explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

439: Thinking Ahead

2014-08-05T21:48:37Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 439
| date = June 20, 2008
| title = Thinking Ahead
| image = thinking ahead.png
| titletext = Did he just go crazy and jump out the window?
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] spots a woman while shopping. He thinks she looks cute - probably because she looks a lot like his girl friend [[Megan]]. She is picking out produce, and quotes a line of dialogue from {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}} originally said by River Tam ({{w|Summer Glau}}): "My food is problematic." Cueball ([[Randall]]) who is a big fan of Firefly, notices this, and wants to flirt with her. But then Cueball's internal monologue kicks in and he starts panicking, wondering how he'd deal with starting a relationship with this woman when he's moving in the fall, as well as how things are going to work out with Megan, should things work out with this girl. He panics, needs a way out and jumps out the window.

The title text refers to yet another Firefly line, this one said by Wash ({{w|Alan Tudyk}}): "Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

==Transcript==
:[My Problem: Thinking Ahead.]
:Cueball: She's cute.
:Woman: This food is problematic.
:Cueball: Oh man, she's quoting Firefly.
:Cueball: It's the perfect opening. But wait. I'm moving in the fall. If we hit it off, how will I deal with that?
:Cueball: I don't want to ask her to derail her plans. And with things unresolved with Megan, can I really commit enough to make that kind of decision?
:Cueball: Oh God.
:Cueball: Gotta get out.
:Cueball: The window.
:[Cueball jumping through a window]
:'''CRASH'''

==Trivia==
*[[Randall]] did mention the name Megan at his original transcript.

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

439: Thinking Ahead

2014-08-05T21:47:15Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */ linked not to the insect but to the program

{{comic
| number = 439
| date = June 20, 2008
| title = Thinking Ahead
| image = thinking ahead.png
| titletext = Did he just go crazy and jump out the window?
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] spots a woman while shopping. He thinks she looks cute - probably because she looks a lot like his girl friend [[Megan]]. She is picking out produce, and quotes a line of dialogue from {{w|Firefly (TV series)}} originally said by River Tam ({{w|Summer Glau}}): "My food is problematic." Cueball ([[Randall]]) who is a big fan of Firefly, notices this, and wants to flirt with her. But then Cueball's internal monologue kicks in and he starts panicking, wondering how he'd deal with starting a relationship with this woman when he's moving in the fall, as well as how things are going to work out with Megan, should things work out with this girl. He panics, needs a way out and jumps out the window.

The title text refers to yet another Firefly line, this one said by Wash ({{w|Alan Tudyk}}): "Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

==Transcript==
:[My Problem: Thinking Ahead.]
:Cueball: She's cute.
:Woman: This food is problematic.
:Cueball: Oh man, she's quoting Firefly.
:Cueball: It's the perfect opening. But wait. I'm moving in the fall. If we hit it off, how will I deal with that?
:Cueball: I don't want to ask her to derail her plans. And with things unresolved with Megan, can I really commit enough to make that kind of decision?
:Cueball: Oh God.
:Cueball: Gotta get out.
:Cueball: The window.
:[Cueball jumping through a window]
:'''CRASH'''

==Trivia==
*[[Randall]] did mention the name Megan at his original transcript.

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

Talk:1086: Eyelash Wish Log

2013-05-26T02:58:05Z

Bobidou23:

* This is one of my favorite xkcd comics ever. I can't stop laughing. #TEBOWTIME 17:14, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

i know right?? feb. 27th is by far the best...

[[User:Douglasadams472|Douglasadams472]] ([[User talk:Douglasadams472|talk]]) 03:12, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

It seems to me that February 6th's wish implies that, as a result of the previous day's wish, he now has an absurdly large number of eyelashes. Opinions? [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 02:58, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1

2013-01-07T02:05:16Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 819
| date = November 15, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 1
| image = five minute comics part 1.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = The wolves thin the RAID arrays, removing the slowest and weakest disks to keep the average seek speed high.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the first of three "five-minute comics" posts Randall made during November 2010. Let's get started!

* In astronomy, an "approach" is when two bodies come abnormally close to one another (but not close enough to crash). {{w|Jupiter}}, as most probably know, is the fifth planet in our solar system. Its approach to Earth in September 2010 was the closest seen in many years (in fact, the next time it will come that close will be in 2022). In the comic, this is indicated by Jupiter hovering right above Earth and talking to the characters.
:Of course, Jupiter is not only planet-sized, but is ''enormous'' compared to Earth; in fact, Earth would fit quite comfortably into the {{w|Atmosphere of Jupiter#Great Red Spot|red spot}} of Jupiter.
:Gravitational slingshots are a technique used by deep-space probes to gain speed by temporarily orbiting a planet and then escaping that orbit; the gravity of the planet pulls the probe into orbiting speed, and the end result is an extremely fuel-efficient way of gaining speed during space travel. Jupiter is commonly used for this purpose because it's the most massive planet in our solar system.

* The comic in the middle left features the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song {{w|A Boy Named Sue}}, but with "Sue" replaced with "Trig." Inexplicably, [http://wiki.name.com/en/Trig Trig] is a name that people actually give their children. The most notable example in the US - and probably the inspiration for Randall drawing this comic - is Trig Palin, the son of Alaskan politician Sarah Palin. Trig is also a widely-accepted abbreviation for the mathematical field of {{w|trigonometry}}, and it sounds similar to "twig," so one can imagine how a person with such a name might be ridiculed.

* A child getting trapped in a well is an alien experience to some parts of the Western world, but it's quite a serious problem in places where wells are commonplace. Here, though, rather than attempt to rescue the little girl, Cueball instead tries to grant her wish of owning a pony before her imminent demise; a pony is a stereotypical thing for a little girl to want. Of course, since ponies don't fit into wells too easily, he has to stuff it in, which appears to be quite painful for the pony.

* The server room of a large datacenter is an unusual place to return "back to nature", to say the least. {{w|Reintroduction}} refers to the process of taking a population of animals raised in captivity and bringing them back to the wild; this is a delicate process, as being raised in captivity affects the natural development of skills the animal needs to survive. In fact, Wikipedia has a page specifically about the challenges of {{w|wolf reintroduction}}.
:Needless to say, reintroducing wolves to a server room is neither a good idea nor OSHA-approved.
:The title-text refers to the wolves thinning the RAID array. A {{w|RAID|RAID array}} is a way of spreading data redundantly across multiple hard drives, such that 100% of the data is still recoverable if some number of drives go down. (This number can be set arbitrarily, as long as you have at least one more disk than the number you want, but it reduces your total storage space accordingly.) The seek speed of a drive is how fast it can find a specific point of data on its platter; thus, the wolves are essentially killing the slowest drives, implementing a kind of natural selection to "evolve" the drives to be faster.

