaking into experiments and giving LSD to the control groups. Yet another explanation could be that Ponytail went looking for some clusters of characteristics in the sample population, which had no connection to the study criteria, and happened upon the arson arrests - such clusters are expected if you look at enough different characteristics.

The third panel alludes to the {{w|prisoner's dilemma}}, in which two subjects must independently decide whether to "collaborate" with or "betray" the other subject based on different rewards for each choice (often framed as a different length of prison sentence, or a different amount of money). The rewards tier are selected so that the outcomes for each individual from best to worst are: betraying a collaborator, collaborating with a collaborator, betraying a betrayer, collaborating with a betrayer.
The thought experiment is considered interesting as it's uncertain what the most logical course of action, as choosing betrayal always improves one's situation, yet being in identical situations with no knowledge of each other, it's also logical for both prisoners to make the same choice and both collaborating is better than both betraying. Of course, it would not be expected that normal people would simply betray each other for no reason, without benefiting from it in any way.

The last panel references the {{w|Milgram experiment}}, in which subjects were instructed by experimenters to administer electric shocks to an unseen third party. The unseen third party was part of the experiment and pretended to be in agony. As shocks escalated they would beg for them to stop. The results suggest that people will continue to administer harm, despite the pleading of the victim, simply if told to do so by an authority figure, even when no incentive is provided to the subject to continue. In this case, however, the actual experiment did not involve electric shocks, and thus suggests that the subjects, of their own volition, brought equipment to produce electric shock and simply engaged in the activity unprompted.

In each of these cases, the subjects seem to have some "negative" psychological traits. While it might not be unusual to find one or two people with such traits in a randomly selected group, the fact that all three experiments contain multiple subjects with these traits (and seemingly the same traits in each study) is very unusual, given that most were not studies on psychology, but studies of drugs and moisterizers. Obviously, there would be no need for electric shocks and such in a studies like this{{Citation needed}}, and Megan's claim that a side effect of using the investigational drug is arson is unlikely if it wasn't treating psychological issues. Even if it was, arson is a very specific issue that is unlikely to not coexist with other problems.

The title text refers to safety procedures normally required by {{w|institutional review board}}s, which are centralized groups within universities that ensure that experiments are ethical and safe. The implication is that for an IRB to recommend dispensing with safety procedures after meeting the subjects, the subjects must really, ''really'' deserve bad treatment. Or that after hanging out with the criminals they are more relaxed on rulebreaking, and adopting their mindset. Or the members of the IRB are, like the human subjects, just sociopathically awful people. Or that Megan is selecting for these subjects, or causing these abnormalities, as a side effect of spending (probably significantly) more effort than is necessary to adhere to the procedures.

The overall theme of experiments that are overwhelmingly skewed by outlier human factors is in itself reminiscent of the recent discovery that [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/science/many-social-science-findings-not-as-strong-as-claimed-study-says.html many psychological experiments cannot be replicated]. That news made quite a bit of noise in the world of science and even made its way in the general press. Just like in the experiments that could not be replicated, it is likely that if the experiments in this comic were attempted again, the outcome would be drastically different than the one achieved here.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Megan sit at a desk.]
:Ponytail: We're concerned that some of your results may be tainted by the fact that your human subjects are ''awful''.
:Megan: What do you mean?

:[Ponytail picks up a sheet of paper.]
:Ponytail: Several participants in your drug trial were arrested for arson.
:Megan: Side effects can be unpredictable.
:Ponytail: They were in the control group.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail.]
:Ponytail: In your prisoner's dilemma study, 80% of the participants chose to betray their partners '''''before''''' the experimenter had a chance to tell them about the reward.
:Megan (off-panel): Definitely troubling.

:[Ponytail shows Megan another sheet of paper.]
:Ponytail: In one experiment, your subjects repeatedly gave electric shocks to a stranger in another room.
:Megan: That's a famous psychological-
:Ponytail: This was a study of moisturizing creams!
:Megan: Yes, we're not sure how they snuck in all that equipment.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Research Papers]]

Talk:2637: Roman Numerals

2022-06-28T21:39:59Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added comment

Immediately came to this site as soon as the comic popped up [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.43|172.70.114.43]] 22:43, 24 June 2022 (UTC)

For anyone wondering about the alt text: "CheCk out thIs InnoVatIVe strIng enCoDIng IVe been DeVeLopIng! It's VIrtuaCy perfeCt! ...hang on, what's a "virtuacy"?" Roman numerals are in uppercase. : [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.209|162.158.90.209]] 23:00, 24 June 2022 (UTC)
:I didn't see this comment, but I decoded it above. Feel free to update with your text, which includes the casing.
::It should be virtually - LL is 50 50, C is 100. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.121|172.70.110.121]] 00:37, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
:By the way, this encoding is not that innovative: back when Roman numbers still meant something to people they were oftentimes hidden inside inscriptions on churches and monuments. If you ever stand in front of a church and wonder why certain letters in a sentence of an inscription are capitalized seemingly at random, this may be the reason. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.250.231|172.70.250.231]] 06:12, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
::The (almost) exact encoding style of the alt text also was used before, e.g. in works of fiction - the first I can think of is Howard Taylor's Schlock Mercenary (used for AI names) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.45|172.70.242.45]] 13:41, 25 June 2022 (UTC)

Relevant OEIS entry: https://oeis.org/A093788 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.117|162.158.129.117]] 23:43, 24 June 2022 (UTC)

Well, I immediately got the comic, when I saw it, but (though I admire the effort put in) the explanation that seems to have been given is... overly long, IMO. I have no wish to invalidate all the thought put into it, but I really feel it says too much. Even by my standards (I'm often a waffler, as I 'improve' the accuracy and all-inclusiveness of such text). But don't want to rain on the existing author(s) parade, myself, so just sayin'... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.15|162.158.159.15]] 02:01, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
:It's not overly long if someone spent the time writing it. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:10, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
::I wondered too when first reading but like it geeky like that. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.15|172.68.50.15]] 05:37, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
:I've repeatedly had my edits, longer and shorter, reverted completely away. I've occasionally started the same to manage the experience. Your opinion is a breathe of fresh air but I wouldn't be worried about increases in quality that shorten the text. One can even leave concepts in by replacing them with links. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.241|172.70.110.241]] 12:01, 26 June 2022 (UTC)
::One thing you learn, when contributing to a wiki, is that you better be prepared to [https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-kill-your-darlings Kill Your Darlings], or have them killed by others. The many's the time I've written something I'm (eventually) quite pleased about, but it gets wiped out either by someone disagreeing with my particular form of self-satisfaction, or just completely rearranging things and either crashing through the carefully crafted copy or ruthlessly removing my radient repartee. But such is life...
:And often I feel that whoever got in there with the first footprint of explanation has ''not'' done it the way I would (surprisingly often I had the same idea, but obviously there are so many ways to do it... but here I may disagree entirely rather than "I'll happily work with it, then, however different it is...") and I might be ''very'' tempted to replace it wholesale. I don'5 think I have ever done so, but I might tweak it a ''lot'', in bits and pieces. It may still upset an OP who finds it bears little relationship to what they submitted, but I try never to do anything beyond the general hum of the community. Coward that I am. But it can happen to anyone. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.44|172.70.86.44]] 17:01, 26 June 2022 (UTC)
:I'm not sure about 'overly long', but as it stands it takes an awfully long time to come to the point. I'd be inclined to lift the basic explanation (roughly equating to the paragraph starting 'The joke is...') to the top, and only after that dive into the niceties of how each system works and what specifically is going on in the examples in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.58|172.70.91.58]] 09:11, 27 June 2022 (UTC)

