explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2

2013-01-04T05:50:12Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 820
| date = November 17, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 2
| image = five_minute_comics_part_2.png
| imagesize =
| 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|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 "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 Darth Vader using 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 conjure 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:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Five-minute comics]]

999: Cougars

2012-12-26T09:24:44Z

Hongsy: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 999
| date = January 4, 2012
| title = Cougars
| image = cougars.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = If you're lying in bed tonight and you see yellow eyes glinting in your window, are you being stalked by a puma, a mountain lion, a panther, a catamount, or a cougar? Trick question--in North America, they're all names for the same species, Puma concolor! Isn't learning fun? Anyway, sleep tight!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Randall]] is giving reason number 58 why he should not have children. We see fictitious "father [[Cueball]]" talking about the Wikipedia entry for the list of fatal cougar attacks in North America. {{w|List of fatal cougar attacks in North America|Here's}} the link so you can look for yourself.

And the reason he should not have children is the fact that he can't resist himself when learning and sharing knowledge about the world (from Wikipedia).

When you have kids and you learn scary things, you should not share it with them.

==Transcript==
[Parent is sitting at a computer; child is standing behind.]

Parent: Whoa, ever seen Wikipedia's list of people who were attacked and killed by cougars?

Parent: Crazy how many of them were kids who were just playing outside their houses.

Reason #58 I should never have children: My love of learning and sharing knowledge about the world.

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

999: Cougars

2012-12-26T07:30:27Z

Hongsy: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 999
| date = January 4, 2012
| title = Cougars
| image = cougars.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = If you're lying in bed tonight and you see yellow eyes glinting in your window, are you being stalked by a puma, a mountain lion, a panther, a catamount, or a cougar? Trick question--in North America, they're all names for the same species, Puma concolor! Isn't learning fun? Anyway, sleep tight!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Randall]] is giving reason 58 why he should not have children. We see fictitious "father [[Cueball]]" talking about the Wikipedia entry for the list of fatal cougar attacks in North America. {{w|List of fatal cougar attacks in North America|Here's}} the link so you can look for yourself.

And the reason he should not have children is the fact that he can't resist himself when learning and sharing knowledge about the world (from Wikipedia). Usually, when you have kids and you learn scary things, you should not share it with them. {{w|List of fatal cougar attacks in North America|This is the article Cueball is reading}}.

==Transcript==
[Parent is sitting at a computer; child is standing behind.]

Parent: Whoa, ever seen Wikipedia's list of people who were attacked and killed by cougars?

Parent: Crazy how many of them were kids who were just playing outside their houses.

Reason #58 I should never have children: My love of learning and sharing knowledge about the world.

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

924

2012-10-11T14:50:18Z

Hongsy: Redirected page to 924: 3D Printer

#REDIRECT [[924: 3D Printer]]

925

2012-10-11T14:47:53Z

Hongsy: Redirected page to 925: Cell Phones

#REDIRECT [[925:_Cell_Phones]]

925: Cell Phones

2012-10-11T14:45:16Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 925
| date = 15 July, 2011
| title = Cell Phones
| image = cell_phones.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = He holds the laptop like that on purpose, to make you cringe.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

In this comic, after hearing about the "Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer" study, Black Hat plots "Total Cancer Incidence" per 100,000 and "Cell Phone Users" per 100 on the same graph. The graph in frame 3 shows that the number of cell phone users rises after the number of cancer incidence, which makes Black Hat comically come to the conclusion that Cancer causes Cell Phones.

Also, since the image text asks, yes, the way that Black Hat holds the laptop in frame 2 totally makes me cringe.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

925: Cell Phones

2012-10-11T14:44:34Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 925 | date = 15 July, 2011 | title = Cell Phones | image = cell_phones.jpg | imagesize = | titletext = He holds the laptop like that on pur..."

{{comic
| number = 925
| date = 15 July, 2011
| title = Cell Phones
| image = cell_phones.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = He holds the laptop like that on purpose, to make you cringe.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

In this comic, after hearing about the "Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer" study, Black Hat plots "Total Cancer Incidence" per 100,000 and "Cell Phone Users" per 100 on the same graph. The graph in frame 3 shows that the number of cell phone users rises after the number of cancer incidence, which makes Black Hat comically come to the conclusion that Cancer causes Cell Phones.

