explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1167: Star Trek into Darkness

2026-03-28T00:53:05Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: /* Trivia */ Adding information

{{comic
| number = 1167
| date = January 30, 2013
| title = Star Trek into Darkness
| image = star_trek_into_darkness.png
| titletext = Of course, factions immediately sprang up in favor of '~*~sTaR tReK iNtO dArKnEsS~*~', 'xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx', and 'Star Trek lnto Darkness' (that's a lowercase 'L').
}}

==Explanation==

The talk page of a Wikipedia article is used to discuss changes to the article. An {{w|Wikipedia:Edit warring|edit war}} is a dispute about a specific edit to an article, manifesting as a series of edits alternating between making and reverting the change, and usually accompanied by a more-or-less heated debate on the talk page.

Here, [[Randall]] is referring to a dispute on the Wikipedia article about ''{{w|Star Trek Into Darkness|Star Trek I(i)nto Darkness}}'' (an upcoming {{w|Star Trek}} film at the time of the comic's posting). On the day before the comic was published, the article name had a lowercase "into", and the talk page looked {{w|Special:Diff/535542349|like this}} (rounded off in a friendly way, with the posting of {{w|User:Frungi/Star Trek Into Darkness capitalization|a summary of the arguments}}, and an exchange of virtual hugs). In summary, the debate centers around whether "I(i)nto Darkness" should be treated as a prepositional phrase (as in "Star Trek[king] I(i)nto Darkness") or an unpunctuated subtitle (as in "Star Trek[:] Into Darkness"), whether compound prepositions like "into" should be capitalized in titles, and whether the capitalization of the title in the movie's official promotional material is relevant. The intensity and multiple facets of a debate over one tiny letter is apparently entertaining to Randall.

[[Cueball]] changes the title to "~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~" so that every other letter is capitalized, and the title as a whole is framed by tildes and asterisks (a common, but childish and ugly{{citation needed}} way of emphasizing titles online). This is a particularly silly compromise wherein the title is so obviously wrong, both sides will actually agree on something (that being how bad the compromise title is).

The title text indicates Randall's belief that such arguments are perpetual and will always arise. He suggests that the edit to the Wikipedia page will result in a dispute over variants of Cueballs [[:Category:Compromise|"compromise"]]. One new alternative has the letter cases switched (or shifted, depending on your perspective), one uses a different set of "bracketing" characters (xX_[...]_Xx instead of ~*~[...]~*~), and one uses the original title, but with a lowercase "L" instead of a capital "I" (which appear similar in many fonts).

Alternating-case text later caught on as [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob an internet meme] in 2017 (four years after this comic strip was published) for representing a mocking tone.

[[Megan|Megan's]] line of "They should have sent a poet." is a quote from the film ''{{w|Contact (1997 American film)|Contact}}''. The quote is also referenced in [[482: Height]]. In the movie, the line was meant to convey that only a poet could adequately capture the beauty seen; here, it indicates that prose is insufficient to capture the ironic beauty of the edit war.

The old "favorite edit war" might be the one referenced in the title text of [[878: Model Rail]] or the one resulting from the addition of the [[739: Malamanteau]] article to Wikipedia

==Transcript==
:[Cueball staring at computer screen.]
:Cueball: Oh, ''wow.'' Look at Wikipedia's Talk page for '''''Star Trek Into Darkness.''''' I have a new favorite edit war.
:Megan (off-panel): Oh?

:Cueball: Forty ''thousand'' words of debate over whether to capitalize "into" in the movie's title. Still no consensus.
:Megan: That's ''magnificent''.
:Cueball: It's breathtaking.
:Megan: They should have sent a poet.

:Cueball: Well, I'm making an executive decision. I hope both sides accept this as a fair compromise.

:[A Wikipedia page titled "''~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~''"]

==Trivia==
After the publication of the comic, the debate continued with full force, complete with {{w|Talk:Star Trek Into Darkness/Archive 5#xkcd Mention|a section of xkcd-inspired suggestions}}. The article itself was soon protected, so that only administrators could edit it. A day later, the title was changed to one including a capital "Into" by the administrator {{w|User:Mackensen|Mackensen}} (the debate continued on {{w|User talk:Mackensen/Archive20#Star Trek into Darkness move|his talk page}}). {{w|~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~}} was a valid redirect link to the movie's article for quite some time, having not been deleted when requested in {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2015 January 25#~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~|2015}}; it was eventually requested again, approved, and deleted in {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2016 May 23#~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~|2016}}.

{{w|The Independent}} published an article about the "[https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/trekkies-take-on-wikis-in-a-grammatical-tizzy-over-star-trek-into-darkness-8475705.html grammatical tizzy]", and the affair as a whole was added to Wikipedia's humorous list of the {{w|WP:Lamest edit wars|lamest edit wars}}.

The {{w|Wikipedia Star Trek Into Darkness debate|Wikipedia ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' debate}} later received a dedicated Wikipedia article covering it in {{w|Special:PermanentLink/1051350434|2021}}. In {{w|Wikipedia:Requests for page protection/Archive/2022/06#~*~StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs~*~ and ~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~|2022}}, ~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~ was again made a redirect, but this time to the "{{w|Wikipedia Star Trek Into Darkness debate#Reaction and aftermath|Reaction and aftermath}}" section on the article covering the debate.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Compromise]]
[[Category:CC-BY-SA comics]]

1704: Gnome Ann

2025-06-30T18:06:22Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Polishing

{{comic
| number = 1704
| date = July 8, 2016
| title = Gnome Ann
| image = gnome_ann.png
| titletext = President Andrew Johnson once said, "If I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet.".
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a series of images depicting a female {{w|gnome}} who is known as "Gnome Ann". The humor derives from the fact that the name "Gnome Ann" is a {{w|Mondegreen|mondegreen}} of the phrase "no man". (For clarification, "gnome" is pronounced as in the fantastical creature and not as in the Linux-based {{w|GNOME|Gnome desktop system}}.)

[[Randall]] presents the reader with six images (and a title text) captioned with quotations from a wide range of sources, each featuring an instance of the compound noun "no man" being replaced by "Gnome Ann" (and featuring a drawing that reflects this change). There is one proverb, two Biblical quotations, one literary quotation from {{w|Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes}}' ''{{w|Don Quixote}}'', one cinematic reference from the {{w|Lord of the Rings (film series)}} (the line {{w|Éowyn}} said to the {{w|Witch-king of Angmar}} before killing him), one quotation from the opening of a television show (''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}''), and a quotation from a piece of historical rhetoric in the title text.

===Table of quotes===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Modified quote'''
| '''Original quote'''
| '''Origin'''
| '''Explanation'''
|-
| "Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann."
| "Time and tide wait for no man."
| Proverb
| [[89: Gravitational Mass|Normally]], no one can influence time or tides. However, in this case, it would appear that Gnome Ann can stop time and tides. For the tide, it may be possible that "{{w|No Man Is an Island|(Gnome Ann) Is an Island}}."
|-
| "The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth."
| "The wicked flee when no man pursueth."
| Bible: [https://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-1.htm Proverbs 28:1]
| This biblical reference normally implies the wicked are a cowardly and/or paranoid lot, jumping at shadows and eager to flee at the mere pretense of danger or pursuit. However, in this case, it would imply that wicked people specifically run away from Gnome Ann.
|-
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder."
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
| Bible: [https://biblehub.com/mark/10-9.htm Mark 10:9]
| In the Bible, Jesus is asked about whether people should be allowed to divorce, and Jesus responds with this quote. It is known to appear in wedding vows, hence the fact that the man and woman in the panel are dressed for a wedding. However, in the comic, the quote becomes a command to Gnome Ann to break apart what God has joined.
|-
| "Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise."
| "Time ripens all things; no man is born wise."
| The novel {{w|Don Quixote}} by {{w|Miguel De Cervantes}}
| This states that nobody is wise to begin with, and it takes time to become wise. However, it now states that Gnome Ann is wise to begin with, suggesting she is not part of the order of things within time.
|-
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before."
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before."
| Intro at {{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}
| Originally, this was meant to emphasize that they would be exploring completely unexplored territory, which would be a potentially risky venture. However, in this case, it means that they will be following Gnome Ann, which is not exploration. Though depending on where Gnome Ann has gone, these may still be risky ventures: "{{w|Caesar and Cleopatra (play)|(Gnome Ann) goes to battle to be killed}}."
|-
| "Fool! No man can kill me."
"I am Gnome Ann!"
| "Fool! No man can kill me."
"I am no man!"
| {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)}}
| The Witch-king of Angmar was given a prophecy that he would never be bested in combat by the hand of man, and he boasted "no man" could kill him. Both in ''Lord of the Rings'' and this comic, he is defeated by a woman (in this case, Éowyn). Gnome Ann is simply that good. Note that in the Tolkien legendarium, a "Gnome" is an archaic name for the Noldor tribe of elves (e.g., Galadriel).
|-
| "If I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet."
| "If I am to be shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet."
| {{w|Andrew Johnson}}, 17th President of the United States
| '''Title text''': The intent of this statement originally was that Andrew Johnson would rather be killed than have somebody else be killed trying to save his life. However, in this case, it would appear that Andrew Johnson would prefer Gnome Ann to be shot instead of himself, perhaps because he knows that "{{w|Algernon Charles Swinburne|(Gnome Ann) lives forever}}."
|}

==Transcript==
:The <big>Legend</big> of <big>Gnome Ann</big>

:[At the beach, between a clock hanging in the air, showing 10 past 10 and the shoreline, Gnome Ann, a woman with curly hair and a black triangular hat, stands with her arms outstretched towards the clock and the sea. For each of the first five panels, a text is written within a frame above the drawings.]
:Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann.

:[Gnome Ann, running in from the left frame with her arms out, chases three Cueball-like men running from her towards the right. The one closest to her looks over his shoulder at her, the next runs forward "normally," and the last in front throws up his arms in the air.]
:The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth.
:-Proverbs 28:1

:[Gnome Ann takes the groom's place in a wedding, shoving him to the side. The groom, Hairy with a bow tie, falls while throwing his arms out. The bride stands to the left, in full wedding dress, showing no reaction.]
:What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder.
:-Mark 10:9

:[Gnome Ann sits in a yoga position meditating on a big rock in a desolate area with small stones on the ground around the big rock.]
:Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise.
:-Miguel De Cervantes

:[The starship Enterprise from Star Trek is seen from behind as it flies to the right, chasing a smaller craft. In this panel, the frame with text is shown to emanate from Enterprise with a zig-zag arrow pointing to the starship.]
:Enterprise: Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before.

:[The Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, from ''The Lord of the Rings'' sits on his knees (below the frame) to the left of Gnome Ann, who is preparing to stab him with a sword pointing at his head. She is also holding her other arm out towards him. The Witch-king has a black cloak covering his head and body, adorned with a kind of crown featuring six small spikes around his head and one large spike in front. It also falls over each side of his head, showing a gaping hole instead of a face. In this panel, the text is spoken by the two characters.]
:Witch-king: Fool! No man can kill me.
:Gnome Ann: '''''I Am Gnome Ann!'''''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Wedding]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
[[Category:Language]]

303: Compiling

2024-09-09T12:51:25Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Formatting

{{comic
| number = 303
| date = August 15, 2007
| title = Compiling
| image = compiling.png
| titletext = 'Are you stealing those LCDs?' 'Yeah, but I'm doing it while my code compiles.'
}}

==Explanation==
Computer programming involves writing instructions for a computer to follow, in a specific {{w|programming language}}, which is largely human readable and writable, at least to programmers who understand that language. However, for the computers to follow instructions, they need to be given {{w|machine code}} — the actual "language" that computers "speak" and one that ''can'' be written directly with the correct tools, but would be too tedious and error-prone for just about any practical modern project where alternatives exist, where anything more than a {{w|"Hello, World!" program|Hello World}} could be awkward to implement straight into machine-code.

Conversion from the more conveniently human-writable code into computer-{{w|executable}} files is performed by {{w|Assembly language#Assembler|assemblers}}, {{w|Interpreter (computing)|interpreters}}, or {{w|compilers}}.

Programs can be written in {{w|Assembly language|assembly code}}, which is basically just a set of mnemonics that make machine code much easier for a human to remember and correctly parse; the human-written assembly code is then run through a simple assembler to convert it directly into machine code. Assembly coding is necessary whenever one is programming for a completely new architecture (one for which no other tools yet exist), and is still used in some other situations (as it allows the code to be optimized more closely for the system on which it is to run than is possible with other types of coding), but is still fairly tedious and error-prone, and assembly code needs to be completely rewritten if one wants to port it to a computer with a different architecture.

An interpreter (e.g. that for {{w|PHP}} for one example) generally reads through the code, or script, each line at a time as and when required, and has to do a lot of work with various processing overheads and the risk of hitting an invalid instruction or mistake in syntax that it can't handle. It also requires that a relevant version of the interpreter exist on any machine that has to run the script and perhaps some additional knowledge by the end-user.

For widely distributed (and especially commercial) programs, some form of compilation will instead be used. Compiling may have just one computer system read through the human-written code and (barring errors) produces the equivalent stand-alone and direct machine-readable code, suitable for a given range of computers. This process might involve several passes to check for 'obvious' errors in the code, as well as converting some programming concepts that are easiest for humans to understand into equivalent concepts that may be far easier for the computer to work with.

As such, compiling takes a certain amount of time at the time of production. Normally, this takes a few seconds, but, depending on the size of the project and the power of the computer doing the compilation, the time required to compile a program may measure in minutes, or even hours. As of 2015, the {{w|Linux Kernel}} contains over 19 million lines of code, arguably a massive job for any compiler, but if done correctly, it saves time for all the people who will ultimately be using its output.

Thus, when Cueball is caught wasting time at work, he argues that such activities are not worse than any other possible ones, at this moment. If his job is writing code and compiling it, then there may be nothing else that he ''can'' do right now. He cannot usefully tweak the code before it finishes compiling and the expected result checked.

The title text takes this a step further. Cueball claims that ''all'' activities are equally benign while the code is compiling — and that includes committing illegal acts, such as stealing {{w|LCD}}s.

Nine years after this comic was released, [[Randall]] made a comic called [[1755: Old Days]] about how compiling worked in the old days. It was Cueball who asked. The next comic after that, [[1756: I'm With Her]], was released the Monday before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}}. And in that comic, a Cueball with a sword on an office chair like in this comic is featured. It seems realistic that Randall had that politically loaded comic ready for some time, and when finding and deciding to use this old version of Cueball, he may have been inspired by the compiling theme to make Old Days.

Nearly seventeen years after, it seems that the Quality Assurance department had possibly appropriated a whole day of 'enforced downtime' for [[2928: Software Testing Day]]. Assuming that the arranged testing goes as planned.

Soon after, many computer users had another day off due to a glitch in [[CrowdStrike]] that causes early-boot BSODs.

==Transcript==
:The #1 Programmer Excuse for Legitimately Slacking Off: "My code's compiling."
:[Two programmers are sword-fighting on office chairs in a hallway. An unseen manager calls them back to work through an open office door.]
:Manager: Hey! Get back to work!
:Cueball: Compiling!
:Manager: Oh. Carry on.

==Trivia==
This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215135852/https://store.xkcd.com/products/compiling available as a T-shirt] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20220125023401/https://store.xkcd.com/products/signed-prints as a signed print] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

285: Wikipedian Protester

2024-01-24T22:42:02Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Internal link

{{comic
| number = 285
| date = July 4, 2007
| title = Wikipedian Protester
| image = wikipedian_protester.png
| titletext = SEMI-PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] holds up a sign reading "[Citation needed]" during a political speech. The sign text is based on the {{w|Wikipedia:Citation needed|Wikipedia template}} that can be placed next to statements that need citations, (that look like this[citation needed]) usually because of questionable validity. Cueball is using this template to challenge the politician's speech, as political speakers often throw out claims having dubious or no factual basis. This comic was posted on Independence Day in 2007.