I, in a rather faint and not really concerned way, object to the use of the phrase 'archaic' with regard to Roman Numerals. That would imply that they aren't in use at all, whereas when I look around me I can see a number of examples of current usage of Roman Numerals, e.g. Clock Faces, Chapter Numbering (some books) and the most important, the 'Manufacture Date' of a televisual programme from the BBC shown at the bottom of the end-credits. I believe a better phrase may be 'venerable' or 'historical' or 'unmodern'.
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 07:46, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
:I was also thinking that. But maybe qualified as "archaic but still commonly seen" (or similar), were my thoughts. I was wondering if it was a local perspective, though. 'Historical' US usage is rather sparser, I imagine, than the accumulation of Old World monuments/etc, from deeper back into the times it was more usual, so making only the "stylstically old" things predominantly use them (certain clock faces, etc). Meanwhile, even our programmes broadcast on the BBC still regularly close with the date in letters (anything from this year is "MMXXII") on the final frame/line of the credits, while our other broadcasters go with contemporary numerals in the same context. (I wonder, was 1999 "MIMIC", rather than "MCMXCIX"..? I think it was...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.221|141.101.98.221]] 11:58, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
::In mathematics, Roman numerals are archaic (obsolete, no longer in active use), common use is just for numbering (monarchs - themselves a somewhat archaic concept, generations of using the same name, events, sequels, volumes, paragraphs or appendices, etc.) or very occasionally for years (e.g. of construction) - "archaic" is correct even if you mean from the/an archaic period which may be the period when a civilization built the foundation for a later "classical" period ("Golden Age") (some exemptions may apply) or specifically the time of the Greek archaic era leading up to Classical (Hellenic) Greece, usually defined some time between about 800 and 480 BCE (they did (probably) originate from the Roman archaic period which overlaps with the Greek one) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.45|172.70.242.45]] 13:41, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
::I recall that, while many 1999 films correctly used "MCMXCIX" at the end of their credit rolls, there was at least one that instead went with "MIM". Can't remember what it was, though. Also, MIMIC would be ''completely'' wrong, as that would equate to 1000 + (1000 - 1) + (100 - 1), or 2098. [[User:Dansiman|Dansiman]] ([[User talk:Dansiman|talk]]) 18:22, 28 June 2022 (UTC)
:::I wondered when someone would spot the MIMIC error (later realised I was probably confusing myself with {{w|Mimic (film)}}, but it was hours later, not worth an edit). But, yay! At least someone else did... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.211|172.70.85.211]] 20:43, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

In case anyone is interested, I created a small encoder/decoder program (Python+PyQt): https://gist.github.com/MaurizioB/6bedeca961b5152006d030f56f817a2f [[User:Musicamanate|Musicamanate]] ([[User talk:Musicamanate|talk]]) 17:05, 25 June 2022 (UTC)

It's rather ironic that the hindu/arabic numerals contain zero, while roman numerals don't. By mixing a zero into the roman numerals things get confusing.

Ran500a100s 5ers1on of th1s en100o501ng 1s 4st 100o1000p50ete50y 50a100k1ng. He's ob6o5s50y forgotten that the 50etters 1, 5 and 10 are rea100y 4st 5ar1ants of 1 and 5 an500 999 not e11st 1n the 150ass99a50 50at1n a50phabet. "10" 1n part144ar 1s a Ger1000an99 1nno5at1on!
(sorry, 1 4st 100o445n't res1st, tho5gh 1 ''al1000ost'' 11sh 1 ha500 - b5t 1 500ef1n1te50y 50o5e the 10or500 999 - aka "did" 1n 5nen100o500e500 10r1t1ng) --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.250.185|172.70.250.185]] 15:35, 27 June 2022 (UTC)
:I figured out that you treated "U" as identical to "V", "J" as identical to "I", and "W" as identical to "X", but I'm not sure why you encoded "couldn't" as "100o445n't" - V and L are never used as subtractors, so it should be something more like "100o550500n't" or maybe "100o555n't". [[User:Dansiman|Dansiman]] ([[User talk:Dansiman|talk]]) 18:47, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

"virtuammmmmly" is a perfectly cromulent word! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.3|172.70.82.3]] 18:23, 27 June 2022 (UTC)

Since most English speakers know how Arabic numerals work (citation needed), maybe we should spend less time explaining that and more time explaining string encoding? [[User:Birdsinthewindow|Birdsinthewindow]] ([[User talk:Birdsinthewindow|talk]]) 21:39, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

Talk:422: A Better Idea

2022-04-25T02:32:38Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added opinion to discussion section

Why ''almost''? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.217|173.245.55.217]] 16:39, 4 December 2013 (UTC)BK
:Maybe because Cueball realizes that this prom brings him to an ordinary life, no LAN parties any more, but he just wants go back to that parties.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:58, 4 December 2013 (UTC)
:My guess is it's because high school itself isn't ''necessarily'' all that pleasant (though your mileage may vary); would you really enroll in four more years of high school just for a single LAN party in formal attire at the end? Even if you could be the appropriate age for the duration? The title text indicates that he doesn't ''quite'' consider the trade-off likely to be worth it. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 20:00, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

This could be looked at as exactly the reverse as well, and I don't see any clear way to pick one over the other as the intended meaning of the strip. Cueball could have simply dumped his date and gone to the LAN party. Now in hindsight he regrets that he chose the LAN party over the possibility of a continued relationship with his prom date. (Who we assume would have dumped him on the spot!)[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 21:27, 21 January 2014 (UTC)ExternalMonolog
:Why are we assuming Cueball is the one interested in the LAN part instead of Megan? The comic gives no indication whether Cueball, Megan, or both are enticed by the prospect. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.169|162.158.69.169]] 21:19, 26 September 2017 (UTC)
I always assumed that "LAN party in formal attire" was a joke that combined "LAN party" and "lawn party in formal attire."[[User:Birdsinthewindow|Birdsinthewindow]] ([[User talk:Birdsinthewindow|talk]]) 02:32, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

2048: Curve-Fitting

2022-04-22T19:21:59Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Edited for gender neutrality

{{comic
| number = 2048
| date = September 19, 2018
| title = Curve-Fitting
| image = curve_fitting.png
| titletext = Cauchy-Lorentz: "Something alarmingly mathematical is happening, and you should probably pause to Google my name and check what field I originally worked in."
}}

==Explanation==

An illustration of several plots of the same data with {{w|Curve fitting|curves fitted}} to the points, paired with conclusions that you might draw about the person who made them. These data, when plotted on an X/Y graph, appear to have a general upward trend, but the data is far too noisy, with too few data points, to clearly suggest any specific growth pattern. In such a case, many different mathematical and statistical models ''could'' be presented as roughly fitting the data, but none of them fits well enough to compellingly represent the data.

When modeling such a problem statistically, much of the work of a data scientist or statistician is knowing which fitting method is most appropriate for the data in question. Here we see various hypothetical scientists or statisticians each applying their own interpretations to the exact same data, and the comic mocks each of them for their various personal biases or other assorted excuses. In general, the researcher will specify the form of an equation for the line to be drawn, and an algorithm will produce the actual line.

Nonetheless scientists work much more seriously on the reliability of their assumptions by giving a value for the {{w|Standard deviation|standard deviation}} represented by the Greek letter sigma σ or the Latin letter s as a measure to quantify the amount of variation of the data points against the presented ''best fit''. If the σ-value isn't good enough an interpretation based on a specific fit wouldn't be accepted by the science community.

Since [[Randall]] gives no hint about the nature of the used data set - same in each graph - any fitting presented doesn't make any sense. The graphs could represent a star map, the votes for the latest elected presidents, or your recent invoices on power consumption. This comic just exaggerates various methods on interpreting data, but without the knowledge of the matter in the background nothing makes any sense.

===Linear===
[[File:Anscombe's quartet 3.svg|thumb|200px|Different data sets result in the same regression.]]
<math>f(x) = mx + b</math>

{{w|Linear regression}} is the most basic form of regression; it tries to find the straight line that best approximates the data. As it's the simplest, most widely taught form of regression, and in general differentiable functions are locally well approximated by a straight line, it's usually the first and most trivial attempt of fit.

The picture to the right shows how totally different data sets can result in the same line. It's obvious that some more basics about the nature of the data must be used to understand if this simple line really does make sense.

The comment below the graph ''"Hey, I did a regression."'' refers to the fact that this is just the easiest way of fitting data into a curve.

===Quadratic===
<math>f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c</math>

{{w|Polynomial regression|Quadratic fit}} (i.e. fitting a parabola through the data) is the lowest grade polynomial that can be used to fit data through a curved line; if the data exhibits clearly "curved" behavior (or if the experimenter feels that its growth should be more than linear), a parabola is often the first, easiest, stab at fitting the data.

The comment below the graph ''"I wanted a curved line, so I made one with math."'' suggests that a quadratic regression is used when straight lines no longer satisfy the researcher, but they still want to use simple math expression. Quadratic correlations like this are mathematically valid and one of the simplest kind of curve in math, but this curve doesn't appear to satisfy the data any better than does simple, linear regression.

===Logarithmic===
[[File:Logarithm_plots.png|thumb|200px|Common logarithm functions.]]
<math>f(x) = a\log_b(x)</math>

A {{w|Logarithm|logarithmic}} curve grows slower on higher values, but still grows without bound to infinity rather than approaching a horizontal {{w|asymptote}}. The small ''b'' in the formula represents the base which is in most cases ''{{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}}'', 10, or 2. If the data presumably does approach a horizontal asymptote then this fit isn't an effective method to explain the nature of the data.

