explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

653: So Bad It's Worse

2014-01-07T01:32:56Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 653
| date = October 23, 2009
| title = So Bad It's Worse
| image = so_bad_its_worse.png
| titletext = You think it's so legendarily bad that you'll torrent it and sit through it just for the kitschy nerd cred. I, too, once thought as you did.
}}

==Explanation==
The graph in the comic shows the enjoyability of movies - going from good to okay to bad, then popping back up with "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoBadItsGood So Bad It's Good]". The term is used to describe movies that are so terrible that, for a variety of reasons, watching them can be considered an enjoyable experience. The comic lists ''{{w|Plan 9 from Outer Space}}'' and ''{{w|The Rocky Horror Picture Show}}'', two widely known films of this type.

However, the graph warns of showing ''The Star Wars Holiday Special'', as it manages to wrap back around from "So Bad It's Good" to being bad again. ''{{w|The Star Wars Holiday Special}}'' is a prime-time comedy special based on ''{{w|Star Wars}}''. It is widely known for its terrible quality, and has never been fully released (although an animated segment that introduced {{w|Boba Fett}}, which {{w|George Lucas}} has approved of, has been released as a bonus feature on a DVD).

The bottom of the comic shows [[Cueball]], [[Megan]], and [[Ponytail]] watching a movie with alcohol - first enjoying it, then merely watching, then not watching it and unhappily drinking.

The title text refers to {{w|BitTorrent (protocol)|torrents}}, which are a way to obtain large amounts of data over the internet. According to [[Randall|Munroe]], he had torrented a copy of the film and intended to watch it in its entirety, in spite of its terribleness, just to cement himself as a nerd. However, he underestimated how bad it really was, and could not make it all the way through.

It should be noted that while it is impossible to view the ''Holiday Special'' otherwise, torrenting films this way is usually considered piracy and is thus illegal.

The title text may also contain an subtle play on a line of Star Wars dialogue. In {{w|Return of the Jedi}}, {{w|Darth Vader}} says to {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, "Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master." The implication here being that "kitschy nerd cred" is the "dark side" being served by those who would sit through a torrent of the Star Wars Holiday Special.

==Transcript==
:Protip: Even at "Bad Movie Night," avoid the Star Wars holiday special.

:[A graph plots movie enjoyability against movie quality. It drops steadily through points marked "Good Movie" to "Okay Movie" to "Bad Movie," rises up again for "So-Bad-It's-Good (Plan 9, Rocky Horror, etc)," and then drops off the bottom of a graph with an arrow pointing to where "Star Wars Holiday Special" would be. There are three mini-panels below the graph, arranged from "Good" to "Bad" along the movie quality axis.]

:[Three friends are on a couch, drinking and gesticulating enthusiastically.]
:[The same three are sitting quietly, with a bottle on the floor.]
:[The three are sitting around a table, drinking and looking miserable.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

338: Future

2013-09-11T11:52:55Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 338
| date = November 05, 2007
| title = Future
| image = future.png
| titletext = But the past was much too cramped!
}}

==Explanation==
To understand this comic you have to do some back-and-forth reading. [[Cueball]], in the last panel, is telling [[Megan]] in the first panel to come explore the future with him. Since the panels appear in chronological order, he is literally in the future. [[Megan]] replies that she can't, since she is not drawn in the last panel, a.k.a. the future. She is stuck.

Cueball is sad about the past, shown in the title text, because Megan had a relationship with [[Hairy]] and not himself.

==Transcript==
:[The comic has three panels. In the first panel, Hairy and Megan are holding hands. There is a voice bubble originating from Cueball standing in the third panel.]
:Cueball: Come explore the future with me!
:[And Megan says something which goes to the third panel.]
:[The two voice bubbles cross in the middle of the second panel.]
:[The voice of Megan says…]
:Megan: I can't.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Romance]]

337: Post Office Showdown

2013-09-11T11:46:28Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 337
| date = November 2, 2007
| title = Post Office Showdown
| image = post_office_showdown.png
| titletext = That track ('Battle Without Honor or Humanity') -- like 'Ride of the Valkyries' -- improves *any* activity.
}}

==Explanation==
Action movies, such as "{{w|Kill Bill}}" by {{w|Quentin Tarantino}}, often feature elaborate fight scenes in mundane environments. [[Cueball]] is imagining himself in such a situation, consistently with his attitude for flights of fancy.

The title text refers to two songs: "{{w|Battle Without Honor or Humanity}}" from the soundtrack of "Kill Bill", and "{{w|Ride of the Valkyries}}" by {{w|Richard Wagner}}, the latter being associated to fighting scenes because of a famous sequence in the movie "{{w|Apocalypse Now}}" by {{w|Francis Ford Coppola}}.

==Transcript==
:I spend a lot of time mentally choreographing elaborate fight scenes with strangers around me.
:[Cueball is in a post office wearing earphones. There are several other people, including an old man with a crutch and an old woman with a long narrow box.]
:Cueball's thoughts: Okay - if that old man pulls a crossbow,
:Cueball's thoughts: I'll throw the postal scale at him and dive backward behind the stamps machine.
:Cueball's thoughts: But what if the lady by the door has a katana in that box?
:Cueball's thoughts: Better set my iPod to the "Kill Bill" fight theme, just in case.

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

335: Mattress

2013-09-11T11:33:06Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 335
| date = October 29, 2007
| title = Mattress
| image = mattress.png
| titletext = The TempurPedic wineglass guy broke his ankle.
}}

==Explanation==
A commonly cited problem with cuddling is that whatever arms you and your partner are lying on tend to fall asleep from your and/or your partner's weight, and are in any case not very comfortable to be lying upon. Here [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] have invented a mattress with a slot in it to solve that problem. To provide an activity for their lower arms when they are comfortably placed in that slot, they have installed a game of "{{w|Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots}}" underneath the bed.

The humour arises from the juxtaposition of a sedate activity like cuddling with a boisterous activity like "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" with the implication that Megan and Cueball are doing both at once.

The title text refers to a series of commercials for {{w|Tempur-Pedic}} mattresses where the presenter would place a wine glass on the mattress and then jump up and down somewhere else on the mattress. The fact that the wine did not spill was meant to indicate that one partner's motions would not disturb the other. It is implied that he did that test on this mattress and fell into the slot, hurting himself.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are cuddling.]
:Cuddling face-to-face is nice, but we can never figure out where to put our lower arms.
:Our solution: the Cuddle Mattress!
:Your lower arms fit in the convenient gap.
:[There is a diagram of a mattress with a notch cut through it at shoulder level. The gap is indicated with an arrow.]
:[The same couple is shown again, cuddling snugly on the mattress.]

:[Cueball and Megan are giving a presentation to another person. Cueball has a pointer and a clicker for the slides which are projected on the screen next to him.]
:Listener: Oh man, that's ALWAYS bothered me.
:Listener: I want one.

:Listener: Although... so the lower arms just sort of dangle?
:Listener: What do you do with them?

:Cueball: It was a bit awkward.
:Clicker: ''click''
:Megan: Then we had a second breakthrough.

:[The couple is shown again on the cuddle mattress, this time in more detail and facing the tops of their heads. Their lower arms are sticking through the gap in the mattress and playing a conveniently located game of Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.]
:Cueball: ''click click''
:Blue Robot: ''punch''
:Red Robot: ''punch''
:Megan: ''click click''

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

311: Action Movies

2013-09-11T10:13:37Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 311
| date = September 3, 2007
| title = Action Movies
| image = action_movies.png
| titletext = By my count, only 48 of the 158 minutes in Live Free or Die Hard have action. That's pathetic, guys. Crank is better, but needs a bigger budget and more Summer Glau.
}}

==Explanation==

A common complaint about {{w|Action film|action films}} is that they are light on plot and heavy on pointless violence and special effects. {{w|Live Free or Die Hard}} and {{w|Crank (film)}} are both typical action films in this respect.

[[Cueball]] reverses this complaint, stating that proportional to the run-time of the movie, there could be much ''more'' action and much ''less'' plot. [[Megan]] adds that a pre-existing character could further eliminate the need for exposition and provide more time for action. "River Tam Beats Up Everyone" is a hypothetical title for such a film, and also a complete plot summary. {{w|River Tam}} is a character (played by {{w|Summer Glau}}) from the short-lived TV series {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}, a character who could plausibly beat up a large number of people in an entertaining way.

The title text suggests that [[Randall]] did not find too much action in the contemporary "Live Free or Die Hard" compared with the rest of the film.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking together as they walk away from a cinema.]
:Cueball: Another summer gone without a mindless big-budget action movie.
:Megan: Huh? Die Hard was nothing BUT action!
:Cueball: No, it was too talky.
:Megan: What? Too talky?
:Cueball: I tallied it minute-by-minute. It's at least 60% people walking and talking. ALL those movies are.
:Cueball: Just once, I want a real action movie. 30 seconds of exposition followed by a perfect 90-minute action scene. One with a huge budget, a good choreographer, and a great director.
:Megan: And they should center it around some character we already know, someone we never get tired of watching.
:Cueball: I think we've got something here...
:[A movie poster is shown.]
: Coming this summer
: River Tam
: Beats up EVERYONE
:[The movie shows a line of houses, there are people beat up and lying in doorways, out of windows, and on the sidewalk. River Tam is doing a flying kick into someone's face.]

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

232: Chess Enlightenment

2013-09-09T17:24:47Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 232
| date = March 7, 2007
| title = Chess Enlightenment
| image = chess enlightenment.png
| titletext = You know that 'sweep the pieces off the board and see it in your mind' thing? Doesn't work.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Chess}} is a board game in which two players take turns to move a variety of different units to try and capture the other player's "king." Chess has a lively tournament scene, and takes much practice to attain a competent level of skill in the game. Different units can move and capture in different ways; pawns can only move forward by one square unless it's their first move, in which case they can move up two squares, but they can only capture by moving diagonally unless they perform an ''{{w|En passant|en passant}}'' in which they move around an opposing pawn that had moved forward two squares on the previous turn.