* Directly below the previous comic, Cueball is telling a "yo mama" joke. Such jokes are usually told in jest, and aren't really targeted at a particular person's mother; however, in this case, Cueball ''was'' attempting to make an honest observation about the listener's mother, and when he discovers his mistake, he realizes that she is, in fact, quite a nice person.

* {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart}} wrote an opera called ''{{w|The Magic Flute}}'' (though the comic seems to attribute it to {{w|Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach}}). {{w|Richard Wagner}} wrote a series of operas called {{w|Der Ring des Nibelungen}}, or, more commonly, the ring cycle. Here, Randall interprets the ring cycle as some kind of motorcycle, while the teleporting magic flute comes from video games: in both ''The Legend of Zelda'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', the player can obtain a magic flute item that has teleportation powers.
:The caption implies that even Randall is not sure what meaning this comic has.

* This comic shows how people rate the "hotness" of girls. Glamour magazines have desensitized many people to photo-edited models with large amounts of make-up, so the model gets a "meh" reaction. The girl in biology class, by contrast, is not only "real" by comparison, but is actually a viable choice for dating, so she is given a 2 star rating. If the same girl from bio class is wearing your shirt, that usually means you've had sex the night before, and she spent the night at your apartment, hence the need to get dressed in one of your shirts; this possibility earns the highest rating, 4 stars.
:Here it starts taking a turn for the worse. If wearing one of ''your'' shirts means she spent the night with ''you'', logically, wearing one of your ''mom's'' shirts means she spent the night with ''your mom''. This earns a "Wat!" reaction.
:Finally, human skin is not generally designed to detach from its owner. If the girl from your bio class is wearing your mom's skin like a suit, it means she probably murdered your mom and skinned her. Both of these actions are considerably illegal, and quite likely indicate a serious mental instability. To this, Cueball can only scream.

==Transcript==
Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes. -- Randall

====Comic #1====
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing each other.]
:Cueball: Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in decades.

:[Cueball points behind Megan, and she turns around.]
:Cueball: In fact, here it comes now!

:[Jupiter, about the size of the characters' heads, hovers into the frame at about head-height.]
:Jupiter: Hey, guys.

:[Jupiter continues to hover through the frame as the characters watch it go.]
:Jupiter: Anyone need a gravitational slingshot?
:Megan: No, I'm good.
:Jupiter: Aight.

====Comic #2====
:[Cueball sits on a box, playing a guitar.]
:Cueball: ...Now I don't blame him 'cause he ran and hid, -- but the meanest thing that he ever did -- was before he left, he went and named me "Trig."

====Comic #3====
:[Cueball looks down a well.]
:Cueball: Oh God, a little girl is trapped down this well!

:[Cueball runs off screen.]

:[Cueball returns, leading a pony.]
:Cueball: It's okay, we got you that pony you always wanted!

:[Cueball tries to cram the pony down the well with the aid of a large stick.]
:Cueball: Get... in... there... -- Ugh!

====Comic #4====
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a server room. ]
:Cueball: I like to get back to nature by coming out here to the server room. -- The warmth, the whirr of the drives, the drone of the fans, the howl of the wolves...
:Megan: Wolves?
:Cueball: Yeah, we started a reintroduction program.
:Wolf: Awoooooo

====Comic #5====
:[Cueball stands by himself in the frame.]
:Cueball: Yo momma's so masculine that she... oh, wait, that's your dad. -- Is your mom the lady over by the door? Aww, she looks nice!

====Comic #6====
:[Cueball runs toward another man who is wearing a powdered wig, holding a gun in one hand, and a flute in the other. Behind him, someone is chasing him on a motorcycle.]
:Cueball: Bach, activate the magic flute and teleport us home! Wagner's right behind me on his Ring Cycle!

:Caption: Why did I ''draw'' this?

====Comic #7====
:Hotness Ratings:
:[A close up of a girl with wavy hair.]
:Incredibly made-up girl on magazine cover.
:(Inset of Cueball: "Meh.")

:[An average girl.]
:Girl in your bio class.
:(Inset of Cueball: "Two stars.")

:[Girl with mussed hair in over-sized men's shirt.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your shirts.
:Girl: Want some breakfast?
:(Cueball: "Four stars.")

:[Girl with another sort of shirt speaking to an older lady.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your mom's shirts.
:Girl: Thanks for the great night.
:(Cueball: "Wat!")

:[Creepy-looking girl.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing your mom's skin like a suit.
:Girl: Give Mommy a hug!
:(Cueball, screaming: "AAAAAAAA")

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Five-minute comics]]

819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1

2013-01-07T02:04:40Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 819
| date = November 15, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 1
| image = five minute comics part 1.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = The wolves thin the RAID arrays, removing the slowest and weakest disks to keep the average seek speed high.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the first of three "five-minute comics" posts Randall made during November 2010. Let's get started!

* In astronomy, an "approach" is when two bodies come abnormally close to one another (but not close enough to crash). {{w|Jupiter}}, as most probably know, is the fifth planet in our solar system. Its approach to Earth in September 2010 was the closest seen in many years (in fact, the next time it will come that close will be in 2022). In the comic, this is indicated by Jupiter hovering right above Earth and talking to the characters.
:Of course, Jupiter is not only planet-sized, but is ''enormous'' compared to Earth; in fact, Earth would fit quite comfortably into the {{w|Atmosphere of Jupiter#Great Red Spot|red spot}} of Jupiter.
:Gravitational slingshots are a technique used by deep-space probes to gain speed by temporarily orbiting a planet and then escaping that orbit; the gravity of the planet pulls the probe into orbiting speed, and the end result is an extremely fuel-efficient way of gaining speed during space travel. Jupiter is commonly used for this purpose because it's the most massive planet in our solar system.