The comment below the graph ''"Look, it's tapering off!"'' builds up the impression that the data diminishes while under this fit it's still growing to infinity, only much slower than a linear regression does.

===Exponential===
[[File:Exponential.svg|thumb|200px|Exponential growth (green) compared to other functions.]]
<math>f(x) = a\cdot b^x</math>

An {{w|Exponential growth|exponential curve}}, on the contrary, is typical of a phenomenon whose growth gets rapidly faster and faster - a common case is a process that generates stuff that contributes to the process itself; think bacteria growth or compound interest.

The logarithmic and exponential interpretations could very easily be fudged or engineered by a researcher with an agenda (such as by taking a misleading subset or even outright lying about the regression), which the comic mocks by juxtaposing them side-by-side on the same set of data.

The comment below the graph ''"Look, it's growing uncontrollably!"'' gives an other frivolous statement suggesting something like chaos. Also this even faster growth is well defined and has no asymptote at both axes.

===LOESS===
A {{w|Local regression|LOESS fit}} doesn't use a single formula to fit all the data, but approximates data points locally using different polynomials for each "zone" (weighting data points differently as they get further from it) and patching them together. As it has many more degrees of freedom compared to a single polynomial, it generally "fits better" to any data set, although it is generally impossible to derive any strong, "clean" mathematical correlation from it - it is just a nice smooth line that approximates the data points well, with a good degree of rejection from outliers.

The comment below the graph ''"I'm sophisticated, not like those bumbling polynomial people."'' emphasises this more complicated interpretation, but without a simple mathematical description it's not very helpful to find informative interpretations of the underlying data.

===Linear, No Slope===
<math>f(x) = c</math>

Also known as a constant function, since the function takes on the same (constant) value ''c'' for all values of ''x''. The value of ''c'' can be determined simply by taking the average of the ''y''-values in the data.

Apparently, the person making this line figured out pretty early on that their data analysis was turning into a scatter plot, and wanted to escape their personal stigma of scatter plots by drawing an obviously false regression line on top of it. Alternatively, they were hoping the data would be flat, and are trying to pretend that there's no real trend to the data by drawing a horizontal trend line.

The comment below the graph ''"I'm making a scatter plot but I don't want to."'' is probably done by a student who isn't happy with their choice of field of study.

===Logistic===
[[File:Logistic-curve.svg|thumb|200px|A standard logistic function between the values ''0'' and ''1''.]]
The {{w|Logistic regression|logistic regression}} is taken when a variable can take binary results such as "0" and "1" or "old" and "young".

The curve provides a smooth, S-shaped transition curve between two flat intervals (like "0" and "1").

The comment below the graph ''"I need to connect these two lines, but my first idea didn't have enough math."'' implies the experimenter just wants to find a mathematically-respectable way to link two flat lines.

===Confidence Interval===
Not a type of curve fitting, but a method of depicting the predictive power of a curve.

Providing a confidence interval over the graph shows the uncertainty of the acquired data, thus acknowledging the uncertain results of the experiment, and showing the will not to "cheat" with "easy" regression curves.

The comment below the graph ''"Listen, science is hard. But I'm a serious person doing my best."'' is just an honest statement about this uncertainty.

===Piecewise===
Mapping different curves to different segments of the data. This is a legitimate strategy, but the different segments should be meaningful, such as if they were pulled from different populations.

This kind of fit would arise naturally in a study based on a regression discontinuity design. For instance, if students who score below a certain cutoff must take remedial classes, the line for outcomes of those below the cutoff would reasonably be separate from the one for outcomes above the cutoff; the distance between the end of the two lines could be considered the effect of the treatment, under certain assumptions. This kind of study design is used to investigate causal theories, where mere correlation in observational data is not enough to prove anything. Thus, the associated text would be appropriate; there is a theory, and data that might prove the theory is hard to find.

One notable time this is used is when a researcher studying housing economics is trying to identify housing submarkets. The assumption is that if two proposed markets are truly different, they will be better described using two different regression functions than if one were to be used.

The additional curved lines visible in the graph are the kind of confidence intervals you'd get from a simple OLS regression if the standard assumptions were valid. In the case of two separate regressions, it would be surprising if all those assumptions (that is, i.i.d. Normal residuals around an underlying perfectly-linear function) were in fact valid for each part, especially if the slopes are not equal.

A classical example in physics are the different theories to explain the black body radiation at the end of the 19th century. The {{w|Wien approximation}} was good for small wavelengths while the {{w|Rayleigh–Jeans law}} worked for the larger scales (large wavelength means low frequency and thus low energy.) But there was a gap in the middle which was filled by the {{w|Planck's law}} in 1900.

The comment below the graph ''"I have a theory, and this is the only data I could find."'' is a bit ambiguous because there are many data points ignored. Without an explanation why only a subset of the data is used this isn't a useful interpretation at all. As a matter of fact, with the extra degrees of freedom offered by the piecewise regression, it could indicate that the researcher is trying to fit the data to confirm their theory, rather than building their theory off of the data.

===Connecting lines===
This is often used to smooth gaps in measurements. A simple example is the weather temperature which is often measured in distinct intervals. When the intervals are high enough it's safe to assume that the temperature didn't change that much between them and connecting the data points by lines doesn't distort the real situation in many cases.

The comment below the graph ''"I clicked 'Smooth Lines' in {{w|Microsoft Excel|Excel}}."'' refers to the well known spreadsheet application from {{w|Microsoft Office}}. Like other spreadsheet applications it has the feature to visualize data from a table into a graph by many ways. "Smooth Lines" is a setting meant for use on a {{w|line graph}}, a graph in which one axis represents time; as it simply joins up every point rather than finding a sensible line, it is not suitable for regression.

===Ad-Hoc Filter===
Drawing a bunch of different lines by hand, keeping in only the data points perceived as "good". Not really useful except for marketing purposes.

The comment below the graph ''"I had an idea for how to clean up the data. What do you think?"'' admits that in fact the data is whitewashed and tightly focused to a result the presenter wants to show.

===House of Cards===
Not a real method, but a common consequence of misapplication of statistical methods: a curve can be generated that fits the data extremely well, but immediately becomes absurd as soon as one glances outside the training data sample range, and your analysis comes crashing down "like a house of cards". This is a type of ''overfitting''. In other words, the model may do quite well for (approximately) {{w|Interpolation|interpolating}} between values in the sample range, but not extend at all well to {{w|Extrapolation|extrapolating}} values outside that range.

''Note:'' Exact polynomial fitting, a fit which gives the unique <math>(n-1)</math>th degree polynomial through <math>n</math> points, often display this kind of behaviour.

The comment below the graph ''"As you can see, this model smoothly fits the- wait no no don't extend it AAAAAA!!"'' refers to a curve which fits the data points relatively well within the graph's boundaries, but beyond those bounds fails to match at all.

The name is also a potential reference to the TV show ''{{w|House of Cards (U.S. TV series)|House of Cards}}''. The plot in House of Cards began with a premise of a rise to power in the United States government, but as it continued into more seasons the premise was taken to an extreme, introducing more and more ridiculous plot points ("WAIT NO, NO, DON'T EXTEND IT!").

===Cauchy-Lorentz (title text)===
{{w|Cauchy_distribution|Cauchy-Lorentz}} is a continuous probability distribution which does not have an expected value or a defined variance. This means that the law of large numbers does not hold and that estimating e.g. the sample mean will diverge (be all over the place) the more data points you have. Hence very troublesome (mathematically alarming).

Since so many different models can fit this data set at first glance, Randall may be making a point about how if a data set is sufficiently messy, you can read any trend you want into it, and the trend that is chosen may say more about the researcher than about the data. This is a similar sentiment to [[1725: Linear Regression]], which also pokes fun at dubious trend lines on scatterplots.

A brief Google search reveals that Augustin-Louis Cauchy originally worked as a junior engineer in a managerial position. Upon his acceptance to the Académie des Sciences in March 1816, many of his peers expressed outrage. Despite his early work in "mere" engineering, Cauchy is widely regarded as one of the founding influences in the rigorous study of calculus & accompanying proofs. Notably, his later work included theoretical physics, and Lorentz was also a well-known physicist. Therefore, the title-text may be referring back to [[793: Physicists]].

Alternately, the title-text could be implying that the person who applied the Cauchy-Lorentz curve-fitting method may not be well qualified to the task assigned.

