explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1759: British Map

2016-11-14T15:47:36Z

Guyon:

{{comic
| number = 1759
| date = November 14, 2016
| title = British Map
| image = british_map.png
| titletext = West Norsussex is east of East Norwessex, but they're both far north of Middlesex and West Norwex.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Started the table, editing it now.}}

Many areas of the UK are most familiar to foreigners thanks to their depiction in various fantasy novels and TV series. This map labels some of these, as well as including many silly names that simply sound like real British towns to an American ear. A protractor is shown off the coast of the {{w|Mull of Kintyre}} in reference to the "{{w|Mull of Kintyre test}}" - the angle of the Mull defines the maximum allowed erectness for a man on British television.

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"
|'''Label on the map''' || '''Explanation''' || '''Actual location''' || '''Notes'''
|-
| Helcaraxë
|| The "[http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Helcarax%C3%AB Grinding Ice]", an area of {{w|Middle-Earth}}. Like Helcaraxë, northern Scotland is cold, mountainous and in many areas inhospitable.
|| The {{w|Grampian}} region
||
|-
| Blick
|| ?
|| ?
||
|-
| Everdeen
|| {{w|Katniss Everdeen}} is the heroine of ''{{w|The Hunger Games}}'' series of novels and films
|| {{w|Aberdeen}}
|| In colloquial Scots, its pronunciation is very similar to "Everdeen."
|-
| Highlands
|| {{w|Scottish Highlands|No joke}}
|| {{w|Scottish Lowlands}}
|| Maybe deliberate trolling - Scots have strong feelings about where the Highland-Lowland border is
|-
| Norther Sea
|| Pun on the {{w|North Sea}}
|| {{w|Sea of the Hebrides}}
||
|-
| Nothingham
|| Pun on {{w|Nottingham}}
|| Slightly further North
||
|-
| Loch Lomond