* The comic in the middle left features the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song {{w|A Boy Named Sue}}, but with "Sue" replaced with "Trig." Inexplicably, [http://wiki.name.com/en/Trig Trig] is a name that people actually give their children. The most notable example in the US - and probably the inspiration for Randall drawing this comic - is Trig Palin, the son of Alaskan politician Sarah Palin. Trig is also a widely-accepted abbreviation for the mathematical field of {{w|trigonometry}}, and it sounds similar to "twig," so one can imagine how a person with such a name might be ridiculed.

* A child getting trapped in a well is an alien experience to some parts of the Western world, but it's quite a serious problem in places where wells are commonplace. Here, though, rather than attempt to rescue the little girl, Cueball instead tries to grant her wish of owning a pony before her imminent demise; a pony is a stereotypical thing for a little girl to want. Of course, since ponies don't fit into wells too easily, he has to stuff it in, which appears to be quite painful for the pony.

* The server room of a large datacenter is an unusual place to return "back to nature", to say the least. {{w|Reintroduction}} refers to the process of taking a population of animals raised in captivity and bringing them back to the wild; this is a delicate process, as being raised in captivity affects the natural development of skills the animal needs to survive. In fact, Wikipedia has a page specifically about the challenges of {{w|wolf reintroduction}}.
:Needless to say, reintroducing wolves to a server room is neither a good idea nor OSHA-approved.
:The title-text refers to the wolves thinning the RAID array. A {{w|RAID|RAID array}} is a way of spreading data redundantly across multiple hard drives, such that 100% of the data is still recoverable if some number of drives go down. (This number can be set arbitrarily, as long as you have at least one more disk than the number you want, but it reduces your total storage space accordingly.) The seek speed of a drive is how fast it can find a specific point of data on its platter; thus, the wolves are essentially killing the slowest drives, implementing a kind of natural selection to "evolve" the drives to be faster.

* Directly below the previous comic, Cueball is telling a "yo mama" joke. Such jokes are usually told in jest, and aren't really targeted at a particular person's mother; however, in this case, Cueball ''was'' attempting to make an honest observation about the listener's mother, and when he discovers his mistake, he realizes that she is, in fact, quite a nice person.

* {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart}} wrote an opera called ''{{w|The Magic Flute}}'' (not {{w|Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach}}, as the comic suggests). {{w|Richard Wagner}} wrote a series of operas called {{w|Der Ring des Nibelungen}}, or, more commonly, the ring cycle. Here, Randall interprets the ring cycle as some kind of motorcycle, while the teleporting magic flute comes from video games: in both ''The Legend of Zelda'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', the player can obtain a magic flute item that has teleportation powers.
:The caption implies that even Randall is not sure what meaning this comic has.

* This comic shows how people rate the "hotness" of girls. Glamour magazines have desensitized many people to photo-edited models with large amounts of make-up, so the model gets a "meh" reaction. The girl in biology class, by contrast, is not only "real" by comparison, but is actually a viable choice for dating, so she is given a 2 star rating. If the same girl from bio class is wearing your shirt, that usually means you've had sex the night before, and she spent the night at your apartment, hence the need to get dressed in one of your shirts; this possibility earns the highest rating, 4 stars.
:Here it starts taking a turn for the worse. If wearing one of ''your'' shirts means she spent the night with ''you'', logically, wearing one of your ''mom's'' shirts means she spent the night with ''your mom''. This earns a "Wat!" reaction.
:Finally, human skin is not generally designed to detach from its owner. If the girl from your bio class is wearing your mom's skin like a suit, it means she probably murdered your mom and skinned her. Both of these actions are considerably illegal, and quite likely indicate a serious mental instability. To this, Cueball can only scream.

==Transcript==
Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes. -- Randall

====Comic #1====
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing each other.]
:Cueball: Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in decades.

:[Cueball points behind Megan, and she turns around.]
:Cueball: In fact, here it comes now!

:[Jupiter, about the size of the characters' heads, hovers into the frame at about head-height.]
:Jupiter: Hey, guys.

:[Jupiter continues to hover through the frame as the characters watch it go.]
:Jupiter: Anyone need a gravitational slingshot?
:Megan: No, I'm good.
:Jupiter: Aight.

====Comic #2====
:[Cueball sits on a box, playing a guitar.]
:Cueball: ...Now I don't blame him 'cause he ran and hid, -- but the meanest thing that he ever did -- was before he left, he went and named me "Trig."

====Comic #3====
:[Cueball looks down a well.]
:Cueball: Oh God, a little girl is trapped down this well!

:[Cueball runs off screen.]

:[Cueball returns, leading a pony.]
:Cueball: It's okay, we got you that pony you always wanted!

:[Cueball tries to cram the pony down the well with the aid of a large stick.]
:Cueball: Get... in... there... -- Ugh!

====Comic #4====
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a server room. ]
:Cueball: I like to get back to nature by coming out here to the server room. -- The warmth, the whirr of the drives, the drone of the fans, the howl of the wolves...
:Megan: Wolves?
:Cueball: Yeah, we started a reintroduction program.
:Wolf: Awoooooo

====Comic #5====
:[Cueball stands by himself in the frame.]
:Cueball: Yo momma's so masculine that she... oh, wait, that's your dad. -- Is your mom the lady over by the door? Aww, she looks nice!

====Comic #6====
:[Cueball runs toward another man who is wearing a powdered wig, holding a gun in one hand, and a flute in the other. Behind him, someone is chasing him on a motorcycle.]
:Cueball: Bach, activate the magic flute and teleport us home! Wagner's right behind me on his Ring Cycle!

:Caption: Why did I ''draw'' this?

====Comic #7====
:Hotness Ratings:
:[A close up of a girl with wavy hair.]
:Incredibly made-up girl on magazine cover.
:(Inset of Cueball: "Meh.")

:[An average girl.]
:Girl in your bio class.
:(Inset of Cueball: "Two stars.")

:[Girl with mussed hair in over-sized men's shirt.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your shirts.
:Girl: Want some breakfast?
:(Cueball: "Four stars.")

:[Girl with another sort of shirt speaking to an older lady.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your mom's shirts.
:Girl: Thanks for the great night.
:(Cueball: "Wat!")