Also, since the image text asks, yes, the way that Black Hat holds the laptop in frame 2 totally makes me cringe.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

924: 3D Printer

2012-10-11T14:42:39Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 924 | date = 13 July, 2011 | title = 3D Printer | image = 3d_printer.png | imagesize = | titletext = I just can't wait for the Better Homes..."

{{comic
| number = 924
| date = 13 July, 2011
| title = 3D Printer
| image = 3d_printer.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I just can't wait for the Better Homes and Gardens list of helpful tips for household reuse of sixteen-inch acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene phalluses.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

It is true. 3D Printers are starting to get better and better. As the comic suggests, just don't put them online like fax machines.

In the image text, Better Homes and Gardens is an American magazine that as the name suggests, shows you how to make your home and garden better.

Also in the image text, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene or ABS is a light-weight and moldable plastic which makes it perfect for 3D printers.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

923

2012-10-11T14:41:07Z

Hongsy: Redirected page to 923: Strunk and White

#REDIRECT [[923:_Strunk_and_White]]

923: Strunk and White

2012-10-11T14:36:16Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 923 | date = July 11, 2011 | title = Strunk and White | image = strunk_and_white.png | imagesize = | titletext = The best thing about Strun..."

{{comic
| number = 923
| date = July 11, 2011
| title = Strunk and White
| image = strunk_and_white.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = The best thing about Strunk/White fanfiction is that it's virtually guaranteed to be well written.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

This is a comic about the writing style guide called The Elements of Style by Cornell University professor William Strunk Jr. (I assume that's him with the pipe) and New Yorker writer E.B. White (who is at the computer). Just like in their book, they are clarifying the usage of words and phrases in the English language. In this case however, they are clarifying the use of their names, one for their book and another for the slash fiction or erotic fan fiction involving them.

Erotic fan fiction, if you were not aware is a genre of fiction in which fans make up erotic stories involving characters from non erotic stories.

I'm sure if there was not a Strunk/White slash fiction out before, there is one now.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

926: Time Vulture

2012-10-09T09:11:32Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 926 | date = 18 July, 2011 | title = Time Vulture | image = time_vulture.png | imagesize = | titletext = In a way, all vultures are Time Vu..."

{{comic
| number = 926
| date = 18 July, 2011
| title = Time Vulture
| image = time_vulture.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = In a way, all vultures are Time Vultures; some just have more patience than others.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about a time vulture, which as far as I can tell is not a reference to anything, but something made up by Randall for the comic. A Time Vulture as explained in the 3rd frame is a type of vulture that can live for millennia and wait long enough for someone to die of natural causes. A vulture is a type of animal that preys on other animals (and humans) who are sick or dying.

Because the Time Vulture lives for so long, in its point of view, everyone says "But, I'm not about to die" right before they do. In our point of view it could be several years, but since the Time Vulture lives for so long, years are mere moments in its view.

In the image text, since all vultures wait for their prey to die, all vultures are Time Vultures, but time vultures are able to wait decades for their prey, whereas regular vultures do not have that kind of time.
==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

834: Wikileaks

2012-10-09T09:07:06Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 834
| date = December 15, 2010
| title = Wikileaks
| image = wikileaks.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = STUDENTS ARE CALLING PRESIDENT JOHNSON EN MASSE TO PROTEST THE BOMBING AND IT'S JAMMED THE WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD. COULD THEY COLLAPSE OUR CRITICAL PHONE SYSTEMS? HAS THE FIRST TELEPHONE WAR BEGUN? STAY TUNED FOR MORE ON THIS DANGEROUS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic references {{w|WikiLeaks}}, a site that people with classified data can send to for the information to be posted publicly, while nobody would know who leaked the data. Many people dislike WikiLeaks, but proponents claim that, since government is supposed to work for the people, all government information should be available to anyone who wants to see it. At the same time, WikiLeaks' acts are illegal in most countries, and the people maintaining WikiLeaks stay anonymous, with the notable exception of {{w|Julian Assange}} the spokesperson. The comic is a reference to the group Anonymous, who over the past week or so has been using DDOS attacks to take down servers for companies that aided the governments of the world take down Wikileaks and its CEO Julian Assange. Amazon, Paypal and Mastercard were all targets of Anonymous. Anonymous is a group that was formed out of the forum 4chan.org. (I'm not linking there, find it at your own risk).