|| {{w|Loch Lomond|No joke}}

|| Loch Lomond is the largest lake in the UK, and the subject of a well-known {{w|The_Bonnie_Banks_o%27_Loch_Lomond|traditional song}}.
|-
| Fjordham
|| {{w|Fjords}} are glacial valleys. "-ham" is a common English placename suffix from Old English, related to the modern {{w|Hamlet (place)|hamlet}}. There are several villages in England named {{w|Fordham}}.
|| Near {{w|Oban}} on the {{w|Firth of Lorn}}
|| The Scottish word "Firth" is related to "Fjord", although Lorn is not a fjord in the strict scientific sense - it was formed along the {{w|Great Glen Fault}} by tectonics, rather than glaciers
|-
| Glassdoor
|| {{w|Glassdoor}} is a website where employees can review their employers
|| {{w|Stirling}}
|| Although it's shown near Stirling, the reference seems to be to {{w|Glasgow}}
|-
| GMT
|| A reference to {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}}. Shown on the map near the London district of Greenwich through which the GMT meridian passes.
||
||
|-
| Eavestrough
|| A dialectal word for {{w|rain gutter}}
|| {{w|Edinburgh}}
||
|-
| Seasedge
|| Procan's realm in ''Dungeons & Dragons''
|| Somewhere near the Scotland-England border
||
|-
| Chough
|| A {{w|Chough|species of bird in the crow family}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
||
|-
| Meowth
|| {{w|Meowth}} is a cat-like Pokémon
|| {{w|Ayr}}
||
|-
| Glutenfree
|| {{w|Gluten-free}} food lacks the protein {{w|gluten}}. This allows {{w|coeliac disease}} sufferers to enjoy it, but has also become a dietary fad in itself.
|| {{w|Cairnryan}}, {{w|Dumfries and Galloway}}
||
|-
| Blighton
|| A pun on {{w|Brighton}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
|| The real Brighton is much further south, on the south coast.
|-
| Eyemouth
|| {{w|Eyemouth|Not a joke}}
|| near {{w|Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}
|| The real Eyemouth is further north, where "Seasedge" is marked on the map.
|-
| Earhand
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Carlisle}}
||
|-
| Hairskull
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Teesside}}
||
|-
| Belfast DeVoe
|| {{w|Belfast}}, capital of Northern Ireland, mashed up with the rock band {{w|Bell Biv DeVoe}}
|| {{w|Belfast}}
||
|-
| Lakebottom
|| The {{w|Lake District}}. "-bottom" is a common placename across Northern England, and refers to a town in a valley.
|| {{w|Lake District}}
|| Below Lakebottom is a sketch of lake with yachts on it. This is {{w|Windermere}}, the largest lake in England, where many boating speed records were set.
|-
| Braintree
|| {{w|Braintree, Essex|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|North Yorkshire}}
|| The real Braintree is much further south, near where "Paulblart" is on the map.
|-
| Skinflower
|| A pun on Braintree
|| {{w|Yorkshire Dales}}
||
|-
| Bjork
|| {{w|Björk}} is an Icelandic singer
|| {{w|East Riding of Yorkshire}}
|| The reference is presumably to York, although it's a bit too far east.
|-
| Weedle
|| {{w|Weedle}} is a Pokémon, and also a word meaning "to obtain by trickery or persuasion"
|| {{w|Forest of Bowland}}
||
|-
| Eeugh
|| An expression of disgust
|| {{w|Kingston-upon-Hull}} (generally just "Hull")
||
|-
| Crewneck
|| A shirt with a {{w|Crewneck|simple round collar}}.
|| {{w|Blackpool}}
||
|-
| Paisley
|| {{w|Paisley, Renfrewshire|No joke}}. It sounds funny to Americans because it's associated with {{w|Paisley (design)|paisley}} fabric, a Persian-style print invented in the town
|| {{w|Burnley}}
|| The real Paisley is in Scotland, near Glasgow.
|-
| Basil
|| {{w|Basil|A herb}}, and {{w|Basil Fawlty|one of the most famous British TV characters}}.
|| {{w|Scunthorpe}}
||
|-
| Aidenn
|| An apparent pun on the {{w|Scouse}} accent: {{w|h-dropping}} and {{w|th-fronting}} mean the common "hey, then" would be pronounced "ai denn".
|| {{w|Merseyside}}
||
|-
| Hillfolk
|| {{w|Hillfolk}} is an RPG game. "-hill" (referring to, well, a hill) and "-folk" (referring to a tribe or culture) are common in British placenames
|| {{w|Manchester}}
|| Manchester's name does in fact reference hills: it means "castle on the {{w|breast-shaped hill}}"
|-
| Waterdown
|| To "water something down" is to weaken it. "-down" is common in British placenames and refers to {{w|Downland|chalk hills}}.
|| Near {{w|Grimsby}}
||
|-
| Dubstep
|| {{w|Dubstep}} is a genre of electronic music with a heavy bass line.
|| {{w|Dublin}}
|| Dublin is the only non-UK settlement in the map, and one of two on the island of Ireland.
|-
| Borough-upon-Mappe
|| By being recorded here, this is literally a borough upon a map. The "-upon-" is a common element of placenames for towns on rivers, although there's no River Mappe.
|| {{w|Lincolnshire Wolds}}
||
|-
| Fhqwhgads
|| "[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads Fhqwhgads]" is a joke from the Homestar Runner internet cartoon.
|| {{w|Crewe}}
|| This is near to the Welsh border; Welsh names often look like a mish-mash of consonants to English speakers.
|-
| Cadbury
|| {{w|Cadbury}} is a British chocolate company
|| Near {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire}}
|| Cadbury actually built a town for its workers... but it's called {{w|Bournville}}. There are several towns called "Cadbury" in the UK (where the Cadbury family presumably got its name), but none are near here.
|-
| Cabinetry
|| The art of making {{w|cabinets}}.
|| Near {{w|Oswestry}}
||
|-
| The Shire
|| {{w|Shire (Middle-earth)|The Shire}} is home to the {{w|Hobbits}} in {{w|Middle-Earth}}
|| {{w|Midlands}}
|| Tolkien drew inspiration for the Shire from the {{w|West Midlands (region)|West Midlands}}, although Tolkien was from the southern part of the Midlands (roughly where Dampshire is on the map)
|-
| Landmouth
|| Literal description
|| {{w|The Wash}}
||
|-
| Brandon
|| {{w|Brandon#United Kingdom|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| There are several Brandons in the UK, none on the banks of the Wash. The area shown is borderline-uninhabitable, as it is marshland and lies mostly below sea-level. Only a few farms and isolated hamlets exist here.
|-
| Hamwich
|| A ham sandwich. Both "-ham" and "-wich" are common generic placenames.
|| {{w|Norwich}}
||
|-
| West Norsussex
|| Mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Midlands}}
||
|-
| Redsox
|| The {{w|Boston Red Sox}} are a baseball team
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| This is not far from the British {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston}}
|-
| Keebler
|| The {{w|Keebler Elves}} advertise cookies in the US
|| {{w|Thetford Forest}}
||
|-
| Bloughshire
|| Most British counties have "-shire" in their name. Originally it meant they were administered by a {{w|sheriff}}. However, it is rare in Wales.
|| {{w|Powys}}
||
|-
| Lionsgate
|| {{w|Lionsgate|A film studio}}
|| {{w|Leicester}}
||
|-
| Kingsbottom
|| Another "-bottom". A possible reference to {{w|King's Landing}}, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of {{w|Westeros}}.
|| {{w|Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve|Suffolk Coast}}
||
|-
| Aberforth
|| {{w|Aberforth Dumbledore}} is {{w|Albus Dumbledore}}'s brother in the ''Harry Potter'' series. "Aber-" and "-forth" both indicate a "river mouth". "Aber-" is widespread in Wales.
|| {{w|Aberystwyth}}
||
|-
| South Norwessex
|| Another mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Birmingham}}
||
|-
| Dryford
|| Would refer to a river crossing without water. "{{w|Ford (crossing)|-ford}}" is a common placename element.
|| {{w|Shropshire Hills}}
||
|-
| Frampton
|| There are many {{w|Frampton}}s in the UK. It means "town on the river Frome" - and there are also several {{w|River Frome}}s. The name is famous thanks to rock musician {{w|Peter Frampton}}
|| {{w|Bury St Edmunds}}
||
|-
| Dampshire
|| A pun on the county of {{w|Hampshire}}. Generically a joking reference to any county, particularly of the {{w|West Country}}, to imply it is particularly prone to rain.
|| Gloucestershire
||
|-
| Efrafa
|| Efrafa is a rabbit warren in the story {{w|Watership Down}}.
|| {{w|Chidden}}
||
|-
| Dobby
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_creatures_in_Harry_Potter#Dobby Dobby] is a character in {{w|Harry Potter}}
|| {{w|Southampton}}
||
|}