:[Creepy-looking girl.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing your mom's skin like a suit.
:Girl: Give Mommy a hug!
:(Cueball, screaming: "AAAAAAAA")

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Five-minute comics]]

496: Secretary: Part 3

2012-12-31T20:23:36Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 496
| date = October 29, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 3
| image = secretary_part_3.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = He actually installed each piece in a different car in the lot, then built a new car in the spot from the displaced pieces. It's a confusing maneuver known as the auto-troll shuffle.
}}

==Explanation==
When a person has been appointed to a position by the {{w|POTUS|President}}, they must first go through a confirmation hearing in front of the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, the upper house of {{w|United States Congress|Congress}} where they find if the person is qualified to be in the position they have been appointed to. Of course, [[Black Hat]] is not the cleanest of characters, so Congress has a lot of reservations about his {{w|résumé}}.

* {{w|Starbucks}} is an American "innovation," where coffee simply wasn't made fast enough. So the whole process was streamlined, and now the world is "better" for it.
** He hasn't yet, but in [[562: Parking]] Black Hat will cut someone's car in half to make it fit in a single space. Not quite as dramatic as completely disassembling a car and, as the title text says, putting a single piece in another car parked in the lot, and building a car out of the displaced parts, which could almost be considered subtle; but, it is quite dramatic.
* {{w|Charles M. Schulz}} drew a comic called {{w|Peanuts}}. One of the recurring characters was {{w|Snoopy}} who would often use his doghouse as an imaginary {{w|Sopwith Camel}} in many battles with {{w|Manfred von Richthofen|The Red Baron}} who piloted a {{w|Fokker Dr.I|Red Fokker}} {{w|Triplane}}.
** The {{w|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade}} is a parade that happens on {{w|Thanksgiving Day (United States)|Thanksgiving Day}} in the US. There are many giant balloons of pop-culture icons. Snoopy has made many appearances.
* {{w|9/11 Truthers}} believe that the terrorist attack on the {{w|World Trade Center}} towers on September 11, 2001 (thus 9/11) was a conspiracy theory purported by the US Government as a cover up. In the comic, Black Hat appears to be mixing 9/11 truthers with {{w|Moon landing conspiracy theories|Moon landing conspiracy theorists}} who believe that {{w|NASA}} never put a {{w|Apollo mission|man on the moon}}.
** Black Hat uses a common refrain [[:Category:Wake Up, Sheeple|Wake up, Sheeple]]
* {{w|Radio Shack}} is a chain of consumer electronics shops that sold parts to build electronics with: resistors, transistors, etc. Apparently Black Hat managed to build a death ray from the parts there and accidentally vaporized a customer.
* {{w|Microsoft}} is the company that makes {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}}. {{w|Steve Ballmer}} is the {{w|CEO}} of Microsoft. {{w|Windows Vista}} was the {{w|operating system}} that came between {{w|Windows XP}} and {{w|Windows 7}}, and is considered by most to be a failure.
* {{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} is the second female justice on the {{w|Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court}}, appointed by President Clinton. The relevance here is that during her own confirmation hearings, she refused to answer many questions about her personal views, frustrating many Senators (nevertheless, she was confirmed, 96-3). {{w|John Roberts}}, the current Chief Justice, was similarly evasive in his hearings, citing the "Ginsburg Precedent."
* Black Hat stole a nuclear submarine in xkcd [[405: Journal 3]] to get his hat back from [[Danish]].
* "Pleading the fifth" is to invoke the {{w|Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment}} of the {{w|United States Bill of Rights}}. Specifically, when someone pleads the fifth, they mean that they cannot be compelled to give testimony against themselves. That is, they do not have to say anything that could be taken as an admission of guilt. The {{w|Third Amendment to the United States Constitution|third amendment}} states that no homeowner has to keep troops of the United States Army in their house against their will. The only sensible time to plead the third would be when a member of the military knocks on the door and tries to gain entry, which is not the middle of a congressional hearing.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
* [[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
* [[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
* [[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
* [[497: Secretary: Part 4]]
* [[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[The confirmation hearings begin...]
:Senator: It appears you have quite an arrest record.

:Senator: Is it true you completely disassembled someone's car outside a Starbucks?
:Hat Guy: It was parked across two spaces.

:Senator: You stole a red Fokker triplane and strafed the snoopy float at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade?

:Hat Guy: Got three mimes, too.

:Senator: You disrupted a 9/11 truth meeting, insisting the Twin Towers never actually collapsed?
:Hat Guy: I have evidence! Don't trust the media! Wake up, sheeple!

:Senator: You were fired from Radio Shack after you built a death ray and vaporized a customer?

:Hat Guy: I was just testing it! Figures that'd be the one day there was a shopper in the aisle.

:Senator: And you were thrown out of Microsoft headquarters for... trying to feed a squirrel through a fax machine?

:Hat Guy: I forgot about that! it was part of an argument with Steve Ballmer about Vista. Which I won, by the way.

:[Senators look down at their notes]

:Senator: This is the worst history of vandalism, gleeful mayhem, and general recalcitrance we've seen in a nominee since Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

:Senator: And this--you stole a nuclear submarine?
:Hat Guy: I plead the third.

:Senator: You mean the fifth?
:Hat Guy: No, the third.

:Senator: You refuse to quarter troops in your house?
:Hat Guy: I have few principles, but I stick to them.

:Meanwhile...
:[Aboard Ron Paul's blimp]
:Pilot: We're nearing Washington, sir.
:Wait... There's something ahead on the sensors.

:Pilot: It's a balloon.
:Ron Paul: ...Oh, no.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]
[[Category:Wake Up, Sheeple]]
[[Category:Secretary|03]]

498: Secretary: Part 5

2012-12-31T20:14:07Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 498
| date = October 31, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 5
| image = secretary_part_5.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = And they choose Al Gore as Internet Secretary.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the 5th and final comic in the Secretary story-arc. [[Black Hat]] is up to his usual shenanigans. Most of the comic happens in the {{w|United States Senate chamber|US Senate chamber room}}.

Of course, [[Playpen balls|playpen balls]] have been the topic of many comics before. Notably [[150: Grownups]].

The other reference of note is of the {{w|Tron (movie)|Tron}} universe. {{w|Tron (video game)|Tron}} was an arcade game in the 1980s, from which Disney created a movie. The characters would play on a grid in lightcycles which left behind walls of light. The objective of the game was to force the opponent to run into the wall of light, similar to the {{w|Snake (game)|Snake game}}. Obviously, there is no such grid by the Capitol.

{{w|Al Gore}} was the {{w|Vice President of the United States|Vice President}} under President {{w|Bill Clinton}} and ran as the Democratic candidate for President in 2000, in a highly controversial election because Gore won the popuar vote but lost the presidency to {{w|George W. Bush}}.