The title text represents an alternative sign the protester could be holding. It is a pun on popular phrase "protect the Constitution", which urges politicians to pass and enforce laws in a way that preserves the rules and rights set down by the {{w|Constitution of the United States|U.S. constitution}}. "Semi-protect" is a reference to the {{w|Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|Wikipedia semi-protection policy}}, which is used to prevent important articles from being edited anonymously or by new users. Semi-protection on an article is shown by displaying this lock [[File:semi-protection-lock.png|12px]] on the top right of an article. Constitutional amendments are proposed by Congress, which isn't anonymous, meaning that in effect, all articles of the Constitution are technically already semi-protected. Funnily enough, the "{{w|Constitution}}" and "{{w|Constitution of the United States}}" articles on Wikipedia are now semi-protected due to excessive vandalism.

==Transcript==
:[A man with dark flat hair is standing at a podium. He is speaking to a crowd while standing behind a lectern. The lectern has a microphone on the top and sports an American flag in color on the side. He holds an arm on the lectern and the other arm is held up in front of him with a finger pointing upwards. There are four red stars on the side of the podium below him and behind him something that could be high curtains. There is an empty gap between the podium and the first people in the crowd followed by a stick with a red top, which indicates a fence to keep the crowd at a distance from the podium. After the fence there is a large crowd of people listening, most of them only partly drawn, only a few has hair. Three signs can be seen above the heads of the crowd, but they are all empty white signs. Except in the middle of the crowd, where Cueball has been raised above the rest of the crowd. He is holding a large sign up over his head in both hands. The sign has a blue text in black square brackets:]
:<big>[Citation needed]</big>

==Trivia==
* The ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' blog and this wiki use the {{Template|Citation needed}} template as a joke after statements that are blatantly obvious. For example, "The light from the Sun illuminates the Earth.{{Citation needed}}". On this wiki, the template has been used in [[:Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template|{{PAGESINCAT:Pages using the "citation needed" template}} pages]] and and clicking on it leads to this comic's explanation.
* Randall {{w|User_talk:Xkcd#http://xkcd.com/c285.html|re-licensed this comic}} under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ the CC-BY 2.5 license] so that it could be {{w|File:Webcomic xkcd - Wikipedian protester.png|used on Wikipedia}}. By default, xkcd comics are licensed under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ CC-BY-NC 2.5], which is considered too restrictive for Wikimedia content. On Wikipedia, this comic was featured as the {{w|Template:POTD/2018-11-23|picture of the day}} on November 23, 2018 and is used in the "{{w|Citation needed}}" article, the "{{w|Wikipedia:Citation needed}}" information page, and the "{{w|Wikipedia:Why Wikipedia cannot claim the Earth is not flat}}" essay.
* The template in this comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215010112/https://store.xkcd.com/products/citation-needed-sticker-pack available as a sticker pack] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].
* xkcd fans have made [https://blog.xkcd.com/2007/10/01/the-meetup/comment-page-2/#:~:text=There%20were%20several%20gallant%20protesters%20insisting%20that%20all%20assertions%20be%20fully%20backed%2Dup. "Citation needed" signs in real life] as a joke.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CC-BY-SA comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

User:IdiosyncraticLawyer

2023-09-21T01:32:05Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: New information

==Add a title. Stay safe; stay well.==
I registered my Explain xkcd account on 2022-01-10 at 19:59 and confirmed my email on 2022-01-11 at 02:52. I first became autoconfirmed on 2022-01-13 at 19:59 but subsequently lost such status due to raised standards until I regained autoconfirmed status on 2023-09-21 at 01:29.

179: e to the pi times i

2023-09-21T01:29:57Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 179
| date = November 3, 2006
| title = e to the pi times i
| image = e_to_the_pi_times_i.png
| titletext = I have never been totally satisfied by the explanations for why e to the ix gives a sinusoidal wave.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic largely references {{w|Euler's identity}}. This identity states that eiπ + 1 = 0. Therefore, eiπ = −1.

The humor from this comic is because of the seemingly arbitrary relationship between e, π, and the identity of i (the square root of −1). e is the mathematical identity of which the derivative of ex with respect to x is still ex, while π is the relationship between the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. Taking these two values and applying them to the value of i in such a manner makes it seem counter-intuitive that it would yield −1 from basic analysis. The above linked Wikipedia page goes into good detail of how to derive this identity, as does [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dhHrg-KbJ0 this YouTube video].

The title text refers to how Euler's identity is called upon in complex form (separating real and imaginary numbers): eix = cos(x) + i sin(x).

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueballs are standing at a board with writing on. One Cueball is pointing at the board.]
:Cueball: Numbers of the form n√-1 are "imaginary," but can still be used in equations.
:Friend: Okay.
:Cueball: And e^(π√-1)=-1.
:Friend: Now you're just fucking with me.

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

2003: Presidential Succession

2023-09-21T01:29:14Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2003
| date = June 6, 2018
| title = Presidential Succession
| image = presidential_succession.png
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. The {{w|Presidential Succession Act#Presidential Succession Act of 1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This Act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, the Act names two members of Congress as successors. There are fundamental questions as to whether this violates the principle of Separation of Powers. The second issue is that the Act allows for anyone skipped over for succession to later assume the office if circumstances change to allow them to hold it. This would mean that the person in question could effectively unseat a sitting President, which raises serious constitutional issues.

There are also practical concerns regarding the Act. The line of succession includes all members of the Cabinet in the order that their department was established, with the oldest departments first. No consideration is given to which departments would be most relevant to the Presidency, particularly considering that this type of succession would presumably involve a serious crisis, which the new president would need to be able to address immediately. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the security and protection of the United States and its citizens and would probably already be privy to sensitive intelligence and briefings related to national security, but because it is the latest of the Departments to have been established (in 2003), the Secretary of Homeland Security is last in the current Presidential line of succession, behind Secretaries in much less sensitive roles, such as those of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Education. Another concern is that, by including members of Congress immediately after the Vice President, there is a serious risk that the simultaneous death of the President and Vice President could cause the Presidency to change to the opposing party, which could lead to serious political instability at the precise moment when the country is facing a national crisis. It even presents the possibility that simultaneous assassinations of the President and Vice President could function as an effective coup, shifting power to their opponents.

Finally, there is the issue that, usually, everyone in the line of succession lives and works in Washington D.C. Hence, a sufficiently destructive attack or natural disaster impacting the city could realistically incapacitate all of them, leaving the USA leaderless at a time of extreme crisis. It is already established practice in the USA that everyone in this line not gather together at once. In cases where most senior government officials gather (such as the {{w| State of the Union}}), at least one member of the line of succession (referred to as the "designated survivor") is secured off-site, and would assume the presidency in the unlikely event that a {{w| mass casualty event}} were to kill or incapacitate everyone else in the line. However, disasters impacting an entire city remain a possibility, and no provision is made for them in current law.

To correct these issues, a think tank known as the {{w| Continuity of Government Commission}} prepared a report recommending a new line of succession, which would not include members of Congress, would reorder the cabinet secretaries so that the most suitable roles would be the first successors, and would include people who do not live or work in Washington DC. The full text of their report can be found [https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf here]. A short, readable summary, including the report's recommended new line of succession, is [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission here].

The first six members of the commission's list are taken from the current line of succession, though the order is changed; they propose that after this, five new people should be appointed specifically for the purpose of assuming the presidency, if needed. Randall's list begins with these eleven people (combining the five new appointees into #7); afterwards, his list becomes increasingly comical and ridiculous.

Randall's list omits members of Congress, as well as other cabinet positions, in accordance with the report's concerns about constitutionality and qualifications. However, his other additions totally ignore these issues, including people with no apparent qualifications for the office (such as actors, athletes, and competitive eaters) and people who are constitutionally ineligible for the office. The US Constitution requires that the President of the United States must be a natural-born US citizen, at least 35 years of age, and have resided in the US for at least fourteen years. Randall's list includes many people who don't meet these requirements. Most notably, he includes the entire succession to the British crown, almost none of whom meet the requirement of being natural-born citizens of the United States.

It may be expected that many of the athletes, musicians and actors on this list are likely to be ineligible as well. Most professional athletes in the relevant sports are under 35 years old, particularly those at the peak of their careers (when they'd likely win MVP awards), the most popular musicians also tend to be younger than 35, and many who meet these requirements were not born US citizens (and some many not even reside in the US). However, the existing line of succession can also contain ineligible people, who would simply be skipped over for succession. For example, at the comic's publication, {{w|Elaine Chao}} was the Secretary of Transportation and would normally be 14th in line, but because she is a naturalized citizen of the US, rather than native-born (she was born in Taiwan) she would not qualify for the office if the line came to her. The presidential line of succession was first mentioned in [[1933: Santa Facts]]

The title text mentions that ties will be broken by whoever was closest to the surface of {{w|Europa}} when they were born. Europa is a moon of Jupiter and one of the most likely locations in the Solar System for {{w|Habitability of natural satellites|potential habitability}}. This is likely a parody of systems in which ties are broken by semi-arbitrary rules (such as the older candidate automatically winning a tie) or a randomized ones (such as ties being decided by a coin flip). The position of Europa with respect to Earth at the time of one's birth depends on enough factors that it acts as a pseudo-random tie breaker, albeit a needlessly complicated one.

==Order of succession==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!#
!Randall's order
!Current order by the 1947 Act
!Notes
|-
|1
|{{w|POTUS|President}}
|President
|Not generally considered part of the line of succession, as incumbents cannot "succeed" to their own post. (This should really be item 0 on the list.)
|-
|2
|{{w|POTUS|Vice president}}
|Vice president
|This is the same as in the actual line of succession. Succeeding the President is one of the only two roles assigned to the Vice President by the Constitution, the other being presiding over the Senate (including breaking ties), but Vice Presidents are often given additional roles during office.
|-
|3
|{{w|United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State}}
|Speaker of the House of Representatives
|Moved up from 5th position. This is likely a serious suggestion. As mentioned above, the existing Succession Act includes the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, which presents serious practical and constitutional issues. The Secretary of State is the chief officer responsible for the country's international relations and diplomatic missions, and would be a logical successor, particularly in times of crisis.
|-
|4
|{{w|United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense}}
|{{w|President pro tempore of the United States Senate|President pro tempore of the Senate}}
|Moved up from 7th position. Also likely a serious suggestion. The existing succession places the Secretary of Defense behind the Secretary of the Treasury in succession. If the three preceding officials were simultaneously killed or incapacitated, there would be a high likelihood that the country was under attack, and other powers could easily try to take advantage of any power vacuum. Since the Secretary of Defense is most connected to the nation's military, and most in tune with information regarding potential threats and risks, this would be a logical succession.
|-
|5
|{{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security|Secretary of Homeland Security}}
|Secretary of State
|Moved up from 19th position. Again likely a serious suggestion. As with the Secretary of Defense, this officer would likely be closely aligned with the national emergency response infrastructure (including overseeing the {{w|Federal Emergency Management Agency}}), and would be well equipped to deal with a major attack or natural disaster.
|-
|6
|{{w|United States Attorney General|Attorney General}}
|{{w|United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury}}
|Moved up from 8th position. Once again, likely a serious suggestion. The Attorney General oversees national law enforcement, and would be in a position to deal with internal chaos that could result from a disaster that impacted the federal government so deeply.
|-
|7
|Five people who do not live in {{w|Washington, D.C.}}, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate
|Secretary of Defense
|Washington, D.C is the capital of the United States, and is where the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence, is located. Presumably this provision covers the case where much of the government, including positions 1–6 here, are killed by a natural disaster or attack in Washington, D.C.

This suggestion establishes no qualifications for these people, but the fact that they'd need to be confirmed by the Senate suggests that they would be chosen to be competent for the role. It is also unclear if an order is determined among these five or if they take up a joint presidency. This suggestion is taken from the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission to prevent the danger of the entire line of succession being removed in a single event.
|-
|8
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}
|Attorney General
|Academy Award-winning American actor. This is the first unambiguously unserious suggestion.{{Citation needed}} Tom Hanks is very popular and considered exceptionally likeable by many Americans, but has never served in public office or displayed any particular affinity for politics. The implication is that Mr. Hanks would be easily accepted as a leader, based solely on his personal charm. It should also be noticed that Tom Hanks played Jim Lovell, who served in the navy before becoming an astronaut (Many early astronauts were former military members.), in ''Apollo 13'', a military captain in ''Saving Private Ryan'', a prison officer in ''The Green Mile'', a naval intelligence officer in ''James B. Donovan'', and a member of the House of Representatives in ''Charlie Wilson's War''; if Tom Hanks's appearances in movies counted as real-life experience, then he would be adequately qualified.
|-
|9
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
|{{w|United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior}}
|Also taken from Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission. At the time of publication, the last {{w|United States Census}} was the 2010 Census. As California is the most populous state, its Governor ({{w|Jerry Brown}} at the time of publication) would have been first in line.

See also the {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|state population rankings}} and the {{w|list of current United States governors}}. As worded, this criterion would exclude territorial governors (and the Mayor of Washington, D.C.).
|-
|10
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
|{{w|United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture}}
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the time of publication, the only Oscar awarded for playing a governor was {{w|Broderick Crawford}}'s 1949 Best Actor award for the fictional Willie Stark in ''{{w|All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men}}'' (a character based on {{w|Huey Long}}). However, Crawford died in 1986, so would be unable to serve as President.

This may be a reference to the {{w|Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger}}: a highly-lauded actor who became governor of California, but did not win an Oscar or play a governor before being elected. (As a naturalized citizen, he is also ineligible for the Presidency.)
There is also humor in suggesting that playing a governor delivers just as much experience as being a governor. (Something similar was mentioned in the section about Tom Hanks, who played, among other things, a member of the House of Representatives.)
|-
|11
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
|{{w|United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce}}
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar. Notwithstanding the nature of the award, at the time of publication, no recipient of a Governors Award has played a character named Oscar.

Obviously, the joke is that changing the order of the words from the previous proposal produces something that could actually exist.
|-
|12
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available
|Secretary of Labor
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions. She has recently done impersonations of members of the Trump administration including Spokeswoman {{w|Kellyanne Conway}} and Attorney General {{w|Jeff Sessions}}. She also played {{w|Hillary Clinton}} during the 2016 campaign and presumably would have played her when she was President had she won; but since Clinton lost, McKinnon has not actually played a President. At the time the comic was released, she was 34 years 5 months old; thus she was not "available" until seven months later. Being available could also refer to not already having an acting commitment, in which case the comic would be humorously implying that fulfilling her acting roles is more important than the country having leadership.
|-
|13
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
|Secretary of Health and Human Services
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. The weekly data is aggregated into a cumulative {{w|Billboard Year-End}} (based on a "year" that ends the third week of November, in order to meet December publication deadlines). At the time of publication, the most recent such list was the {{w|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017}}.

Based on that list, the artists considered for the presidential succession would be: {{w|Ed Sheeran}}, {{w|Luis Fonsi}}, {{w|Bruno Mars}}, {{w|Kendrick Lamar}}, Alex Pall (of {{w|The Chainsmokers}}), {{w|Quavo|Quavoius Keyate Marshall}} (of {{w|Migos}}), {{w|Sam Hunt}}, {{w|Dan Reynolds}} (of {{w|Imagine Dragons}}), and {{w|Post Malone}}. There are only nine names instead of ten because The Chainsmokers had two of the top 10 singles in 2017. Of these, only Luis Fonsi (40 years old, born in Puerto Rico) was legally eligible for the office; all the others were too young, and Sheeran is additionally from the United Kingdom.
|-
|14
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
|Astronauts are highly respected and rigorously selected, but most have little involvement in politics. According to [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-station-astronaut-record-holders NASA], the top 5 US astronauts by cumulative space time at the time of publication were: {{w|Peggy Whitson}}, {{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}, {{W|Scott Kelly (astronaut)|Scott Kelly}} (whose brother {{w|Mark Kelley (astronaut)|Mark}} is a sitting US Senator), {{w|Mike Fincke}}, and {{w|Mike Foale}}. However, it is unclear whether Foale would qualify as a natural-born citizen, as he was born in the United Kingdom to a British father and American mother.
|-
|15
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
|Secretary of Transportation
|As of the time of publication, Serena Williams was a top female tennis player. She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. At the time of publication Serena Williams did win her most recent match (2018 French Open, third round, on June 2nd), although she withdrew from her next match against Maria Sharapova (which perhaps should count as a loss, especially if she withdrew in order to preserve her place in the line of succession and killed everyone in place ahead of her).