Other pieces have similar rules. {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} is a character from the movie series {{w|Star Wars}} who played the mentor figure to the protagonist, {{w|Luke Skywalker}}. One of his pieces of advice to his mentee was to relax and listen to his subconscious in strenuous times.

[[Cueball]] finds his game of chess against [[Megan]] to be too difficult, and attempts to tap his subconscious to find his next move. The rules of chess are not ingrained into his subconscious however, and so his subconscious ends up feeding him invalid moves and beginner questions concerning movement rules.

In the title text, Cueball attempts to follow another item of Obi-Wan's advice, but is limited by his inability to visualize an entire chessboard in his mind.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Why is chess so hard? Maybe the answers lie within me. Maybe I just need to let go, relax, and let my instincts and subconscious speak.
:''Meditate''
:Cueball's subconscious: Knight to G-4
:Cueball: That's not even a legal move.
:Cueball's Subconscious: Okay, hold on. How do the pawns capture, again?
:Cueball: Man, Obi-Wan was full of crap.

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

493: Actuarial

2013-09-09T17:17:00Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 493
| date = October 24, 2008
| title = Actuarial
| image = actuarial.png
| titletext = I started to do the tables for more famous people but it got really depressing and morbid and I had to go outside. Hat guy wins again.
}}

==Explanation==
Once again, [[Black Hat]] is provoked into on-line retaliation bordering on the sociopathic, choosing a form of retribution that doesn't necessarily break any written rules but strikes directly at the heart and/or mind of his opponent. Cueball reflects that he doesn't wish to become the target of such ire himself, but (without apparent malice on Black Hat's part) still suffers from a piece of memetic shrapnel from the original attack.

In the title text, it is said how Black Hat's offensive is so effective that he appears to have caused grief even to his own author and creator.

Randall has used this idea again in [[893: 65 Years]], and published a [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/12/a-morbid-python-script/ 'morbid' program] that uses actuarial tables to calculate the probability that someone will die within a given time. The offence which provoked Black hat was returned to in [[1258: First]].

==Transcript==
:[A dialog between Cueball, seated at a computer terminal, and Black Hat, seated in an armchair reading a book. They are facing away from each other.]
:Cueball: I know you shouldn't feed the trolls, but sometimes they just provoke me to where I can't help replying.
:Black Hat: Yeah, me too. Yesterday this guy kept spamming "First!", so I got a set of actuarial tables and spent twenty minutes telling him when all his childhood heroes would likely die.
:[Cueball turns around in his chair.]
:Cueball: ...
:Cueball: Remind me never to upset you, ever.
:Black Hat: 2038: Last of the original Star Wars cast dies.
:Cueball: Augh!

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

210: 90's Flowchart

2013-06-19T20:51:56Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 210
| date = January 15, 2007
| title = 90's Flowchart
| image = 90s_flowchart.png
| titletext = Freestyle rapping is basically applied Markov chains.
}}

== Explanation ==
"Stop. Hammertime" is a line in {{w|MC Hammer}}'s "{{w|U Can't Touch This}}". "Stop, collaborate and listen" is a line in {{w|Vanilla Ice}}'s "{{w|Ice Ice Baby}}". Both are hit rap songs from the 1990's. The flowchart gives you a good start if you want to sing a 90's rap hit.

== Transcript ==
:(A flowchart asking if it's the '90s. The no branch says "stop", while the yes branch says "stop", then "hammertime", with a subbranch reading "collaborate" and "listen")

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Music]]

161: Accident

2013-06-19T14:45:31Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 161
| date = September 22, 2006
| title = Accident
| image = Accident.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = As far as treachery-as-driving-music goes, Katamari music is matched only by Guitar Hero music.
}}

==Explanation==
The best way of explaining this comic is to explain the game {{w|Katamari Damacy}}, which [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5QPSvOsS8o music] is also referenced in frame 3. In the game, the player has to "cling" his initial object to smaller objects in the playfield in order to get larger as a whole. As clinging smaller objects progresses, the larger objects initially ignoring the central player object will cling to it (thus adding more points and progressing through the levels).

In the comic, [[Cueball]] is remembering this strategy by playing the game a lot, and drives his car into a mailbox, which he states "it looked smaller than me".

The image text states that trusting your car to a person that is playing Katamari will surpass the chance of losing it to someone that is playing {{w|Guitar Hero}}. The latter will probably will rock your car to death while playing songs. An alternate explanation is that the road one is driving on might appear as the "note highway" of Guitar Hero; in this case, the driver would weave rapidly between lanes in order to "hit all the notes," which could prove far more devastating than simply rocking one's car.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball driving car while singing]
:Cueball: NAAAA NA NA NANA NANA NA NA KATAMARI DAMACY
:[Cueball and Megan talking]
:Megan: And that's when you veered into the mailbox?
:Cueball: It looked smaller then me. It was just instinct.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Music]]

Category:Calvin and Hobbes

2013-06-12T12:56:13Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} are occasionally referenced in xkcd.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]

192: Working for Google

2013-06-12T12:26:37Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 192
| date = December 04, 2006
| title = Working for Google
| image = working for google.png
| titletext = I hear once you've worked there for 256 days they teach you the secret of levitation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
Since the start of Google till now (2013), Google has offered its employees many benefits other jobs don't. [https://www.google.com/about/jobs/lifeatgoogle/benefits/] Such as massages, toys, video games, free food, etc. This is to make their employees happy and not worrying about staying at work. So for many people a job at Google is the ultimate dream, but they hire only the top 1% of people in every field so there are many, many unsuccessful applicants.

In this comic Cueball's friend is exhibiting the attitude known as "sour grapes", which us immediately picked up by the other speaker, even though it's disguised as mistrust of major corporations. (Google, for its level of control over the flow of the world's information, is mistrusted widely by people who consider themselves to be smarter than normal.)

In the last frame it turns out that the friend has been trying very hard to get the job, even resorting to bribing the interview panel by baking them a cake. But he went too far - he tried to distinguish himself from the pack by making the cake relevant to Google's business, but it backfired spectacularly because in doing so he betrayed his complete lack of knowledge about the internet, thus destroying any slim chance he may have had of getting the job. (The internet, of course, is not a physical object and has no shape - although in response to this comic many people have tried to make something up which might fit.)

This comic is a highly accurate indication of why it's important to have a proper idea of your own ability when working in the IT industry. Resume padding will invariably be detected fairly quickly, and a reputation for lack of truthfulness can stick around all your life. (The exception of course is in companies where the IT managers aren't IT experts and can't tell good people from plausible liars - or bureaucratic companies where hiring is done further up the line by non-IT people. Both are like torture to a professed free thinker like Cueball's friend, which makes it a perfect form of poetic justice that those are the only positions a resume padder can expect to land.)

The title text is just a joke. Saying that if you work for 256 (2^8) days you get to learn how to fly.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Have you read about Google HQ? It sounds like an incredible place to work.

:Friend: Man, I ain't going to be chained down in no corporate idea factory! They think just 'cause they've got a nice building and laid back culture, I'm gonna want to come in all day long and work on fascinating problems with the smartest people in the world.

:[Cueball stares at friend.]

:Cueball: So, what, they turned you down?

:Friend: I don't understand it! I even baked them a cake shaped like the internet!

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

744: Walkthrough

2013-06-12T12:19:21Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 744
| date = May 24, 2010
| title = Walkthrough
| image = Walkthrough.png
| titletext = There's nothing hotter than porn dubbed over with a poorly-mic'd teenager's voice explaining each step in a droning monotone. 'okay, we're almost at the spawn point ... separate the labia, but watch out, there are more inside them ...
}}

==Explanation==
Walkthrough videos are recorded explanations of how to accomplish a certain task, usually beat a particular videogame. Speed-runs are walkthrough videos showing the fastest way to finish the game. The man is implying that, because of following the speed-run video, intercourse didn't last long enough and therefore he is ashamed as you can tell by his head leaning slightly downward.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a computer. His friend enters the room.]

:Cueball: How did the date go?
:Friend: I wanted to be prepared, so I looked up a sex walkthrough video.

:[The two men sit silently contemplating the words of the previous moment.]

:Cueball: ...and?
:Friend: It turns out it was a speed run.
:Cueball: Ouch.

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

851: Na

2013-06-12T12:16:02Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 851
| date = January 24, 2011
| title = Na
| image = na.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I hear that there are actual lyrics later on in Land of 1,000 Dances, but other than the occasional 'I said,' I've never listened long enough to hear any of them.
}}

==Explanation==
This xkcd is interesting because the image at the main xkcd site is the one you see above, but if you click on the image, you get a slightly different comic, that includes the Paul McCartney song "Hey Jude".

The top song is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsaTElBljOE Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye] by recorded by studio musicians Garrett Scott, Dale Frashuer, and producer/writer Paul Leka that has become very popular for home fans in sporting events in America taunting the losing away team.

The Batman entry is from the 60's TV show "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qP-NglUeZU Batman]".

The next is the theme song to the game "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpFFzWPzA2c Katamari Damacy]".

The last song is "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fa4BfPQiKs The Land of 1000 Dances]" by Wilson Pickett.