==Transcript==
:'''Curve-Fitting Methods'''
:and the messages they send

:[In a single frame twelve scatter plots with unlabeled x- and y-axes are shown. Each plot consists of the same data-set of approximately thirty points located all over the plot but slightly more distributed around the diagonal. Every plot shows in red a different fitting method which is labeled on top in gray.]

:[The first plot shows a line starting at the left bottom above the x-axis rising towards the points to the right.]
:Linear
:"Hey, I did a regression."

:[The second plot shows a curve falling slightly down and then rising up to the right.]
:Quadratic
:"I wanted a curved line, so I made one with math."

:[At the third plot the curve starts near the left bottom and increases more and more less to the right.]
:Logarithmic
:"Look, it's tapering off!"

:[The fourth plot shows a curve starting near the left bottom and increases more and more steeper towards the right.]
:Exponential
:"Look, it's growing uncontrollably!"

:[The fifth plot uses a fitting to match many points. It starts at the left bottom, increases, then decreases, then rapidly increasing again, and finally reaching a plateau.]
:LOESS
:"I'm sophisticated, not like those bumbling polynomial people."

:[The sixth plot simply shows a line above but parallel to the x-axis.]
:Linear, no slope
:"I'm making a scatter plot but I don't want to."

:[At plot #7 starts at a plateau above the x-axis, then increases, and finally reaches a higher plateau.]
:Logistic
:"I need to connect these two lines, but my first idea didn't have enough Math."

:[Plot #8 shows two red lines embedding most points and the area between is painted as a red shadow.]
:Confidence interval
:"Listen, science is hard. But I'm a serious person doing my best."

:[Plot #9 shows two not connected lines, one at the lower left half, and one higher at the right. Both have smaller curved lines in light red above and below.]
:Piecewise
:"I have a theory, and this is the only data I could find."

:[The plot at the left bottom shows a line connecting all points from left to right, resulting in a curve going many times up and down.]
:Connecting lines
:"I clicked 'Smooth Lines' in Excel."

:[The next to last plot shows a echelon form, connecting a few real and some imaginary points.]
:Ad-Hoc filter
:"I had an idea for how to clean up the data. What do you think?"

:[The last plot shows a wave with increasing peak values. Finally the plot of the wave is continued beyond the x- and y-axis borders.]
:House of Cards
:"As you can see, this model smoothly fits the- ''wait no no don't extend it AAAAAA!!''"

==Trivia==
*This is the comic 2048, or 211. In addition to being the name of a popular app referenced in [[1344: Digits]], this is an extremely round number in binary (100,000,000,0002). [[1000: 1000 Comics]] pointed out that comic 1024 would be a round number, but there were not any comics noting 2048.

*This comic is similar to [[977: Map Projections]] which also uses a scientific method not commonly thought about by the general public to determine specific characteristics of one's personality and approach to science.

*Regressions have been the subject of several previous comics. [[1725: Linear Regression]] was about linear regressions on uncorrelated or poorly correlated data. [[1007: Sustainable]], [[1204: Detail]] and [[1281: Minifigs]] depict linear regressions on data that was actually logistic, leading to bizarre extrapolations. [[605: Extrapolating]] shows a line extrapolating from just two data points.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Science]]

2575: What If? 2

2022-01-31T16:08:40Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Grammar

{{comic
| number = 2575
| date = January 31, 2022
| title = What If? 2
| image = what_if_2.png
| titletext = CLARIFICATION: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.
}}

*This comic come out just a few minutes after the [[Countdown in header text]] finished. Since the countdown was to the revelation in this comic!
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[Randall]]'s way of announcing and [[:Category:Book promotion|promoting]] his new book, ''what If? 2'', based on his [[what if?]] blog and following his first what if book.

The entire comic as well as the new [[xkcd Header text]] is a link to a [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ what if? 2: the book] page on {{xkcd}}.

In the title text Randall feels that he must clarify the release day, since he has often joked about the different way countries (and people) write dates, and he has not used the one version he himself has promoted in earlier comics, even though he gives two different versions of the release date (first "9/13" in the first panel, and then, harder to misinterpret, "Sep 13, 2022" in the final panel). What he should have written was, "the book is released on 2022-09-13," using the international standard as defined in the {{W|ISO 8601}} standard and used in [[1340: Unique Date]].

The clarification reads: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.

Since there are only 12 months in the year 2022, in this dimension, then 9/13 actually cannot be mistaken, as could 9/12. So there was really no need for this clarification, especially with the last text in the last panel. So this is of course just a title text joke, where he can manage to make a [[:Category:Portmanteau|portmanteau]] of January and December, Jancember, and then then call this a cursed month, since it would be the 13th month, if it came before New Year. This comic came out at the end of January, so it could have been at the end of Jancember instead. And 13 is by many seen as an unlucky number, so a thirteenth month would be considered cursed by some, or at least unlucky.

==Transcript==
:[Randall, drawn as Cueball, is throwing his arms out as he stands next to a big red book with white drawings on the cover. The cover shows a large passenger plane that has just taken off, as can be seen since the landing gear still has the wheels extended (only one wheel is visible at the middle part and then the one in the front). A Tyrannosaurus Rex has jumped on to the plane and it is biting down on the ceiling of the plane a bit in front of the wings, as if on the back of a prey. The dinosaur has already broken through the ceiling. Below is a jagged landscape with small mountain like peaks in the background. Megan and Cueball are standing on the top of the second of two raised plateaus, looking up at the plane and dinosaur. There is unreadable white text above the plane, then a title beneath the plane, and the authors name below the landscape, and more unreadable text beneath that, all in white. Below the book, there is a small arrow pointing to the right bottom of the book, with a label beneath.]
:Randall: '''Anouncement:''' I’m publishjing a ''what if?'' sequel!
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:In stores 9/13, available for preorder now: xkcd.com/whatif2

:[Randall is shown holding up his smart phone in one hand. The screen lights up as indicated with small lines at the top. These point up to at least six SMS texts, each with two lines of text. They are shown in speech bobbles with a small arrow in the bobbles lower left corner. All six are covered partly by either the other five, or by Randall’s head, and none of them can be read in any meaningful way; only parts of sentences or words are clearly visible. The bobbles and the text in them are all drawn in gray. Randall is narrating (not speaking) in this panel, both above the SMS texts, and below.]
:Randall narrating: Ever since I wrote '''''what if?''''', I’ve been flooded with questions.
:Randall narrating: And not just from readers- My friends and family stated texting them to me, too.
:Text 1: Hey could s.. ele
:Text 2: Hypothe…
:Text 3: If you s… Jupiter…
:Text 4: Could my c… or…
:Text 5: Do you… my car…
:Text 6: If I trie… The Sun…
:Randall narrating Honestly, I love it.

:[Randall is again standing next to his red book talking. There is also a second version of the book lying to the right of the closed book, and this has been opened up to reveal two pages. The text is unreadable and the images are very hard to see, but it seems that two people are standing next to each other on the right page. The image at the top of the left page has been enlarged and shown to the right of the open book. It is an image of the Earth that is being peeled by a potato peeler, which takes off a large peel from the north part of Scandinavia and then goes via Russia into Asia. The title and author name can still just be read on the book,but maybe only because they are already known...]
:Randall: The questions are so good. People have asked about touching exotic materials, traveling across space and time, eating things they shouldn’t, and smashing large objects into the Earth. There are questions about lasers, explosions, swingsets, candy, and soup. Several planets are destroyed-one of them by the soup.
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe

:[Zoom in on the top part of Randall speaking on.]
:Randall: Like the first book, '''''what if? 2''''' also features collections of short answers, new lists of weird and worrying questions, and some of my favorite answers from the What if site.

:[Only the closed red book are shown in this panel, in an even larger version than in any of the previous panels. But it is still only the title and the author name that can be read, but in this version these can also be read on the spine of the book. Randall is narrating again, and there are text both above and below the book.]
:Randall narrating: If you want to get it when it’s released, you can preorder a copy at xkcd.com/whatif2
:Book spine: what if? 2 Randall Munroe
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:Randall narrating: Available Sep 13, 2022

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:What If?]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]] 
[[Category:Calendar]] 
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]

2575: What If? 2

2022-01-31T16:06:38Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ fixed grammar errors

{{comic
| number = 2575
| date = January 31, 2022
| title = What If? 2
| image = what_if_2.png
| titletext = CLARIFICATION: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.
}}

*This comic come out just a few minutes after the [[Countdown in header text]] finished. Since the countdown was to the revelation in this comic!
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[Randall]]'s way of announcing and promoting his new book, ''What If? 2'', based on his [[what if?]] blog and following his first What if book.