The comic shows WikiLeaks releasing all WikiLeaks' members' private information, thereby unmasking them to the world. This would be giving WikiLeaks a taste of its own medicine, because as much as they believe in freedom of information, they don't believe in freedom of ''that'' information. The joke in the comic is that Anonymous supports Wikileaks and their ability to make confidential and top secret information public until their own names, phone numbers and addresses are made public.

The image text appears to be a news wire from during the Vietnam War when Lyndon Johnson was President. The students were calling to protest the War in what xkcd implicates as the first DDOS attack. A DDOS attack is a distributed denial of service attack in which the attackers force too much traffic from many different points to take down a web server, or in the case of the image text a phone network.

==Transcript==
:[A black formal suit with no head is talking.]
:Suit: We are Anonymous.
:We are legion.
:We are no one
:and everyone.
:And we are here to fight for WikiLeaks.

:[The panel is presented as the front page of WikiLeaks, in a browser.]
:New Leak:
:Names, addresses, IPs, and phone numbers of everyone in Anonymous.
:Download Now

:Suit: ... Dammit, Julian.

{{comic discussion}}

932: CIA

2012-10-09T09:04:41Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 932 | date = August 1, 2011 | title = CIA | image = cia.png | imagesize = | titletext = It was their main recruiting poster, hung nearly te..."

{{comic
| number = 932
| date = August 1, 2011
| title = CIA
| image = cia.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = It was their main recruiting poster, hung nearly ten feet up a wall! This means the hackers have LADDER technology! Are we headed for a future where everyone has to pay $50 for one of those locked plexiglass poster covers? More after the break ...
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the recent attacks by a group briefly known as LulzSec, which was a splinter group from the internet community known as Anonymous. [[834:_Wikileaks|Anonymous has been a previous subject of xkcd comics.]] In the back of the news report in frame one is the logo that was used by LulzSec. The group was able to publicize several high profile attacks. They were able to briefly take down the CIA website using a DDoS attack. DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service in which the attacker uses many computers to send traffic to a host and render it incapable of answering requests from any other computer, effectively taking the site down.

This comic is pointing out the difference between what lay-people and the computer experts hear when seeing a story like this. It is comparing a website to a company's poster, which is much different and less harmful than the actual hacking of actual computers.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

933: Tattoo

2012-10-09T08:58:15Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 933 | date = August 3, 2011 | title = Tattoo | image = tattoo.png | imagesize = | titletext = I calculate that the electrons in radiation t..."

{{comic
| number = 933
| date = August 3, 2011
| title = Tattoo
| image = tattoo.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I calculate that the electrons in radiation therapy hit you at 99.8% of the speed of light, and the beam used in a 90-second gamma ray therapy session could, if fired with less precision, kill a horse (they did not let me test this).
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

So, an Oncologist is a cancer doctor. This comic is certainly related to the breast cancer issue that Randall is going through with his fiancee. So, pardon my very simple explanation, but Megan in this comic has a tattoo for aligning the laser for surgery to remove or treat the cancerous tumor inside her. I'm not sure if it is a real tattoo (because it says it was done by her Oncologist) or if it some sort of scarring from the procedure. I am not an expert on this, can some subject matter expert weigh in below? I know you are out there.

In the last frame, Cueball mentions that he has a barbed wire bicep tattoo, which is a stereotypically in the US, a tattoo that people get when they want to seem tough, even if they aren't tough already.

Anyway, the joke in the comic is that Cueball got this barbed wired tattoo to look tough, but it pales in comparison to the tattoo from (or for) the cancer removal or treatment. This is ironic because people who get barbed wired tattoos believe themselves to be tough. It is kind of funny because Cueball has his whole shirt off just to show a bicep tattoo.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

938: T-Cells

2012-10-09T08:55:19Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 938
| date = August 15, 2011
| title = T-Cells
| image = t_cells.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'We're not sure how to wipe out the chimeral T-cells after they've destroyed the cancer. Though I do have this vial of smallpox ...'
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

This is another cancer and leukemia related comic, in this comic, two characters are having a discussion about a new trial treatment. A trial is a treatment that is not yet passed all of the hurdles to become an official drug or treatment, but it available to a certain set of patients based on the pharma company's set of criteria.

In this case, the two characters are talking about a trial in which the doctors take cells out of the patients body and treat it with specific code to attack the cancer. However, to make the cell replicate fast enough to match the replication of the cancer cells, they have treated the cells with HIV. HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is the precursor to AIDS.