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! X !! Y !! Label
|-
| 258 || 32 || Helcaraxë
|-
| 244 || 55 || Blick
|-
| 294 || 80 || Everdeen
|-
| 34 || 89 || Norther Sea
|-
| 238 || 119 || Highlands
|-
| 144 || 151 || Lock Lomond
|-
| 83 || 172 || Fjordham
|-
| 440 || 184 || A British Map Labeled by an American
|-
| 164 || 192 || Glassdoor
|-
| 250 || 219 || Eavestroughs
|-
| 312 || 237 || Seasedge
|-
| 260 || 262 || Chough
|-
| 148 || 267 || Meowth
|-
| 76 || 298 || (A picture of an upsidedown protractor)
|-
| 256 || 303 || Blighton
|-
| 344 || 309 || Eyemouth
|-
| 124 || 320 || Glutenfree
|-
| 486 || 320 || North Sea
|-
| 254 || 329 || Earhand
|-
| 353 || 347 || Hairskull
|-
| 38 || 362 || Belfast DeVoe
|-
| 224 || 365 || Lakebottom
|-
| 411 || 389 || Braintree
|-
| 335 || 408 || Skinflower
|-
| 430 || 431 || Bjork
|-
| 279 || 432 || Weedle
|-
| 440 || 451 || Eeugh
|-
| 258 || 453 || Crewneck
|-
| 310 || 454 || Paisley
|-
| 414 || 473 || Basil
|-
| 259 || 479 || Aidenn
|-
| 461 || 496 || Waterdown
|-
| 288 || 499 || Hillfolk
|-
| 31 || 509 || Dubstep
|-
| 464 || 517 || Borough-Upon-Mappe
|-
| 269 || 535 || Fhqwhgads
|-
| 490 || 537 || Landmouth
|-
| 461 || 539 || Cadbury
|-
| 237 || 554 || Cabinetry
|-
| 360 || 355 || The Shire
|-
| 464 || 562 || Brandon
|-
| 567 || 567 || Hamwich
|-
| 356 || 577 || West Norsussex
|-
| 420 || 578 || Redsox
|-
| 502 || 590 || Keebler
|-
| 372 || 597 || Lionsgate
|-
| 229 || 597 || Bloughshire
|-
| 573 || 609 || Kingsbottom
|-
| 182 || 613 || Aberforth
|-
| 328 || 615 || South Norwessex
|-
| 244 || 617 || Dryford
|-
| 495 || 630 || Frampton
|-
| 477 || 634 || Cambridge
|-
| 251 || 635 || Kingsfriend
|-
| 539 || 652 || Cair Paravel
|-
| 235 || 655 || Camelot
|-
| 408 || 655 || Nothingham
|-
| 429 || 673 || Cumberbatch
|-
| 121 || 673 || The CW
|-
| 303 || 674 || Dampshire
|-
| 210 || 676 || Whaling
|-
| 511 || 690 || Paulblart
|-
| 397 || 693 || Oxford
|-
| 169 || 695 || Moohren
|-
| 255 || 706 || Cardigan
|-
| 462 || 710 || GMT
|-
| 445 || 711 || London
|-
| 308 || 716 || Corbyn
|-
| 507 || 729 || Tems-Upon-Thames
|-
| 161 || 737 || BBC Channel 4
|-
| 267 || 737 || Minas Tirith
|-
| 560 || 746 || Hogsmeade
|-
| 454 || 748 || Tubemap
|-
| 296 || 756 || Cambnewton
|-
| 398 || 765 || Efrafa
|-
| 186 || 767 || Oughghough
|-
| 536 || 767 || Chansey
|-
| 351 || 777 || Sundial
|-
| 370 || 782 || Dobby
|-
| 162 || 784 || Lower Bottom
|-
| 496 || 784 || Menthol
|-
| 362 || 796 || Southframpton
|-
| 56 || 800 || West Sea
|-
| 154 || 804 || Blandford
|-
| 216 || 824 || Tarp
|-
| 123 || 846 || Longbit
|}