Al Gore has had {{w|Al Gore and information technology|quite a history with the Internet}}, including one oft-misquoted (rather, quoted out of context) interview with CNN in which he told {{w|Wolf Blitzer}}, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." Many spun this to mean he claimed to have actually invented the Internet himself, although its pioneers agreed with Gore's assessment.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
* [[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
* [[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
* [[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
* [[497: Secretary: Part 4]]
* [[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:{The Senate. Hat Guy sits before the committee at his hearing to become Internet Secretary.}
:Chairman: We were convened here to review your nomination for the position of internet secretary.

:Chairman: However, on review of your qualifications, we've decided to sentence you to death.

:Chairman: An unorthodox move, sure. But the vote was unanimous.
:{Hat Guy is leaning back in his chair.}

:[Meanwhile . . .]
:Tron Paul: There's no grid! How do I steeeeer!!!!!

:{Back at the Senate. Hat Guy is standing.}
:Hat Guy: Well, it's been fun. But I was never actually interested in taking the position. Good lord; listening to internet arguments all day? No thank you.

:Chairman: Then why did you sit through all those hearings

:Hat Guy: It was taking us a while to move the pumps into the maintenance tunnels.

:{The committee members murmur among themselves.}

:{There is a panel in the floor between Hat Guy and the committee.}
:<<RUMBLE>>
:<<plink>> <<plink>>

:{A red playpen ball bursts out of the panel and rolls towards the committee chairman.}
:<<plink>>

:{The room is still. Hat Guy's arms are folded.}

:{A geyser of red, white, and blue playpen balls bursts through the panel in the floor. Hat Guy is already gone.}
:<<FOOM>>

:{The committee members chase Hat Guy out the door as the Senate floor floods with playpen balls.}

:{The chase continues into the rotunda, as does the flood of playpen balls.}

:{Hat Guy stands in the middle of the rotunda as it fills with playpen balls, surrounded by members of the committee.}
:Committee Members: Security! Someone!
:Committee Members: Get Him!

:{Tron Paul bursts through the wall.}
:<<CRASH>>
:Tron Paul: Aaaaa!

:{Hat Guy grabs the bottom of the lightcycle as Tron Paul goes by.}
:<<snag>>
:Tron Paul: Hey!

:{Hat Guy swings onto the top of the light cycle.}

:{Hat Guy crouches on top of the light cycle.}
:Tron Paul: Get Off!

:{Tron Paul and Hat Guy crash through the far wall of the rotunda.}
:<<CRASH>>

:{Tron Paul hits the ground.}
:<<WHAM>>
:Tron Paul: Ow!

:{Hat Guy runs away.}
:Tron Paul: Ughhh.

:{The lightcycle disappears.}
:Tron Paul: I feel queasy . . .
:Cory Doctorow, above: Hey!
:Hat Guy: Hi, Cory.
:Cory Doctorow: Need a lift?
:Hat Guy: Sure.

:{Hat Guy and Cory Doctorow depart in Doctorow's balloon.}
:Cory Doctorow: So are you, like, a fugitive now?
:Hat Guy: Well, I never did give them my name . . .

:[But in the rotunda]
:{Senators play in the playpen balls.}
:Senators: Let's jump down here from the balcony!
:Senators: Senior senators first!
:Senators: Wheeee!
:Senators: I'm a submarine!
:[All is forgiven.]

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

[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]

[[Category:Playpen balls]]

[[Category:Secretary|05]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

498: Secretary: Part 5

2012-12-31T20:13:01Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 498
| date = October 31, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 5
| image = secretary_part_5.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = And they choose Al Gore as Internet Secretary.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the 5th and final comic in the Secretary story-arc. [[Black Hat]] is up to his usual shenanigans. Most of the comic happens in the {{w|United States Senate chamber|US Senate chamber room}}.

Of course, [[Playpen balls|playpen balls]] have been the topic of many comics before. Notably [[150: Grownups]].

The other reference of note is of the {{w|Tron (movie)|Tron}} universe. {{w|Tron (video game)|Tron}} was an arcade game in the 1980s, from which Disney created a movie. The characters would play on a grid in lightcycles which left behind walls of light. The objective of the game was to force the opponent to run into the wall of light, similar to the {{w|Snake (game)|Snake game}}. Obviously, there is no such grid by the Capitol.

{{w|Al Gore}} was the {{w|Vice President of the United States|Vice President}} under President {{w|Bill Clinton}} and ran as the Democratic candidate for President in 2000, in a highly controversial election because Gore won the popuar vote but lost the presidency to {{w|George W. Bush}}.

Al Gore has had {{w|Al Gore and information technology|quite a history with the Internet}}, including one oft-misquoted (rather, quoted out of context) interview with CNN in which he told {{w|Wolf Blitzer}}, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
* [[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
* [[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
* [[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
* [[497: Secretary: Part 4]]
* [[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:{The Senate. Hat Guy sits before the committee at his hearing to become Internet Secretary.}
:Chairman: We were convened here to review your nomination for the position of internet secretary.

:Chairman: However, on review of your qualifications, we've decided to sentence you to death.

:Chairman: An unorthodox move, sure. But the vote was unanimous.
:{Hat Guy is leaning back in his chair.}

:[Meanwhile . . .]
:Tron Paul: There's no grid! How do I steeeeer!!!!!

:{Back at the Senate. Hat Guy is standing.}
:Hat Guy: Well, it's been fun. But I was never actually interested in taking the position. Good lord; listening to internet arguments all day? No thank you.

:Chairman: Then why did you sit through all those hearings

:Hat Guy: It was taking us a while to move the pumps into the maintenance tunnels.

:{The committee members murmur among themselves.}

:{There is a panel in the floor between Hat Guy and the committee.}
:<<RUMBLE>>
:<<plink>> <<plink>>

:{A red playpen ball bursts out of the panel and rolls towards the committee chairman.}
:<<plink>>

:{The room is still. Hat Guy's arms are folded.}

:{A geyser of red, white, and blue playpen balls bursts through the panel in the floor. Hat Guy is already gone.}
:<<FOOM>>

:{The committee members chase Hat Guy out the door as the Senate floor floods with playpen balls.}

:{The chase continues into the rotunda, as does the flood of playpen balls.}

:{Hat Guy stands in the middle of the rotunda as it fills with playpen balls, surrounded by members of the committee.}
:Committee Members: Security! Someone!
:Committee Members: Get Him!