==Transcript==
:[A flowchart.]
:Na->Na->Na->Na->Na->Na->Na->Na (branches to ->Hey->Hey->Goodbye and ->Batman!) ->Na->Na (branches to Katamari Damacy!) ->Na (arrow labeled "Land of 1,000 Dances) loops around to the last Na again)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Video games]]

621: Superlative

2013-06-12T11:59:56Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 621
| date = August 10, 2009
| title = Superlative
| image = superlative.png
| titletext = Stay while I recount the crazy TF2 kill I managed yesterday, my friends.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic parodies a famous advertisement campaign for the {{w|Dos Equis}} beer brand. In the campaign, {{w|Jonathan Goldsmith}} plays "{{w|The most interesting man in the world}}", a suave elderly gentleman with astonishing abilities and life experiences. The campaign's format generally includes the narrator presenting hyperbolic descriptions of the man's accomplishments, followed by the man delivering his signature catchphrase, "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.", which has been widely adopted as an {{w|internet meme}}.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] impersonates the absolute counterpart to the protagonist of the campaign: the ''least'' interesting man in the world. Unlike the stories in the advertisement, his affairs tend to bore the listeners. Being the generic everyman, he possesses no outstanding capabilities at all. While the original is said to "speak French... in Russian", Cueball seems to have forgotten his French altogether. He also has apparently nothing of interest to tell, either in real life or in his blog. Instead, he will talk away about his weird dreams and his success in video games. Moreover, he is unable to stand too much beer and therefore absolutely ill-qualified to advertise it.

The title text is a reference to the slogan of the campaign "Stay thirsty, my friends."

==Transcript==
:He has dreams.
:[Cueball is gesturing to Megan.]
:Cueball: I was in this weird cross between work and my old house...
:Which he'll tell you all about.
:He can speak French.
:Or could in high school, anyway.
:A little.
:Cueball: Man, I knew all these tenses and stuff once.
:His blog has four posts, all apologies for not posting more.
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk, typing.]
:Cueball: Sorry, I've been trying to think of stuff to put here.
:He is
:The least interesting man in the world.
:[Cueball is sitting at a table. Megan and Ponytail are paying no attention to him.]
:Cueball: I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I stick to a glass or two. Any more and I feel sick.

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

688: Self-Description

2013-06-12T11:49:20Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 688
| date = January 13, 2010
| title = Self-Description
| image = self_description.png
| titletext = The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is self-referential, because every graph is dependent on the whole comic. If you would change anything in the comic, you would change the ink distribution, therefore you would have to update all three graphs, resulting in further changes which have to be considered.

The third panel features a {{w|Droste effect}}, an image infinitely contained within itself.

The title text refers to the comic's own self-reference, but its also self-referencing because of the character count in it.

"The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and every node has a loop." This means that if we draw a dot corresponding to each panel, and then we draw arrows connecting the dots to indicate dependencies, the resulting {{w|graph}} is {{w|complete graph|complete}} (meaning that all the points are connected to one another) and bidirectional (meaning that if point A has an arrow to point B, then point B also has an arrow to point A). "Every node has a loop" means that each point also has an arrow connecting to itself.

==Transcript==
:[There is a pie chart, mostly white with a black slice. The white is labeled "Fraction of this image which is white." The black is labeled "Fraction of this image which is black."]

:[There is a bar graph labeled "Amount of black ink by panel." Bar 1 is medium height, Bar 2 higher, Bar 3 lowest.]

:[There is a scatterplot labeled "Location of black ink in this image." It is the positive quarter of a coordinate grid with the zeroes marked. The graph is, of course, the whole comic scaled to fit the axes, including a smaller version of itself in the last panel, etc.]

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

346: Diet Coke+Mentos

2013-06-12T11:46:00Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 346
| date = November 19, 2007
| title = Diet Coke+Mentos
| image = diet_coke_mentos.png
| titletext = The cola+Mentos trick is up there with corn starch+water (vibrating platter optional) in scientific coolness out of common kitchen supplies.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip exploits irony using the popular meme of mixing Mentos into a bottle of soda. There was a period of time when a large portion of videos depicting this phenomena floated around the Internet, but the novelty starts to wear off once you've seen a bunch of these. So, you expect the character in the strip to show off the incredible phenomena to his friend, because it's "the coolest thing", but it turns out instead of fizzling Diet Coke everywhere, the friend's father magically shows up (presumably from the dead or from abandonment). That would surely be "cooler" than just some soda reacting with sugars. This hints that the author might consider the fad unworthy of too much excitement, and that he considers people's liberal use of the phrase "the coolest thing" unjustified.

==Transcript==
:Friend: This is the coolest thing. You just drop the mentos in the Diet Coke...
:Cueball: Uh huh.
:Friend: Give it a moment...
:[Diet Coke starts to fizzle.]
:[Someone teleports into frame in a magic puff.]
:Cueball: D-Dad?
:Dad: I'm back, son. We can be a family again.

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

281: Online Package Tracking

2013-06-12T11:38:15Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 281
| date = June 25, 2007
| title = Online Package Tracking
| image = online package tracking.png
| titletext = I don't even *want* this package!Why did I join the stinging insect of the month club,anyway?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
In this comic, Randall notes that package tracking, as provided by many shipping companies like UPS and FedEx, is helpful as customers can know the status of their package. However, people tend to refresh the package tracking page every few minutes in their impatience to know the status of their package, which drives them crazy, as noted here.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is sitting at a computer.]
:*refresh*
:Megan: Aww, still in Memphis.
:*refresh*
:Megan: Aww, still in Memphis.
:*refresh*
:Megan: Aww, still in Memphis.

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

202: YouTube

2013-06-12T11:35:07Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 202
| date = December 27, 2006
| title = YouTube
| image = youtube.png
| titletext = I pray GunPistolMan never learns the word 'sheeple'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is pointing out the fact that many of the comments on YouTube videos are insipid and poorly informed, being pointless arguments over some minor topic, or factually incorrect position.

In this case, the moon landing hoaxers are at the receiving end of Randall's pen.

The comment from ''gunpistolman'' claims that the video is fake due to the mistaken belief that the moon would have no gravity, whereas the gravity is really approximately 1/6th G.

The comment by ''bigmike133'' confuses the {{w|Space Shuttle}} (which was never capable of landing and subsequent take-off in any off-world situation, let alone leaving near-earth orbit) with the {{w|Apollo Lunar Module}}.

{{w|Louis Armstrong}} was a famous jazz musician, who may have [http://lyrics.wikia.com/Louis_Armstrong:Moon_Song waxed] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5x8HnyIYHE lyrical] about the moon, but never went there. The ill-informed ''crackmonkey74'' meant the astronaut {{w|Neil Armstrong}}, who did.

Finally, ''simpleplan2009'' presents the ludicrous position that the moon shot was faked by suggesting that the footage was filmed by actors on {{w|Mars}}, a planet many thousands of times father away than the moon. Landing humans on Mars is a feat that has (as of this writing in 2013) still not been accomplished, and if it had been possible during the Apollo era, would have made a landing on the moon trivial in comparison. In other words, why go through all the trouble of faking it, if doing it for real would have been no trouble at all?

The title text is the first reference to [[:Category:Sheeple|Sheeple]].

==Transcript==
:The Internet has always had loud dumb people, but I've never seen anything quite as bad as the people who comment on YouTube videos.
:[A YouTube comments page for a moon landing video.]
:Comments & Responses
:rocckir (48 minutes ago)
:this is so obviously faked its unbilevable, why r people so gullible??? morons
:bigmike133 (35 minutes ago)
:ive seen the space shuttle ass hole it definetly landed on the moon do some research...
:gunpistolman (22 minutes ago)
:if it was real why is their gravity? americans r fucken sheep
:crackmonkey74 (17 minutes ago)
:u dont think we went to the moon why not tell louis armstrong to his face
:simpleplan2009 (5 minutes ago)
:it was a soundstage on mars

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:YouTube]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

1224: Council of 300

2013-06-12T11:27:59Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1224
| date = June 12, 2013
| title = Council of 300
| image = council_of_300.png
| titletext = 'And hypnotize someone into thinking they've uploaded it and passed it around.' 'But then won't the uploader get suspicious that it pauses at 301+ for a while? Why don't we just forge the number entirel--' ::BLAM:: 'The Council of 299 is adjourned.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|YouTube}} (a video sharing site) has an odd quirk in its view counter. When a video hits 301 views, the view counter briefly stops updating. This means that YouTube is checking the views to make sure that no foul play is going on. (The choice of the number 301 is due to a harmless off-by-one error; Numberphile produced a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIkhgagvrjI video] that explains all this very well.) At times the number 301 catches some YouTubers off guard — for very popular videos, it may appear that the video has more likes than views!

More recently YouTube added a "301+" to indicate that the video has reached the 301 point and is awaiting review.

==Transcript==
:[A dark room with various silhouettes of cloaked figures, apparently seated at a table. Above them is a YouTube video. One of the figures (a leader of some kind) is holding up his hand.]
:Leader: ...then it is settled.
:We, the 300 members of the secret council,
:decree that this video meets our standards,
:and shall "go viral."

:Leader: Send it to one of our agents to be leaked to the common folk.
:Off-panel: Some of them are noticing the number.
:Leader: ...Add a plus sign to throw them off.
:Off-panel: Very well.

:[Cueball using a laptop.]
:Laptop: Ooh! Check out this great video I found!
:''click''

:[Closeup of a YouTube view counter displaying 301+.]

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

1221: Nomenclature

2013-06-05T12:01:04Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1221
| date = June 5, 2013
| title = Nomenclature
| image = nomenclature.png
| titletext = [shouted, from the field] 'Aunt Beast hit a pop fly to second! Dive for it, Mrs Whatsit!'
}}

==Explanation==
Reference to the Abbot & Costello "Who's on first" routine and Doctor Who.

The comic references the famous "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit by American comedy duo {{w|Abbott and Costello}}, in which a person named "Who" is confused with the question "Who?"