If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, presumably she would be skipped over in line although this is not explicitly stated (the current succession list skips over anyone who would not normally qualify for not being a natural-born US citizen).
|-
|16
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
|Secretary of Energy
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL). We're assuming that Randall meant the regular season MVPs of each league, as each league also awards MVPs for their respective championships (or in the case of the NHL's {{w|Conn Smythe Trophy}}, their entire playoffs).

As of the time of publication, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports were {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL). Of these, only Brady would qualify for the list - Altuve and McDavid are Venezuelan and Canadian citizens respectively, and Westbrook (29) and Stanton (28) were too young.
|-
|17
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture
|Secretary of Education
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''.

Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant regardless of gender receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which males come before females in the order of the throne, whether the males were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.

At the time of publication, Pullman's immediate descendants consisted of three children, with Maesa Pullman being the oldest at age 29. Thus all but Bill Pullman himself were too young for the presidency.
|-
|18
|The entire line of succession to the British throne
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs
|According to the Constitution, only a natural-born citizen of the United States can become President, which means that at least most of the line of succession to the British throne is ineligible. However, it is possible that someone in the line of succession to the British throne either is a dual citizen or is not British (a person from outside of Britain or Ireland can become King; for example, some, including George I, were from what is now Germany).

The first 59 names on the list are {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}}. [https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/?date=2018-06-06 British Line of Succession on 6 June 2018] shows the list as it was at the comic's publication. American citizens [http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-11/news/vw-42233_1_royal-house have, at times] been on the list, but no natural-born Americans were on the list when the comic was published. However, after this comic was published {{w|Archie Mountbatten-Windsor}} was born on May 6, 2019; he is currently seventh in the line of succession to the British throne and has US citizenship through his mother {{w|Meghan, Duchess of Sussex}}. As with Mark Foale, though, whether that qualifies as natural-born has not be tested (leaving aside his age and the fact that many royals in his position have historically relinquished their birthright US citizenship voluntarily, which he may choose to do once he reaches age 16). In theory, the full British succession list includes [http://www.wargs.com/essays/succession/2011.html several thousand people] (living descendants of {{w|Sophia of Hanover}} who are not Roman Catholic or otherwise disqualified), and it is possible that one or more such people would also be eligible to be President of the United States beyond Master Archie. Archie's sister Lillibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in Santa Barbara, California, USA, on June 4, 2021, making her definitively a natural born US citizen, and thus, theoretically eligible to become US president upon turning 35.

The humor here derives from the fact that the United States was established by declaring independence from the United Kingdom, with rejection of the British monarchy being a basic founding principle, and a core principle of US governance. To appoint the British monarchy to the American presidency would contradict the basic goals of American independence. Alternatively, it may reference the recent wedding of {{w|Prince Harry}} to {{w|Meghan Markle}}, although she is not in the order of succession. A similar sequence of events was the plotline of the comedy film ''{{w|King Ralph}}'', which saw an American become the British monarch after the death of the royal family.
|-
|19
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
|Secretary of Homeland Security
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publication, the most recent men's winner was {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner was {{w|Miki Sudo}}. At the time of publication, neither was old enough to assume the office.

The comic does not specify whether the men's or women's winner should take office, creating a tie that would be broken by distance from Europa at birth. Had they both been eligible, [https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/29132/was-earth-closer-to-europa-on-1983-11-25-or-1985-07-22 Sudo would have won] by between 0.125 and 2.2 {{w|Astronomical unit}}s.
|-
|20
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament
|''None''
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29) which would be enough to cover the entire US population (estimated at around 325 million at time of publication), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.

This is probably a reference to the {{w|Matter of Britain}} (e.g., {{w|The Sword in the Stone (film)|The Sword in the Stone}}), where, after the death of Uther Pendragon, with no known successor to the throne of Britain (some versions of the legend refer incorrectly to England) for years, it is decided that the winner of a jousting tournament shall be crowned. However, Arthur, the Wart, pulls the Sword from the Stone.
|}

===List of specific individuals===
Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, including only people who are otherwise eligible to be the President of United States (35 year old and natural born US citizens who lived in US for last 14 years) '''as of the date the comic was published'''.
#[[Donald Trump]] ({{w|President of the United States}})
#{{w|Mike Pence}} ({{w|Vice President of the United States}})
#{{w|Mike Pompeo}} ({{w|United States Secretary of State}})
#{{w|Jim Mattis}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Defense}})
#{{w|Kirstjen Nielsen}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}})
#{{w|Jeff Sessions}} ({{w|United States Attorney General}}) As Donald Trump did not appoint anyone to fill position #7 on Randall's line of succession, Hanks immediately follows after Sessions.
#{{w|Tom Hanks}} (Tom Hanks)
#{{w|Jerry Brown}} (Governor of California)
#{{w|Greg Abbott}} (Governor of Texas)
#{{w|Andrew Cuomo}} (Governor of New York)
#{{w|Rick Scott}} (Governor of Florida)
#{{w|Bruce Rauner}} (Governor of Illinois)
#{{w|Tom Wolf}} (Governor of Pennsylvania)
#{{w|John Kasich}} (Governor of Ohio)
#{{w|Rick Snyder}} (Governor of Michigan)
#{{w|Nathan Deal}} (Governor of Georgia)
#{{w|Roy Cooper}} (Governor of North Carolina)
#{{w|Phil Murphy}} (Governor of New Jersey)
#{{w|Ralph Northam}} (Governor of Virginia)
#{{w|Jay Inslee}} (Governor of Washington)
#{{w|Charlie Baker}} (Governor of Massachusetts)
#{{w|Eric Holcomb}} (Governor of Indiana)
#{{w|Doug Ducey}} (Governor of Arizona)
#{{w|Bill Haslam}} (Governor of Tennessee)
#{{w|Mike Parson}} (Governor of Missouri)
#{{w|Larry Hogan}} (Governor of Maryland)
#{{w|Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker}} (Governor of Wisconsin)
#{{w|Mark Dayton}} (Governor of Minnesota)
#{{w|John Hickenlooper}} (Governor of Colorado)
#{{w|Kay Ivey}} (Governor of Alabama)
#{{w|Henry McMaster}} (Governor of South Carolina)
#{{w|John Bel Edwards}} (Governor of Louisiana)
#{{w|Matt Bevin}} (Governor of Kentucky)
#{{w|Kate Brown}} (Governor of Oregon) Born in Spain to a member of the US Air Force, should be considered a natural-born citizen until proven otherwise.
#{{w|Mary Fallin}} (Governor of Oklahoma)
#{{w|Dannel Malloy}} (Governor of Connecticut)
#{{w|Kim Reynolds}} (Governor of Iowa)
#{{w|Phil Bryant}} (Governor of Mississippi)
#{{w|Asa Hutchinson}} (Governor of Arkansas)
#{{w|Jeff Colyer}} (Governor of Kansas)
#{{w|Gary Herbert}} (Governor of Utah)
#{{w|Brian Sandoval}} (Governor of Nevada)
#{{w|Susana Martinez}} (Governor of New Mexico)
#{{w|Jim Justice}} (Governor of West Virginia)
#{{w|Pete Ricketts}} (Governor of Nebraska)
#{{w|Butch Otter}} (Governor of Idaho)
#{{w|David Ige}} (Governor of Hawaii)
#{{w|Paul LePage}} (Governor of Maine)
#{{w|Chris Sununu}} (Governor of New Hampshire)
#{{w|Gina Raimondo}} (Governor of Rhode Island)
#{{w|Steve Bullock (American politician)|Steve Bullock}} (Governor of Montana)
#{{w|John Carney (politician)|John Carney}} (Governor of Delaware)
#{{w|Dennis Daugaard}} (Governor of South Dakota)
#{{w|Bill Walker (U.S. politician)|Bill Walker}} (Governor of Alaska)
#{{w|Doug Burgum}} (Governor of North Dakota)
#{{w|Phil Scott (politician)|Phil Scott}} (Governor of Vermont)
#{{w|Matt Mead}} (Governor of Wyoming) Entries 10 and 11 on Randall's list have no eligible living members. Kate McKinnon was only 34 years 5 months old at the time the comic was released, making her unavailable.
#{{w|Luis Fonsi}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017, #2 artist) Fonsi is the only eligible individual under the Billboard criterion.
#{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 665 days in space)
#{{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}} (Astronaut, 534 days in space)
#{{w|Scott Kelly}} (Astronaut, 520 days in space)
#{{w|Mike Fincke}} (Astronaut, 382 days in space)
#{{w|Mike Foale}} (Astronaut, 374 days in space) Foale was born in the UK but his mother is an American, and he holds dual citizenship with both countries. It isn't clear legally whether this situation would qualify him as being a "natural-born" citizen as US courts have never definitively ruled on what the term means, so similar to Governor Kate Brown his name is included in the list until further notice.
#{{w|Serena Williams}} Serena's place on this list assumes that you do not count her withdrawal against Maria Sharapova as a ''loss''; if that counts as a loss, then subsequent entries move up one position (as Sharapova is ineligible).
#{{w|Tom Brady}} ({{w|National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP}}) The MVPs of all other listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office due to age or nationality.
#{{w|Bill Pullman}} (Bill Pullman) None of his children are old enough to become President at this time.
#''line of succession to the British throne'' Assumes that no eligible member of the British order of succession exists due to citizenship issues. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating champions were too young to hold the office.
#''everyone else'' (Jousting tournament)

Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, including only people who are otherwise eligible to be the President of United States (35 year old and natural born US citizens who lived in US for last 14 years) '''as of the current date'''. (Last updated on 27 January 2023)
#[[Joe Biden]]  ({{w|President of the United States}})
#{{w|Kamala Harris}} ({{w|Vice President of the United States}})
#{{w|Antony Blinken}} ({{w|United States Secretary of State}})
#{{w|Lloyd Austin}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Defense}})
#{{w|Alejandro Mayorkas}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}})
#{{w|Merrick Garland}} ({{w|United States Attorney General}}) As Joe Biden did not appoint anyone to fill position #7 on Randall's line of succession, Hanks immediately follows after Garland.
#{{w|Tom Hanks}} (Tom Hanks)
#{{w|Gavin Newsom}} (Governor of California)
#{{w|Greg Abbott}} (Governor of Texas)
#{{w|Ron DeSantis}} (Governor of Florida)
#{{w|Kathy Hochul}} (Governor of New York)
#{{w|Tom Wolf}} (Governor of Pennsylvania)
#{{w|J. B. Pritzker}} (Governor of Illinois)
#{{w|Mike DeWine}} (Governor of Ohio)
#{{w|Brian Kemp}} (Governor of Georgia)
#{{w|Roy Cooper}} (Governor of North Carolina)
#{{w|Gretchen Whitmer}} (Governor of Michigan)
#{{w|Phil Murphy}} (Governor of New Jersey)
#{{w|Glenn Youngkin}} (Governor of Virginia)
#{{w|Jay Inslee}} (Governor of Washington)
#{{w|Katie Hobbs}} (Governor of Arizona)
#{{w|Maura Healey}} (Governor of Massachusetts)
#{{w|Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)|Bill Lee}} (Governor of Tennessee)
#{{w|Eric Holcomb}} (Governor of Indiana)
#{{w|Wes Moore}} (Governor of Maryland)
#{{w|Mike Parson}} (Governor of Missouri)
#{{w|Tony Evers}} (Governor of Wisconsin)
#{{w|Jared Polis}} (Governor of Colorado)
#{{w|Tim Walz}} (Governor of Minnesota)
#{{w|Henry McMaster}} (Governor of South Carolina)
#{{w|Kay Ivey}} (Governor of Alabama)
#{{w|John Bel Edwards}} (Governor of Louisiana)
#{{w|Andy Beshear}} (Governor of Kentucky)
#{{w|Tina Kotek}} (Governor of Oregon)
#{{w|Kevin Stitt}} (Governor of Oklahoma)
#{{w|Ned Lamont}} (Governor of Connecticut)
#{{w|Spencer Cox (politician)|Spencer Cox}} (Governor of Utah)
#{{w|Kim Reynolds}} (Governor of Iowa)
#{{w|Joe Lombardo}} (Governor of Nevada)
#{{w|Sarah Huckabee Sanders}} (Governor of Arkansas)
#{{w|Tate Reeves}} (Governor of Mississippi)
#{{w|Laura Kelly}} (Governor of Kansas)
#{{w|Michelle Lujan Grisham}} (Governor of New Mexico)
#{{w|Jim Pillen}} (Governor of Nebraska)
#{{w|Brad Little}} (Governor of Idaho)
#{{w|Jim Justice}} (Governor of West Virginia)
#{{w|Josh Green}} (Governor of Hawaii)
#{{w|Chris Sununu}} (Governor of New Hampshire)
#{{w|Janet Mills}} (Governor of Maine)
#{{w|Dan McKee}} (Governor of Rhode Island)
#{{w|Greg Gianforte}} (Governor of Montana)
#{{w|John Carney (politician)|John Carney}} (Governor of Delaware)
#{{w|Kristi Noem}} (Governor of South Dakota)
#{{w|Doug Burgum}} (Governor of North Dakota)
#{{w|Mike Dunleavy (politician)|Mike Dunleavy}} (Governor of Alaska)
#{{w|Phil Scott (politician)|Phil Scott}} (Governor of Vermont)
#{{w|Mark Gordon (politician)|Mark Gordon}} (Governor of Wyoming)
#{{w|Kate McKinnon}} (Kate McKinnon) If she is available. Entries 10, 11 and 13 on Randall's list have no eligible living members.
#{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 665 days in space)
#{{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}} (Astronaut, 534 days in space)
#{{w|Mark Vande Hei}} (Astronaut, 523 days in space)
#{{w|Scott Kelly}} (Astronaut, 520 days in space)
#{{w|Shane Kimbrough}} (Astronaut, 388 days in space)
#{{w|Bill Pullman}} (Bill Pullman) None of Bill Pullman's children are old enough to become President at this time. {{w|Serena Williams}} lost the final match of her career against {{w|Ajla Tomljanović}}, who is ineligible due to age and nationality.
#{{w|Aaron Rodgers}} ({{w|National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP}})
#{{w|Paul GoldSchmidt}} ({{w|Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|NL MVP}}) The MVPs of all other listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office due to age or nationality.
#''line of succession to the British throne''
#{{w|Miki Sudo}} (Women’s champion of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest; listed first due to being closer to Europa at birth)
#{{w|Joey Chestnut}} (Men's champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest)
#''everyone else'' (Jousting tournament) Assumes that the number of eligible US Citizens does not exceed 536,870,912.

==Transcript==
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.
: (For more, see the surprisingly gripping ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009.)
: Proposed line of succession:
:# President
:# Vice president
:# Secretary of State
:# Secretary of Defense
:# Secretary of Homeland Security
:# Attorney General
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate
:# Tom Hanks
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
:# Kate McKinnon, if available
:# Billboard year-end Hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Politics]]

2661: Age Milestone Privileges

2023-09-21T01:28:25Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2661
| date = August 19, 2022
| title = Age Milestone Privileges
| image = age_milestone_privileges.png
| titletext = If you reach 122, you get complete unrevertible editorial control over Jeanne Calment's Wikipedia article.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a list of "age milestones" in the United States. As usual for Randall, he has added many fictional entries to supplement some real life ones. The real milestones are the ages at which Americans are generally allowed to do certain things for the first time. These are a mix of legal restrictions (such as the age for driving and voting), rules from private companies (such as movie theaters and car rental companies) and medical guidance (like the shingles vaccine).