:{Tron Paul bursts through the wall.}
:<<CRASH>>
:Tron Paul: Aaaaa!

:{Hat Guy grabs the bottom of the lightcycle as Tron Paul goes by.}
:<<snag>>
:Tron Paul: Hey!

:{Hat Guy swings onto the top of the light cycle.}

:{Hat Guy crouches on top of the light cycle.}
:Tron Paul: Get Off!

:{Tron Paul and Hat Guy crash through the far wall of the rotunda.}
:<<CRASH>>

:{Tron Paul hits the ground.}
:<<WHAM>>
:Tron Paul: Ow!

:{Hat Guy runs away.}
:Tron Paul: Ughhh.

:{The lightcycle disappears.}
:Tron Paul: I feel queasy . . .
:Cory Doctorow, above: Hey!
:Hat Guy: Hi, Cory.
:Cory Doctorow: Need a lift?
:Hat Guy: Sure.

:{Hat Guy and Cory Doctorow depart in Doctorow's balloon.}
:Cory Doctorow: So are you, like, a fugitive now?
:Hat Guy: Well, I never did give them my name . . .

:[But in the rotunda]
:{Senators play in the playpen balls.}
:Senators: Let's jump down here from the balcony!
:Senators: Senior senators first!
:Senators: Wheeee!
:Senators: I'm a submarine!
:[All is forgiven.]

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

[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]

[[Category:Playpen balls]]

[[Category:Secretary|05]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:496: Secretary: Part 3

2012-12-31T20:03:35Z

Bobidou23:

Could "Pleading the 3rd" be a form of the {{w|Chewbacca defense}}? --[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 22:55, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

I did some research on {{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} and her confirmation hearing, but couldn't quite see why she has a criminal record similar to Black Hat's - can anybody help there? [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 20:03, 31 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1140: Calendar of Meaningful Dates

2012-11-29T21:46:52Z

Bobidou23:

Seeing how the (northern hemisphere) summer months are bolder than the winter ones, I remember that someone said that "historical things" like wars and battles used to occur during the good weather months. Same for e.g. romance novels - people date and love on those dates. {{unsigned|‎81.34.231.6}}

If the search included Spanish dates in English texts, May 5th would be larger. {{unsigned|214.4.253.121}}

I wonder if he took into account the month/day swap between the US and UK dating system (among other countries). [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 14:22, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
:That's a good question. I entered [http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=July+4%2CNovember+5%2C4+July%2C5+November%2CJuly+4th%2CNovember+5th%2C+4th+July%2C+5th+November&year_start=2000&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share= July 4 and November 5 (Guy Fawkes Day) into Google Ngram], and the difference reflected in the calendar is only apparent when you put the month before the date.--[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 01:11, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

Interesting about the 11ths -- perhaps that correlates with low passenger loads on airplanes as well, and thus why the 11th was chosen for the attack (the month of September having been chosen for some other reason).[[Special:Contributions/50.0.38.245|50.0.38.245]] 15:33, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

:I want to point out that Randall doesn't know either, and I think he would have thought about the plane correlation, so I don't think that's the reason. I'm going to investigate this. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 02:53, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

::September 11 (1973) is also the date of the coup d'etat in Chile. I suppose that might (partially) explain why this specific 11th has been mentioned more frequently even before 2001...

I second the Spanish language date in English texts. May 5th is routinely routinely called Cinco De Mayo in English. Has Randall weighed in on how this was handled? [[User:Donglebaker|Donglebaker]] ([[User talk:Donglebaker|talk]]) 18:16, 28 November 2012 (UTC) JC

I also wonder about the difference between the 4th of July (Big 4) and November the 5th (small 5) as being the two "firework" days in US and UK! 4th of July peaks at 0.00003 July the 4th 0.0000001 November the 5th peaks at 0.0000006 and 5th of November peaks at 0.00001 so there are big differences and also whether you pick anything but English 2009. Reader in Invisible Writings --[[Special:Contributions/90.208.142.152|90.208.142.152]] 19:42, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

:No one forget that November 5th is also the day the Flux Capacitor was invented by Dr. Emmitt Brown using little more than a toilet seat and a minor concussion. I believe that is worth a mention.--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 16:08, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

The transcript reads "[A regular Gregorian calendar laid out in a grid, with some numbers larger than others.]" In fact, there is no way to tell if this is a Gregorian or a Julian calendar; they both have the same months and days. The Gregorian calendar only differs from the Julian in its leap year rule (it has 3 fewer every 400 years).--[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 01:17, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

Certain days of the week tend to get their dates mentioned more than others. Since the sample data were from a small number of years, this may be relevant to the results (unless it was controlled for). For example, in the US, elections are always held on a Tuesday, and Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday (and the Friday and Saturday right after it also get mentioned a lot), but these would not be the same numeric dates every year. — [[User:Jonadab||Jonadab the Unsightly One]], 2012-Nov-28 9:45pm EST (GMT+0500)
:The title only says that the books were published since 2000. The events in the book may have taken place many years before. --[[User:Jasqm|Jasqm]] ([[User talk:Jasqm|talk]]) 09:37, 29 November 2012 (UTC)jasqm

The last few US Presidential elections were 11/6/2012, 11/4/2008, 11/2/2004, 11/7/2000, 11/5/1996, 11/3/1992. November 1 is writ large, but that seems typical of the first day of all months. November 4 and 5 seem next largest. They correspond to the elections of 2008 (McCain-Obama) and 1996 (Dole-Clinton-Perot).