In the title text Randall feels that he must clarify the release day, since he has often joked about the different way countries (and people) write dates, and he has not used the one version he himself has promoted in earlier comics, even though he gives two different versions of the release date (first "9/13" in the first panel, and then, harder to misinterpret, "Sep 13, 2022" in the final panel). What he should have written was, the book is released on 2022-09-13. Using the international standard as defined in the {{W|ISO 8601}} standard and used in [[1340: Unique Date]].

The clarification: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.

Since there are only 12 months in the year 2022, in this dimension, then 9/13 actually cannot be mistaken, as could 9/12. So there was really no need for this clarification, especially with the last text in the last panel. So this is of course just a title text joke, where he can manage to make a [[:Category:Portmanteau|portmanteau]] of January and December, Jancember. And then calls this a cursed month, since it would be the 13th month, if it came before New Year. This comic came out at the end of January, so it could have been at the end of Jancember instead. And 13 is by many seen as an unlucky number, so a thirteenth month would be considered cursed by some, or at least unlucky.

==Transcript==
:[Randall, drawn as Cueball, is throwing his arms out as he stands next to a big red book with white drawings on the cover. The cover shows a large passenger plane that has just taken off, as can be seen since the landing gear still has the wheels extended (only one wheel is visible at the middle part and then the one in the front). A Tyrannosaurus Rex has jumped on to the plane and it is biting down on the ceiling of the plane a bit in front of the wings, as if on the back of a prey. The dinosaur has already broken through the ceiling. Below is a jagged landscape with small mountain like peaks in the background. Megan and Cueball are standing on the top of the second of two raised plateaus, looking up at the plane and dinosaur. There is unreadable white text above the plane, then a title beneath the plane, and the authors name below the landscape, and more unreadable text beneath that, all in white. Below the book, there is a small arrow pointing to the right bottom of the book, with a label beneath.]
:Randall: '''Anouncement:''' I’m publishjing a ''what if?'' sequel!
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:In stores 9/13, available for preorder now: xkcd.com/whatif2

:[Randall is shown holding up his smart phone in one hand. The screen lights up as indicated with small lines at the top. These point up to at least six SMS texts, each with two lines of text. They are shown in speech bobbles with a small arrow in the bobbles lower left corner. All six are covered partly by either the other five, or by Randall’s head, and none of them can be read in any meaningful way; only parts of sentences or words are clearly visible. The bobbles and the text in them are all drawn in gray. Randall is narrating (not speaking) in this panel, both above the SMS texts, and below.]
:Randall narrating: Ever since I wrote '''''what if?''''', I’ve been flooded with questions.
:Randall narrating: And not just from readers- My friends and family stated texting them to me, too.
:Text 1: Hey could s.. ele
:Text 2: Hypothe…
:Text 3: If you s… Jupiter…
:Text 4: Could my c… or…
:Text 5: Do you… my car…
:Text 6: If I trie… The Sun…
:Randall narrating Honestly, I love it.

:[Randall is again standing next to his red book talking. There is also a second version of the book lying to the right of the closed book, and this has been opened up to reveal two pages. The text is unreadable and the images are very hard to see, but it seems that two people are standing next to each other on the right page. The image at the top of the left page has been enlarged and shown to the right of the open book. It is an image of the Earth that is being peeled by a potato peeler, which takes off a large peel from the north part of Scandinavia and then goes via Russia into Asia. The title and author name can still just be read on the book,but maybe only because they are already known...]
:Randall: The questions are so good. People have asked about touching exotic materials, traveling across space and time, eating things they shouldn’t, and smashing large objects into the Earth. There are questions about lasers, explosions, swingsets, candy, and soup. Several planets are destroyed-one of them by the soup.
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe

:[Zoom in on the top part of Randall speaking on.]
:Randall: Like the first book, '''''what if? 2''''' also features collections of short answers, new lists of weird and worrying questions, and some of my favorite answers from the What if site.

:[Only the closed red book are shown in this panel, in an even larger version than in any of the previous panels. But it is still only the title and the author name that can be read, but in this version these can also be read on the spine of the book. Randall is narrating again, and there are text both above and below the book.]
:Randall narrating: If you want to get it when it’s released, you can preorder a copy at xkcd.com/whatif2
:Book spine: what if? 2 Randall Munroe
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:Randall narrating: Available Sep 13, 2022

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:What If?]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]] 
[[Category:Calendar]] 
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]

2575: What If? 2

2022-01-31T16:03:29Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Transcript */ Fixed grammar and transcription errors

{{comic
| number = 2575
| date = January 31, 2022
| title = What If? 2
| image = what_if_2.png
| titletext = CLARIFICATION: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.
}}

*This comic come out just a few minutes after the [[Countdown in header text]] finished. Since the countdown was to the revelation in this comic!
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[Randall]]'s way of announcing and promoting his new book, ''What If? 2'', based on his [[what if?]] blog and following his first What if book.

In the title text Randall feels he have to come with a clarification of the release day, since he has so often made jokes about the different way countries (and people) write dates, and he has not used the one version he himself has promoted in earlier comics, even though he gives two different versions of the release date. First "9/13" in the first panel, and then, harder to misinterpret, "Sep 13, 2022" in the final panel. What he should have written was, the book is released on 2022-09-13. Using the international standard as defined in the {{W|ISO 8601}} standard and used in [[1340: Unique Date]].

The clarification: By 9/13, I mean September 13th, not the 9th day of Jancember, the cursed 13th month that exists between December and January in the transdimensional temporal plane.

Since there are only 12 months in the year 2022, in this dimension, then 9/13 actually cannot be mistaken, as could 9/12. So there was really no need for this clarification, especially with the last text in the last panel. So this is of course just a title text joke, where he can manage to make a [[:Category:Portmanteau|portmanteau]] of January and December, Jancember. And then calls this a cursed month, since it would be the 13th month, if it came before New Year. This comic came out at the end of January, so it could have been at the end of Jancember instead. And 13 is by many seen as an unlucky number, so a thirteenth month would be considered cursed by some, or at least unlucky.

==Transcript==
:[Randall, drawn as Cueball, is throwing his arms out as he stands next to a big red book with white drawings on the cover. The cover shows a large passenger plane that has just taken off, as can be seen since the landing gear still has the wheels extended (only one wheel is visible at the middle part and then the one in the front). A Tyrannosaurus Rex has jumped on to the plane and it is biting down on the ceiling of the plane a bit in front of the wings, as if on the back of a prey. The dinosaur has already broken through the ceiling. Below is a jagged landscape with small mountain like peaks in the background. Megan and Cueball are standing on the top of the second of two raised plateaus, looking up at the plane and dinosaur. There is unreadable white text above the plane, then a title beneath the plane, and the authors name below the landscape, and more unreadable text beneath that, all in white. Below the book, there is a small arrow pointing to the right bottom of the book, with a label beneath.]
:Randall: '''Anouncement:''' I’m publishjing a ''what if?'' sequel!
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:In stores 9/13, available for preorder now: xkcd.com/whatif2

:[Randall is shown holding up his smart phone in one hand. The screen lights up as indicated with small lines at the top. These point up to at least six SMS texts, each with two lines of text. They are shown in speech bobbles with a small arrow in the bobbles lower left corner. All six are covered partly by either the other five, or by Randall’s head, and none of them can be read in any meaningful way; only parts of sentences or words are clearly visible. The bobbles and the text in them are all drawn in gray. Randall is narrating (not speaking) in this panel, both above the SMS texts, and below.]
:Randall narrating: Ever since I wrote '''''what if?''''', I’ve been flooded with questions.
:Randall narrating: And not just from readers- My friends and family stated texting them to me, too.
:Text 1: Hey could s.. ele
:Text 2: Hypothe…
:Text 3: If you s… Jupiter…
:Text 4: Could my c… or…
:Text 5: Do you… my car…
:Text 6: If I trie… The Sun…
:Randall narrating Honestly, I love it.

:[Randall is again standing next to his red book talking. There is also a second version of the book lying to the right of the closed book, and this has been opened up to reveal two pages. The text is unreadable and the images are very hard to see, but it seems that two people are standing next to each other on the right page. The image at the top of the left page has been enlarged and shown to the right of the open book. It is an image of the Earth that is being peeled by a potato peeler, which takes off a large peel from the north part of Scandinavia and then goes via Russia into Asia. The title and author name can still just be read on the book,but maybe only because they are already known...]
:Randall: The questions are so good. People have asked about touching exotic materials, traveling across space and time, eating things they shouldn’t, and smashing large objects into the Earth. There are questions about lasers, explosions, swingsets, candy, and soup. Several planets are destroyed-one of them by the soup.
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe

:[Zoom in on the top part of Randall speaking on.]
:Randall: Like the first book, '''''what if? 2''''' also features collections of short answers, new lists of weird and worrying questions, and some of my favorite answers from the What if site.