{| class="wikitable"
! Age || Privilege || Real? || Description
|-
| 16 || Drive || Yes || Legal driving age in the US is set by the individual states, but the general rule is that Americans are allowed to begin driving on public roads at age 16. There are various levels of restrictions on this privilege, however. In Randall's state of {{w|Driver's licenses in the United States#Licenses for adults and minors; GDL laws|Massachusetts, and in 8 other states}}, 16 is the minimum age to apply for a learner's permit. {{w|Driver's licenses in the United States#/media/File:Restricted license age requirements by US state.svg|In most of the country, 16 years is the minimum age for a restricted driver's license.}}
|-
| 17 || Attend R-Rated movies alone || Yes || In the US, the Motion Picture Association assigns {{w|Motion_Picture_Association_film_rating_system|ratings}} to movies based on whether they consider the film's content to be suitable for children. In this classification, "R" stands for "restricted", and the guidance from the MPAA is that no one under the age of 17 should be allowed to see it if not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. It should be noted that this guidance does not have force of law, but is sufficiently accepted that nearly all US theaters adopt it as a policy.
|-
| 18 || Vote || Yes || The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents a minimum age of voting from being set above eighteen, meaning that eighteen-year-olds are old enough to legally vote anywhere in the country. Some states allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will turn 18 before the general election, but Randall's state of Massachusetts is not one of them.
|-
| 21 || Buy alcohol || Yes || While individual states have official power over the drinking age, the {{w|National Minimum Drinking Age Act}} restricts federal funding from states that do not enforce a drinking age of 21 years. This has resulted in a ''de facto'' national drinking age of 21 in the US, which is higher than most countries. It should be noted that some states allow minors to drink alcohol under certain circumstances, but no state allows anyone under 21 to buy alcohol.
|-
| 25 || Rent a car || Generally || Car rental companies set their own age restrictions on renting cars. The industry standard in the US is to charge a higher rate for drivers under the age of 25. Thus, there was not a "prohibition" per se, but 25 is a milestone for "regular" rates and fees on car rentals.
|-
| 30 || Run for Senate || Almost || This entry is slightly incorrect: According to {{w|Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause 3: Qualifications of senators|Article 1, Section 3, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution}}, one must be at least 30 years old in order to ''become'' Senator, not ''run'' for Senate. For example, [[Joe Biden]] was 29 years old when he was first elected to Senate but turned 30 before being sworn in.
|-
| 32 || Rent a Senator's car || No || This is the first joke entry in the table. For one thing, most Senators do not rent out their cars, which they probably need to use regularly themselves because they have jobs{{Citation needed}} to commute to, and it would be a security hazard to allow random strangers access to their vehicle.

This could also be a reference to the Ambassador, a now defunct car brand.
|-
| 35 || Run for president || Almost || In the United States, according to {{w|Article Two of the United States Constitution#Clause 5: Qualifications for office|Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution}}, a person must be at least 35 years old to be eligible to hold the Office of President. Similar to the age 30 entry, this is slightly incorrect. However, unlike the Senate case, this technicality has not been relevant for anyone elected as United States president—at least not yet (as of 2022).
|-
| 40 || Rent a flying car || No || A 25-year-old might be able to rent a non-flying car today, but not a flying car, because the technology is not mature enough to the point where they're available to rent. The joke is that by the time a 25-year-old reader becomes 40, the technology will exist and they'll be able to rent a flying car. Unlike the earlier lines, the limitation has nothing to do with their age, just technological development.
Alternatively, even once flying cars are developed, their usage will be more restricted. For example, young people are perceived to be more reckless and/or otherwise dangerous.

This whole issue may be virtually negated if the newly developed flying cars are introduced only as ''self-''flying cars (an off-shoot of self-driving technology but devoid of many of the dangers of navigating roads, i.e. person-controlled vehicles, pedestrians and other ground-based hazards), in which case the age (or even presence) of the renter may be very much more irrelevant than the nature of any route/destination the guidance computer is tasked to fulfill. The question would then be how much a potential passenger would trust pure electronics to avoid all the actual dangers for what is essentially a flying taxi, compared to a human controller who may be fallible but presumably at least has their own fully developed common sense and a degree of self-preservation as well as any requisite training.
|-
| 45 || Learn about the God-Empress || No || Obviously, the restriction of knowledge of the "God-Empress" does not actually exist because this comic is visible to people under 45 years old.{{Citation needed}} According to [[1413]], she will be public knowledge by 2040 anyway.
|-
| 50 || Join AARP || Yes || Full {{w|AARP}} (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) membership is available to anyone age 50 and over. Officially, there are no age restrictions to membership, but members under the age of 50 do not have access to full benefits.
|-
| 50 || Get a shingles vaccine || Recommendation || At the time of the comic, the [https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html CDC recommended] that adults 50 years and older get the shingles vaccine called Shingrix (this line was not in the original version of the comic, corrected later)
|-
| 52 || Click to skip captchas || No || Older people might have more difficulty understanding [[:Category:CAPTCHA|captchas]]. Also, they could be more inconvenienced because some older people move more slowly, so it would take them longer to move the mouse, and people would care more about older people anyway. However, this would be impractical to implement because if the computer knew the person's age, it would know that the user is a person, not a bot, so there would be no point in a captcha anyway.
|-
| 55 || Vote for God-Empress || No || It appears that a person must have knowledge of the existence of the God-Empress for ten years before they are sufficiently qualified to elect a new one. Since the God-Empress is (presumably) in power for life, it is likely that most people would have to wait much longer than ten years.
|-
| 62 || $80 national parks lifetime pass || Yes || The US National Parks Service has a [https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm lifetime membership pass] for Americans ages 62 and over, which allows access to national parks and other areas managed by the NPS.
|-
| 65 || Eligible for Medicare || Yes || {{w|Medicare (United States)|Medicare}} is a US government-run health insurance for older people, and indeed begins eligibility at age 65 for the general public.
|-
| 67 || Collect Social Security || Sort of || {{w|Social Security (United States)|Social Security}} is a system of benefits for retired individuals, disabled persons and widows/widowers. U.S. individuals may collect reduced Social Security benefits starting at age 62, and they can collect increased Social Security benefits if they wait until age 70. 67 is considered "Full Retirement Age." There is some debate about whether one would be better off waiting or taking it right away, but for most people Full Retirement Age (67) is at least close to optimal.
|-
| 68 || See "Skip ads" button on live TV|| No || Some DVRs and streaming applications have a feature to skip over commercial breaks in recorded programs, but this could not be available in live TV, since it would require jumping forward in time. Time travel is currently impossible.{{citation needed}}
|-
| 70 || Run for God-Empress || No || The name suggests that this would also only be available to women.
|-
| 75 || Ride any animal in a national park || No || The National Parks Service probably could institute this relatively safely because most people over 75 would not be able to run fast enough to outrun/catch up to an animal and mount it{{Citation needed}} and would not have the rebellious/risk-taking/adventurous streak that would incline them to try.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| 80 || Eligible for Megacare || No || This is based on becoming eligible for Medicare at age 65.
|-
| 85 || Click to toggle whether an ad is positive or negative about the product || No || In line with previous milestones regarding advertisements, this implies the ability to control reality and change the mood of the ad one is watching as it is running. Obviously, this is impossible, but could potentially be pulled off by adding an option to change the ad to another ad about the same product, but with the opposite viewpoint of the product. Ignoring the issue that ads that are just negative about a specific target don't tend to be commissioned. Except perhaps in certain areas of political campaigning. Furthermore, the wording appears to imply the new ad is the same as the one you were watching previously, ie. same actors, rather than a different ad about the same product.
|-
| 90 || Click to make any movie R-rated || No || It is unclear whether this would actually make the movie less appropriate or change the Motion Picture Association's rating to be erroneous.
|-
| 100 || Get a letter from the president || No || In the US (which other milestones, such as running for president starting at age 35, indicate is the country being referred to), you can instead get [https://www.today.com/series/today-celebrates/celebrate-today-ask-al-roker-wish-your-loved-ones-happy-t69606 congratulated] by the weatherman ({{w|Al Roker}}) on the {{w|Today (American TV program)|Today Show}}. However, the United Kingdom is much closer. People there can [https://www.royal.uk/anniversary-messages-0 apply to receive a card] (formerly a telegram, later a TeleMessage) from the monarch on their 100th birthday.
|-
| 102 || (35+67) Collect a {{w|Former_Presidents_Act#Pension|presidential pension}} || No || The idea behind this joke is that it is the minimum age of presidency plus the minimal age to collect Social Security. There are several reasons why this must be a joke. Two are that Social Security begins 67 years after the person was born, not 67 years after the person's job started, and that the United States government would not bother to set up such a system because the vast majority of people, including former presidents, do not live to 102 years old. In fact, as of 2022, no former United States president has ever lived to 102 years old. The current oldest former U.S. President is Jimmy Carter at 97. Good luck Jimmy, only 5 more years!
|-
| 105 || Get a birthday card from the God-Empress || No || Being a God-Empress would be more important than being the leader of a single country. This would make the God-Empress's time more valuable, so she only has to send a birthday card to the few people who reach the age of 105. Contrariwise, the God-Empress is presumptively all-powerful and furthermore capable of delegation of ministerial tasks such as card transmission, so the utilitarian fact that the scarcity of 105-year-old people reduces workload is not a plausible justification.
|-
| 111 || Leave your own birthday party early by putting on a magic ring || No || This is a reference to the {{w|Lord of the Rings}} where Bilbo leaves his eleventy-first birthday party (the Bilbo Baggins Farewell Birthday Party) invisibly by using {{w|the One Ring}}.
|-
| 118 || Vote 100 times || No || Presumably a joke meaning the person can now cast 100 votes, for each election issue that a younger person can only vote for once, giving their opinion a vastly increased personal weight (or subtlety, if they vote more across the board than merely grant 100 votes to the same outcome), although it may not greatly change the result unless sufficient voters exist (of a like mind) to disproportionately swing the result towards the result desired more by these elder voters than their one-vote juniors.
It is the 100th anniversary of their having (potentially) first voted, and as such is a century milestone. But if there were exactly one election at the same time each year, the first vote on or after their birthday would actually be the 101st vote the person has been eligible to cast in their lifetime. If the sole election of each year were held at a different time of each year, someone who voted in every election might vote for the 100th time at either age 116, 117, or 118. However this milestone would happen earlier because there are often multiple elections per year, e.g., primaries, general elections and possibly runoffs. There may also be several reasons why the person may not have been given the opportunity to vote every year since they were 18, e.g. prior to the {{w|Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|women's suffrage}} being officially ratified barely 100 years ago, but most importantly that the mandated minimum voting age was 21 until {{w|Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution|much more recently}}.
|-
| 120 || Collect the pensions of all elected officials || No || It is very unlikely that any government would award the pensions of all elected officials to anyone because they have reached the age of 120 years.{{cn}}
|-
| 125 || Drink alcohol in an R-rated movie while getting a shingles vaccine from the president || No || This entry references four earlier milestones (attending an R-rated movie, drinking alcohol, becoming President, and getting the shingles vaccine) whose corresponding ages (17, 21, 35, and 50) sum to 123. While not exactly 125, this may have contributed to the inspiration or age selection of this milestone.
|-
| 128 || Age rolls over, become a baby again || No{{Citation needed}} || {{w|Integer overflow}} happens in computers when there are not enough bits (binary digits) to store the result of a calculation, and typically happens in computers at a given power of two, such as 128. An unsigned 7-bit number can hold the values 0 to 127 (127 being 27 - 1) and an attempt to go beyond 127 will overflow, also called rollover, back to zero. 7-bit numbers are not common native values in today's computers. For the more usual integers of one byte (8 bits), while a signed byte would roll over after 127, it would typically rollover to -128 rather than to zero, whereas an unsigned byte would rollover to zero but not until after 255. 

|}

The title text mentions {{w|Jeanne Calment}}, who holds the record for the oldest person ever (there are biblical references to older people, such as {{w|Methuselah}}, who supposedly lived to 969, but their ages haven't been verified). She reportedly was age 122 when she died in 1997. There's some controversy whether Calment actually claimed her mother's records, including birth certificate, as her own. "Editing wars" have been fought over her Wikipedia page. Randall claims that if you match her age you get sole editorial control over that article. However, if anyone managed to exceed her achieved age, presumably they would get their own page (albeit that they should not be encouraged to {{w|Wikipedia:Editing Your Own Page|edit it}} themselves) and hers would cease to be as interesting - although that might depend on what use is made of the unparalleled editorial control now granted.

==Transcript==

<big>Age Milestones</big> 
and associated privileges

16  Drive 
17  Attend R-rated movies alone 
18  Vote 
21  Buy alcohol 
25  Rent a car 
32  Run for senate 
35  Run for president 
40  Rent a flying car 
45  Learn about the God-Empress 
50  Join AARP 
50  Get a shingles vaccine 
52  Click to skip captchas 
55  Vote for God-Empress 
62  $80 National parks lifetime pass 
65  Eligible for Medicare 
67  Collect Social Security 
68  See "Skip Ads" button on live TV 
70  Run for God-Empress 
75  Ride any animal in a national park 
80  Eligible for MegaCare 
85  Click to toggle whether any ad is positive or negative about the product 
90  Click to make any movie R-rated 
100  Get a letter from the president 
102  (35+67) Collect a presidential pension 
105  Get a birthday card from the God-Empress 
111  Leave your own birthday party early by putting on a magic ring 
118  Vote 100 times 
120  Collect the pensions of all elected officials 
125  Drink alcohol in an R-rated movie while getting a shingles vaccine from the president 
128  Age rolls over, become a baby again

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

944: Hurricane Names

2023-09-21T01:27:30Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 944
| date = August 29, 2011
| title = Hurricane Names
| image = hurricane_names.png
| titletext = After exhausting the OED, we started numbering them. When overlapping hurricanes formed at all points on the Earth's surface, and our scheme was foiled by Cantor diagonalization, we just decided to name them all "Steve". Your local forecast tomorrow is "Steve". Good luck.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|World Meteorological Organization}} (WMO) maintains [https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/focus-areas/natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-reduction/tropical-cyclones/Naming lists] of potential names for {{w|tropical cyclones}} in each {{w|tropical cyclone basin}}; {{w|Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre#Tropical cyclones|Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs)}} are responsible for assigning those names to tropical cyclones within their respective areas of responsibility. In the {{w|North Atlantic Ocean}} (including the {{w|Gulf of Mexico}} and {{w|Caribbean Sea}} as pictured), the {{w|NOAA}}'s {{w|National Hurricane Center}} (NHC/RSMC Miami) gives names to tropical cyclones (of which {{w|Atlantic hurricane|hurricanes}} are a subset), going through the alphabet (excluding Q, U, X, Y, and Z) and resetting at "A" at the beginning of the year. For example, the North Atlantic storms in 2012 were named "Alberto", "Beryl", "Chris", "Debby", and so on. There are six {{w|Tropical cyclone naming|lists of names}} for the North Atlantic Ocean, which rotate every six years. Storms that are extremely catastrophic are removed from the lists.

If there were more than 21 hurricanes in a season before 2021, the 21-letter alphabet becomes exhausted and the hurricanes are named with Greek letters. This has happened only twice: in the {{w|2005 Atlantic hurricane season}}, see [[1126: Epsilon and Zeta]], and in the {{w|2020 Atlantic hurricane season}}. In 2021, the World Meteorological Organization [https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-hurricane-committee-retires-tropical-cyclone-names-and-ends-use-of-greek ended the use of the Greek alphabet] and unveiled a supplementary list of names to be used in event of exhaustion.