Basically, this treatment seems to replace one terrible disease with another terrible disease. As the image text says, they don't know how to get rid of the HIV cells after they remove the cancer. And the last part of the image text is a joke, in which the doctor suggests yet another disease to inject into the patients body.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

938: T-Cells

2012-10-09T08:54:55Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 938
| date = August 15, 2012
| title = T-Cells
| image = t_cells.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'We're not sure how to wipe out the chimeral T-cells after they've destroyed the cancer. Though I do have this vial of smallpox ...'
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

This is another cancer and leukemia related comic, in this comic, two characters are having a discussion about a new trial treatment. A trial is a treatment that is not yet passed all of the hurdles to become an official drug or treatment, but it available to a certain set of patients based on the pharma company's set of criteria.

In this case, the two characters are talking about a trial in which the doctors take cells out of the patients body and treat it with specific code to attack the cancer. However, to make the cell replicate fast enough to match the replication of the cancer cells, they have treated the cells with HIV. HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is the precursor to AIDS.

Basically, this treatment seems to replace one terrible disease with another terrible disease. As the image text says, they don't know how to get rid of the HIV cells after they remove the cancer. And the last part of the image text is a joke, in which the doctor suggests yet another disease to inject into the patients body.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

935: Missed Connections

2012-10-09T08:54:20Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 935 | date = August 8, 2011 | title = Missed Connections | image = missed_connections.png | imagesize = | titletext = The Street View van i..."

{{comic
| number = 935
| date = August 8, 2011
| title = Missed Connections
| image = missed_connections.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = The Street View van isn't going to find out anything Google won't already know from reading my email.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

Missed Connections is a page on Craigslist in which people who saw each other briefly and want to reconnect attempt to find each other again. If I was to hazard a guess, I would imagine it works .0001% of the time. In the case of missed connections, one person describes themselves "Me" and describes the other person "You" in order to try to reconnect.

The first one is a goofy joke as far as I can tell.

The second one is not a reference to anything I can find, anyone know?

The third one is a reference to networking. UDP stands for User Datagram Protcol. UDP packets don't use handshaking to verify they have contacted the correct host, so they can get lost or confused. The Cisco router location is just a reference to a block of IP addresses. Cisco is a company that makes networking equipment. This is a play on a missed connection for someone who was lost and asked for directions.

The fourth one seems to be a joke as well. For those outside of the US (or those inside as well), Nancy Pelosi is a member of the US House of Representatives. The (D-CA) is a common notation for politicians which notates party (D for Democrat) and state (CA for California).

The fifth seems to be a reference to Randall's upcoming nuptials?

The sixth is a reference to how the Google Street view van was not only recording photos of the street in 360 degrees, it was also collecting data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. The comic takes this to the next level, that the Google Street View van also scans what we have in our pockets and does a retinal scan. In this case, the social security number referenced is [http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/misused.html the most used SSN of all time.]

The last suggested the Babe Ruth, the American baseball slugger of 1914-1935 is actually a Time Lord. Time Lord is a reference to the popular sci-fi series "Doctor Who" in which The Doctor, who is a Time Lord, uses a TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space to travel through time.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

938: T-Cells

2012-10-09T08:51:31Z

Hongsy: jeff's explanations

{{comic
| number = 938
| date = 15 August, 2012
| title = T-Cells
| image = t_cells.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'We're not sure how to wipe out the chimeral T-cells after they've destroyed the cancer. Though I do have this vial of smallpox ...'
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

This is another cancer and leukemia related comic, in this comic, two characters are having a discussion about a new trial treatment. A trial is a treatment that is not yet passed all of the hurdles to become an official drug or treatment, but it available to a certain set of patients based on the pharma company's set of criteria.

In this case, the two characters are talking about a trial in which the doctors take cells out of the patients body and treat it with specific code to attack the cancer. However, to make the cell replicate fast enough to match the replication of the cancer cells, they have treated the cells with HIV. HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is the precursor to AIDS.

Basically, this treatment seems to replace one terrible disease with another terrible disease. As the image text says, they don't know how to get rid of the HIV cells after they remove the cancer. And the last part of the image text is a joke, in which the doctor suggests yet another disease to inject into the patients body.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

940: Oversight

2012-10-09T08:49:36Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 940 | date = 19 August, 2011 | title = Oversight | image = oversight.png | imagesize = | titletext = I felt so clever when I found a way to..."