It seems like some of the dates in the explanation were of minimal importance to the comic - March 15th doesn't seem as large as the 21st or 31st of the month, and Halloween and Kristallnacht aren't that large, either. Sure, it's nice to know, but then there'd have to be explanations for several dozen more days. [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 21:46, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1122: Electoral Precedent

2012-10-18T22:03:30Z

Bobidou23:

I don't understand what he means by Alternative Tickets in the last frame.
:It does not say 'Alternative', it says {{w|Alliterative}}, meaning that both names starts with the same sound/letter. '''R'''omney/'''R'''yan --[[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 16:04, 18 October 2012 (UTC)
----
My research tells me that Jefferson won 1800. Error on Randall's part? [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 08:52, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm a bit confused by 1792 vs. 1804: The latter is "No incumbent has beaten a challenger", but didn't Washington face any challenger when he was re-elected in 1792? [[User:Jolindbe|Jolindbe]] ([[User talk:Jolindbe|talk]]) 14:19, 17 October 2012 (UTC)
: {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1792|He ran unopposed}} --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 14:33, 17 October 2012 (UTC)
:: As far as I understand it, he had four opponents, but got all the votes. Then, the electoral college voted on whom to be the vice president among the remaining candidates. But it seems unlikely to get 100% of the popular votes, do I misinterpret the wiki page? [[User:Jolindbe|Jolindbe]] ([[User talk:Jolindbe|talk]]) 17:45, 17 October 2012 (UTC)
:::Well, back then, the electoral college didn't take their votes from the people. They just decided, so they decided to give Washington the presidency. [[Special:Contributions/140.247.0.79|140.247.0.79]] 18:55, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

----
"1904: No one under 45 has become president. ... Roosevelt did."

Sort of. {{w|Theodore Roosevelt}} (Oct 1858–1919) was under 45 when he ''became'' president, in 1901. But by the time of the ''1904'' election he was 46.
 [[Special:Contributions/75.36.234.236|75.36.234.236]] 18:48, 17 October 2012 (UTC)
:Correct. Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest President to date, but Kennedy was the youngest yet ''elected''. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 20:09, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

The image needs to be updated. I'm not sure how to do that myself. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 23:56, 17 October 2012 (UTC)

Uploaded corrected image, changed tense on comments. Reload/refresh to check the 1800 frame should now show Jefferson... --[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 01:36, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

And how can people be from Virginia AND Massachusett? I think he meant OR.[[Special:Contributions/77.245.46.86|77.245.46.86]] 11:39, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

I take it the entire comic will not go up under "Transcripts"? [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 22:03, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

==Errors==
Should the errors be included in the article explanation, or should they just be discussed here in the chat box? I'm of the opinion that anything that doesn't go towards explaining the comic should go here in the discussion. I would lean towards keeping error nitpicking confined to the discussion page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 13:19, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1117: My Sky

2012-10-13T12:49:35Z

Bobidou23:

I wonder if the "It's not the same color as anything" line is a reference to Microsoft's cloud service which is named "Azure". "Azure" in conventional speech, is a color. Properly, is a shade of Sky Blue. However, the HTML color Azure is incorrect (propagated from an error in the Linux source code), and is set to a shade of Off-White, coincidentally making it the color of clouds. [[User:jamescurran|James Curran]]

:Any reference to that? Specifically the Linux and Microsoft connection? #F0FFFF does looks blue to me ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:31, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

::#F0FFFF is really very light cyan: White with a little of Red removed. How it is actually perceived depends of a number of factors like screen calibration, printer calibration, colors and paper used, and - last, but not least - the eye of the beholder. --[[Special:Contributions/46.142.23.214|46.142.23.214]] 16:05, 8 October 2012 (UTC) madd

Why was the comment taken out about how "WOW" upside down is "MOM"? I thought it was incredibly clever. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1117:_My_Sky&oldid=13991 [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 19:06, 5 October 2012 (UTC)
:No worries. I just added it back. [[User:Mgh|Mgh]] ([[User talk:Mgh|talk]]) 14:27, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

Jeff suggested that I post it again down here, to see if anyone knew why it was removed.

An alternate explanation for the Title Text is that, if he was hanging upside-down from the earth, then Randall's actual first word would have been "Mom!".

--[[User:Carlneely|Carlneely]] ([[User talk:Carlneely|talk]]) 20:41, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

*Well you'd have to flip over the exclamation mark, too (all or nothing). "iMom". [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 02:16, 6 October 2012 (UTC)
I do think that was the point of the title text. The current "explanation" on this part in place is hardly an explanation, as all it does is define "wow". As this (and 1115) have been about perspective on the sky, that would explain it. And the most common word word is "mom," after all. [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 22:27, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

*I think it should go back up. Nobody *says* "exclamation point", and wow->mom is very much in line with Randall's type of sneakiness. Almost nothing he does is ever on accident or by chance, and since "mom" is definitely one of the top baby words... Put it back up, Carlneely. You have the right, and even the first page says nothing is set in stone. If someone disagrees with it, too bad for them. [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 17:13, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

::For this comic, the title text doesn't seem to be a statement from Beret Guy. Beret Guy usually expresses his feelings in a more abstract way. On the other hand, recently, Randall has been posting many inspirational comics, that are awe-inspiring about the world, so it makes sense that a direct awe-inspired comment would be from him. In the comic, by the time Beret Guy says "wow" he standing "upright" again. The title text doesn't say that he was upside-down, just looking at the sky. Being horizontal doesn't count as being upside-down. Now, if the title text said that he was doing hand-stands, and said wow, absolutely, then the wow-mom joke would work. On a more technical note, it is not a right to edit a wiki, it is a privilege, and other editors have the privilege to go back and edit your work. Let's not {{w|feature creep|feature-creep}} the definition of the word 'right'. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:49, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

::: He doesn't need to be doing a handstand; these two comics are about perspectives, right? If the image of his saying "mom" were depicted as in the first panel here (i.e. with the earth towards the top), if would be "wow", wouldn't it? And the profound statement also works, but isn't a double meaning plausible? — Comment by [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) ''(please sign your comments)''

::::I'm not arguing that there are different perspectives in these two comics. I'm saying that you can't attribute a statement made by one character, to the actions of another. Beret Guy is the one upside-down, Randall is the one saying "wow" with a reference to his mother. If you have a gluten intolerance, it does not mean that your cousin will throw up after eating a slice of bread, that is a logical fallacy, it's a version of {{w|post hoc ergo propter hoc}}. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 02:41, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

:::::But the title text, even in the first person, doesn't necessarily have to be from Randall himself. Look at comic 1112 - it's obviously Cueball speaking about editing new rules of chess as a continuation of the comic. [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 12:49, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

:Explanations do not need to be wordy to be complete. Being overly wordy is the sign that you are trying too hard, and probably missing the point. That said, this is a wiki, anyone can edit the explanation as they wish to. Sometimes it may spark an edit war, but if you think the explanation is insufficient, if someone who came here for help in understanding this joke still wouldn't get it, then please, flesh out the explanation. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:49, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