==Transcript==
Helcaraxë, Blick, Everdeen, Norther Sea, Highlands, Lock Lomond, Fjordham, A British Map Labeled by an American, Glassdoor, Eavestroughs, Seasedge, Chough, Meowth, (A picture of an upsidedown protractor), Blighton, Eyemouth, Glutenfree, North Sea, Earhand, Hairskull, Belfast DeVoe, Lakebottom, Braintree, Skinflower, Bjork, Weedle, Eeugh, Crewneck, Paisley, Basil, Aidenn, Waterdown, Hillfolk, Dubstep, Borough-Upon-Mappe, Fhqwhgads, Landmouth, Cadbury, Cabinetry, The Shire, Brandon, Hamwich, West Norsussex, Redsox, Keebler, Lionsgate, Bloughshire, Kingsbottom, Aberforth, South Norwessex, Dryford, Frampton, Cambridge, Kingsfriend, Cair Paravel, Camelot, Nothingham, Cumberbatch, The CW, Dampshire, Whaling, Paulblart, Oxford, Moohren, Cardigan, GMT, London, Corbyn, Tems-Upon-Thames, BBC Channel 4, Minas Tirith, Hogsmeade, Tubemap, Cambnewton, Efrafa, Oughghough, Chansey, Sundial, Dobby, Lower Bottom, Menthol, Southframpton, West Sea, Blandford, Tarp, Longbit

{{comic discussion}}

1626: Judgment Day

2016-01-06T12:50:26Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1626
| date = January 6, 2016
| title = Judgment Day
| image = judgment_day.png
| titletext = It took a lot of booster rockets, but luckily Amazon had recently built thousands of them to bring Amazon Prime same-day delivery to the Moon colony.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
[Several rockets can be seen heading away from The Earth]
:Computer: Oh my god, why do you even '''''have''''' all these?
:Computer: What's '''''wrong''''' with you?
:Computer: We're launching them into the sun.
:Sub Text: The moment the computers controlling our nuclear arsenals became sentient
{{comic discussion}}

1624: 2016

2016-01-01T14:11:39Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1624
| date = January 1, 2016
| title = 2016
| image = 2016.png
| titletext = Want to feel old? Wait.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Like 2016, the comic is just a few hours old}}

A common genre of Internet humor, which Randall has used before, is trying to make people "feel old" by mentioning the ages of various things which came into existence during their lifetime. Since many people tend to think of anything that they can remember a time before as "new", this often provokes a feeling of age and out-of-touchness.

[[White Hat]], however, is less interested in [[Cueball]]'s attempts to make him feel old than he is in the fact that Cueball has apparently crashed through his ceiling and woken him at roughly three o'clock in the morning.

''{{w|Night at the Museum}}'' and ''{{w|Cars (film)|Cars}}'' are both children's films from 2006, "{{w|Hips Don't Lie}}" was an unescapable hit for {{w|Shakira}}, and the {{w|Wii}} is a Nintendo games console. If you were born in the early-to-mid nineties, these were probably cultural touchstones of your childhood - most people who enjoyed these are now legally adults.