{{comic
| number = 940
| date = 19 August, 2011
| title = Oversight
| image = oversight.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I felt so clever when I found a way to game the Fitocracy system by incorporating a set of easy but high-scoring activities into my regular schedule. Took me a bit to realize I'd been tricked into setting up a daily exercise routine.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanations:

Stick figures having sex! Against a wall! Over a couch! In some sort of high flying sex swing! Fitocracy is a web site that turns workouts into a social game by awarding points, badges, levels and all sorts of other gamification. However, according to this cartoon, Fitocracy does not consider sex to be an activity acceptable for its site, despite the high flying nature of Cueball and Megan's sexual workout.

==Transcript==
[A couple has sex up against a wall.]

[A couple has sex standing in an armchair.]

[A couple has sex in a swing, swaying above a table with a flower vase on it.]

[Screenshot of Fitocracy. In the text field marked "log your workout for today," the user has filled in "sex," and the site has returned the message "activity not found."]

[The couple is standing in front of the computer; one person is at the keyboard, the other standing back wearing a towel.]
At Keyboard: Come on! That was like two hours of cardio!
In Towel: Hmm, let's see ... the part on the dresser was KIND of like skiiing ...

{{comic discussion}}

941: Depth Perception

2012-10-09T08:47:02Z

Hongsy: Jeff's explanations again

{{comic
| number = 941
| date = 22 August, 2011
| title = Depth Perception
| image = depth_perception.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I've looked at clouds from both sides now.
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

This comic is very self explanatory as it explains what he is doing every step of the way. This is one of those xkcd's that is all about emotion and feeling for both Cueball and the reader.

Ancient stargazers though the sky was simply a domed ceiling like the 2rd frame on the top line.

In the first frame of the 2nd line, Cueball puts HD webcams on the tops of football uprights, so "hundreds of feet" apart would be 120 yards apart exactly.

==Transcript==
:((The comic is narrated by an unspecified person. All dialog is shown in boxes overlaid on the comic panels.))

:[The panel background looks like a cloudy sky, with the clouds all running together and appearing as a blue
:grey smear.]
:I've always had trouble with the size of clouds.
:I
:know
: they're huge. I can see their shapes.
:But I don't really see them as objects on the same scale as trees and buildings.
:They're a backdrop.

:[A person stands on a flat disk inside a hemispherical dome with the front half cut away. The dome is labelled "Sky", and the disk is labelled "Ground". The dome is about twice as tall as the person.]
:Stars are the same way.

:I know they're scattered through and endless ocean, but my gut insists they're a painting on a domed ceiling.

:((The next two lines of dialog are stretched over the following three panels.))
:[A person stands on a curved surface, looking up.]
:If I try hard enough, I get a glimmer of depth, a dizzying sense of space,

:[The perspective of the scene shifts, suddenly the surface the person was standing on is in the top left of the panel. The person is now looking down, leaning back, and waving their arms trying to regain balance.]
:But then everything snaps back.

:[The perspective of the scene returns to normal, the person is now semi-crouched, staring at the ground with legs spaced apart to help them balance.]

:[An american football field is shown, with sections at the tips of the goal posts highlighted and shown as a zoomed view in an insert box. The goal posts each have a webcam mounted on top of them.]
:So one summer afternoon
:I set up two HD webcams hundreds of feet apart,
:Pointed them at the sky,

:((The next two lines of dialog are stretched over two panels each.))
:[The first panel shows a pair of glasses with the note "Very strong reading glasses." and a smartphone with an attachment designed to clip onto the glasses. The smartphone screen is setup to display two images side by side such that one camera is visible in the left half of the screen, and the other camera is visible in the right half of the screen.]
:And fed one stream to each of my eyes.

:[The next panel shows the completed phone
:glasses assembly.]
:The parallax expanded my depth perception by a thousand times,

:[The person stands wearing the phone
:glasses assembly, staring into the sky.]
:And I stood in my living room
:At the bottom of an abyss

:[The person now stands on the shore of an unidentified coastline (possibly Boston?), a city is near their right foot and the tallest skyscraper appears ankle high. A mountain range is behind them that is also barely ankle high. The person is standing with their head well above cloud level as clouds swim around them.]
:Watching mountains drift by.

{{comic discussion}}

942: Juggling

2012-10-09T08:39:22Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 942 | date = August 24, 2011 | title = Juggling | image = juggling.png | imagesize = | titletext = Later: 'Why is there a book hovering ove..."