There have never been enough cyclones in one season to exhaust both the English and Greek alphabet (which would require more than 45 cyclones in a season; the most so far has been 30), and Randall is hypothesizing what the names would be if this happened. In the comic, the NHC has named the hurricanes using random words out of the {{w|Oxford English Dictionary}} (OED). The humor here is intrinsic: "Hurricane Eggbeater" is a bizarre and hilarious name (and may also refer to how an eggbeater spins and 'destroys' an egg in a similar manner to how a hurricane might affect the surrounding area). The place in the image shown is the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings, with the land being white, and the ocean, black.

The title text takes this already surreal twist to an even more ridiculous extreme, where an impossibly long hurricane season exceeds 300,000+ storms and exhausts the OED completely. Even when the NHC starts referring to them using {{w|Natural number|counting numbers}}, which will be sufficient to cover an infinite number of hurricanes, they are foiled by a theorem in {{w|set theory}}. In mathematics, the set of all counting numbers is a {{w|countable set}} (as are the set of all integers or all fractions) whereas the set of all points on a surface is an {{w|uncountable set}} (as is the set of all real numbers). {{w|Cantor diagonalization}} is a famous proof that it is impossible to map objects from an uncountable set one-to-one with objects from a countable set. Applying this theorem to hurricanes, if there were to be one hurricane for every possible point on Earth's surface, it would be impossible to assign a distinct counting number to each one. This of course defeats NHC's last-resort naming scheme, but more pertinently, human civilization would be in a ''lot'' of trouble.

At this point, the meteorologists give up and decide to name all the hurricanes "Steve", which is popular on the internet as an arbitrary, generic name. Ironically, this makes "Steve" no longer arbitrary. The reporter then goes on to tell people that their forecast is "Steve" meaning that the hurricanes are everywhere. He says "good luck", which is probably because there are currently hurricanes on all points of the earth's surface at the time of his speaking.

==Transcript==
:[A weather reporter sits behind a desk with an image of the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding land masses displayed to his left. 9 hurricane symbols are scattered across the map, primarily over the Greater and Lesser Antilles.]
:Reporter: After the latest wave of hurricanes, not only have we run through the year's list of 21 names, but we've also used up the backup list of Greek letters. All subsequent storms will be named using random dictionary words.
:Reporter: The newly-formed system in the gulf has been designated "Hurricane Eggbeater", and we once again pray this is the final storm of this horrible, horrible season.

==Trivia==
*There actually was once a {{w|Cyclone Steve}} in the Australian Basin.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Hurricanes]]

2378: Fall Back

2023-09-21T01:26:29Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2378
| date = October 28, 2020
| title = Fall Back
| image = fall_back.png
| titletext = Doing great here in the sixth and hopefully final year of the 2016 election.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Daylight saving time}} ends in the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. {{w|Election Day (United States)|Election Day in the United States}} is on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In 2020, Nov. 1 is Sunday, so the shift from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time will happen two days before {{w|2020 United States elections|the 2020 election}}. This has the effect of making Sunday, Nov. 1 a 25-hour day. The switchover is sometimes referred to mnemonically as "fall back," with its springtime counterpart (a day of 23 hours) being "spring forward" as mentioned in [[1655: Doomsday Clock]].

At the beginning of the comic, Cueball incorrectly calculates the time until the election day polls close (this varies from state to state); in the second panel, Megan reminds him about falling back. She goes on to possibly sarcastically treasure this extended moment, one more hour to experience the bitter election cycle and the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. Megan describes herself as {{w|Dissociation_(psychology)|dissociating}} here, and it is possible she is actually treating these emergencies as good now, instead of bad. The behavior could be seen as an indirect demand for the situation to change, a demonstration that she may lose her sanity further if it does not. Cueball hears how intense she is saying her experience is, and says he thinks they've both spent too much time engaging with the news (a sentiment echoed from other recent xkcd comics, like [[2371: Election Screen Time]] and possibly [[2374: 10,000 Hours]]). When he mentions the {{w|24-hour news cycle}}, Megan corrects him again, as Sunday will be a ''25''-hour news cycle.

The title text refers to a popular sentiment that the issues and emotions raised in the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} were not settled when the election was over and have continued unabated since then. Even though the election itself was held in November 2016, the primary candidates officially announced their campaigns in early 2015; thus, 2020 is the sixth year since that campaign season opened. The implication could be that the whole nation, or at least Randall's community of political followers, has had to be in an altered state of consciousness to handle the past six years. It could also be a reference to ongoing strong campaigning, in excess of what people have seen in the past.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at his phone.]
:Cueball: It's 8 PM. Exactly six days until the polls close here.

:[Megan walks in from Cueball's left, holding up a finger. Cueball has lowered his phone.]
:Megan: Six days and one hour.
:Cueball: Oh right, fall back.
:Cueball: Ugh.

:[Megan holds out her arms.]
:Megan: Personally, I think it's great.
:Megan: Don't you want this moment to last as long as possible?

:[Close up on Megan.]
:Megan: My pandemic anxiety and election anxiety have finally fused.
:Megan: I have ascended.
:Megan: I get breaking news alerts in my dreams.

:[Back to Cueball and Megan.]
:Cueball: I don't think the endless 24 hour news cycle has been good for either of us.
:Megan: Well, then I have good news about Sunday!
:Cueball: Ughhh.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]

1556: The Sky

2023-09-21T01:25:51Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1556
| date = July 27, 2015
| title = The Sky
| image = the_sky.png
| titletext = The other half has some cool shipwrecks, rocks, and snakes, but if you move those out of the way, it also has more sky.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] admire a majestic {{w|sky}} on a beautiful day.

This is one of the few comics where the scenery is drawn entirely in color, adding to the feeling of awe and natural wonder. The lighting on the {{w|clouds}} and the night sky in the upper corner suggest that this is either at sunset or sunrise, with the {{w|sun}} at the horizon outside the left part of the image. The picture is drawn to show the ever changing beauty of the many different stages of the sky rather than to be 100% realistic, as it would not be possible to see stars as clearly as shown, if the sun is still illuminating the clouds in front of them. When the sun {{w|Sunset|sets}} or {{w|Sunrise|rises}} the light produces many different colors which can often be breathtaking to witness. The pouch shaped cloud formations are called {{w|mammatus clouds}} and are usually associated with nearing of bad weather.

The comic, however, already start in a small panel, with uniform sky colored light blue background, above the large drawing described above. In this image Cueball says to Megan that he likes the sky and Megan agrees. Megan first elaborates on her feelings in the large image where the zoom out is so large that they have both become small and insignificant characters in the bottom left corner, dwarfed by the sky and cloudscape, with the ground a broad dark band beneath them.

Megan makes a statement about the sky: ''It's one of my favorite halves''. She thus indicates that she has more than one favorite halves. As there are only two halves this thus implies that Megan likes both halves, i.e. she likes everything. Her statement is thus a {{w|Tautology_(logic)|tautology}} because it implies that the other half is also a favorite and there are no other segments that would not be among her favorites. There are several xkcd comics about tautology, e.g. [[703: Honor Societies]], [[870: Advertising]] and [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

In [[1368: One Of The]] ''one of'' is also used in a similar way as there is really no other that that one in that comic, whereas here there are no other that has not be included. A very similar sentence is also used in the title text of [[1524: Dimensions]] where the sentence, ''I would say time is definitely one of my top three favorite dimensions''. This also makes very little sense as there are four dimensions with time, and the other three are indistinguishable as they are just three randomly chosen but orthogonal directions in space.

Taken at face value, given that the image depicts half open sky and half clouds, the other half could be taken to mean the clouds covering half of the sky. Or it could be the sky and the dark Earth, the other half beneath their feet. That it is the latter becomes evident in the title text.

In the title text Megan continues her comment as she states that her other favorite half has some cool objects in it.
She then lists three types of objects:
*{{w|Shipwrecks}}
*{{w|Rocks}}
*{{w|Snakes}}
From this it is thus clear that it is not the clouds vs. the sky she's referring to but rather the sky vs. something down on Earth. Weather the clouds are considered part of the sky or just blocking the sky could be something Megan and Cueball would disagree about. See below.

Based on these three items the other half could either be the entire {{w|Earth}}, just the {{w|Continent|solid ground}} or only the {{w|oceans}}. All three mentioned objects can be found both on land and in the oceans. Shipwrecks may be associate with oceans, but they are also often stranded on the shore. Snakes are mainly associated with land, but there are {{w|Hydrophiinae|several snakes}} that live in the ocean. But the last part of the title text takes both the ground and the sea out of the equation, as it states that if those three objects where moved out of the way the other half would also have more sky. As Earth is round (and made from rock, most of them melted in the {{w|outer core}}) then if you "moved all those rocks out of the way" you would see the sky below on the other side.

This leads to the realization that the two halves are indeed the Sky and the Earth (or {{w|Heaven}} and Earth). The title text is thus a subversion as it may be switching the readers focus of what the other half may be, as seen from only the large image (clouds, stars or the ground).

Beyond the blue sky above there is just the dark {{w|night sky}} of {{w|outer space}}. If it where not for the Earth the blue sky would not exists as it is formed by the air following the gravity and curvature of the earth. So if you would moved the entire Earth out of the way you would also move the blue sky with it and you would only see a similar dark night sky, with lots of stars like those in the top left corner. Of course if it was not the entire Earth, but just those rocks directly beneath Megan that was moved, then in principle she would be able to see the blue sky on the other side of Earth, But as she is saying ''moved all those away'', it indicates that Megan really means the entire Earth.

This last part of the title text thus shows that Megan may be thinking rather of the night sky, and given that there are also stars visible in the top right corner, she could have assumed Cueball also referred to the sky like this rather than the majestic display of clouds and colors. Of course that would be weird, but that's where the comedy occurs because that was unexpected, and it would be typical Megan and/or [[Randall]].

If Megan is also interested in astronomy then she would prefer a dark cloudless sky with stars. And by focusing on the fact that if the Earth was removed there would only be dark sky (empty space) around her on all sides, this may be one of her other often seen strange preferences. (Those are often used by one of the characters in Randall's comics). It is well know from xkcd that Randall really [[:Category:Astronomy|loves astronomy]] and looking at the night sky. So seen from this perspective, there would still be plenty of sky even if the Earth where removed completely. However, there would not be any clouds or nice colors or any humans or other lifeforms around to admire those astronomical objects.

The title text also indicates that although the other half also is one of Megan's favorites, it is mainly the shipwrecks (the oceans) and the snakes (life forms) that she considers when thinking of this half. The rest is just rocks (the Earth). Taking into account how many different things that are on "that other half", why did Randall then choose to mention those two? Only he will know, but maybe indeed to focus on the oceans and their life forms or any life.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing looking upward with in a small frame a light blue background.]
:Cueball: I like the sky.
:Megan: Yeah.

:[Zooms out to show a blue evening sky, the sun must be setting to the left and a streak of yellow and orange clouds goes from top left to bottom right. The sky/clouds get darker further to the right and several stars are visible behind the clouds on the indigo blue sky in the top right corner. There are also some gray clouds low over the horizon. Cueball and Megan standing to the far left Below them and the sky from the horizon and down there is a thick a black slab taking up about a sixth of the frame height.]
:Megan: It's one of my favorite halves.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2212: Cell Phone Functions

2023-09-21T01:25:35Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2212
| date = October 7, 2019
| title = Cell Phone Functions
| image = cell_phone_functions_(1).png
| titletext = ... tazer ... fire extinguisher ... bird feeder ... toilet paper ...
}}

==Explanation==
This comic pokes fun at the ever-increasing function of smartphones and their users' reliance on them through an unusual horizontal bar graph showing what services a smartphone provides (or will provide) that were performed by other devices in the past and when the switch took or will take place. It starts sensibly: Calling, browsing the Internet, and taking pictures are the most prominent examples of tasks that many if not most people use a smartphone instead of a specific device nowadays. The next item, newspaper, extends the Internet's capabilities (either from within the mobile browser or as a dedicated app), and the next, flashlight, repurposes the phone camera's flash unit; both are now commonplace features of smartphones. Some people even use their smartphone as the remote for their TV (either via RF wireless [e.g., WiFi] for smart TVs, or via their phone's infrared port) or to pay in stores using payment providers like Google Play Wallet, Samsung Pay, or Apple Pay, which utilize the {{w|near-field communication}} functionality of modern smartphones. A few cars now support using a phone app instead of a key fob, rendering yet another item obsolete; apparently, Randall just started using this feature in his car, as this item is in the very recent past in the comic's diagram.

Then the comic drifts off into smartphone capabilities either not yet possible or likely never to be possible. These capabilities are right of the "now" mark, meaning Randall has not switched to using a smartphone for them: One cannot currently use a phone app as a dog leash, nor as an adhesive bandage. While using a phone as a steering wheel is possible (likely interfacing with the car's self-driving features), it would be a reversal of current initiatives to prevent drivers from using cell phones while driving. Things get increasingly odd, to the point where a smartphone is allegedly used as a toothbrush. Several items would require physical changes to the phone and not just repurposing existing capabilities, such as operating as a cheese grater, stapler or nail clipper, which would make the phone look and feel more like a {{w|Swiss Army Knife}} instead.{{Citation needed}}

The title text continues this path by continuing the list of objects his phone will supposedly replace. These include a "tazer" (a misspelling of {{w|taser}}), a fire extinguisher, a bird feeder, and toilet paper, continuing the path of absurdity the comic implies with its supposed future uses for a phone.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Function
! Possible way a phone could be used
|-
| Dog leash
| While this could be a physical leash that spools out of the phone, it would more likely be some kind of an electronic leash, which would activate an electronic dog collar which would somehow (mild shock? vibration? ultrasonic or audible sound?) alert and/or stop the dog when it gets too far from the phone.
|-
| Steering wheel
| This could entail rotating the phone in the same manner as one rotates a steering wheel, it could involve dragging your finger on the screen on a picture of a steering wheel, or, less literally, it could be more along the lines of a self-driving car where you use the phone to designate a destination, and the phone (or car) would steer the car automatically to get there. A phone that can steer a car was featured as a {{w|List of James Bond gadgets|James Bond gadget}} in the film ''{{w|Tomorrow Never Dies}}''. Or simply, a lot of remote-controlled drones/cars are steered by a smartphone nowadays, it is just not as common as other smartphone functions because of a lesser market it has.
|-
| {{w|Band-Aid}}
| As a way to cover wounds, it could dispense physical adhesive strips, such as Band-Aid brand strips. It might also contain a liquid or gel that would harden over a wound to seal it. It's unlikely this could be done without some physical substance which would need to be replenished sometime after use unless Randall widened the definition of Band-Aid to include devices such as dermal regenerators featured in Star Trek.
|-
| {{w|Cheese grater}}
| This would be relatively easy but impractical, adding bulk to the phone and risking accidentally grating or slicing substances other than cheese, such as your hand or your pocket. You might also get cheese particles in the phone; a waterproof or water-resistant phone might be okay, but those ratings generally do not test for cheese dust.{{Citation needed}} This may be a reference to Homer’s personal organizer having a cheese grater in the Simpsons episode [https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Brother%27s_Little_Helper/Quotes Brother’s Little Helper].
|-
| Stapler
| This would again add bulk and require replenishing of supplies, and where the phone is presumably helping to eliminate paper, this would work counter to that goal as it would only be useful in the presence of paper. Some "stapling" techniques do not involve actual staples; they work by cutting and folding little bits of paper so a few sheets hang together. This would eliminate bulk and the need to store pieces of metal but would be limited to very short stacks of just a few sheets of paper.
|-
| Nail clipper
| This might not be too hard or add too much bulk, but it's just one more of potentially hundreds or thousands of little things that could be added but aren't justified based on how single-purpose the function is. Maybe as a general-purpose cutter/scissors?
|-
| Electric {{w|drill}}
| More bulk, and it would be a real power drain for the batteries. Maybe that's why it's further into the future, as it probably depends on better battery technology. Many phones already have a built-in motor that rotates, purposely off-balance and meant to cause vibrations (for tactile notifications, especially when sound is turned off). Perhaps that could be made more powerful and given a center hole that can take a bit?
|-
| Toothbrush
| More bulk, and while useful it probably isn't useful enough to justify adding it to the phone. The phone should probably also dispense toothpaste, otherwise, the toothbrush doesn't accomplish the goal of letting the phone completely replace the needed items for a particular function (brushing teeth in this case).
|-
| {{w|Taser}} (misspelled as ''tazer'' in the title text)
| A Taser is a brand of "conducted electrical weapon", typically used as a "less-lethal" weapon by law enforcement. Commercial Tasers are also marketed for the general public for self-defense purposes. With the battery power available for a functional electric drill, a Taser may not be far behind. A Taser as a phone feature is not currently available, but other stun gun-type phone cases are [https://www.google.com/search?q=taser+phone+attachment already on the market].
|-
| {{w|Fire extinguisher}}
| While this might entail having to stock fire-controlling substances (water, Freon, powders, etc.), it's unlikely a phone could contain enough to do anything substantial against a fire. Perhaps there is a future and as yet unknown role for sound or light emissions in the combating of fires?
|-
| {{w|Bird feeder}}
| A phone could contain some seeds or bird food which could be dispensed, but most people would not want a bunch of birds too near their phone, especially pooping on it. Again, not very practical for the space those seeds would take, and it would need frequent refilling.
|-
| {{w|Toilet paper}}
| Definitely not... unless maybe those fictitious sound waves or vibrations or light could be used to "shake" the poop or dirt particles loose, like in Star Trek's sonic showers, and not require actual paper or physical contact. Or unless a wirelessly controlled bidet becomes ubiquitous.
|}