:[Only the closed red book are shown in this panel, in an even larger version than in any of the previous panels. But it is still only the title and the author name that can be read, but in this version these can also be read on the spine of the book. Randall is narrating again, and there are text both above and below the book.]
:Randall narrating: If you want to get it when it’s released, you can preorder a copy at xkcd.com/whatif2
:Book spine: what if? 2 Randall Munroe
:Book cover: what if? 2
:Book cover: Randall Munroe
:Randall narrating: Available Sep 13, 2022

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:What If?]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]

622: Haiku Proof

2021-09-18T17:03:10Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ I thought a translation of QED was in order.

{{comic
| number = 622
| date = August 12, 2009
| title = Haiku Proof
| image = haiku_proof.png
| titletext = After somewhere around 40 hours, there's no academic reason to go to the class. Only go for the hallucinations.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] attends a math class after having been awake for two full days (48 hours). After that he begins to {{w|hallucinate}} and dreams that the teacher [[Miss Lenhart]] (a [http://xkcd.com/622/info.0.json professor] in this comic) answers [[Megan|Megan's]] question, about a proof that there are an infinite number of {{w|prime numbers}}, in {{w|haiku}}. After the first line she floats up and during the third and final line she flies over the students heads. Basically it is a dream, as also indicated with Cueball's thoughts, which are "outside" this {{w|lucid dream}}. It can be seen that the entire comic, except Cueball's thoughts, are inside the dream bubble. (Dreams being a [[:Category:Dreams|recurring theme]] in xkcd). Note also that when Cueball looks up at the flying teacher when she takes off, Megan never moves her head because it's not happening in her world, and Cueball only dreams the teachers flies.

{{w|Euclid's theorem}} states that there are an infinite number of primes, prime numbers being numbers that are only divisible by themselves and 1. The most notable proof of this theorem, and the one presented in this comic, was first given by Euclid himself in his ''{{w|Euclid's Elements|Elements}}''. A more traditional form of this proof follows:

:If we suppose that there are a finite number of primes, then they must have a product, i.e. ''p''1''p''2...''p''n = ''q''. Now consider ''q'' + 1. If this number is prime itself, then we have discovered a new prime number, contrary to the assumption that we had listed them all. If it is not prime, it must have a prime divisor. Since all of the ''p''k are a factor of ''q'', they cannot be a divisor of ''q'' + 1. So ''q'' + 1 is divisible by a prime not on the list, which again is a contradiction. Therefore, there must be infinitely many primes.

At the last line of the haiku, [[Miss Lenhart]] says "Q.E.D., bitches!", Q.E.D. stands for "Quod Erat Demonstrandum", which means "Thus, it has been demonstrated." This is a Latin phrase which is used to show a proof is over. Ironically, the proof is not complete.

The comic essentially takes this proof and states it in the form of a {{w|haiku}}, which is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, which is in Japanese broken up into patterns of {{w|morae}} (or {{w|syllables}}), a unit that measures the length of sound. A Japanese haiku consists of three lines with 5, 7 and 5 morae respectively per line. An English Haiku has 5, 7 and 5 syllables per line. The proof poem goes like this:
:Top prime's divisors'
:Product (plus one)'s factors are...?
:Q.E.D., bitches!

Which can be [http://www.syllablecount.com/ divided in syllables] like this:
:Top - prime's - di - vi - sors'
:Pro - duct - (plus - one)'s - fac - tors - are...?
:Q. - E.- D., - bit - ches!

The haiku proof given is slightly off, as the first line talks about the "top prime's divisors," which makes no sense because the top prime doesn't have any divisors besides itself and one. You need to take the product of ''all'' primes, not just one. But, hey, it's a hallucination.

Haiku was also referred to before in [[554: Not Enough Work]].

The comic and title text conclude that going to class while sleep-deprived is an interesting, but entirely noneducational, experience. So, go for the sake of the hallucinations.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart teaching a class gestures with both hands up as Megan, sitting at the first desk on a stool, raises a hand and asks a question. Cueball sits at the desks behind her supporting his head in both hands with the elbows on the desk.]
:Megan: How do you know there are an infinite number of primes?
:Miss Lenhart: I'll answer in haiku!

:[In a frame-less panel, Miss Lenhart lifts a hand up while answering. Both students sit upright on their stools.]
:Miss Lenhart: Top prime's divisors'

:[Miss Lenhart floats into the air with three lines beneath her legs. Cueball looks up. Megan does not change position.]
:Miss Lenhart: Product (plus one)'s factors are...?

:[Miss Lenhart flies over the students heads with a curved line behind her. Neither student look up. The bottom frame of the panel is a curving thought/dream bobble that goes through the middle of the panel at a height just below the desk tops. Two thought circles goes from Cueball's head down to this frame, and Cueball's thoughts are shown below outside of the panel - without any frame around.]
:Miss Lenhart: Q.E.D., bitches!
:Cueball (thinking): Wow, after the 48-hour sleep-dep mark, lectures get ''really'' interesting.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Analysis]]
[[Category:Dreams]]

464: RBA

2020-07-15T03:26:57Z

Birdsinthewindow: /* Explanation */ Pointed out that the title text is also an RBA. Made phrasing clearer in the rest of the title text explanation.

{{comic
| number = 464
| date = August 18, 2008
| title = RBA
| image = rba.png
| titletext = This is a story all about how I started drinking.
}}

==Explanation==
A [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bel%20Air Bel-Air] is an internet meme where a poster on a message board starts a post on a serious topic, but partway through the post switches to repeating the lyrics to the opening theme song of ''{{w|The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air}}'', a 1990s sitcom starring {{w|Will Smith}} (previously known in his rapping career as the "Fresh Prince") as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who has been sent to live with his affluent and stuffy Aunt and Uncle in Bel Air, Los Angeles by his mother as a consequence of a single altercation with a couple of no-good guys who were making trouble in his previous neighbourhood.

[[Megan]] in the comic reverses the traditional arrangement by starting the conversation with a recitation of the lyrics to said theme song, and then switching partway through to a very serious discussion of the status of their relationship culminating in a break up.

The lyrics go like this:

:Now this is the story all about how
:My life got flipped, turned upside down
:And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
:I'll tell you how I became ''the prince of a town called Bel-air''

The title ''RBA'' is an initialism for ''Reverse Bel-Air''.

The title text is also an RBA, but one which diverges from the song lyrics much more quickly. It's a play on the phrase "started drinking." This phrase usually refers to someone becoming an alcoholic (in this case, it would be because of the breakup), but in this case refers to the actual fact that Cueball had just started drinking (a glass of water) when Megan started talking to him.

A similar (though less serious) play on the Bel-Air meme was later used in [[1059: Bel-Air]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan walks up to Cueball pouring himself a drink.]
:Megan: Now, this is a story all about how

:Megan: My life got flipped turned upside down

:Megan: And I'd like to take a minute
:Megan: Just sit right there

:Megan: I'll tell you how I became uncertain about our relationship. I think you just like having a girlfriend, it doesn't matter who.
:Megan: I think we should break up.

:The reverse Bel-Air only works once, so make it something unforgettable.
:[Cut to dropped glass, drink spilled on ground.]
:Cueball: ...wait, seriously?
:Megan: Yeah.

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

Talk:986: Drinking Fountains

2020-05-23T01:20:29Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added a question.

Build a toilet next to the fountain so you can do both at once! '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:52, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I recall when this first posted it randomly had the word water to the left of the door. only evidence of this seems to be on insult sites. [http://xkcd-sucks.blogspot.com/2011/12/comic-986-water-you-stupid.html]--[[User:Calvsie|Calvsie]] ([[User talk:Calvsie|talk]]) 22:56, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
:Apparently he's never stayed up all night and drank 18 beers...[[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.23|162.158.60.23]] 23:54, 5 June 2016 (UTC)
I don't think you can call it 'constant' peeing, as most likely you'll quickly die to water poisoning (yup, too much water can kill you, and I don't mean drowning) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.82|162.158.202.82]] 06:04, 24 October 2017 (UTC)

The original with the word water on it is archived: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150326222101/https://xkcd-sucks.blogspot.com/2011/12/comic-986-water-you-stupid.html] [[User:MarkSill|MarkSill]] ([[User talk:MarkSill|talk]]) 13:33, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

It seems to me that he would actually want to drink quickly and eliminate slowly. Does this seem true to anyone else? [[User:Birdsinthewindow|Birdsinthewindow]] ([[User talk:Birdsinthewindow|talk]]) 01:20, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

929: Speculation

2020-03-15T18:31:36Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added commas for clarity and put a sentence in parentheses.