{{comic
| number = 942
| date = August 24, 2011
| title = Juggling
| image = juggling.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Later: 'Why is there a book hovering over the trash can?'
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanations:

In this comic, the joke is that the "How to Juggle" book assumes that there is gravity in the place where you are. It seems like there is no gravity because when Cueball throws the juggling balls up in the air, they don't come down. Additionally, the image text tells us that someone else comes along and see that the juggling book is still hovering over the trash can and never went into it.

==Transcript==
:[The panel shows a close up of a person reading a book. The book is called "How To Juggle" and has a picture of a person juggling on the cover.]

:[The view now shows the entirety of the person. A book is splayed on the floor behind them, and they are holding some juggling balls.]

:[The person throws the juggling balls in the air.]

:[They lower their arms to prepare to catch the balls. The balls are still hovering in mid-air.]

:[The person now stands with their arms by their sides. The balls have not moved and are still suspended in mid-air.]

:[The person jumps, trying to grab the lowest ball. They can't reach.]

:[The person scratches their head and stares at the still floating juggling balls.]

:[They throw the book into a trash can.]

{{comic discussion}}

943: Empirical

2012-10-09T08:34:59Z

Hongsy: Jeff's explanations

{{comic
| number = 943
| date = 26 August, 2011
| title = Empirical
| image = empirical.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I'm as surprised as you!
}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanations

In this comic, when faced with the question "Will you marry me?", Cueball approaches it in an empirical way. The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experiments. Thanks Wikipedia! So, in this comic, Cueball completes the "Will you marry me?" experiment, by as you see in frame 3, actually getting married and the results are "yes".

==Transcript==
:[Two people are standing together, one with long hair (presumably female) and one without visible hair (presumably male).]
:Woman: Will you marry me?

:[The male person throws his hands in the air excitedly.]
:Man: Let's find out!

:[The couple are now standing in front of an altar. A flower arch stretches over the couple and a person is standing behind the altar. The female person is wearing a knee length white dress and a veil. The male person is wearing a bow tie. They are holding hands.]

:[The couple stand together, still dressed from the wedding and still holding hands.]
:Man: Apparently, yes!

{{comic discussion}}

943: Empirical

2012-10-09T07:12:44Z

Hongsy: Created page with "{{comic | number = 943 | date = | title = | image = | imagesize = | titletext = I'm as surprised as you! }} ==Explanation== In this comic, when faced with..."

{{comic
| number = 943
| date =
| title =
| image =
| imagesize =
| titletext = I'm as surprised as you!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, when faced with the question "Will you marry me?", Cueball approaches it in an empirical way. The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experiments. Thanks Wikipedia! So, in this comic, Cueball completes the "Will you marry me?" experiment, by as you see in frame 3, actually getting married and the results are "yes".

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

945: I'm Sorry

2012-10-09T07:06:53Z

Hongsy: created with own explanations.

{{comic
| number = 945
| date = August 31, 2011
| title = I'm Sorry
| image = im_sorry.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = You know I've always hated her.

}}

==Explanation==
Jeff's explanation:

Rarely does xkcd beat me to the explanation by providing it below the comic, however, in this case it does.

In the US, I don't know if this is the case in other countries, but when someone presents the other with bad news, they respond with (as the comic explains) a sympathetic "I'm Sorry". That is different than the "I'm Sorry" that a person would give for something that is their fault.

As it says below the comic, Cueball switches his sympathetic "I'm Sorry" when Megan does not accept the "I'm Sorry" because it was not his fault. This all starts to sound like an episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld.

Cueball says at the end "You know what I did..." and ""You know I've always hated her" as a wild switch to a fault "I'm Sorry".

==Transcript==
:[Two people are standing next to each other having a conversation.]]
:Person 1: My Mom's house burned down.
:Person 2: Oh! I'm sorry!
:Person 1: Why? It's not
:your
: fault.
:Person 2: It's nice of you to say that, but I know what I did.

:It annoys me when people interpret an obviously sympathetic "I'm sorry" as an apology, so I've started responding by making it one.

{{comic discussion}}

947: Investing

2012-10-09T07:02:09Z

Hongsy: created 9 october in ri

{{comic
| number = 947
| date = September 5, 2012
| title = Investing
| image = investing.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = But Einstein said it was the most powerful force in the universe, and I take all my investment advice from flippant remarks by theoretical physicists making small talk at parties.
}}

==Explanation==
Compound interest is a type of interest in which the interest earned is added to the total amount, so that the interest itself then begins to gain interest. In the opposite type "simple interest", the amount used to calculate the interest will always be, for example, $1000.