{{w|Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor}} from the long-running British television series ''{{w|Doctor Who}}'' is often referred to as "Who" by people who incorrectly [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotShazam think the series' name and his name are the same]. In-universe, he often introduces himself as "The Doctor" which elicits the response "[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_%22Doctor_Who%3F%22_running_joke Doctor who?]". His response to this question is "Just 'The Doctor'".

The title text references the Madeleine L'Engle novel ''{{w|A Wrinkle in Time}}'', which has characters with similarly ambiguous names. The book's {{w|A Wrinkle in Time#Mrs Who|Mrs. Who}} is apparently on first, while {{w|A Wrinkle in Time#Mrs Whatsit|Mrs. Whatsit}} is on second base, much like how a person named "What" is on second in the skit.

==Transcript==
:

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

1221: Nomenclature

2013-06-05T11:58:42Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1221
| date = June 5, 2013
| title = Nomenclature
| image = nomenclature.png
| titletext = [shouted, from the field] 'Aunt Beast hit a pop fly to second! Dive for it, Mrs Whatsit!'
}}

==Explanation==
Reference to the Abbot & Costello "Who's on first" routine and Doctor Who.

The comic references the famous "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit by American comedy duo {{w|Abbott and Costello}}, in which a person named "Who" is confused with the question "Who?"

{{w|Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor}} from the long-running British television series ''{{w|Doctor Who}}'' is often referred to as "Who" by people who incorrectly [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotShazam think the series' name and his name are the same]. He also often introduces himself as "The Doctor" which elicits the response "[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_%22Doctor_Who%3F%22_running_joke Doctor who?]". His response to this question is "Just 'The Doctor'".

The title text references the Madeleine L'Engle novel ''{{w|A Wrinkle in Time}}'', which has characters with similarly ambiguous names. The book's {{w|A Wrinkle in Time#Mrs Who|Mrs. Who}} is apparently on first, while {{w|A Wrinkle in Time#Mrs Whatsit|Mrs. Whatsit}} is on second base, much like how a person named "What" is on second in the skit.

==Transcript==
:

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

1218: Doors of Durin

2013-05-29T10:14:21Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1218
| date = May 29, 2013
| title = Doors of Durin
| image = doors of durin.png
| titletext = If we get the doors open and plug up the dam on the Sirannon so the water rises a little, the pool will start draining into Moria. How do you think the Watcher would fare against a drenched Balrog?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
Based on the Lord of the Rings: An incident in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' where the titular fellowship is trapped outside the door to the Mines of Moria. There's a spoken password to open the doors, an elvish inscription on them provides a clue: "Speak friend, and enter". The party leader (Gandalf), initially interprets this to mean that a friend could speak the password and enter. One of the party members realizes it's actually a very simple riddle: The password is the Elvish word for 'Friend' ('Mellon'), and the inscription should in fact be interpreted as "Say "friend", and enter".

In this comic, Cueball, White Hat, and Megan reenact the scene, with Cueball taking the role of 'Gandalf'. The doors apparently open off-panel when the password is spoken. White Hat then wonders aloud what the elvish word for 'frenemy' is, and Cueball postulates 'Mellogoth'. (A portmanteau of 'Mellon' and 'Morgoth'; much like how 'Frenemy' is a Portmanteau of 'Friend' and 'Enemy'. Morgoth being essentially the Middle-Earth version of Satan, taken from the Silmarillion: Morgoth is often referred to as 'The Enemy' rather than by name. Sauron, known as 'The Enemy' later on, was Morgoth's Second in Command before Morgoth was banished from the world.) The doors apparently immediately slam shut the moment Cueball says 'Mellogoth', suggesting he may be correct.

The title text ponders what would occur if the Sirannon, a stream running adjacent to the path leading to the doors, were to be completely blocked with the doors left open. The already partially blocked Sirannon had formed a pool before the doors; which contained some sort of monstrous horror from the depths of the Earth, referred to as 'the watcher in the water' for lack of a proper name(it 'watches' the doors). Randall seems to think that the pond draining into the mines would anger another horror within: The Balrog (A high-level servant of Morgoth) living within the depths of the mines(Balrogs being primarily creatures of fire and shadow, having a bunch of water dumped on it is unlikely to please it). He then goes on to wonder how long the Watcher could last in a battle with the angry (but wet) Balrog.

=Transcript==
:Megan: I've got it!
:Megan: What's the elvish word for friend?
:Cueball: ''Mellon.''

:''RUMBLE''

:White Hat: So what's the elvish word for "frenemy"?
:Cueball: ''...Mellogoth?''
:'''SLAM!!'''

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

1217: Cells

2013-05-27T08:35:01Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1217
| date = May 27, 2013
| title = Cells
| image = cells.png
| titletext = Now, if it selectively kills cancer cells in a petri dish, you can be sure it's at least a great breakthrough for everyone suffering from petri dish cancer.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

Cancer is one of the most feared sicknesses due to high mortality. Therefore, whenever researchers find a hint for cure, this is hyped in media as major breakthrough. However, in laboratory scale one uses only cultivated cancer cell assays in petri dishes or well plates, thereby preventing influences by or on other parts of a whole body. Present anticancer drugs affect all cells, therefore causing severe side effects. The same applies to new drugs developed as well, if they affect cancer cells they may also affect healthy cells and the side effects may prove to be too severe to be used as viable treatment methods .

And as title text suggest, that is not only problem new drug can have. For example, it may not be able to get to those cancer cells. It is a long way from laboratory to pharmacy.

==Transcript==
When you see a claim that a common drug or vitamin "kills cancer cells in a petri dish",

keep in mind:

So does a handgun.

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

136: Science Fair

2013-03-11T16:38:38Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 136
| date = August 2, 2006
| title = Science Fair
| image = science_fair.png
| titletext = This poster actually inspired a two-hour powerpoint presentation that Al Gore gave around the country.
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete}}
A {{w|science fair}} involves schoolchildren making elaborate projects based on a subject of their choice. The purpose is to give them hand-on experience with scientific techniques. Even so, project based on {{w|cunnilingus}}, that is, a technique involved in the... 'friendship of the thighs' (a non-standard, non-reproductive technique, at that), especially one in which an element of the female anatomy is displayed, would not be acceptable in a science fair, a setting that is not only public but also involving children.

The title text is probably a reference to {{w|An Inconvenient Truth}}, a 94-minute documentary film where former US VP {{w|Al Gore}} tries to teach the general public about the dangers of global warming. It has been included in science curricula in schools around the world, to the ire of easily bored students everywhere.

==Transcript==
:Although it caught me by surprise at the time, looking back I understand why my senior science fair project went over as badly as it did.
:[Poster.]
:The Mathematics of Cunnilingus
:f(t) F(w) L(s)
:Challenges in Frequency-domain analysis

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

133: The Raven

2013-03-11T16:07:52Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 133
| date = July 26, 2006
| title = The Raven
| image = the raven.jpg
| titletext = Yes, Eminem is wearing a sleeveless hoodie. What of it?

}}

== Description ==
This comic is a take on the ambiguousity of the word "rapping".

The title of the comic (and indeed the cited poem) is a reference to horror writer {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}'s book "{{w|The Raven}}". "Eminem" in the image text is a reference to the rapper {{w|Eminem}}, best known for his alter ego and 1999's record "The Slim Shady LP". Which explains the punchline: where the poem recites rapping as "to knock", Eminem would be rapping by "speaking or chanting rhyming lyrics".

{{Comic discussion}}

Talk:1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-11T10:40:54Z

Hogtree Octovish:

:Tau x Radius, superscript 2
:Leaves one wondering what the superscript 1 refers. {{unsigned|‎74.215.40.250}}
::It's 2''πr''2, '''not''' ''τr''2. —[[Special:Contributions/173.199.215.5|173.199.215.5]] 05:37, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

:Not completely sure Earth Prime is from Sliders, but it's true it's the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Prime only one named exactly that] ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:54, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

There's also a [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Prime_Earth Prime Earth] now. Just so DC can screw with us. [[User:Hogtree Octovish|Hogtree Octovish]] ([[User talk:Hogtree Octovish|talk]]) 10:40, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

1184: Circumference Formula

2013-03-11T10:35:32Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 1184
| date = March 11, 2013
| title = Circumference Formula
| image = circumference_formula.png
| titletext = Assume r' refers to the radius of Earth Prime, and r'<nowiki/>' means radius in inches.
}}

==Explanation==
The circumference of a circle is C = 2πr, where ''r'' is the radius of the circle. Randall then makes a footnote about ''r'', but he uses 2. This creates a typographical ambiguity, since the superscript 2 can also be an exponent (as in ''x''2). Randall's formula now looks like a strange hybrid of the correct formula and A = πr2, which is the formula for the ''area'' of the circle.

In the title text, r' normally means the derivative of r, and r'<nowiki/>' the double derivative of r, whereas ' can be read as "prime", while '<nowiki/>' can refer to inches. The term ''{{w|Earth Prime (Sliders)|Earth Prime}}'' was used in the television series {{w|Sliders}}, as well as the similar term ''[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Earth-Prime Earth-Prime]'' in the [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Multiverse DC Multiverse].

==Transcript==
:Circumference of a circle:
:2πr2
:2The circle's radius

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

299: Aeris Dies

2013-03-06T09:01:30Z

Hogtree Octovish: I'm such a dumbass.

{{comic
| number = 299
| date = August 6, 2007
| title = Aeris Dies
| image = aeris_dies.png
| titletext = It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.
}}

==Explanation==
As the comic explains, {{w|Aeris Gainsborough}} (renamed Aerith in later games) is a main character from console role-playing game {{w|Final Fantasy VII}}, released in 1997 for the PS1 and 1998 for the PC. At the end of the first disc (of three), she is killed by the game's villain, {{w|Sephiroth_(Final_Fantasy)|Sephiroth}}.