{{comic
| number = 929
| date = July 25, 2011
| title = Speculation
| image = speculation.png
| titletext = 'I was pretty good at skeet shooting, but was eventually kicked off the range for catching the clay pigeons in a net and dispatching them execution-style.'
}}

==Explanation==
During a {{w|basketball}} game, the players discuss the nature of universal conformity. {{w|Facebook}} and {{w|Google+}} are competing {{w|social networks}}, at the time of this comic many people were switching to Plus over Facebook leading many to speculate that Facebook was in decline and that Plus would soon be the dominant social network. As of 2019, it seems that Facebook has successfully held its position as the Default Social Network™, while Google Plus was a colossal blunder for Google and was finally sunset for consumers in April 2019.
The two players seem to have a disagreement over this. One player states that it would be ridiculous to expect everyone to move to Plus. The other player denies the notion that they have to, stating that he values his personal preference over conformity. He supports this idea by saying that his mother still uses {{w|AOL}} and other people continue using {{w|IRC}} and that if each time a new dominant social network emerged and everyone switched to it, neither of these things would stick around.

They are interrupted when they pass the ball to [[Black Hat]], who immediately shoots it with a crossbow bolt. Their arguments and rather intelligent discussion are derailed by the absurdity of Black Hat's reaction, which is both humorous and puts the issue in stark contrast.

Black Hat neither joins in the discussion nor does he participate in the game. It seems that any offer to participate in either is met with a blunt and clear denial. He is simply not a conformist.

In the title text, Black Hat continues to provide an example of his tendency to play by his own rules. A clay pigeon is a clay disc that is thrown into the air and serves as a target on a {{w|skeet shooting}} range. Participants are expected to shoot the pigeons with a shotgun but Black Hat would rather capture the clay pigeons and shoot them from a very close range. (This is made even more humorous by the excellent crossbow skills he shows in the comic.) This practice eventually got him expelled from the shooting range.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys are playing basketball. The right guy (Cueball) attempts to throw the basketball through the hoop, but it bounces off down to his friend. To the right Black Hat has his back to the other two while he is looking at his phone.]
:Friend: Do you seriously think ''everyone'' will move to Plus? It was hard enough getting them on Facebook.

:[The friend has caught the rebound and now passes the basketball back to Cueball. Black Hat is not shown.]
:Cueball: Do they have to?
:Cueball: My mom still uses AOL—it doesn't mean my social life has to happen there.

:[Only Cueball is shown. He passes the basketball to the right towards the off-pannel Black Hat.]
:Cueball: Universal adoption isn't everything. I mean, IRC is still—

:[Zoom in on the basketball as an arrow pierces the ball, forming a slight depression.]
:''Thunk''

:[Cueball looks to Black Hat who has a crossbow in one hand, he is still looking at the phone in his other hand. The ball with the arrow lies between them.]
:Cueball: You're not really the "catch" type, are you?
:Black Hat: I am not.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Crossbows]]
[[Category:Sport]]

929: Speculation

2020-03-15T18:28:52Z

Birdsinthewindow: I made a sentence clearer by reformatting it slightly.

{{comic
| number = 929
| date = July 25, 2011
| title = Speculation
| image = speculation.png
| titletext = 'I was pretty good at skeet shooting, but was eventually kicked off the range for catching the clay pigeons in a net and dispatching them execution-style.'
}}

==Explanation==
During a {{w|basketball}} game, the players discuss the nature of universal conformity. {{w|Facebook}} and {{w|Google+}} are competing {{w|social networks}}, at the time of this comic many people were switching to Plus over Facebook leading many to speculate that Facebook was in decline and that Plus would soon be the dominant social network. As of 2019, it seems that Facebook has successfully held its position as the Default Social Network™, while Google Plus was a colossal blunder for Google and was finally sunset for consumers in April 2019.
The two players seem to have a disagreement over this. One player states that it would be ridiculous to expect everyone to move to Plus. The other player denies the notion that they have to, stating that he values his personal preference over conformity. He supports this idea by saying that his mother still uses {{w|AOL}} and other people continue using {{w|IRC}} and that if each time a new dominant social network emerged and everyone switched to it, neither of these things would stick around.

They are interrupted when they pass the ball to [[Black Hat]] who immediately shoots it with a crossbow bolt. Their arguments and rather intelligent discussion are derailed by the absurdity of Black Hat's reaction which is both humorous and puts the issue in stark contrast.

Black Hat neither joins in the discussion nor does he participate in the game and it seems that any offer to participate in either is met with a blunt and clear denial. He is simply not a conformist.

In the title text Black Hat continues to provide an example of his tendency to play by his own rules. A clay pigeon is a clay disc that is thrown into the air and serves as a target on a {{w|skeet shooting}} range. Participants are expected to shoot the pigeons with a shotgun but Black Hat would rather capture the clay pigeons and shoot them from a very close range. This is made even more humorous by the excellent crossbow skills he shows in the comic. This practice eventually got him expelled from the shooting range.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys are playing basketball. The right guy (Cueball) attempts to throw the basketball through the hoop, but it bounces off down to his friend. To the right Black Hat has his back to the other two while he is looking at his phone.]
:Friend: Do you seriously think ''everyone'' will move to Plus? It was hard enough getting them on Facebook.

:[The friend has caught the rebound and now passes the basketball back to Cueball. Black Hat is not shown.]
:Cueball: Do they have to?
:Cueball: My mom still uses AOL—it doesn't mean my social life has to happen there.

:[Only Cueball is shown. He passes the basketball to the right towards the off-pannel Black Hat.]
:Cueball: Universal adoption isn't everything. I mean, IRC is still—

:[Zoom in on the basketball as an arrow pierces the ball, forming a slight depression.]
:''Thunk''

:[Cueball looks to Black Hat who has a crossbow in one hand, he is still looking at the phone in his other hand. The ball with the arrow lies between them.]
:Cueball: You're not really the "catch" type, are you?
:Black Hat: I am not.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Crossbows]]
[[Category:Sport]]

929: Speculation

2020-03-15T18:26:49Z

Birdsinthewindow: Added end punctuation.

{{comic
| number = 929
| date = July 25, 2011
| title = Speculation
| image = speculation.png
| titletext = 'I was pretty good at skeet shooting, but was eventually kicked off the range for catching the clay pigeons in a net and dispatching them execution-style.'
}}

==Explanation==
During a {{w|basketball}} game, the players discuss the nature of universal conformity. {{w|Facebook}} and {{w|Google+}} are competing {{w|social networks}}, at the time of this comic many people were switching to Plus over Facebook leading many to speculate that Facebook was in decline and that Plus would soon be the dominant social network. As of 2019, it seems that Facebook has successfully held its position as the Default Social Network™, while Google Plus was a colossal blunder for Google and was finally sunset for consumers in April 2019.
The two players seem to have a disagreement over this. One player states that it would be ridiculous to expect everyone to move to Plus. The other player denies the notion that they have to, valuing his personal preference over conformity. He supports this by saying that his mother still uses {{w|AOL}} and other people continue using {{w|IRC}}, if each time a new dominant social network emerged and everyone switched to it neither of these things would stick around.

They are interrupted when they pass the ball to [[Black Hat]] who immediately shoots it with a crossbow bolt. Their arguments and rather intelligent discussion are derailed by the absurdity of Black Hat's reaction which is both humorous and puts the issue in stark contrast.

Black Hat neither joins in the discussion nor does he participate in the game and it seems that any offer to participate in either is met with a blunt and clear denial. He is simply not a conformist.

In the title text Black Hat continues to provide an example of his tendency to play by his own rules. A clay pigeon is a clay disc that is thrown into the air and serves as a target on a {{w|skeet shooting}} range. Participants are expected to shoot the pigeons with a shotgun but Black Hat would rather capture the clay pigeons and shoot them from a very close range. This is made even more humorous by the excellent crossbow skills he shows in the comic. This practice eventually got him expelled from the shooting range.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys are playing basketball. The right guy (Cueball) attempts to throw the basketball through the hoop, but it bounces off down to his friend. To the right Black Hat has his back to the other two while he is looking at his phone.]
:Friend: Do you seriously think ''everyone'' will move to Plus? It was hard enough getting them on Facebook.

