802: Online Communities 2

2013-03-11T09:26:52Z

Element114:

http://xkcd.com/802/

This comic shows a map of internet communities where the size of each region roughly corresponds to its size, and its proximity to other regions indicates similarities.
[it ain't much, but it's a start]

802: Online Communities 2

2013-03-11T09:26:16Z

Element114: Created page with "This comic shows a map of internet communities where the size of each region roughly corresponds to its size, and its proximity to other regions indicates similarities."

This comic shows a map of internet communities where the size of each region roughly corresponds to its size, and its proximity to other regions indicates similarities.

1141: Two Years

2012-12-02T00:22:36Z

Element114: /* Explanation */ Added an explaination for panel10

{{comic
| number = 1141
| date = November 30, 2012
| title = Two Years
| image = two years.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.
}}

== Explanation ==

This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's battle with cancer, and appears to depict actual events from those two years.
Keeping with tradition, we will refer to Randall's character as [[Cueball]] and his wife's as [[Megan]].

Some explanations:
* Panel 1: Megan receives a diagnosis over the phone as Cueball sits by her side supportively.
* Panel 2: Megan undergoing IV (intravenous) {{w|chemotherapy}}. Because of the hair loss that results from chemotherapy, many patients opt to shave their heads when they undergo chemotherapy. Her hair grows back over the course of the following panels.
* Panel 3: The two of them spending time alone together.
* Panel 4: The couple are waiting for the results of a scan. A phone sits on the middle of the table while they wait for it to ring.
* Panel 5: More chemotherapy. The couple are playing {{w|Scrabble}}, in which players use letter tiles to spell words in a cross-word style. Megan uses the fact that she has cancer as leverage to get Cueball to ignore the fact that the word she has played (zarg) is not a real word.
* Panel 6: Someone suggests they come for a visit next year, but all they can think about are the words "next year", indicating that they know the future is very much in doubt.
* Panel 7: They get married.
* Panel 8: The couple watching humpback whales.
* Panel 9: Cueball is paraphrasing a line from the song "{{w|Still Alive}}" ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_S0PGu-cH4 video]) from the video game ''{{w|Portal}}'' (''"I'm doing science and I'm still alive"'').
* Panel 10: Cueball and Megan sit under a tree reflecting on the significance of the past two years.
* Panel 11: Cueball and Megan have dinner to celebrate the fact that she has made it two years since her {{w|biopsy}}.
The title text is referring to a possible side-effect of chemotherapy drugs, the {{w|Chemotherapy#Neurological adverse effects|inability to concentrate}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan sitting on a bed. She's on the phone with a nurse (shown in inset), who is looking at a clipboard.]
:Nurse: [illegible]
:Megan: Oh God

:[Cueball and Megan sitting at their laptops. Megan is hooked up to an IV pump and her head is shaved.]
:IV pump: ...BEEEP...BEEEP...BEEEP...

:[Cueball and Megan rowing a canoe in a lake/mountain setting. Megan is wearing a beanie.]

:[Cueball and Megan sitting at a table staring at a phone. A clock is mounted behind them. Her head is stubbly.]
:Megan: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Cueball and Megan playing scrabble. Megan is again hooked up to an IV pump. She has longer stubbles.]
:Cueball: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Megan: But Caaancer.
:Cueball: ...Ok, fine.

:[Cueball and Megan talking to a friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads. She's wearing a beanie.]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mountain - [cut off by thought bubble]
:Cueball and Megan: "Next year"

:[Cueball and Megan getting married. He's wearing a bow-tie; she a white dress. A heart is above their heads. Megan's hair is growing back a little.]

:[Cueball and Megan standing on the coast, watching a whale jump out of the water. She's wearing a beanie.]

:[Cueball standing behind Megan, who is sitting at a desk using a laptop. Her hair has grown back a little more.]
:Cueball: Hey-
:Cueball: You're doing science,
:Cueball: And you're still alive.
:Megan: Yeah!

:[Cueball and Megan sitting under a tree.]
:Cueball: It's really only been two years?
:Megan: They were big years.

:[Cueball and Megan at a fancy restaurant being served. Her hair has grown back more.]
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary?
:Megan: Biopsy-versary!
:Waiter: ...eww.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

802: Online Communities 2

802: Online Communities 2

1141: Two Years