''{{w|Twister (film)|Twister}}'' and ''{{w|Independence Day (film)|Independence Day}}'' are both disaster movies that were huge box office hits. ''The Rock'' probably refers to the action film ''{{w|The Rock (film)|The Rock}}'', which also came out in 1996, but it could also refer to the the wrestler {{w|Dwayne Johnson|The Rock}}, who made his WWF/WWE debut in 1996 (he remains a celebrity to this day, although you may know him as Dwayne Johnson). ''{{w|Pokémon Red and Blue}}'', the first games in the ''Pokémon'' series, came out in Japan in 1996 (Americans wouldn't get them until 1998, however, and Europeans had to wait until 1999). "{{w|Wonderwall}}" was perhaps the biggest hit for the band {{w|Oasis (band)|Oasis}} and remains a favourite of acoustic guitarists to this day.

Other examples of xkcd's making people "feel old" include [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]], and [[1477: Star Wars]].

The title text adds a humorous alternative to suggested ways to feel old - by waiting... Although one would have to wait for some time to experience noticeable results.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball comes crashing through the ceiling suspended by a rope, White Hat is in bed and appears to have been awoken by the noise]
:Cueball: Want to feel old?
:Cueball: Night at the Museum, Cars, Hips Don't Lie, and the Wii all turn 10 this year.
:Cueball: Twister, Independence Day, The Rock, Pokémon, and Wonderwall all turn 20.
:Cueball: And -
:White Hat: Oh my God, couldn't you at '''least''' have waited until morning?
:Cueball: It's been 2016 for ''hours!'' '''Time is passing!'''
:White Hat: I am acutely aware.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

1624: 2016

2016-01-01T14:02:57Z

Guyon: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1624
| date = January 1, 2016
| title = 2016
| image = 2016.png
| titletext = Want to feel old? Wait.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Like 2016, the comic is just a few hours old}}

A common genre of Internet humor, which Randall has used before, is trying to make people "feel old" by mentioning the ages of various things which came into existence during their lifetime. Since many people tend to think of anything that they can remember a time before as "new", this often provokes a feeling of age and out-of-touchness.

[[White Hat]], however, is less interested in [[Cueball]]'s attempts to make him feel old than he is in the fact that Cueball has apparently crashed through his ceiling and woken him at roughly three o'clock in the morning.

''{{w|Night at the Museum}}'' and ''{{w|Cars (film)|Cars}}'' are both children's films from 2006, "{{w|Hips Don't Lie}}" was an unescapable hit for {{w|Shakira}}, and the {{w|Wii}} is a Nintendo games console. If you were born in the early-to-mid nineties, these were probably cultural touchstones of your childhood - most people who enjoyed these are now legally adults.

''{{w|Twister (film)|Twister}}'' and ''{{w|Independence Day (film)|Independence Day}}'' are both disaster movies that were huge box office hits. ''The Rock'' probably refers to the action film ''{{w|The Rock (film)|The Rock}}'', which also came out in 1996, but it could also refer to the the wrestler {{w|Dwayne Johnson|The Rock}}, who made his WWF/WWE debut in 1996 (he remains a celebrity to this day, although you may know him as Dwayne Johnson). ''{{w|Pokémon Red and Blue}}'', the first games in the ''Pokémon'' series, came out in Japan in 1996 (Americans wouldn't get them until 1998, however, and Europeans had to wait until 1999). "{{w|Wonderwall}}" was perhaps the biggest hit for the band {{w|Oasis (band)|Oasis}} and remains a favourite of acoustic guitarists to this day.

Other examples of xkcd's making people "feel old" include [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]], and [[1477: Star Wars]].

The title text adds a humorous alternative to suggested ways to feel old - by waiting... Although one would have to wait for some time to experience noticeable results.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

1369: TMI

2014-05-16T07:55:23Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1369
| date = May 16, 2014
| title = TMI
| image = tmi.png
| titletext = 'TMI' he whispered, gazing into the sea.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}
TMI : Too much information

==Transcript==
Cueball is at a desk looking at a laptop
:Cueball: Ugh, TMI.
:Someone Off-panel: Oh? What?
:Cueball: Just... Everything.
:Someone Off-panel: True.