Many gamers were upset about losing a beloved character and decided to modify the game in order to "resurrect" her. It seems Cueball's friend did just that, and is going to do the same with him.

The title text references {{w|The Sims}}, a series of life simulation games where you can create virtual people (the aforementioned Sims), set their appearances and essentially mess around with their lives.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are talking. The second man is sitting on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest]
:Cueball: Maggie's gone. You can't bring her back.
:Friend: But I have to, she's a part of my life.
:Cueball: 'sigh'
:Cueball: Okay, let me put this in your terms.
:Cueball: Remember when Aeris died in FFVII? It was sad, but you had to keep playing.
:Friend: Actually, I downloaded a mod to add her back to my party. It changed other character's appearances and dialogue to hers so you didn't have to lose her.
:Friend: Lots of gamers did it.
:[Cueball puts his hand on his chin.]
:First Man: That is troubling on several levels.
:Friend: I wonder if Maggie's old dress would fit you.

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

299

2013-03-06T08:26:30Z

Hogtree Octovish: Redirected page to 299: Aeris Dies

#REDIRECT [[299: Aeris Dies]]

Aeris Dies

2013-03-06T08:25:56Z

Hogtree Octovish: Redirected page to 299: Aeris Dies

#REDIRECT [[299: Aeris Dies]]

299: Aeris Dies

2013-03-06T07:53:27Z

Hogtree Octovish: It's probably not very good (sorry) and may contain a few factual errors. But it's a start and if you don't like it, edit it.

{{comic
| number = 299
| date = August 6, 2007
| title = Aeris Dies
| image = aeris_dies.png
| titletext = It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.
}}

==Explanation==
As the comic explains, {{w|Aeris Gainsborough}} (renamed Aerith in later games) is a main character from console role-playing game {{w|Final Fantasy VII}}, released in 1997 for the PS2 and 1998 for the PC. At the end of the first disc (of three), she is killed by the game's villain, {{w|Sephiroth_(Final_Fantasy)|Sephiroth}}.

Many gamers were upset about losing a beloved character and decided to modify the game in order to "resurrect" her. It seems Cueball's friend did just that, and is going to do the same with him.

The title text references {{w|The Sims}}, a series of life simulation games where you can create virtual people (the aforementioned Sims), set their appearances and essentially mess around with their lives.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]

113: Riemann-Zeta

2013-03-04T20:58:07Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 113
| date = June 9, 2006
| title = Riemann-Zeta
| image = riemann-zeta.jpg
| titletext = The graph is of the magnitude of the function with the real value between 0 and 2 and the imaginary between about 35 and 40. I've misplaced the exact parameters I used.
}}

==Explanation==
A prime number is any positive whole number greater than 1 that is only divisible by itself and 1. There is an infinite number of prime numbers, but they are somewhat elusive since there is no known function that yields all prime numbers and only prime numbers. The {{w|Riemann zeta function}} is an infinite series of 1/n^s where s is a complex number (i.e. s = x + i where x is real and i is imaginary) and is summed from n=1 to infinity. As the image text indicates, the graph in the picture is of the Riemann-Zeta function in the complex plane. {{w|Leonhard Euler}} proved that there is a relationship between the Riemann-Zeta function and prime numbers, which explains Randall's statement of the deep ties between the two.

Here [[Randall]] appears to be talking to his significant other, comparing her to prime numbers and himself to the Riemann-Zeta function. It is mathematically correct and quite poetic, until he mentions that his relationship differs from the comparison because "The Riemann-Zeta function couldn't have given you {{w|herpes}}." Which is quintessentially Randall.

==Transcript==
:[A z=fn(x, y) plot, with pointy spikes on the back sloping to a relatively flat front.]

:You are like the prime numbers. Unpredictable turns, unconstrainable. Tantalizingly regular but never quite the same.
:I am like the Riemann-zeta function. A rippled curtain of the imagined and real. Deeply tied with you in ways incomprehensible.
::Although, strictly speaking, The Riemann-zeta function couldn't have given your herpes.

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

182: Nash

2013-03-04T01:28:41Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 182
| date = November 10, 2006
| title = Nash
| image = nash.png
| titletext = Maybe someday science will get over its giant collective crush on Richard Feynman. But I doubt it!
}}

==Explanation==
The first panel references a scene in the movie [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/ A Beautiful Mind] in which Dr. {{w|John Forbes Nash, Jr.}} comes up with his famous concept of {{w|Nash equilibrium}} when he realizes that they get suboptimal results if all the guys go after the same hot girl. The second panel deconstructs the idea by having Dr. Nash point out that staying away from the hot girl does not actually constitute a stable Nash equilibrium. The third panel has physicist Dr. {{w|Richard Feynman}} render the entire discussion moot by taking all the girls while the mathematicians ponder optimal strategies.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Dr. Nash stand talking to each other. Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Cueball: Hey, Dr. Nash, I think those gals over there are eyeing us. This is like your Nash Equilibrium, right? One of them is hot, but we should each flirt with one of her less-desirable friends. Otherwise we risk coming on too strong to the hot one and just driving the group off.
:Dr. Nash: Well, that's not really the sort of situation I wrote about. Once we're with the ugly ones, there's no incentive for one of us not to try to switch to the hot one. It's not a stable equilibrium.

:First Man: Crap, forget it. Looks like all three are leaving with one guy.
:[Dr. Nash shakes his fist.]
:Dr. Nash: Dammit, Feynman!
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

991: Phantom Menace

2013-03-01T06:53:29Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 991
| date = December 16, 2011
| title = Phantom Menace
| image = phantom_menace.png
| titletext = We could go to the theater across town and see if it's opened THERE yet, but we don't want to lose our place in line.
}}

==Explanation==
Here we have [[Cueball]] and one other unidentified character, who is dressed as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Maul Darth Maul]. Darth Maul is a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_apprentice Sith apprentice] in {{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace}}. [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith The Sith] are the group of characters in the {{w|Star Wars}} universe who embrace [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_side_of_the_Force the dark side] of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force the Force] and are the enemies throughout the series. Cueball is holding a toy [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber lightsaber], which is the weapon used by the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi Jedi] and the Sith. Cueball and Darth Maul are standing outside what they think is a {{w|Movie theater|theater}} waiting for the {{w|3d movie|3D}} {{w|The phantom menace#3D re-release|edition}} of The Phantom Menace, which was [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/releaseinfo released] in most countries in February 2012.

However, no one else is waiting with them because the Phantom Menace was {{w|The phantom menace#Reception|one of the worst movies}} in the Star Wars series. It is much maligned because of the inclusion of a new race, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gungan the Gungans], and specifically [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jar_Jar_Binks Jar Jar Binks]. Another criticism is how stilted all the performances are from all the human actors.

The comic insinuates that few people will be seeing the 3D release of The Phantom Menace by depicting Cueball and his friend as the only two in line. (Or possibly that they're not at the right place, judging by the broken window and seemingly abandoned area around them.)

==Transcript==
:[Two people -- one in a Darth Maul mask, the other holding a lightsaber, and each holding money in his or her hand -- stand outside a building.]
:[They continue to stand there.]
:[They continue to stand there.]
:[Darth Maul turns to lightsaber guy.]
:Darth Maul: Are you sure this place is a theater?
:Lightsaber guy: Let's give it one more month.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

Category:Pokémon

2013-02-17T00:02:07Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{w|Pokémon}} is a video game series which intense popularity caused the franchise to expand to a cartoon, comic, and trading card game series, among other things. In the core game series, the protagonist has to go out into the world to catch creatures (epynomously called "Pokémon") of an intense variety (some based on dogs, other based on ice cream cones, to give two examples), each with their own variety of elemental abilities. Other trainers (whether against an in-game or real-life trainer) battle each other with these creatures. In fact, the main goal of the protagonist is to obtain every Pokémon in order to fill his electronic encyclopedia (a "Pokédex") with entries of every Pokémon and battle 8 super-trainers ("Gym Leaders") in order to obtain the privilege to battle the "Elite 4" and the "Champion", these being ultra-trainers, in order to be the new Champion. Even so, the protagonist would have to defeat a criminal team (whose intentions vary between the "generations" of the games) along the protagonist's quest.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]
[[Category:Video games]]

290: Fucking Blue Shells

2013-02-16T23:57:06Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 290
| date = July 16, 2007
| title = Fucking Blue Shells
| image = fucking_blue_shells.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = You can evade blue shells in Double Dash, but it is deep magic.
}}

==Explanation==
Sometimes something goes wrong and you can only shout obscenities at it. For instance, when a bone breaks, or when something unexpected happens, or when a program breaks itself in a spectacular kind of way. There are a lot of things that necessitate this kind of response.

But, mainly the blue shells in {{w|Mario Kart}}. The blue shells, when fired, target the player currently in first place and stops them cold. In a close game, you can go from first to an unrecoverable last in one hit. [[137: Dreams]] puts it best: Fuck. That. Shit.

The title text refers to the "{{w|Mario_Kart:_Double_Dash%E2%80%BC|Double Dash}}" edition of Mario Kart. This includes the technique to avoid being hit by the blue shell, but requires skillful timing to accomplish.
==Transcript==
:My Profanity Usage By Cause:
:[Pie chart is shown]
:[Injury is about 5% of pie chart]
:[Irony is about 5% of pie chart]
:[Misc is about 5% of pie chart]
:[Segfaults is about 10% of pie chart]
:[Mario Kart is about 75% of pie chart]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Video games]]

423: Finish Line

2013-02-16T23:52:43Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number =423
| date =May 14, 2008
| title =Finish Line
| image =finish_line.png
| titletext =The question with Lucy and the football was always whether, on some level, she believed the things she said.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are playing {{w|Mario Kart}}, with Cueball's {{w|Luigi}} character ahead of Megan's {{w|Mario}} towards the end. Megan begins waxing philosophically on how winning a video game isn't really important, and how by speeding through a racing level like the game asks you to do, you sometimes miss the fun of simply exploring the level and enjoying the extraordinary level of detail and work that went into it. In other words, she wants him to rebel against the system with her, and not act like a mouse going through a laboratory maze in pursuit of cheese.