Snopes has its doubts about the [http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/interest.asp quote about compound interest being actually said by Einstein].

==Transcript==
:Person 1: Sure, 2% interest may not *seem* like a lot. But it's *compound*!

:[Person 2 opens a computer and begins calculating]
:Person 1: If you invest $1,000 now, in just ten short years you'll have.. ..let's see..

:Person 1: ..$1,219.

:Person 1: Ok, so compound interest isn't some magical force.
:Person 2: Yeah, I'm just gonna try to make more money.

{{comic discussion}}

948: AI

2012-10-09T06:50:38Z

Hongsy: created in RI on oct 9

{{comic
| number = 948
| date = September 7, 2011
| title = AI
| image = ai.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = And they both react poorly to showers.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the wildly funny [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnzlbyTZsQY video] of two {{w|Cleverbot}}s talking to each other. By recording and analysing whatever humans type into its input, they can sound pretty human to whoever is reading their response.

Randall calls it "clumsy sampling", but I think they're smarter than that. Nevertheless, they are still very far from sounding like humans and holding normal conversations.

{{w|Burning Man}} is a week long event held yearly in Nevada. Participants do all sorts of random stuff. Apparently they can play chess and drive cars in deserts, but not hold a proper conversation.

And of course Cleverbot reacts badly in showers because if you do try to shower Cleverbot, you end up with and explosion and find out you just set fire to your computer.
==Transcript==
:[A person with shoulder length hair sits on a wheeled computer chair at a desk. A laptop computer is on the desk playing some sort of media with audio. The person is facing away from the computer addressing someone off panel.]
:Person: Did you see the Cleverbot-Cleverbot chat?
:Computer: I am not a robot. I'm a unicorn.

:[The first person has wheeled away from the desk and is now seating in front of the second person.]
:Person 2: Yeah. It's hilarious, but it's just clumsily sampling a huge database of lines people have typed. Chatterbots still have a long way to go.

:[The panel shows a close-up of the first persons head and shoulders. They have a hand to their chin and appear to be contemplating the last remark.]
:Person 1: So... Computers have mastered playing chess and driving cars across the desert, but can't hold five minutes of normal conversation?
:Person 2 (off-screen): Pretty much.

:[The panel shows a wide view of both people again.]
:Person 1: Is it just me, or have we created a Burning Man attendee?

{{comic discussion}}

247: Factoring the Time

2012-09-24T06:29:52Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 247
| date = April 11, 2007
| title = Factoring the Time
| image = factoring_the_time.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I occasionally do this with mile markers on the highway.
}}

==Explanation==
The man on the desk is bored and so decides to prime factorize the time as shown on the clock. Annoyed, the man on the computer decides to switch the clock from 12-hour time (2:53 pm) to 24-hour time (14:23). This proves to be a much tougher job to factorize, as the time now shown is a four digit number rather than a three digit number.

==Transcript==
:[One man is sitting at a computer. Another man is sitting at a separate desk. There is a clock which reads 2:53]
:Man at desk: 253 is 11x23
:Man at computer: What?
:Man at desk: I'm factoring the time.
:Man at desk: I have nothing to do, so I'm trying to calculate the prime factors of the time each minute before it changes.
:Man at desk: It was easy when I started at 1:00, but with each hour the number gets bigger
:Man at desk: I wonder how long I can keep up.
:[Man at desk reaches back and touches the clock] <<beep>> [Clock now reads 14:53]
:Man at desk: Hey!
:Man at computer: Think fast.

{{comic discussion}}

824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)

2012-09-18T15:29:12Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 824
| date = September 24, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)
| image = guest_week_bill_amend_foxtrot.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Guest comic by Bill Amend of FoxTrot, an inspiration to all us nerdy-physics-majors-turned-cartoonists, of which there are an oddly large number.
}}

==Explanation==
Bill Amend draws for Randall in this special 'Guest Week' edition of xkcd. In it, the geeky boy from Foxtrot, Jason, asks to draw comics for Randall. When Randall refuses, he used the sudo command, used in Linux systems to perform an action as an administrator/power user to force Randall to agree. This is a reference to a very popular [http://xkcd.com/149 Make Me a Sandwich] xkcd, which is often referred to in pop culture.