::I think the explanation of the title text is complete (there is really very little to explain). I don't, however, think that the explanation of Randall being upside down and therefore ''saying'' "mom" makes any sense. Randall is not a comic. If he stood on his head, he would not say words upside down. The whole wow/mom explanation does not seem to be specifically based on the comic, but rather the editor's personal musings [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:25, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

It's interesting to me that Beret Guy's head and beret both appear to be transparent except for their outlines. [[User:Erenan|Erenan]] ([[User talk:Erenan|talk]]) 15:59, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1117: My Sky

2012-10-08T00:23:41Z

Bobidou23:

Talk:1117: My Sky

2012-10-08T00:23:07Z

Bobidou23:

Talk:1117: My Sky

2012-10-06T22:28:25Z

Bobidou23:

Talk:1117: My Sky

2012-10-06T22:27:48Z

Bobidou23:

214: The Problem with Wikipedia

2012-09-22T23:37:16Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 214
| date = 2007-01-24
| title = The Problem with Wikipedia
| image = the_problem_with_wikipedia.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Taft in a wet t-shirt contest' is the key image here.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic illustrates the "problems" of {{w|information explosion|information abundance}} coupled with a dense web of {{w|hypertext}} links. Through most of human history, written media has been both slow and linear. Hypertext allows a new type of information consumption, through small chunks of information linked together in a web of related concepts, and by being digital, each new chunk can be retrieved quickly and effortlessly. Wikipedia applies this principle very strongly, and because it covers so many topics, it is common for a reader to skim an article about a topic they need or want to know about, and end up following a series of links out of curiosity. Since each new page also has several links, the overall navigation pattern resembles a tree that branches out, "exploding" in size with each new level of link-clicking, thus resulting in many wasted hours (three in this case) of reading stuff unrelated to the original goal, and lots of open browser tabs holding a wide variety of articles, which are seemingly unrelated, but have common "ancestors".

All of the articles at the bottom do exist on Wikipedia, although "Fatal Hilarity" has been renamed to {{w|Death from laughter}} and is not linked from Batman. Whether each of these articles can be reached from {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} is unknown and would make interesting challenges in {{w|Wikipedia:Wiki Game|the Wikipedia game}}.

The title text refers to two of the articles that were supposedly reached at the bottom. {{w|William Howard Taft}} was the 27th President of the U.S., in office from 1909 to 1913, who was notorious for being so overweight that he became stuck in the White House bathtub. A {{w|wet T-shirt contest}} "is an exhibitionistic competition typically featuring young women contestants at a nightclub, bar, or resort." Clearly the combination of these two would be rather bizarre.

This comic is very similar to [[609: Tab Explosion]], which refers to a similar effect caused by another reference site, [http://www.tvtropes.org TVTropes].

== Transcript ==
The Problem With Wikipedia:

{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}}

[Lines Lead to] {{w|Suspension Bridge}} [and] {{w|Structural collapse}}

Three Hours of Fascinated Clicking Later

{{w|William Howard Taft}}

{{w|24-Hour Analog Dial}}

{{w|Lesbianism in Erotica}}

{{w|Batman}} [leads to] {{w|Fatal Hilarity}}

{{w|Taylor Hanson}}

{{w|Cotton}} [leads to] {{w|T-Shirt}} [leads to] {{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

214: The Problem with Wikipedia

2012-09-22T23:36:32Z

Bobidou23: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 214
| date = 2007-01-24
| title = The Problem with Wikipedia
| image = the_problem_with_wikipedia.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Taft in a wet t-shirt contest' is the key image here.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic illustrates the "problems" of {{w|information explosion|information abundance}} coupled with a dense web of {{w|hypertext}} links. Through most of human history, written media has been both slow and linear. Hypertext allows a new type of information consumption, through small chunks of information linked together in a web of related concepts, and by being digital, each new chunk can be retrieved quickly and effortlessly. Wikipedia applies this principle very strongly, and because it covers so many topics, it is common for a reader to skim an article about a topic they need or want to know about, and end up following a series of links out of curiosity. Since each new page also has several links, the overall navigation pattern resembles a tree that branches out, "exploding" in size with each new level of link-clicking, thus resulting in many wasted hours (three in this case) of reading stuff unrelated to the original goal, and lots of open browser tabs holding a wide variety of articles, which are seemingly unrelated, but have common "ancestors".

All of the articles at the bottom do exist on Wikipedia, although "Fatal Hilarity" has been renamed to {{w|Death from laughter}} and is not linked from Batman. Whether each of these articles can be reached from {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}} is unknown and would make interesting challenges in {{w|the Wikipedia game|Wikipedia:Wiki Game}}.

The title text refers to two of the articles that were supposedly reached at the bottom. {{w|William Howard Taft}} was the 27th President of the U.S., in office from 1909 to 1913, who was notorious for being so overweight that he became stuck in the White House bathtub. A {{w|wet T-shirt contest}} "is an exhibitionistic competition typically featuring young women contestants at a nightclub, bar, or resort." Clearly the combination of these two would be rather bizarre.

This comic is very similar to [[609: Tab Explosion]], which refers to a similar effect caused by another reference site, [http://www.tvtropes.org TVTropes].

== Transcript ==
The Problem With Wikipedia:

{{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}}

[Lines Lead to] {{w|Suspension Bridge}} [and] {{w|Structural collapse}}

Three Hours of Fascinated Clicking Later

{{w|William Howard Taft}}

{{w|24-Hour Analog Dial}}

{{w|Lesbianism in Erotica}}

{{w|Batman}} [leads to] {{w|Fatal Hilarity}}

{{w|Taylor Hanson}}

{{w|Cotton}} [leads to] {{w|T-Shirt}} [leads to] {{w|Wet T-Shirt Contest}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

Talk:453: Upcoming Hurricanes

2012-09-22T23:24:29Z

Bobidou23:

I wonder, is there a reason why Randall chose cos(x) over sin(x)? Is there a y-axis somewhere on the map? Not that it matters; just curious... [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 23:24, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

Talk:453: Upcoming Hurricanes

2012-09-22T23:24:10Z

Bobidou23: Created page with "I wonder, is there I reason why Randall chose cos(x) over sin(x)? Is there a y-axis somewhere on the map? Not that it matters; just curious... ~~~~"

I wonder, is there I reason why Randall chose cos(x) over sin(x)? Is there a y-axis somewhere on the map? Not that it matters; just curious... [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 23:24, 22 September 2012 (UTC)