It's enough to convince Cueball to halt his pursuit of the finish line, just long enough for Megan to speed past him and win, much to her glee. "It's more fun than a blue shell", she says, referring to the Mario Kart item that, when fired, will inevitably hit the race leader and cause him to crash. (Randall has [[290: Fucking Blue Shells|rather adamantly expressed his opinion]] about blue shells before).

The title text refers to the comic strip ''{{w|Peanuts}},'' and the running gag where fussbudget Lucy would hold the football for lovable loser Charlie Brown and he'd come running at it full speed, only to have Lucy pull the football away at the last moment and send Charlie Brown crashing to the ground. What made it funny was that each time, Lucy would find some way to convince Charlie Brown that ''this'' time, she wouldn't pull the football away, and he'd try again-- but lo and behold, of course she did.

==Transcript==
:[Mario and Luigi in go carts, Luigi in the lead.]
:Megan (playing Mario): Sometimes I stop right before the finish line.
:Cueball (playing Luigi): Why?
:[Cut to Cueball and Megan playing the video game.]
:Megan: 'Cause I know I've won.
:Megan: It proves I'm playing for fun, on my own terms. That I don't need validation from the machine.
:Megan: That I'm not a rat pulling a lever.

:Cueball: ...Man. Good Call. Let's stop and explore the course for a -
:''Player Two wins''
:Cueball: Hey!
:Megan: Ha ha!
:Cueball: Dammit, I'm a sucker for your "Be a Rebel" speech.
:Megan: It's more fun than a blue shell.

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

637: Scribblenauts

2013-02-16T23:47:25Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number =637
| date =September 16, 2009
| title =Scribblenauts
| image =scribblenauts.png
| titletext =Let me look away and type 'guy who's just jealous that I beat all his MarioKart times' and turn back, and ... yup, there you are again!
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Scribblenauts}}'' is a game for Nintendo DS in which the player controls a character named Maxwell, whose goal is to get a "Starite" in each level. The player has the ability to summon over 22,000 different objects into the game by typing them on the touchscreen using the DS's stylus device. Those items are then ostensibly used to help Maxwell collect the Starite (for example, typing "ladder" to help him reach a Starite that's inside a tree), but the player can decide to forgo the objective and just type in random things for fun.

The {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, and has excited the imagination of writers and journalists in popular culture, some of whom posit the theory that a catastrophic accident at the LHC could destroy the world. One of those ideas concerned the LHC creating a black hole that would proceed to suck in all the surrounding matter.

Megan discovers that the LHC can be summoned in ''Scribblenauts,'' and has a fun time creating black holes with it. Cueball's snide comment is an unfortunately rather common reaction among adults towards entertainment geared for children, and the fact that ''Scribblenauts'' is a portable game just gives him another stick to beat it with. Irritated, Megan types in the phrase "pretentious asshole", and Cueball appears on the screen right there in front of her. (In reality, ''Scribblenauts'' doesn't respond to profanity).

In the title-text, she types "guy who's just jealous that I beat all his ''{{w|Mario Kart}}'' times" and once again, Cueball appears on the screen. ''Mario Kart'' is another video-game series geared towards children, and there's a version of it for the DS, which implies that Cueball's just being snooty about ''Scribblenauts'' because Megan has so thoroughly dominated him in another "DS kids game".

==Transcript==
:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
:''Click''
:Megan: Wow, Scribblenauts even lets you summon the LHC.

:[Cueball is sitting at a computer. Megan talks from off-panel.]
:''Fwoosh''
:Megan: And it makes a black hole! This game rules.
:Cueball: I guess it's okay, for a DS kids game.

:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLE
:''Click''
:[Megan looks up.]
:Megan: Oh, hi! It worked!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Video games]]

93: Jeremy Irons

2013-02-16T20:01:28Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 93
| date = April 24, 2006
| title = Jeremy Irons
| image = jeremy_irons.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = Movies that I know word-for-word, part one
}}

==Explanation==
Similar to the "[[My Hobby]]" series, this comic depicts one of [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]'s goals in life: He wants to hire Academy-Award-winning actor {{w|Jeremy Irons}} to deliver all of Randall's dialogue in life (while Randall, perhaps, lip syncs it). He is apparently basing this desire on the fact that Irons, a classically trained English actor, portrayed Scar, the main antagonist in the 1994 Disney animated feature ''{{w|The Lion King}}''.

The line that is spoken in the comic is from the song "{{w|Be_Prepared_(song)|Be Prepared}}" which Scar sings in the film. Thus, it's not entirely clear whether Randall enjoys Irons's deep, rumbling British-accented voice, or whether it's Scar's dialogue in the film that Randall truly would like to be speaking.

The title text suggests that Randall knows the dialogue of The Lion King from memory; it also suggests there are others he knows as well. He is around the appropriate age to have been in the target market for the film (he would have been around 10 at the time) and probably saw it many times.

==Transcript==
[Jeremy Irons stands behind Cueball addressing someone]

Jeremy Irons: But as THICK as you are, pay attention
My words are a matter of PRIDE!

My goal: To make enough money to hire Jeremy Irons, the voice of Scar from The Lion King, to follow me around and do my dialogue.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

91: Pwned

2013-02-16T19:38:22Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 91
| date = April 19, 2006
| title = Pwned
| image = Pwned.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I'm sure a discussion of the reason for the disappearance of adventure games in favor of RPGs would be fascinating.
}}

==Explanation==

First off, three references have to be explained:
* "Counterstrike" is a reference to the {{w|Command and Conquer}} franchise expansion pack {{w|Command_%26_Conquer:_Red_Alert#Expansion_packs|Red Alert: Counterstrike}} (or possibly the {{w|Half-Life (series)|Half-Life}} franchise expansion {{w|Counter-Strike}}). In C&C, players start off the game on a map with limited visibility of their surroundings. Players must move units into "dark" areas of the map (called "{{w|Fog_of_war#Simulations_and_games|Fog of war}}") to have visibility there. Different units have different ranges of visibility.
* "[[Wiktionary:pwned|Pwned]]" is a typical online gaming term meaning beaten, killed or trapped/tricked.
* The "grue" is a predator in the game franchise {{w|Zork}}. Grues fear light, but love to devour adventurers entering the dark. Therefore, you cannot win the game without owning some light source.

Zork is a typical text-adventure, in which you play turn-based (like chess). The computer spits out some textual context, you enter a command (GO <direction>, TAKE <object>, KILL <person>), and the computer responds by giving the outcome of your command. This scarce context arose from the fact that games in the 1970s and 1980s needed to run on limited memory and microprocessor capacity. During the last 20 years, these barriers were broken down, and games in graphical context, and running in real-time were made possible.

Randall returns Counterstrike to the text-context of Zork, stating thereby that no player used to the real-time, graphical atmosphere of the former would have any appeal to the turn and text-based dynamics of the latter. And yes, that indeed is an initiation to the discussion mentioned in the image text.

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Video games]]

77: Bored with the Internet

2013-02-16T17:21:26Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 77
| date = March 17, 2006
| title = Bored with the Internet
| image = bored_with_the_internet.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = I used to do this all the time.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, a character (who seems to have hair, so it’s not [[Cueball]]) suggests to [[Black Hat]] that he is wasting his life on the internet and they should go explore the world. They appear to walk a great distance, through what appears to be a swamp or perhaps a forest in winter, across a plain, and down to a river valley, at which point the first character can't help but think that the journey would make a great entry on Livejournal, thus indicating that he can't get his mind off of wanting to be on the computer. title text suggests that [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] similarly thinks about being on his computer while out doing other things.

{{w|Livejournal}} is a website on which users can make accounts and, effectively, blog; although the site is designed around the premise that the blogs ought to be used as personal journals, with the ability to privatize the journal or only let certain friends see certain entries. Livejournal was an early social network and an early blog platform, and was a good way for people to let others know what was going on in their lives. As of 2012, Livejournal still exists; although sites like Facebook have become far more powerful and popular sites for sharing one's daily life.

Unlike in most of his appearances (especially later ones), Black Hat does not exhibit any of his signature ("[[72: Classhole|classhole]]") trouble-making tendencies in this comic.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are talking in a room with a computer on. One is wearing a black hat.]
:First man: I feel like I'm wasting my life on the internet. Let's walk around the world.
:Man with the black hat: Sounds good.
:[The two men are shown walking through trees.]
:[The two men are shown walking on flat stretch, with mountains in the distance.]
:[The two men are shown in a magnificent canyon. They stand, silently looking at the scene.]
:First man: And yet all I can think is, "This will make for a great LiveJournal entry."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]

73: Zeppelin

2013-02-16T17:16:56Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 73
| date = March 10, 2006
| title = Zeppelin
| image = zeppelin.jpg
| titletext = A tribute to Buttercup Festival
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|Zeppelin}} is a type of rigid dirigible aircraft, used in the early part of the 20th century for commercial airline traffic. They were well known for being the most luxurious, comfortable air travel of the time. The {{w|Hindenburg}} disaster, as well as World War II, led to the end of their use as commercial airliners. Also associated with the Zeppelin name is a particular design of wristwatches[http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0230003HV5], notable for having the word "Zeppelin" at the top of the dial, at or under where the number 12 would be. In this comic, [[Randall Munroe]] makes the joke that since the hour hand of the watch is pointing to the word Zeppelin, it is time for a Zeppelin to appear in the sky.