Jason's artwork, a pseudo-xkcd, geeky, intelligent style comic, is shown in the lines below. The guy jokes that he is attracted to the girl because of all the girl's gravitational pull (i.e. she's fat). Next, Mr. Heisenberg cannot find his car keys because too much information about its momentum has made him impossible to find enough information about the key's position. This is a reference to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that effectively, you cannot know too much of both the momentum (mass and speed) and position of an object. Finnally, a geeky congressman, instead of saying 'aye', says 'i', which is the symbol for the square root of negative one, as seen in the comic. Not surprisingly, 'i' is pronounced as 'i'.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)

2012-09-18T15:28:39Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number = 824
| date = 2010-11-24 September 24, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)
| image = guest_week_bill_amend_foxtrot.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Guest comic by Bill Amend of FoxTrot, an inspiration to all us nerdy-physics-majors-turned-cartoonists, of which there are an oddly large number.
}}

==Explanation==
Bill Amend draws for Randall in this special 'Guest Week' edition of xkcd. In it, the geeky boy from Foxtrot, Jason, asks to draw comics for Randall. When Randall refuses, he used the sudo command, used in Linux systems to perform an action as an administrator/power user to force Randall to agree. This is a reference to a very popular [http://xkcd.com/149 Make Me a Sandwich] xkcd, which is often referred to in pop culture.

Jason's artwork, a pseudo-xkcd, geeky, intelligent style comic, is shown in the lines below. The guy jokes that he is attracted to the girl because of all the girl's gravitational pull (i.e. she's fat). Next, Mr. Heisenberg cannot find his car keys because too much information about its momentum has made him impossible to find enough information about the key's position. This is a reference to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that effectively, you cannot know too much of both the momentum (mass and speed) and position of an object. Finnally, a geeky congressman, instead of saying 'aye', says 'i', which is the symbol for the square root of negative one, as seen in the comic. Not surprisingly, 'i' is pronounced as 'i'.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)

2012-09-18T15:21:49Z

Hongsy:

{{comic
| number =
| date =
| title =
| image =
| imagesize =
| titletext =
}}

==Explanation==
Bill Amend draws for Randall in this special 'Guest Week' edition of xkcd. In it, the geeky boy from Foxtrot, Jason, asks to draw comics for Randall. When Randall refuses, he used the sudo command, used in Linux systems to perform an action as an administrator/power user to force Randall to agree. This is a reference to a very popular [http://xkcd.com/149 Make Me a Sandwich] xkcd, which is often referred to in pop culture.

Jason's artwork, a pseudo-xkcd, geeky, intelligent style comic, is shown in the lines below. The guy jokes that he is attracted to the girl because of all the girl's gravitational pull (i.e. she's fat). Next, Mr. Heisenberg cannot find his car keys because too much information about its momentum has made him impossible to find enough information about the key's position. This is a reference to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that effectively, you cannot know too much of both the momentum (mass and speed) and position of an object. Finnally, a geeky congressman, instead of saying 'aye', says 'i', which is the symbol for the square root of negative one, as seen in the comic. Not surprisingly, 'i' is pronounced as 'i'.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)

2012-09-18T15:19:46Z

Hongsy: created with own explanations.

{{comic
| number =
| date =
| title =
| image =
| imagesize =
| titletext =
}}

==Explanation==
Bill Amend draws for Randall in this special 'Guest Week' edition of xkcd. In it, the geeky boy from Foxtrot, Jason, asks to draw comics for Randall. When Randall refuses, he used the sudo command, used in Linux systems to perform an action as an administrator/power user to force Randall to agree. This is a reference to a very popular ([xkcd.com/149 Make Me a Sandwich] xkcd, which is often referred to in pop culture.

Jason's artwork, a pseudo-xkcd, geeky, intelligent style comic, is shown in the lines below. The guy jokes that he is attracted to the girl because of all the girl's gravitational pull (i.e. she's fat). Next, Mr. Heisenberg cannot find his car keys because too much information about its momentum has made him impossible to find enough information about the key's position. This is a reference to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that effectively, you cannot know too much of both the momentum (mass and speed) and position of an object. Finnally, a geeky congressman, instead of saying 'aye', says 'i', which is the symbol for the square root of negative one, as seen in the comic. Not surprisingly, 'i' is pronounced as 'i'.

==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}