==Transcript==
:[A graph with time on the x-axis and items Randall replaced with his smartphone on the y-axis. For each item, the time he (allegedly) replaced it is marked; the marks form a jagged line down the graph, roughly sorted by when he switched. The regions are marked]
: I have a specific device for this
:[and]
: I just use my phone
: [items where the switch-over date is in the past:]
: Telephone
: Web Browser
: Camera
: Newspaper
: Flashlight
: TV Remote
: Credit Card
: Car Key
:[items where the switch-over date is in the future:]
: Dog Leash
: Steering Wheel
: Band-Aid
: Cheese Grater
: Stapler
: Nail Clipper
: Electric Drill
: Toothbrush

:[The x-axis (time) shows at point labelled as 'now' roughly halfway along the graph, a grey dashed line runs vertically down the whole graph. Car Keys have just been replaced by a phone, all other items listed below that have yet to be replaced. For the most part the gradient of the trend is constant at around -1. The last item (Toothbrush) is replaced before the penultimate item (Electric Drill)]

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

1017: Backward in Time

2023-09-21T01:24:59Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1017
| date = February 15, 2012
| title = Backward in Time
| image = backward_in_time.png
| titletext = People tell me I have too much time on my hands, but really the problem is that there's too much time, PERIOD.
}}

Clicking the image at xkcd.com links to [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Ak43bGxHGI1adDMtOHVWVXZrYzhKd2VtbFJJMmJPTEE&single=true&gid=1&output=html this spreadsheet], which [[Randall]] used to calculate the times and dates for the comic. It also has a lot of other percentages and dates, so take a look if you are interested.

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]]/[[Randall]] creates this formula which helps him wait for long stretches of time which goes increasingly faster into the past as more time goes by, which gives him the effect of looking like the time goes by quickly. Which assists in the waiting process.

As far as the actual math is concerned, the formula is an {{w|exponential function}} (i.e. the variable appears in the exponent). The effect that the function grows faster and faster as p grows, is due to T(p) being exponential. More precisely, when you repeatedly add some constant to the exponent, you will repeatedly multiply some (other) constant with the value of the function. Compare how "slow" a value grows by adding even high values (1, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001, 5001…) and how fast it grows by multiplying even low values (1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000…)

Now, the function has to be adjusted so that, as Randall put it, "the time spent in each part of the past is loosely proportional to how well I know it." The most important adjustment is putting p to the power of three. That lowers the amount added to the exponent for low values (0.1³=0.001, 0.2³=0.008, i.e. only 7/1000 have been added for 10% workflow) and increases the amount for high values (0.8³=0.512, 0.9³=0.729, i.e. more than 1/5 has been added for 10% workflow). That means the recent past will pass even slower and the historic past even faster than it already does by choosing an exponential function.
The remaining adjustments are technical. The coefficient in front of p³ adjusts the constant by which the result will be multiplied while adding some constant to p, while it also roughly ensures that p=1 yields the lifetime of the universe. The 3 added to the product in the exponent further adjusts the actual values of the power without touching the slope (the multiplicative constant). In the parentheses, e³ is subtracted to put the time to 0 when p=0. Otherwise the function would start approx. 20 yrs and 1 month ago. For bigger p, this offset does not matter much. Imagine subtracting 20 yrs from the lifetime of the universe!

Finally, the result is subtracted from the current date for aesthetical reasons. The formula could tell you "20 yrs ago", or it could read "February 1992". Randall decided the latter would be better.

There is actually a mathematical error in this comic; the inverse function in grey writing off at the bottom right of the main formula involves a square root, when the actual inverse of Randall's main function would involve a cube root. In addition, this function does not contain the current date, meaning that T, in the inverse, refers to how long ago a point in time was, rather than the point in time itself. When the T in the inverse is 20, it means that the date referenced by T is 20 years ago.

The punchline "Swoosh!" is about how fast the last few percents of Cueball's download happen in "such a rush". For most humans waiting for a download to complete tends to become really boring and progress would instead seem to get slower and slower.

[[940|(Also, the workout website, Fitocracy has been mentioned previously in xkcd.)]]

Note that as of the time that this page was last cached, the comic was uploaded at {{#expr:100*(((ln(({{#time:U}}-1329195600)/31536000+e^3)-3)/20.3444)^.5)}}% progress.

==Transcript==
:When I have a boring task to get through — a three-hour lecture, a giant file download, or a long term point goal in fitocracy — I use this formula to convert the percentage completed (p) into a date:

:T=(Current Date) - (e^(20.3444*p^3+3) - e^3) years

:When the task is 0% done, it gives today's date, and as I make progress, I move further and further back in time

:(inverse given in lighter colors)
:Inverse: p = sqrt((ln(T+e^3)-3)/20.3444)

:[Line Graph explaining the correlation between completion percentages and temporal deltas.
:0% = now (Date of comic is 2012-02-14T00:00-0500, approx. 1329195600 UNIX)
:10% = September 2011
:20% = 2008
:30% = 1997
:40% = 1958
:50% = 1776
:60% = 405 AD
:70% = 22,000 years ago
:80% = 671,000 years ago
:90% = 55 million years ago
:100% = 13.8 billion years ago
:]

:It moves slowly through the first few years, then steadily accelerates. I tuned the formula so the time spent in each part of the past is loosely proportional to how well I know it. This means I hit familiar landmarks with each bit of progress, giving me a satisfying sense of movement.

:[The following are panels detailing completion percentages, correlated time periods, and notable events from this time period.]

:7.308% December 18, 2011
:Around this time:
:Kim Jong-Il dies. US leaves Iraq.

:31.12% February 1995
:Around this time:
:Windows 95 debuts. OJ found not guilty.

:47.91% 1844
:Around this time:
:Rubber vulcanized, bicycle invented, wrench patented.

:70.33% 24,000 years ago
:Around this time:
:Caves painted, ceramic art made. Neanderthals extinct.

:90.42% 68 million years ago
:Around this time:
:First flowering plants. Chicxulub impact kills off most dinosaurs.

:100% 13.76 billion years ago
:Around this time:
:Universe begins. First stars ignite.

:Download complete.

:[Cueball watches a download progress on a laptop in amazement and happiness. Megan stands nearby and looks at Cueball with a bemused posture.]
:Cueball: Swoosh! Watching all that time blur past is such a rush!
:Megan: So...you've tried to make an extreme sport out of...''waiting''.
:Cueball: ''Swoosh!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Math]]

473: Still Raw

2023-09-21T01:23:45Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 473
| date = September 8, 2008
| title = Still Raw
| image = still raw.png
| titletext = We actually divorced once over the airplane/treadmill argument. (Preemptive response to the inevitable threads arguing about it: you're all wrong on the internet.)
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows [[Cueball]] and his significant other undergoing a domestic dispute. The debate is heated, enough to tear apart a romantic relationship, and although the end result is Cueball being thrown out of his other's house, he resolves that he will stand by his point of view no matter what.

Of course, in the last panel, we learn that the argument is over something that should be, in the context of romance, utterly trivial: Cueball has been thrown out simply because he believes that {{w|Pluto}} should never have been a {{w|planet}}.

Pluto was the ninth planet in our {{w|solar system}} between 1930 and 2006, during a time when "planet" had no formal definition. (Jupiter was thought to be the ninth planet [https://spaceweather.com/swpod2006/13sep06/Pollock1.jpg from 1807 to 1845.)] In 2006, the {{w|IAU}} created a formal definition for "planet"; Pluto didn't make the cut, and it was reclassified as a {{w|dwarf planet}}. The reasons are {{w|IAU_definition_of_planet|complicated}}, but the basic issue is that like {{w|1 Ceres|Ceres}}, {{w|2 Pallas|Pallas}}, {{w|3 Juno|Juno}}, and {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}}, Pluto is too small to {{w|clearing the neighbourhood|function as a planet}} in the solar system. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_2gbGXzFbs A better explanation can be found here.]

In the title text, the airplane/treadmill argument starts when someone asks whether an airplane can take off while it is on a treadmill that is opposing its progress (pulling it backward). The question usually leads to arguments because it is posed ambiguously. Properly defining the question shows that the airplane can indeed take off (because its forward motion is provided by its propeller/jet engine, not its wheels, which are free to spin at any speed) and experiments (such as Mythbusters') bear this out. Randall also takes a crack at the issue [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/09/09/the-@#$%&!-airplane-on-the-@#$%&!-treadmill/ here], and more info can be found [https://www.airplaneonatreadmill.com/ here].

The statement about being wrong is likely a reference to [[386: Duty Calls]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball laying on sidewalk outside a house, surrounded by his belongings.]
:She threw me out yelling, "You don't say those words. Not in ''this'' house."
:It's been two years. I thought the wounds had healed.
:But I stand by what I said.
:Pluto never should have been a planet.

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

2588: Party Quadrants

2023-09-21T01:23:26Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2588
| date = March 2, 2022
| title = Party Quadrants
| image = party_quadrants.png
| titletext = Single-elimination might provide more drama, but I think we can all agree that a comprehensive numerical scoring system will let us better judge the party's winner.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic there is a graph divided into quadrants to visualize the range of possibilities of fun for [[Randall]] and for guests at parties hosted by Randall. The top and bottom halves are labeled as "fun for guests" with "no" in the top quadrant and "yes" in the bottom quadrant. The left and right halves labeled as "fun for me", i.e. fun for the host Randall, with "no" in the left quadrant and "yes" in the right quadrant.

In the bottom right quadrant (which indicates fun for everyone), are two separately outlined but largely overlapping regions, like a [[:Category:Venn diagrams|Venn diagram]]. One is the appropriate zone for a party (in general) and the other other applies to Randall's own birthday party. They are both vaguely ellipsoid and both enclose a reasonable to nearly maximal amount of fun in both dimensions. The key difference is that the range of the birthday party is skewed towards being marginally more for Randall's enjoyment, but is still firmly in the bottom right quadrant. By contrast, the range for a party is weighted more towards "Fun for Guests" and less towards "Fun for Me", as befits an event hopefully hosted to entertain its guests and make ''them'' feel special.

Omitting the extreme edges may indicate that there are no points there because it's impossible to completely please everybody, or it may be a warning that a party should not be such extreme fun that it gets out of hand nor let the balance of fun stray too far from equal. There are no specific points labeled in this quadrant.

The joke is that the only data point, presumably Randall's latest idea for a party, is in the upper right quadrant, signifying that it is only fun for Randall. It is very far right and fairly close to the top, indicating extreme fun for Randall and not fun at all for anyone else. The point is labeled "Sporcle geography tournament with snacks! Live-updating scoreboard, no distracting music". The elements of Randall's "fun" party include:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Element
!Comment
|-
|Sporcle
|{{w|Sporcle}} is a trivia website. Trivia games are a lot of fun for some of people, while others get bored by their "trivial" nature and would rather spend time talking, dancing, etc.
|-
|Geography trivia
|Randall is a geography geek (as evidenced by his [[:Category:Bad_Map_Projections|fascination with map projections]]). Needless to say, many people are not, so a geography trivia quiz would be one of the worst types for many people.
|-
|Tournament
|Many people might prefer not to have competition at the party, especially considering the host might be a little too invested in the outcome. The title text further elaborates on this, debating possible scoring options.
|-
|No music
|Randall tries to bill this as a positive, that the music won't distract people trying to focus on Sporcle. Indeed, even a well-planned party that considers the interests of all guests would require appropriate music (some people prefer a quiet gathering over a loud party). That said, music on the whole is something people enjoy, so excluding it would make this party even less enjoyable for potential guests.
|-
|Snacks
|At least there would be snacks, which is another common element of parties. It's hard to imagine why people would object to snacks, so this is perhaps the only item that would be enjoyable both for Randall and his guests. But they only move the party down slightly in the graph, not enough to get this party into the "fun for guests" quadrant.
|-
|Live-updating scoreboard
|To a software geek, this would be something that would be fascinating, both to develop and watch in action. To most people, not so much - particularly if said scoreboard was developed while the party was taking place (In that case, the guests may not even get around to playing the trivia game).
|}

In the caption it is mentioned that for some reason, Randall keeps "accidentally" planning parties in the top right quadrant (fun for him, not for guests). Presumably he is so caught up in what he considers entertaining that he doesn't take into account the interest level of the guests. This is regardless of which party-context, and well outside either of the appropriate zones. This diagram though indicates that he know this is the case, but maybe he is first able to place the point on the diagram after the party, when he realizes that his guest leaves early (again) out of boredom.

The title text elaborates on the Sporcle trivia game night that Randall has planned in the upper right quadrant. It makes mention of a comprehensive, and perhaps overly complicated, scoring system to determine who is the party's winner. That he's talking about "winning the party" suggests he is fundamentally misunderstanding the point of parties -- they're supposed to be fun for everyone attending, not (exclusively) a competition.

See the previous comic [[2587: For the Sake of Simplicity]], which seems to be a bit related to what Randall thinks is fun, whereas other might not.

==Transcript==
:[A solid black lined square chart is divided into four quadrants with two light gray lines. Above the chart the left and right column are labeled, and above the labels there is a bracket with a label written on the bracket. Similarly there is labels to the left, of the top and bottom rows, with a bracket indicating those also with a label written on the bracket:]
:Top: Fun for me
:Top: No Yes
:Left: Fun for guests
:Left: No Yes

:[The top left quadrant is empty. The same goes for the bottom left quadrant, except labels for items in the bottom right quadrant is written in the bottom left quadrant. In the top right quadrant, there is a single black point which is almost touching the right edge of the chart, and lies about a quarter of the way down from the top towards the gray line. The point is labeled:]
:Label: Sporcle geography tournament
:Label: with snacks!
:Label: Live-updating scoreboard, no distracting music

:[In the bottom right quadrant there is a Venn diagram. It consist of two skewed ellipsoids, one with a solid line overlapping the other with a dotted line. The solid lined region goes further to the left, and the dotted line region goes further to the top, but both are mainly in the bottom right region, and the bottom right section is completely overlapping. Both regions are indicated with an arrow that goes to them from a label. The solid lined regions label is written to the left and it is entirely inside the bottom left quadrant. The dotted lined regions label is written in both of the lower quadrants, thoug mainly above the Venn diagram in the bottom right quadrant.]
:Solid lined label: Appropriate zone for a party
:Dotted lined label: Appropriate for my birthday party

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Venn diagrams]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

1568: Synonym Movies 2

2023-09-21T01:23:06Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1568
| date = August 24, 2015
| title = Synonym Movies 2
| image = synonym_movies_2.png
| titletext = There's also the TV show based on the hit Hot and Cold Music books: Fun With Chairs, Royal Rumble, Knife Blizzard, Breakfast for Birds, and Samba Serpents.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:synonym_movies_2_rotated.jpg|right|A flipped version of the comic]]

This comic made a [[:Category:Synonym Movies|series]] out of its predecessor as it continued the idea from [[1563: Synonym Movies]] with a new set of movie series. As with the previous comic, the titles aren't always direct synonyms with the original (Indiana Jones as ''Professor Whip''), but now it seems to be even more exaggerated, sometimes making synonyms of the plot synopsis instead of the subtitle ("Vitamin Water" refers to the Fountain of Youth rather than the ''Stranger Tides'').