The title text refers to the webcomic {{w|Buttercup Festival}}, which, at the time of this comic, was defunct. It was later revived by the author. It is not clear exactly how this xkcd comic is a tribute to Buttercup Festival.

==Transcript==
:What time is it?
:[Picture of a Zeppelin style watch, indicating the time about 12:13 o'clock]
:[Figures look up at the sky]
:[A huge Zeppelin is visible in the sky]
{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Airships]]

70: Guitar Hero

2013-02-16T17:12:02Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 70
| date = March 1, 2006
| title = Guitar Hero
| image = Guitar hero.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = And then do it again in a moment now that they're out of Star Power.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Guitar Hero}}'' is a series of video games (originally a single game), currently distributed by {{w|Activision}}. In the game, players simulate playing guitar on famous guitar songs using a plastic guitar-shaped controller which has five color-coded buttons on the neck (representing guitar frets) and a rocker bar on the body (simulating a strumming motion). The game now includes other instruments such as drums and vocals, although not at the time this comic was published.

While playing the game, an animated band is shown on the upper half of the screen and an extended guitar neck is shown vertically on the bottom half of the screen screen (the frets horizontal), often called the "note highway", and as the song progresses, colored markers or "gems" indicating notes travel down the screen in time with the music; the note colors and positions match those of the five fret keys on the guitar controller. Once the note(s) reach the bottom, the player must play the indicated note(s) by holding down the correct fret button(s) and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points.

In this comic, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] suggests that, were he in a real rock band, he would perform a mellow song but intentionally put a complicated guitar solo in, not for musical value, but solely to antagonise ''Guitar Hero'' players with an impossible solo. As the comic suggests, a random flailing would likely make for a very difficult passage to play in ''Guitar Hero''. This is highlighted by the previous statement that the song would otherwise be mellow, lulling the player into a false sense that the song was easy to play and relaxing.

===Title text===
In order to understand the title text of the comic, you must understand two game mechanics for Guitar Hero. The first is the Rock Meter. Success or failure in hitting notes will cause the on-screen Rock Meter to change, showing how well the player is playing (denoted by red, yellow, and green sections). Should the Rock Meter drop below the red section, the song will automatically end, with the player booed off the stage by the audience.

The second element you must understand is Star Power. Selected special segments of the song will have glowing notes outlined by stars: successfully hitting all notes in this series will fill the Star Power Meter. The Star Power Meter can also be filled by using the whammy bar during sustained notes within these segments. Once the Star Power Meter is at least half full, the player can activate Star Power by pressing the select button or momentarily lifting the guitar into a vertical position. When Star Power is activated, the scoring multiplier is doubled until Star Power is depleted. The Rock Meter also increases more dramatically when Star Power is activated, making it easier for the player to make the Rock Meter stay at a high level.

Thus, Star Power can be used strategically to play difficult sections of a song that otherwise might cause the player to fail. The title text for the comic is suggesting that the player would have used up their Star Power in a strategic bid to not fail the sudden and surprising flailing solo. Now powerless, a second unexpected flailing solo would crush the player.

==Transcript==
:[On a stage, a guy with a beard is in the background, holding a microphone. In the center is a guy with an electric guitar. The catwalk has bumps to resemble the tracks of Guitar Hero.]

:When I'm in a rock band, I'm gonna do a cool, mellow song. Then in the middle I'll stop, announce "this part is just to be an asshole to people playing Guitar Hero," and then flail wildly on the strings for 30 seconds.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Video games]]

820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2

2013-02-16T13:28:08Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 820
| date = November 17, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 2
| image = five_minute_comics_part_2.png
| titletext = Dear Wiccan readers: I understand modern Wiccans are not usually all about the curses and hexes. But Darth Vader was recently converted from Episcopalianism and he's still figuring it all out.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the second of three "five-minute comics" posts Randall made during November 2010. The introduction to the comic explains everything you need to know about the circumstances behind it, so let's get started!

* The first comic pokes fun at improbable conspiracy theories. {{w|Dealey Plaza#Grassy knoll|The grassy knoll}} is a location famous among conspiracy theorists who believe it to be the location of an unknown accomplice in the {{w|assassination of John F. Kennedy}}.
:It turns out that, somehow, this will all lead up to a theory that perfectly explains the {{w|September 11 attacks}}.

* When a woman described as having a "glow" about them, it's usually just a vague sentiment of attractiveness, specifically during pregnancy, which very suddenly reaches its conclusion as a baby is unceremoniously plopped into the world.

* "{{w|Cogito ergo sum}}" is philosophical statement in Latin, formulated by {{w|René Descartes}}, translated as "I think, therefore I am". Descartes wanted to build a philosophy from scratch, starting with something he could be absolutely certain of. "Cogito ergo cogito", is Latin for "I think, therefore I think." This can even beat "cogito ergo sum" in uncontroversiality, (it is a {{w|tautology}}), which is why Cueball describes it as "playing it safe."

* Besides the cute kids in sheets, the comic on the far right could just be a joke on horror movie tropes and the phrase "buckets of blood."

* To bail out of a plane means to escape the plane, usually via the cockpit's eject mechanism. To bail out a boat means to manually drain water coming onto the ship with buckets. The pilots here have confused the two, although if a plane was somehow taking on a large amount of water, bailing out that water would be a reasonable course of action.

* Sometimes, TV shows will tell true stories while playing up the drama angle for ratings purposes. In these cases, they will often air a notice similar to "The following program is a dramatization of real events" before the show, to indicate that the story they're about to tell is true, albeit not as a literally accurate retelling of events. But how do your dramatize the utterly mundane - say, making a sandwich? The answer is screaming. Senseless, inexplicable screaming.

* {{w|Black light}}s are a kind of lamp that filters out sub-purple light. This means that the only light it gives off is a small amount of purple light, plus plenty of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, but it is noticeable in a few ways; it hurts the eyes, which is why it's hard to focus on things under a black light; it causes sunburns, although the amount given off by a black light is far too insignificant to do this in a realistic time; and it causes a phosphorescent reaction in some bacteria, which is why it causes dust and some food stains to glow in the dark (which is why the robes look dirty). As such, a "{{w|Lightsaber|blacklightsaber}}" would, indeed, be a bad idea.

* Most judicial systems have a {{w|jury}}, a panel of impartial laymen that, primarily, determines the guilt or innocence of a suspected criminal. "Ladies and gentlemen" is a formal way of addressing a crowd, and so Cueball addresses the jury as "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury."
:However, it turns out the jury consists only of women, so the "gentlemen" part is not needed. This poses a problem to Cueball's defense, which apparently relied on somewhat sexist tactics. (This, sadly, is not too uncommon in real life.)

* The commander's first line is a line from ''{{w|Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope}}''. In the original film, the commander was cut off by {{w|Darth Vader}} using {{w|Force_(Star_Wars)|the Force}} to strangle him, delivering the rebuttal "I find your lack of faith disturbing."
:Instead of belief in the Force as in the movie, the "ancient religion" referred to here is actually {{w|Wicca}}, a modern pagan religion with two deities that is most notable for practicing magic. So, naturally, Darth Vader puts a hex on the commander's family.
:The title-text notes that modern Wiccans don't really practice the whole "putting hexes on people" thing, which is true. Episcopalianism probably refers to the {{w|Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church of the United States}}, which was founded during the American Revolution to replace the Church of England in the colonies.

==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====
:[A ninja is hiding under a diving board as a man runs along it.]

:[The man jumps on the end of the board and hits the ninja in the head, knocking him into the pool.]

:[The ninja floats in the water. A bullet passes through the man's head.]
:''thwipp''

:[The man is lying bleeding on the diving board, the ninja is still unconscious on the pool.]

:[A sniper is at the top of a hill. The sign in front of the hill says "Grassy Knoll".]

:[Someone is pointing at the diagram of the previous panel.]
:Off-panel voice: Wait, so what does this have to do with 9/11, again?
:Cueball: I said I'm getting there!

====Comic #2====
:[Cueball is studying Megan.]
:Cueball: You look different.

:Cueball: You have this... ''glow'' about you.

:[They stare in silence.]

:[A baby falls out of Megan.]
:''plop''

====Comic #3====
:Megan: Cogito ergo cogito.
:Off-panel voice: Playing it safe, huh?

====Comic #4====
:[Two ghosts are standing in front of Megan at a door, each carrying a bag. They are children dressed up.]
:Children: Trick or treat!

:[Megan doesn't move.]

:Child: Um hi. Why are you just standing there?
:Other Child: Candy?

:[Another silent panel as the children stare up at Megan.]

:[The second child looks in their bag.]
:Other Child: Oh God, my bag of candy.

:Other Child: It's filling with blood.
:Child: We should go.

====Comic #5====
:[A jet is flying across the panel.]
:Pilot: Bail out! Bail out! Bail out!

:[The pilot and copilot have buckets, and are bailing water out of the cockpit.]

====Comic #6====
:The following is a dramatization of real events.

:[Cueball is at a counter, with several jars.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAA I'm making a sandwich! AAAAAAAAAA!

====Comic #7====
:[Two people are carrying lightsabers and wearing robes.]
:Cueball: Oh God. My eyes won't focus right! And your robe looks... really dirty!

:My blacklightsaber was not a success.

====Comic #8====
:[Cueball is standing.]
:Cueball: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
:Off-screen voice: It seems we happen to be all ladies, actually.
:Cueball: ... in that case, this defense is going to appear _extremely_ ill-advised.

====Comic #9====
:[Darth Vader is sitting between two people, at a table.]
:Cueball: Your sad devotion to that ancient religion hasn't helped you conjur up the stolen data tapes, or given you --
:Darth Vader: HEY. Wicca is a legitimate belief system!

:[Darth Vader is drawing a pentagram on the table.]
:Cueball: What are you --
:Darth Vader: Putting a hex on your family.