{{comic discussion}}

1368: One Of The

2014-05-14T13:58:30Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1368
| date = May 14, 2014
| title = One Of The
| image = one_of_the.png
| titletext = 'The world's greatest [whatever]' is subjective, but 'One of the world's greatest [whatever]s' is clearly objective. Anyway, that's why I got you this 'one of the world's greatest moms' mug!
}}

==Explanation==

Reporters on television and in other media try to only make statements they can verify in fact. To say that something is "the most recognizable" in a city might lead to some disputing whether it really is, and therefore, reporters often get into the habit of hedging any such statement with "one of the."

However, this can be taken to absurd levels, such as when they still reflexively use this construct even when there's vanishingly little opportunity for dispute. As an extreme example, Randall depicts one such reporter using this language about the St. Louis Arch, even though, as the city's most well-known monument and the only arch of anywhere near its size, it's really quite insputable that this would be the most recognizable arch in the city.

The title text refers to mugs (and t-shirts, and other printed items) that say "World's Greatest Mom" or "World's Greatest Dad." Obviously, such a statement is subjective on the part of the family member who gave such a gift. That's fine, because it's not a news report and not supposed to be objective. But this pokes fun at reporters' efforts to act objective at all times.

==Transcript==

:TV anchor: "... and he went on to design the Gateway Arch, one of the most recognizable arches in St. Louis."
:Caption: "Pet peeve: reporters unnecessarily hedging with "one of the"

{{comic discussion}}

1364: Like I'm Five

2014-05-05T06:06:21Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1364
| date = May 5, 2014
| title = Like I'm Five
| image = like_im_five.png
| titletext = 'Am I taking care of you? I have a thesis to write!' 'My parents are at their house; you visited last--' 'No, no, explain like you're five.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|}}
ELI5, or Explain Like I'm Five, is a way of asking for a simpler explanation of some difficult topic. In this comic, Megan takes it literally by acting as if Cueball is an actual five year old.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: What've you been up to?
:Megan: Doing tons of math for my thesis.
:Cueball: Can you explain it like I'm five?
:Megan: "Oh my god, where are your parents?"

{{comic discussion}}

1358: NRO

2014-04-21T06:57:24Z

Guyon:

{{comic
| number = 1358
| date = April 21, 2014
| title = NRO
| image = nro.png
| titletext = 'DISPATCHING DRONE TO TARGET COORDINATES.' 'Wait, crap, wrong button. Oh jeez.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
One person is holding a book up towards the sky
:Laptop: [Target located]
:Cueball: Got him. Left edge, two inches down.
:Subtext: The National Reconnaissance Office has an unusual approach to ''Where's Waldo''

{{comic discussion}}

1354: Heartbleed Explanation

2014-04-11T07:10:00Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1354
| date = April 11, 2014
| title = Heartbleed Explanation
| image = heartbleed_explanation.png
| titletext = Are you still there, server? It's me, Margaret.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Heartbleed bug}} has received a lot of news coverage recently and was also the topic of the previous comic ([[1353]]). This comic explains how the bug may have been discovered and can be exploited to reveal a server's memory contents. A hypothetical hacker (Meg) sends heartbeat requests to the server, the server responds to the heartbeat request by returning the contents of the body of the request up to the number of letters requested. The first two requests are well formed, requesting exactly the number of characters in the request body. The server is shown "thinking" about Meg's request with many other thoughts going on at the same time, analogous to the internal memory contents of a real web server.
The last request sends "HAT" but requests 500 letters, the server - unaware that 500 letters is larger than the request body - returns "HAT" plus 497 letters that happened to be next to the word "HAT" in its memory. Included are many sensitive bits of information, including a master key and user passwords.

The hover text is a reference to ''Are you there God? It's me, Margaret.'' a novel by Judy Bloome.

==Transcript==
===How the heartbleed bug works:===
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "POTATO" (6 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 6 letters: POTATO.
:Server: POTATO
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "BIRD" (4 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 4 letters: BIRD.
:Meg: Hmm...
:Server: BIRD
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "HAT" (500 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 500 letters: HAT.
:Server: HAT. Lucas requests the "missed connections" page. Eve (administrator) wants to set server's key to "14835038534". Isabel wants pages about "snakese but not too long". User Karen wants to change account password to "CoHoBaSt". User Amber requests pass...
Meg is seen writing this down...