This set includes ''Wandboy'' (''Harry Potter''), ''Puncher'' (''Rocky''), ''Tropical Boaters'' (''Pirates of the Caribbean''), and ''Professor Whip'' (''Indiana Jones'').

The ''is in Another Movie'' title in the ''Professor Whip'' series differs from the other titles in that it does not reference the plot of the movie. The more dismissive reference may be due to ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' being poorly received by fans of the series.

The title text is a reference to the TV series ''Game of Thrones'', based on the book series ''A Song of Ice and Fire''. All of these titles are direct synonyms, but such that they remove most of the meaning from the titles. For instance, nobody actually cares about the physical object of a throne, but the political power it represents. Birds eating in general have a very different implied meaning than crows feasting specifically, as groups of crows only gather to eat when there is a lot of food, such as a corpse, and as such have a strong cultural association with death and slaughter.

==Table of the titles==
'''SPOILER ALERT!''' Many of these explanations contain information revealed during the movie.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Synonym
! Real Title
! Explanation
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Wandboy'' = ''Harry Potter''''' 
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Rock''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}''
| In this series, wizards and witches use wands to perform magic. The titular Philosopher's Stone is indeed very magical. The first installment of the series is also known as ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' in the US.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Hidden Room''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets}}''
| The {{w|Hogwarts#Chamber_of_Secrets|Chamber of Secrets}} is a very well hidden room that is central to the plot of the second book.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Fugitive''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}''
| Azkaban is a fictional maximum-security prison. The titular prisoner therein is Sirius Black, who escapes early in the story and spends the rest as a fugitive of the law.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Burning Cup''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}''
| The goblet of fire is a wooden cup with blue magical fire burning at the rim.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Firebird Club''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}''
| The {{w|Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix}} is a bird that is strongly connected to fire. Dying phoenixes go up in flames, only to be reborn out of the ashes shortly afterward. The Order of the Phoenix is an association of wizards founded by Albus Dumbledore, whose distinctive pet is a phoenix.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Book Owner''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}''
| In ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', Harry's Potions textbook was previously owned by a "Half-Blood Prince." Therefore, "Half-Blood Prince" is replaced with "book owner."
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1}}''
| rowspan="2" | The ''Deathly Hallows'' are three magical items that play an important part in the plot of the final movies. Being a wand, a rock, and a cloak, these objects are all quite powerful, so they are called the magic stuff. See also {{w|The Tales of Beedle the Bard#"The Tale of the Three Brothers"}}.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2}}''
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Puncher'' = ''Rocky''''' 
|-
| ''Puncher''
| ''{{w|Rocky}}''
| rowspan="5" | The protagonist Rocky is a boxer. In {{w|boxing}} boxers attempt to punch their opponent until they are knocked out{{Citation needed}}.
|-
| ''Puncher II''
| ''{{w|Rocky II}}''
|-
| ''Puncher III''
| ''{{w|Rocky III}}''
|-
| ''Puncher IV''
| ''{{w|Rocky IV}}''
|-
| ''Puncher V''
| ''{{w|Rocky V}}''
|-
| ''Puncher Lastname''
| ''{{w|Rocky Balboa (film)|Rocky Balboa}}''
| Balboa is Rocky's last-name, also known as surname.
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Tropical Boaters'' = ''Pirates of the Caribbean''''' 
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl}}''
| The Black Pearl is a ship crewed by "spooky" ghost pirates.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest}}''
| This film's villain has (worm-like) octopus tentacles growing on his face.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End}}''
| This film includes a huge fleet of ships.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides}}''
| "Vitamin Water" describes the Fountain of Youth.
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Professor Whip'' = ''Indiana Jones''''' 
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Box of God''
| ''{{w|Raiders of the Lost Ark}}''
| Indiana Jones is Professor of Archeology and skillfully wields a whip as part of his equipment. Later the movie was marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The "Lost Ark" of the title is the Ark of the Covenant, a mythical box containing the contract between the Jewish people and YHWH.
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Scary Church''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom}}''
| A direct synonym for the title.
|-
| ''Professor Whip Looks for a Cup''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade}}''
| Central to this film's plot is the search for the {{w|Holy Grail}}, which is supposedly a cup from which Jesus drank shortly before his death.
|-
| ''Professor Whip is in Another Movie''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull}}''
| ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is widely regarded as the worst in the series. Therefore, the "synonym" is simply called "another movie" to imply that it shouldn't have been made.
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''A Song of Ice and Fire''''' 
|-
| ''Hot and Cold Music''
| ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}''
| A series of fantasy books written George R. R. Martin. The title is an obvious synonym.
|-
| ''Fun With Chairs''
| ''{{w|A Game of Thrones}}''
|Book one of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire." and the main title of the television adaptation.
|-
| ''Royal Rumble''
| ''{{w|A Clash of Kings}}''
|Book two of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Knife Blizzard''
| ''{{w|A Storm of Swords}}''
|Book three of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Breakfast for Birds''
| ''{{w|A Feast for Crows}}''
|Book four of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Samba Serpents''
| ''{{w|A Dance with Dragons}}''
|Book five of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire," the latest book in the series (of seven projected) as of the time the comic was published.
|}

==Transcript==
:[22 DVDs on a shelf in four groups. All DVDs are labeled in black on light grey. Text written so it is supposed to be read when the DVD is lying down.]
:[First group of 8 DVDs. All standing straight.]
:Wandboy and the Magic Rock
:Wandboy and the Hidden Room
:Wandboy and the Fugitive
:Wandboy and the Burning Cup
:Wandboy and the Firebird Club
:Wandboy and the Book Owner
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)

:[Second group of six DVDs. Five standing straight, last on the right leaning against the rest.]
:Puncher
:Puncher II
:Puncher III
:Puncher IV
:Puncher V
:Puncher Lastname

:[Third group of four DVDs. First and last standing straight, others leaning on first.]
:Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat
:Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface
:Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere
:Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water

:[Fourth group of four DVDs. Three standing straight, second from left leaning on first.]
:Professor Whip and the Box of God
:Professor Whip and the Scary Church
:Professor Whip Looks for a Cup
:Professor Whip is in Another Movie

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Game of Thrones]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

1395: Power Cord

2023-09-21T01:22:14Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1395
| date = July 16, 2014
| title = Power Cord
| image = power_cord.png
| titletext = In this situation, gzip /dev/inside to deflate, then pipe the compressed air to /dev/input to clean your keyboard. Avert your eyes when you do.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, we see [[Beret Guy]] walking in from the left, as [[Cueball]] is sitting on a couch, typing on a {{w|laptop}} on his {{w|lap}}, with its {{w|power cord}} unplugged. Instead of connecting it to the {{w|wall socket}}, Beret Guy picks it up and blows air into the loose end of the cord, as if inflating a balloon — and the laptop inflates. It then floats away, making Cueball grab for it as Beret Guy casually walks away. (See an instance where Cueball inflates something in a similar unexpected way in [[1798: Box Plot]]).

It is not possible to inflate a laptop like this{{Citation needed}}, and (with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugVRY-Cv7Ng&t=401s rare exceptions]) it is not possible to inflate ''anything'' by blowing down a power cord. Beret Guy has previously demonstrated several [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|supernatural abilities]], for instance with power cords, such as in [[1293: Job Interview]].

In general, human breath should not be buoyant enough to lift much in an atmosphere of ordinary air. The only chemical difference between dry air and dry exhaled breath is the conversion of oxygen (molecular weight = 32) to carbon dioxide (MW=44), not counting substances in such low concentrations that their effect on the average molecular weight of the air (MW=29) is negligible. A change of concentration of the CO2 from [https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/air-composition-d_212.html 0.04%] to about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathing#Composition 4%] is typical. This increases the average molecular weight. However, exhaled breath is also usually much more humid than air, increasing the concentration of water (MW=18) from a typical value of 1% to approximately 5%, which decreases the average molecular weight. The two changes approximately cancel each other.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
! style="text-align:right; font-weight:normal;" |
! MW
! style="background-color:#efefef;" | Dry air
! style="background-color:#efefef;" | Fractional MW 
! Air with 1% water
! Fractional MW 
! style="background-color:#efefef;" | Exhaled composition dry
! style="background-color:#efefef;" | Fractional MW 
! Exhaled composition with 5% water
! Fractional MW 
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | N2
| style="text-align:left;" | 28.01
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 78.08%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 21.87
| 77.30%
| 21.65
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 78%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 21.85
| 74.10%
| 20.76
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | O2
| style="text-align:left;" | 32.00
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 20.95%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 6.70
| 20.74%
| 6.64
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 17%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 5.44
| 16.15%
| 5.17
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Ar
| style="text-align:left;" | 39.95
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 0.93%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 0.37
| 0.92%
| 0.37
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 1%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 0.40
| 0.95%
| 0.38
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | CO2
| style="text-align:left;" | 44.01
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 0.04%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 0.02
| 0.04%
| 0.02
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 4%
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 1.76
| 3.80%
| 1.67
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | H2O
| style="text-align:left;" | 18.01
| style="background-color:#efefef;" |
| style="background-color:#efefef;" |
| 1.00%
| 0.18
| style="background-color:#efefef;" |
| style="background-color:#efefef;" |
| 5.00%
| 0.90
|-
| style="font-weight:bold;" | Total
| style="font-weight:bold; text-align:left;" |
| style="background-color:#efefef;" | 100.00%
| style="background-color:#efefef; font-weight:bold;" | 28.97
| 100.00%
| style="font-weight:bold;" | 28.86
| style="background-color:#efefef;" |
| style="background-color:#efefef; font-weight:bold;" | 29.45
| 100.00%
| style="font-weight:bold;" | 28.88
|}

Because humans are warm-blooded, human breath is slightly warmer than the surrounding air, and therefore has slightly fewer molecules per unit volume. This is also true of hot air balloons, but they operate at much higher temperatures than human breath and are therefore able to obtain a greater amount of net buoyancy. There is a standard cartoon convention that {{tvtropes|AllBalloonsHaveHelium| inflating something with breath}} nonetheless makes it lighter than air. Also, given Beret Guy's many manifestations of inexplicable phenomena, it is not too far fetched to believe his body is, in fact, expelling some form of lighter-than-air gas, similar to the character Rigel on Farscape who could "fart helium".

The title text involves some jokes on {{w|Unix}} systems. On Unix, {{w|everything is a file}}; even most of the hardware can be referenced by a (virtual) file. These virtual files usually are in /dev or another virtual filesystem like /sys or /proc. While /dev/input really exists and points to the input system (mice, keyboards, gamepads, etc.), /dev/inside doesn't. {{w|gzip}} is a common tool to compress files. The first joke is to compress the air inside the laptop (with the command <code>gzip /dev/inside</code>) in order to deflate the laptop back to normal size. It is a pun with the literal meaning of "deflate", which is also the {{w|DEFLATE}} algorithm used by gzip (compressing files is also called "deflating"). Another joke is "{{w|Pipeline (Unix)|piping}}", the act of using the output of one operation as the input to another. As the output of the gzip command would be compressed air, a ''physical'' pipe could be used to direct the air somewhere useful. The output of a command can also be redirected to a file. Since the hardware is a file, the suggestion is to direct the air to /dev/input (which, in this case, means the keyboard, but would actually be a directory on real system, which can't normally be piped into) to clean it, similar to "compressed air" dusting cans. The complete command would be <code>gzip /dev/inside | /dev/input</code>. As this might cause a spray of unpleasant detritus (compare [[237: Keyboards are Disgusting]]), the reader is advised to avert their eyes.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy enters to find Cueball on a chair typing on a laptop. Cueball's power cord is unplugged from the wall.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy picks up the power cord. Cueball continues typing.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy blows into the plug end of the cord. The laptop abruptly inflates and Cueball jerks back.]
:Beret Guy: '''PBBBBT'''
:Laptop: '''FOOMP'''

:[Beret Guy walks away, leaving Cueball climbing up his chair to retrieve his inflated laptop which is now floating away.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Linux]]

1867: Physics Confession

2023-09-21T01:21:02Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1867
| date = July 24, 2017
| title = Physics Confession
| image = physics_confession.png
| titletext = "You know lightning, right? When electric charge builds up in a cloud and then discharges in a giant spark? Ask me why that happens." "Why does tha--" "No clue. We think it's related to the hair thing."
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|Theory of Everything}} is a goal of modern physics which would describe the properties of all fundamental particles and all the interactions between them. The current approach to a theory of everything is to describe how at high energies different interactions, such as electromagnetic forces and the strong and weak nuclear interactions merge. It would be possible, in principle to demonstrate how the rest of known physics can be derived from that quantum behavior. This approach, however, leaves many everyday phenomena which are not understood by modern physics, and many {{w|Theory_of_everything#Arguments_against|arguments against a theory of everything}} suggest that it won't ever be able to actually precisely describe everything. This comic lists several of those phenomena:

The fine detail of how ice skates work is unknown. It is known that there is a film of water between the skate and the ice that lubricates sliding, but scientists dispute how the film gets there. The commonly held belief is that it is caused by the pressure of the narrow skate; another belief is that the ice is melted by the friction of movement; but both fail to fully explain why skating continues to be possible at temperatures that are significantly below 0 Celsius. A better explanation is simply that, near the melting point of a solid, there will be a thin layer of liquid on the surface due to the dynamic equilibrium between the two phases, hence why ice is slippery. This happens regardless of the presence of skates. A more complete explanation is given in the linked article: [http://lptms.u-psud.fr/membres/trizac/Ens/L3FIP/Ice.pdf Why is ice slippery?].

Physicists lack a clear understanding of the interactions involved in the flow of {{w|granular material}}s, such as sand. It is known that the behavior diverges greatly from that of a liquid, but it is unknown exactly how the flow works. [http://physicscentral.com/explore/action/granular.cfm PhysicsCentral:Granular Materials]

Modern physics also doesn't understand what makes electrons move from one material to another when two materials are rubbed against each other (the {{w|triboelectric effect}}), and why the transfer takes more electrons in one direction than in the other. However, this happens, and it's the cause of {{w|static electricity}}, which can be seen when one rubs a latex rubber balloon against hair.

The title text mentions another common phenomenon that is poorly understood: the separation of charges in a cumulonimbus cloud. It is thought that interactions between ice and water transfer electrons, and then the different motion of ice (as hail) and water droplets in the cloud separates the charge. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/lightning/lightning.html NOAA How lightning is created].

5 years later, the triboelectric effect was brought up again as an unsolved problem in [[2682: Easy Or Hard]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan is facing Ponytail and Cueball.]
:Megan: I'll be honest: We physicists talk a big game about the theory of everything, but the truth is, we don't really understand why ice skates work, how sand flows, or where the static charge comes from when you rub your hair with a balloon.

==Trivia==
*Randall modified the xkcd header on July 25, 2017 to ask readers to "...tell your senators to vote against this health care bill. It will hurt people." This is accompanied by a phone number, 202-224-3121, and a link to [https://www.trumpcareten.org/daily TrumpCare Ten]. An archived version of the image is available [https://web.archive.org/web/20170726150959im_/https://imgs.xkcd.com/notes/call-senate.png here].
*Later, after the senate rejected several versions of the bill, Randall replaced this message with a "thank you" message and a [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/us/politics/senate-votes-repeal-obamacare.html link] to an article showing the senate votes.