:[The friend has caught the rebound and now passes the basketball back to Cueball. Black Hat is not shown.]
:Cueball: Do they have to?
:Cueball: My mom still uses AOL—it doesn't mean my social life has to happen there.

:[Only Cueball is shown. He passes the basketball to the right towards the off-pannel Black Hat.]
:Cueball: Universal adoption isn't everything. I mean, IRC is still—

:[Zoom in on the basketball as an arrow pierces the ball, forming a slight depression.]
:''Thunk''

:[Cueball looks to Black Hat who has a crossbow in one hand, he is still looking at the phone in his other hand. The ball with the arrow lies between them.]
:Cueball: You're not really the "catch" type, are you?
:Black Hat: I am not.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Crossbows]]
[[Category:Sport]]

914: Ice

2020-03-15T17:46:47Z

Birdsinthewindow: I added commas on either side of an appositive phrase.

{{comic
| number = 914
| date = June 20, 2011
| title = Ice
| image = ice.png
| titletext = On the plus side, she wrote "Welcome to the AAA Club!" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, and left me a membership/roadside assistance card on the counter.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp old urban legend]: a guy is drugged, then he awakes in an ice-filled bathtub only to discover both of his {{w|kidneys}} have been harvested by {{w|Organ theft|organ thieves}}. They have left him in the tub of ice, to let him survive in time to get to a hospital for {{w|dialysis}}. It is now his problem to get a new kidney, whereas the thieves can sell the organs to someone who (also) needs a {{w|kidney transplantation}}. By doing it in this way, the thieves prevent themselves from becoming murderers; thus if they get caught they might get a lesser sentence. That would be the explanation why they do not just kill the "{{w|organ donor}}".

In this comic the situation is reversed: [[Beret Guy]] (who has just bought some ice for the party he is about to return to) is lured by [[Danish]] up to "her place" where he is drugged. The next morning he awakes in a bathtub filled with kidneys, only to discover that his ice has been harvested by Danish.

The title text refers to a {{w|Pin_prick_attack#As_an_email.2FInternet_scare_story|similar story}} where the victim is left a note by their captor or one-night stand that says "[http://msgboard.snopes.com/message/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/91/t/000711.html Welcome to the AIDS club]". Rather than having been involuntarily infected with {{w|HIV/AIDS}}, the victim, Beret Guy, has been involuntarily enrolled in the {{w|American Automobile Association}} (AAA) and his {{w|roadside assistance}} card has been left on the counter. This could also be another pun on Beret Guy's response of yelling ''AAAAAAA'', which could be another kind of AAA club that he is welcomed to.

There is no display of typical "Beret Guy behavior" in this comic, although it is typical for him to be involved in an incident that turns the world upside down. His encounter with organ thieves only cost him his ice, a party and that he got a nasty experience. But he retained his kidneys and was not infected with HIV.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is setting up a party. She is standing with a bottle in one hand looking at a snack table in front of her. Beret Guy stands behind her with both arms raised. Above and behind them there is a big banner with gray text.]
:Megan: Everything's ready...
:Megan: Except we're out of ice.
:Beret Guy: I'll get some!
:Banner: Party!

:[Beret Guy is walking down the street past a building with a store window and sign. He is waring a large bag of ice over his shoulder. Danish is standing on the sidewalk up against the brick wall and calls to him.]
:Danish: Hey sexy. Where're you headed with all that ice?
:Beret Guy: A party!
:Danish: There's a ''better'' party up at my place.
:Beret Guy: But I—
:Danish: C'mon, one drink.
:Sign: Save Mart
:Bag: Ice

:[Zoom in on Beret Guy who rubs his eyes groggily, small bubbles floating up from his head. A caption is written above the image in a box that breaks the top frame of this panel:]
:The next morning...
:Beret Guy: ...Ugh... Where am I?
:Beret Guy: I was supposed to—
:Beret Guy: —Where's all my ice!?

:[Beret Guy looks down to find himself in a bathtub full of kidneys. His scream extends on both sides of the panel, with only the five central A's in full view:]
:Beret Guy: <big>'''''AAAAAAA'''''</big>

==Trivia==
* Since her character introduction, this is the first strip to feature [[Danish]] without a connection to [[Black Hat]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

412: Startled

2019-12-23T20:12:31Z

Birdsinthewindow: To fix grammar and spelling errors.

{{comic
| number = 412
| date = April 18, 2008
| title = Startled
| image = startled.png
| titletext = ...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]], the cool-headed troll, has the tables turned on him. Almost always seen antagonizing other characters, this comic shows him in a rare moment of losing face. [[Megan]] notices Black Hat facing away from [[Cueball]] and her, and decides to play a simple, childish prank on him: sneaking up from behind and shouting "Boo!".

She succeeds in startling Black Hat. Most likely out of humiliation, he hides himself completely in his hat. For a moment, it looks like Black Hat has disappeared altogether. But then his hat inches away, showing that he's still underneath. It is possible that he was set on edge by Danish, as the period from journals 3-5 was clearly an emotional time for him.

Both gags in this comic work by playing on our expectations. The first is an unexpected moment of realism: we are so used to seeing Black Hat cool and untroubled that we are surprised at the reminder that everyone's appearance is, to some extent, a facade. Black Hat is still human. (The comic ''Hats'' is related to this one as it is also about black hats and how the usually all powerful Black Hat becomes the smaller one, in this case in tallness of hat towers.)

The second gag, on the other hand, is the opposite: we are so used to understanding the stick figures (and specifically the established character that is Black Hat) as representing regular humans, albeit ones with larger-than-life personalities, that we're caught by surprise to see Black Hat so thoroughly defy realism in a fashion not unlike what one could find in a Tex Avery-type cartoon. Among the further interpretations of the gag, one could see:
* a literal interpretation of a stick figure, with minimal volume, folding up into a hat, thus defying the readers' habit of seeing the stick figures as representations of real humans of flesh and blood;
* a joke on Black Hat's nickname, as the nicknamed "reduces him to his black hat", which is what Black Hat ''literally'' does to himself;
* a suggestion that Black Hat is an otherworldly being running more on his own fancies than the laws of reality (which would explain how he pulls off many of the things he does). This interpretation is rendered all the more likely by the fact that Cueball and Megan's reactions make it clear that Black Hat's actions ''should not be possible'' in the world of the comic as ''they'' understand it.

The title text is only "...", implying Randall himself shares the reaction of Cueball and Megan, who are left speechless and immobile in the last panels as Black Hat completes his physics-defying stunt. The same title text is used in [[82: Frame]] and [[455: Hats]]. One could say of these comics that they're somewhat surreal, and any further commentary might have detrimentally brought them down to Earth.
==Transcript==
:[Wide panel. Cueball and Megan are standing to one side. Black Hat is standing some distance away. Megan is looking at Cueball while pointing both at Cueball and at Black Hat.]

:[Normal sized panel. Zoom in as Megan sneaks up close to Black Hat, who now looks a little upwards.]

:[An inserted panel only half the height of the normal panels, but with its top lifted slightly above their levels and with its frame crossing both the previous and the next normal. It shows a close-up of Megan with hands raised while shouting.]
:Megan: Boo!

:[Only Black Hat is shown in this thin panel. He looks shocked, which is indicated by him taking his hands to his face, lines behind his head and that his hat jumps up above his head, showing that he has a bit of hair under it.]

:[The next three panels is even thinner than the previous, but they stay the same size. First the hat falls down over Black Hat's head down to his shoulders, without the hat changes size. The movement is indicated with two lines above the hat. Black Hat crosses his arms across his chest and bends in the knees.]

:[Then the hat keeps falling over his body, swallowing it so only his legs below his knees are visible.]

:[Finally the hat hits the ground with a large sound, also indicated with seven "U" shaped lines around the hat. There is no sign of Black Hat.]
:''Fwump''

:[The last two panels is in another row below the previous panel, but there are no panels under the two first panels in the first row. This could indicate that time has passed, or is just a way to create a dramatic effect as with all the other changes in panel size and position above. This panels width is somewhere between the first two panels. Cueball and Megan looks at the hat, Cueball with a hand in front of his mouth.]

:[The last panel is as wide as the first, but extends further to the right than the last panel in he first row, again breaking the symmetry. Megan and Cueball still looks on (both with hands down) as the hat begins to crawl away. The movement makes sounds and is indicated with four lines behind the hat now further away from the two.]
:''Scooch Scooch Scooch''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]