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

810

2013-02-16T12:33:05Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 810
| date = October 25, 2010
| title = Constructive
| image = Constructive.png
| titletext = And what about all the people who won't be able to join the community because they're terrible at making helpful and constructive co-- ... oh.
}}

==Explanation==

For every online community to thrive and for constructive discussions to be had, it needs to have a certain number of friendly, polite and helpful people. Spammers are opposite of that; they are people or organisations trying to sell certain products, with no regards to the rules of community or any discussions being made. In fact, some of them use automated scripts to simulate human beings, allowing them to quickly post identical "advertising posts" in multiple threads under multiple names, flooding the forums and stifling real discussions. Therefore, it is vital to prevent them from posting non-sequitur posts with links towards their websites and to prevent bots from registering.

{{w|Captcha}} is one of the methods used to prevent lots of automated registering of fake usernames used by bots and spammers. It consists of asking a person to prove that they are human before registering them as user and allowing them to post on sites or forum topics. That is done by using pictures of words and letters that humans can easily recognize, but bots and OCR software have trouble with.

Now, artificial intelligence (AI) of bots has advanced so far, that the man has invented a new system. It asks of the users to rate a slate of comments as constructive (the best sort of comments!) or not, then asks them to reply with comments of their own. The woman asks what will happen when spammers find a way around his system, such as making bots that make constructive and helpful comments? Well, it turns out that is what he is trying to accomplish in first place, a thriving community helping its members with constructive and helpful comments.

Title text investigates the consequences of such system further, by thinking of people unable to give constructive and helpful comments... which are sort of people you don't want in your online community anyway.

==Transcript==
:[A man is talking to a woman]
:Man: Spammers are breaking traditional captchas with AI, so I've built a new system. It asks users to rate a slate of comments as "Constructive" or "Not constructive".
:[Close up of man]
:Man: Then it has them reply with comments of their own, which are later rated by other users.
:[Woman standing next to man again]
:Woman: But what will you do when spammers train their bots to make automated constructive and helpful comments?
:[Close up of man again]
:Man: Mission Fucking Accomplished.

:{Title text: And what about all the people who won't be able to join the community because they're terrible at making helpful and constructive co-- ... oh.}

{{comic discussion}}

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

810

2013-02-16T12:27:52Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 810
| date =
| title = Constructive
| image = Constructive.png
| titletext = And what about all the people who won't be able to join the community because they're terrible at making helpful and constructive co-- ... oh.
}}

==Explanation==

For every online community to thrive and for constructive discussions to be had, it needs to have a certain number of friendly, polite and helpful people. Spammers are opposite of that; they are people or organisations trying to sell certain products, with no regards to the rules of community or any discussions being made. In fact, some of them use automated scripts to simulate human beings, allowing them to quickly post identical "advertising posts" in multiple threads under multiple names, flooding the forums and stifling real discussions. Therefore, it is vital to prevent them from posting non-sequitur posts with links towards their websites and to prevent bots from registering.

{{w|Captcha}} is one of the methods used to prevent lots of automated registering of fake usernames used by bots and spammers. It consists of asking a person to prove that they are human before registering them as user and allowing them to post on sites or forum topics. That is done by using pictures of words and letters that humans can easily recognize, but bots and OCR software have trouble with.

Now, artificial intelligence (AI) of bots has advanced so far, that the man has invented a new system. It asks of the users to rate a slate of comments as constructive (the best sort of comments!) or not, then asks them to reply with comments of their own. The woman asks what will happen when spammers find a way around his system, such as making bots that make constructive and helpful comments? Well, it turns out that is what he is trying to accomplish in first place, a thriving community helping its members with constructive and helpful comments.

Title text investigates the consequences of such system further, by thinking of people unable to give constructive and helpful comments... which are sort of people you don't want in your online community anyway.

==Transcript==
:[A man is talking to a woman]
:Man: Spammers are breaking traditional captchas with AI, so I've built a new system. It asks users to rate a slate of comments as "Constructive" or "Not constructive".
:[Close up of man]
:Man: Then it has them reply with comments of their own, which are later rated by other users.
:[Woman standing next to man again]
:Woman: But what will you do when spammers train their bots to make automated constructive and helpful comments?
:[Close up of man again]
:Man: Mission Fucking Accomplished.

:{Title text: And what about all the people who won't be able to join the community because they're terrible at making helpful and constructive co-- ... oh.}

{{comic discussion}}

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

Category:Video games

2013-02-16T10:29:14Z

Hogtree Octovish: Created page with "Category:Comics by topic"

[[Category:Comics by topic]]

218: Nintendo Surgeon

2013-02-16T10:10:39Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number =218
| date =February 2, 2007
| title =Nintendo Surgeon
| image =nintendo_surgeon.png
| titletext =Scary thought #138: Raptors coming down the waterslide behind me.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}}, released in North America in 1985, helped revitalize the video-game industry after the {{w|North American video game crash of 1983|video-game crash}} of 1983, with such games as the ''{{w|Super Mario Bros.}}'' series, ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda (game)|The Legend of Zelda}},'' the ''{{w|Mega Man}}'' series, ''{{w|Castlevania}},'' and ''{{w|Metroid (game)|Metroid}}'' helping it stand alone as what is still considered by many people today, the greatest video-game console of all-time.

However, it was notorious for glitching games upon start-up, due in no small part to the unusual shape of the game console, which required one to open the door, push the game cartridge inside, push down to lock it in place, and push the power button. The console was deliberately designed this way so that it wouldn't look like a regular video-game console (and wouldn't be associated with the still-fresh stigma of the video-game crash only two years previous), but it caused no end of pain for people wanting to play the games.

A ubiquitous fix for this problem among gamers was to take the cartridge out, blow into it, and put it back inside. This was not a recommended solution by Nintendo of America, and didn't always work, but it worked frequently enough to enter gamer culture, and even today, people who had the NES as children remember having to do that.

The NES was 22 years old as of the date this comic was written. Someone who was 10 years old when they got their Nintendo for Christmas could ''very well'' be old enough in 2007 to have attained their doctorate degree, and so this comic hearkens back to the aforementioned cartridge fix by suggesting that a heart surgeon might try that on a real-life heart patient. And like the introduction states, that ''is'' a scary thought.

The title text is one of many xkcd references to the terrifying ''Velociraptor'' predator from the dinosaur movie ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}.''

==Transcript==
:Scary Thought #137: The NES came out over two decades ago. Those kids are all grown-ups now.
:[Two surgeons are in an operating room, leaning over a patient.]
:First Surgeon: He's going into cardiac arrest. Stand by for defibrillation.
:Second Surgeon: Wait. First let's try taking out the heart, blowing into the ventricles, and putting it back in.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Video games]]

480: Spore

2013-02-16T10:10:37Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 480
| date = September 24, 2008
| title = Spore
| image = spore.png
| titletext = Image text: "Way to not support the GMA 950 under OS X, Spore. :("
}}

==Explanation==
'{{w|Spore (2008 video game)|Spore}}' is a game that was released in 2008. Too bad it was $50 when it first came out. Spore starts you off as a small little water bug and when you become smart enough you leave the water for land and start growing. Scale wise you start off very small and only concerned with your spot of water. The next two stages the scale grows to being the entire continent. Once you start building cities you get to view the entire planet. The last stage is space, where you get to first travel your own solar system, then the entire galaxy. Since Cueball can't afford Spore (which is now only about $15) he instead is recreating the experience by playing older games, starting off with small scale games ('{{w|SimAnt}}' comes to mind), then up to '{{w|The Sims}}', then '{{w|SimCity}}' before playing a game on a planet level ('{{w|Civilization (video game)|Civilization}}') then galactic level ('{{w|SimSpace}}'?)

The Alt Text refers to the game not being able to run on the Mac using a {{w|GMA 950}} which is a type of Intel integrated graphics processor. It was first supported in OSX 10.4. It lacked hardware support for "Vertex Shader 2.0" which some games required.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sitting at computer desk, surrounded by game boxes]
:Cueball: Sweet, beat '{{w|Populous}}'. Now, on to '{{w|Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri|Alpha Centauri}}'.
:Caption: Until I can afford '{{w|Spore (2008 video game)|Spore}}', I'm just playing through all my old games in order of scale.

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

83: Katamari

2013-02-16T10:10:34Z

Hogtree Octovish:

{{comic
| number = 83
| date = March 31, 2006
| title = Katamari
| image = katamari.jpg
| titletext = As the King of All Cosmos remarked, 'Is it that it's fun, or that it lets you forget yourself?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Katamari Damacy}} is a Japanese game in which the player must roll around an infinitely sticky katamari ball, cottoning up objects and terrain to increase the ball's size. In this comic, [[Cueball]] uses the katamari as an analogy for his love for [[Megan]], pushing it to such embarrassing extremes that Megan feels the need to remark whether he could "possibly get any gayer." At this point, Cueball wins the level he is playing and is transported by a "Royal Rainbow." The rainbow is a symbol of gay pride, in addition to being just a generally happy and "gay" idea.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands on the left. Cueball is sitting on the floor with a game controller in his hand. He is looking at a TV on the floor connected to a game console, also on the floor.]
:Megan: Can you pause for a moment and help me with something?
:Cueball: You know, our love is like a katamari. We travel along, rolling up more and more of the world into our shared experience, taking it and making it our own.
:Megan: I, you... wow. Geekiness aside, that was actually incredibly sweet.
:Cueball: The clutter of everyday life, with a simple core to tie it together, eventually becomes something grand as the world itself.
:[A rainbow extends outward from the TV, with "ROYAL RAINBOW!" above it.]
:Megan: Okay, also sweet, but now I'm wondering if you could possibly get any gayer.

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