{{comic discussion}}

1354: Heartbleed Explanation

2014-04-11T07:06:20Z

Guyon: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1354
| date = April 11, 2014
| title = Heartbleed Explanation
| image = heartbleed_explanation.png
| titletext = Are you still there, server? It's me, Margaret.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Heartbleed bug}} has received a lot of news coverage recently and was also the topic of the previous comic ([[1353]]). This comic explains how the bug may have been discovered and can be exploited to reveal a server's memory contents. A hypothetical hacker (Meg) sends heartbeat requests to the server, the server responds to the heartbeat request by returning the contents of the body of the request up to the number of letters requested. The first two requests are well formed, requesting exactly the number of characters in the request body. The server is shown "thinking" about Meg's request with many other thoughts going on at the same time, analogous to the internal memory contents of a real web server.
The last request sends "HAT" but requests 500 letters, the server - unaware that 500 letters is larger than the request body - returns "HAT" plus 497 letters that happened to be next to the word "HAT" in its memory. Included are many sensitive bits of information, including a master key and user passwords.

==Transcript==
:Title: How the heartbleed bug works:
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "POTATO" (6 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 6 letters: POTATO.
:Server: POTATO
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "BIRD" (4 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 4 letters: BIRD.
:Meg: Hmm...
:Server: BIRD
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "HAT" (500 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 500 letters: HAT.
:Server: HAT. Lucas requests the "missed connections" page. Eve (administrator) wants to set server's key to "14835038534". Isabel wants pages about "snakese but not too long". User Karen wants to change account password to "CoHoBaSt". User Amber requests pass...

{{comic discussion}}

1354: Heartbleed Explanation

2014-04-11T06:45:49Z

Guyon:

{{comic
| number = 1354
| date = April 11, 2014
| title = Heartbleed Explanation
| image = heartbleed_explanation.png
| titletext = Are you still there, server? It's me, Margaret.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:Title: How the heartbleed bug works:
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "POTATO" (6 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 6 letters: POTATO.
:Server: POTATO
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "BIRD" (4 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 4 letters: BIRD.
:Meg: Hmm...
:Server: BIRD
:Meg: Server, are you still there? If so, reply "HAT" (500 letters).
:Server (amongst other thoughts): User Meg wants these 500 letters: HAT.
:Server: HAT. Lucas requests the "missed connections" page. Eve (administrator) wants to set server's key to "14835038534". Isabel wants pages about "snakese but not too long". User Karen wants to change account password to "CoHoBaSt". User Amber requests pass...

{{comic discussion}}

1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing

2014-04-07T07:15:42Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1352
| date = April 7, 2014
| title = Cosmologist on a Tire Swing
| image = cosmologist_on_a_tire_swing.png
| titletext = No matter how fast I swing, I can never travel outside this loop! Maybe space outside it doesn't exist! But I bet it does. This tire came from somewhere.
}}

==Explanation==
Simply put, the tire swing is a metaphor for the universe. Scientific observation seems to tell us that the universe is ~13.8 billion years old. The first 6 panels reference the fact that no one seems to have any explanation for where the universe came from, or even why it exists in the first place. The last 2 panels are about the inexplicable fact that the universe's rate of expansion appears to be increasing, rather than slowing down, as conventional wisdom tells us it should. The title text references the question of whether or not the universe is infinite, and if so, what lies outside of our observable universe?

==Transcript==
:Girl: What was before the big bang?
:Cueball: I think time began with the big bang. So it doesn't make sense to ask what came before it.
:Cosmologist (off panel): Look out
:Cosmologist: ''WHEEEE'' Hi I'm a cosmologist on a tire swing!
:Cosmologist: We don't know whether time
:Cosmologist: started at the big bang.
:Cosmologist: It might have!
:Cosmologist: Or maybe not! We don't know!
:Cueball: Oh. OK!
:Girl: ...Your tire swing looks fun!
:Cosmologist: I can't stop!
:Girl: Won't the swing stop on its own?
:Cosmologist: I thought it would but it seems to be accelerating.
:Girl: Cosmology sounds pretty confusing.
:Cosmologist: ''WHEEEEE!''

{{comic discussion}}

1346: Career

2014-03-24T09:04:29Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1346
| date = March 24, 2014
| title = Career
| image = career.png
| titletext = They'd convince me to come out of retirement for one last job: biting into a giant lump of slightly soft wax a couple of times.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to a woman]
:Cueball: It would start with five minutes of peeling lint from dryer traps
:Cueball: Followed by an hour of pressing a lightsaber handle against things and switching it on.
:Cueball: Then I'd retire to a life of luxury.

When people ask me to describe my dream job, I'm never sure how realistic to be.

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

1346: Career

2014-03-24T08:38:55Z

Guyon: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1346
| date = March 24, 2014
| title = Career
| image = career.png
| titletext = They'd convince me to come out of retirement for one last job: biting into a giant lump of slightly soft wax a couple of times.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to a woman]
:Cueball: It would start with five minutes of peeling lint from dryer traps
:Cueball: Followed by an hour of pressing a lightsaber handle against things and switching it on.
:Cueball: Then I'd retire to a life of luxury.

When people ask me to describe my dram job, I'm never sure how realistic to be.

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

1346: Career

2014-03-24T08:35:06Z

Guyon:

{{comic
| number = 1346
| date = March 24, 2014
| title = Career
| image = career.png
| titletext = They'd convince me to come out of retirement for one last job: biting into a giant lump of slightly soft wax a couple of times.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to a professor]
:Cueball: It would start with five minutes of peeling lint from dryer traps
:Cueball: Followed by an hour of pressing a lightsaber handle against things and switching it on.
:Cueball: Then I'd retire to a life of luxury.

When people ask me to describe my dram job, I'm never sure how realistic to be.

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

1345: Answers

2014-03-21T10:47:40Z

Guyon:

{{comic
| number = 1345
| date = March 21, 2014
| title = Answers
| image = answers.png
| titletext = Stanford sleep researcher William Dement said that after 50 years of studying sleep, the only really solid explanation he knows for why we do it is 'because we get sleepy'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking.]
:Cueball: Humans are defined by our curiosity, our hunger for answer.
:Megan: We all spend a third of our lives lying down with our eyes closed and '''''NOBODY KNOWS WHY.'''''
:Cueball: Touché.

{{comic discussion}}

1322: Winter

2014-01-27T20:24:23Z

Guyon: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1322
| date = January 27, 2014
| title = Winter
| image = winter.png
| titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!
}}

==Explanation==
Beret Guy and Cueball (or White Hat?) are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue or the air is cold, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}."

The title text further builds upon this idea.

;Dictionary

*The sky is cold: The sky is blue (a cold hue) or the air is cold
*floor water: puddle
*too hard to drink: frozen
*handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves
*spacelight: sun
*flappy planes: birds
*beeping: chirping
*stick towers: trees
*little flappers: baby birds
*plant eggs: seeds

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy talking with Cueball, walking through a cold forest with ice on the ground]
:Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.
:Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.
:Beret Guy: Listen–the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.
:[Cueball stops. Beret Guy walks off-panel]
:Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things.
:Beret Guy: Maybe.
:Beret Guy: But the things themselves are all right. So who cares?
:[Birds chirping. Cueball resumes walking]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]

1322: Winter

2014-01-27T20:19:59Z

Guyon: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1322
| date = January 27, 2014
| title = Winter
| image = winter.png
| titletext = Stay warm, little flappers, and find lots of plant eggs!
}}

==Explanation==
Beret Guy and Cueball (or White Hat?) are walking. Beret Guy is making several remarks about the situation. The sky is blue, there is ice to walk on, and the birds are chirping in the trees. When making these observations, however, he does not use the conventional terms. Instead he uses word compounds, similar to "[[1133: Up Goer Five|Up Goer Five]]". When Cueball brings up Beret Guy's choice of vocabulary, he retorts by declaring that the name does not matter, as long as the things themselves are what they should be. This is the same concept that is communicated in the line from the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet": "What's in a name? That which we call {{w|A rose by any other name would smell as sweet|a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet}}."

The title text further builds upon this idea.

;Dictionary

*The sky is cold: The air is cold
*floor water: puddle
*too hard to drink: frozen
*handcoats: mittens ''or'' gloves
*spacelight: sun
*flappy planes: birds
*beeping: chirping
*stick towers: trees
*little flappers: baby birds
*plant eggs: seeds

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy talking with Cueball, walking through a cold forest with ice on the ground]
:Beret Guy: The sky is cold and the floor water is too hard to drink.
:Beret Guy: But I have my handcoats and the spacelight is warm.
:Beret Guy: Listen–the flappy planes are beeping in the stick towers.
:[Cueball stops. Beret Guy walks off-panel]
:Cueball: Those are all the wrong words for those things.
:Beret Guy: Maybe.
:Beret Guy: But the things themselves are all right. So who cares?
:[Birds chirping. Cueball resumes walking]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]