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

2219: Earthquake Early Warnings

2023-09-21T01:20:26Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2219
| date = October 23, 2019
| title = Earthquake Early Warnings
| image = earthquake_early_warnings.png
| titletext = I was fired by the National Weather Service five minutes after they hired me for going into their code base and renaming all the tornado warnings to "tornado spoiler alerts."
}}

==Explanation==
A week before this comic, on October 17th, California introduced an {{w|earthquake warning system}} in the form of an [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-16/california-to-launch-statewide-earthquake-early-warning-system app for smartphones called MyShake].
The system works through a network of sensors across the state that can detect {{w|P-waves}} from an {{w|earthquake}}, {{w|P-wave#As_an_earthquake_warning|which move faster}} than the {{w|S-waves}}, which cause most of the damage. In addition, the sensors send the warning electronically - at a significant fraction of the speed of light - much faster than either P-waves or S-waves. Because of these differences in speed, the network can send warnings through the app about 5-20 seconds before major shaking occurs, enough time for people to take cover under tables, run outside, etc. The farther you are away from the epicenter, the more warning time you have.

In the comic [[Megan]] talks about the app, suggesting how cool it is, but [[Cueball]] is upset. He seems to think that prediction of the earthquake coming is like a spoiler that ruins the experience of how an earthquake should be experienced. Apparently he prefers to simply be taken by surprise like most people are when an earthquake large enough to feel hits.

He also personifies the {{w|tectonic plates}} (whose shifting positions causes the quake), saying that we should all feel the shaking the way the tectonic plate intended. The statement is usually one regarding to arts, such as a music lover might prefer to listen to older music from vinyl (including cracking sounds, etc.) instead of a remastered digital version, as it is, as the artist intended.

In the title text Cueball mentions that he was fired from the {{w|National Weather Service}} five minutes after they hired him because the first thing he did was to rename {{w|tornado warnings}} as {{w|tornado}} spoiler alerts. A {{w|Spoiler (media)|spoiler alert}} is something used, for instance, when talking about a plot twist of a new movie, so that people who haven't seen the movie can avoid learning important details that would spoil the experience of seeing the movie. Cueball seems to genuinely wish to be surprised by these potentially lethal phenomena for which just minutes of warning may make the difference between life and death.

Earthquake warnings, on a smartphone but not as an app, were the topic of [[723: Seismic Waves]], and shortly before that a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/protip protip] for an alternative seismograph was mentioned in [[711: Seismograph]]. An app for warning about tornadoes was the topic of [[937: TornadoGuard]]. Warnings in general by the NWS were the subject in [[2179: NWS Warnings]], which mentioned tornadoes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and many other hazards. Tsunamis are often caused by earthquakes, though earthquakes were not specifically mentioned.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is looking at her phone while standing next to Cueball]
:Megan: Ooh, California has a new earthquake early warning app.
:Cueball: Yeah, I'm so mad about it.

:[Megan puts her phone down and looks at Cueball who throws his arms up in the air.]
:Megan: What, why?
:Cueball: It ruins the experience of trying to recognize the p-waves before the obvious main waves hit.

:[Megan still looks at Cueball who has taken his arms down.]
:Megan: So you're mad about earthquake ''spoilers?''
:Cueball: I just want to experience the shaking the way the tectonic plate ''intended!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Tornadoes]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Geology]]

2324: Old Days 2

2023-09-21T01:20:07Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2324
| date = June 24, 2020
| title = Old Days 2
| image = old_days_2.png
| titletext = The git vehicle fleet eventually pivoted to selling ice cream, but some holdovers remain. If you flag down an ice cream truck and hand the driver a floppy disk, a few hours later you'll get an invite to a git repo.
}}

==Explanation==
In this sequel to [[1755: Old Days]], which was released more than three and a half years ago, the conversation continues, as if no time has passed, between (young) [[Cueball]] and (old) [[Hairbun]] about computer programming in the past. As in the first comic in [[:Category:Old Days|this series]], Cueball, having only a faint idea of just how difficult and byzantine programming was "in the old days", asks Hairbun to enlighten him on the specifics. Hairbun promptly seizes the opportunity to screw with his head.

The new claims:
* The cloud was smaller and called a "Mainframe" and was near Sacramento.
** This is a joke on many {{w|Cloud computing|cloud services}} replacing {{w|mainframe}}s. Both systems were or are used to provide an expansive quantity of computing capability by enabling users to use only some of the available resources, sharing with other users. In those early days, it is true that large mainframes would handle multiple people's jobs at once, using techniques like {{w|time-sharing}} (although they were not necessarily located near {{w|Sacramento}}, the capital of California.). What's more, the basic ideas behind how cloud computing used to go way back. {{w|Multics}} was an early time-sharing system designed to "support a computing utility similar to the telephone and electricity utilities". The idea was similar to the cloud, where anybody could just hook up and get computing service, as well as other services built into the mainframe. For this reason, many of the computer security concepts we have today - such as {{w|Kernel_(operating_system)|kernelized operating systems}} - come from early systems like Multics.
* It was on the state landline.
** In the days of mainframes, remote users often used {{w|landline}}s (i.e. hard-wired telephone connections) to communicate, via {{w|dial-up modem}}s, and so users would have to disconnect for making phone calls. Even in the age of all landlines, there was never such a thing as "the state landline", imagined as an immense shared {{w|Party line (telephony)|party line}} to which the governor would have priority access for making calls.
* No memory protection; instead, people would call around to ask whether anyone else using an address and Microsoft's early foothold in computing was because of {{w|Bill Gates}} lying about his usage of addresses.
** {{w|Memory protection}} protects storage from access by other programs or users. Many computer systems provide hardware and operating systems to support this. Hairbun is correct in that this sort of code was not well-developed early on. She claims that management of the memory was all done manually by agreement of the developers, and the only way to check if editing a particular address in the Mainframe was safe was physically asking all the other developers if they were already using it. In early PCs it was common to use specific memory locations, defined by the operating system or the hardware itself, to communicate with the operating system or perform particular functions such as direct graphical memory addressing rather than code compiling to pass through multiple Hardware Abstraction Layers. Her implication is that Bill Gates took advantage of this honor system to restrict people not working for {{w|Microsoft}} from making changes, allowing the company to take ownership of a lot of code - another fib with a grain of truth in it, based on Microsoft's excessive usage of limited standard-mandated pools. For example, out of 256 possible identifiers for {{w|partition type}} shared between all operating systems running on IBM PC compatible hardware, 65 entries are allocated to miscellaneous variants of FAT and NTFS systems, 38 of them originating from Microsoft itself - including esoteric variants like "Corrupted fault-tolerant FAT16B mirrored master volume."
* "Git" was a van that drove around gathering tapes to copy, and the term "pull request" came from the van physically pulling over when signaled with an air horn.
** {{w|Git}} is a {{w|distributed version control system}}, which manages copies of a coding project to prevent and resolve conflicts from multiple people editing the project at once. It works by having individual contributors {{w|Pull request|pull}} the project onto their device, make their changes, and then push those changes back to be integrated into the master copy. The term "pull request" is primarily used after a user has pushed their new code and is requesting that those changes be integrated into the primary codebase, i.e. that the primary developer would pull those changes into the main branch. Bulk data used to be stored on {{w|magnetic tape}}; in order for version control to exist at this time, there would have to be a master tape that was copied and physically distributed to each contributor, and then the edited tapes would be gathered afterward and conflicts resolved. Hairbun claims that Git provided this service back then using vans. In reality, Git did not exist until 2005, long after digital computers and networked servers became widely accessible and the "early internet" was history. Other systems for providing the same functionality existed for decades before this, with {{w|Source Code Control System}} (SCCS) having been released in 1972. Even this software was implemented primarily for multiple users accessing the same system, rather than users on separate, unconnected ones. Physically carrying storage devices around ({{w|sneakernet}}) has sometimes been used where electronic communication or bandwidth was not available. For example, motorcycle drivers on a regular route, carrying flash drives to remote communities (see {{w|delay-tolerant networking}}). This form of file transfer was also the subject of comic [[949: File Transfer]].
* Before terminals we all used punch cards, which were originally developed to control looms, and so the Mainframe would produce sweaters when code was run.
** Another initial truth going into complete nonsense. It is true that some looms were controlled by {{w|punch card}}s (dating back to 1745), and so were early computer precursors. At the same time {{w|Charles Babbage}} used them around 1830 to control his {{w|Analytical Engine}}. However, Hairbun's statement is that because of this, the ''same'' punch card machines would run both ''simultaneously'', such that feeding a set of cards to compile code would necessarily cause a sweater to be produced by the connected loom, which was then sent to the developer. For one: industrial looms don't produce sweaters, but fabrics (which is often patterned if punch cards are involved). And it's not likely that any punch patterns used in computer coding would be interpretable as a suitable pattern for a sweater. However, there is loom knitting which does produce patterns for sweaters.
* (From the title text) You can still hand in a floppy disk to an ice cream truck and get an invite to a git repo a few hours later.
** Git repo is short for Git {{w|Repository (version control)|repository}}, the place where all the files associated with a project are stored. Hairbun tries to convince Cueball that modern ice cream truck drivers service Git in the same way she says the vans did before and that it's still possible to give them a {{w|floppy disk}} (a magnetic storage device) in order to gain access to a repo. The ice cream industry has no connection to computing.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:[In a slim panel, Cueball and Hairbun are walking together to the right. Hairbun has her palm raised.]
:Cueball: What was the Internet like in the olden days, for a developer?
:Hairbun: Oh, things were very different.

:[Cueball and Hairbun have stopped walking. Zoomed in on Hairbun.]
:Hairbun: The cloud was a lot smaller. It was called a "mainframe" and it was near Sacramento.
:Hairbun: It was on the state landline, so the whole industry paused when the governor had to make a phone call.

:[Zoomed back out. Hairbun has her palm raised.]
:Hairbun: There was no memory protection. If you wanted to write to an address, you would call around to ask whether anyone else was using it.
:Hairbun: Often Bill Gates would say he was, even when he wasn't. That's how Microsoft got its early foothold.
:Cueball: Wow.

:[Zoomed back in Hairbun. Cueball responds off-screen.]
:Hairbun: "Git" was originally a van that circled around gathering data tapes to copy and distribute. We all took turns driving it.
:Hairbun: When you saw it coming you'd blow an air horn to request that it pull over.
:Hairbun: That's where "pull request" came from.
:Cueball (off-screen): Oh, neat!

:[Cueball and Hairbun continue walking to the right. Hairbun has her palm raised.]
:Hairbun: Before terminals, we all used punch cards, which were originally developed to control looms.
:Hairbun: Early mainframes would produce a sweater each time you ran your code.
:Hairbun: Eventually we got them to stop. We had enough sweaters.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Old Days]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Old Days]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Version Control]]

1185: Ineffective Sorts

2023-09-21T01:19:07Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1185
| date = March 13, 2013
| title = Ineffective Sorts
| image = ineffective_sorts.png
| titletext = StackSort connects to StackOverflow, searches for 'sort a list', and downloads and runs code snippets until the list is sorted.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic gives examples of four non-functional {{w|sorting algorithm}}s written in {{w|Pseudocode|pseudo}}-{{w|Python (programming language)|Python}}.

The first sort is an unfinished {{w|merge sort}}. The merge sort works recursively by dividing a list in half and performing a merge sort to each half. After the two halves are sorted, they are merged, taking advantage of the fact that the two halves are now in correct order and thus the merge can be done efficiently. The author of the merge sort in the comic appears to have given up on writing the sorted-merge part of the sort, which is why it's a ''{{Wiktionary|half-hearted}}'' merge sort, but instead concatenates the halves without sorting. In its current state, the sort would divide the list into elements of size one, then recombine them in their original unsorted order, but in nested lists - making the original data more difficult to work with. The author acknowledges this failing with the comment "Ummmmm... Here. Sorry."

The second sort is an "optimized" variant of {{w|bogosort}}. A standard bogosort works by randomly shuffling the elements in the list until they are sorted. In a comment, the author points out that this variant of bogosort runs in O(n log(n)), whereas standard bogosorts actually have an expected runtime of O(n·n!) but may never finish. This variant of bogosort finishes so much faster because in most cases it does not actually sort the list, instead reporting a fictitious error in the operating system (a "kernel page fault") if the list isn't ordered after shuffling log(n) times. The bogosort is "optimized" because no comparison sort algorithm can possibly do better than O(n log(n)) in the worst case.

The third sort parodies a programmer explaining a {{w|quicksort}} during a job interview. The quicksort works by choosing an index as a pivot value and sorting all elements less than the pivot before the pivot and all the elements greater than the pivot after the pivot. It then does a quicksort to the section less than the pivot and the section greater than the pivot until the whole list is sorted. The interviewee flounders for a little while, then asks whether they can use the standard libraries to call a quicksort. The joke being, the standard library contains a quicksort, and the programmer would rather rely on that (possibly even pass it off as his own work) than his own example of quicksort. While it's commonly a good idea in real projects, this would surely count as a failure on interview.

The final sort is just a mess. First it checks to see if the list is sorted, and exits if it is. Then it rotates the list by a random amount 10,000 times (as if cutting a deck of cards) and exits if the list is ever sorted. Next, in desperation, it checks if the list is sorted three times. Finally, realizing that they have no chance of success, the author performs the computer equivalent of a {{tvtropes|RageQuit|Rage Quit}} and attempts to destroy the computer rather than admit defeat. First, the program attempts to schedule a shutdown of the computer in five minutes, then attempts to delete the current directory, then attempts to delete the user's home directory (presumably the grader's files), and finally all the files on the computer. {{w|rm (Unix)|rm}} is a POSIX command; the -r and -f flags mean that the remove command will remove all contents of the specified directories and will not prompt the user beforehand. Under the guise of "{{w|Software portability|portability}}", the program runs the equivalent Windows {{w|rmdir|rd}} command with switches to delete all files from the "C:" drive without prompting. Finally, the program returns a list containing the numbers one through five in order.

In the title text, {{w|StackOverflow}} ([https://stackoverflow.com/ link]) is a question-and-answer site where programmers can ask and answer questions on programming. The author of this code takes advantage of the hopes that someone on StackOverflow knows what they are doing and has posted code to sort a list... ''and somebody [https://github.com/gkoberger/stacksort/ implemented stacksort]; well, sort of.''

==Transcript==
:'''Ineffective sorts'''
define HalfheartedMergeSort(list):
if length(list)<2:
return list
pivot=int(length(list)/2)
a=HalfheartedMergeSort(list[:pivot])
b=HalfheartedMergeSort(list[pivot:])
// ummmmm
return [a,b] // Here. Sorry.

define FastBogoSort(list):
// An optimized BogoSort
// Runs in O(n log n)
for n from 1 to log(length(list)):
shuffle(list):
if isSorted(list):
return list
return "Kernel Page Fault (Error code: 2)"

define JobInterviewQuicksort(list):
Ok so you choose a pivot
Then divide the list in half
for each half:
check to see if it's sorted
no, wait, it doesn't matter
compare each element to the pivot
the bigger ones go in a new list
the equal ones go into, uh
the second list from before
hang on, let me name the lists
this is list A
the new one is list B
put the big ones into list B
now take the second list
call it list, uh, A2
which one was the pivot in?
scratch all that
it just recursively calls itself
until both lists are empty
right?
not empty, but you know what I mean
am I allowed to use the standard libraries?

define PanicSort(list):
if isSorted(list):
return list
for n from 1 to 10000:
pivot=random(0,length(list))
list=list[pivot:]+list[:pivot]
if isSorted(list):
return list
if isSorted(list):
return list:
if isSorted(list): //this can't be happening
return list
if isSorted(list): //come on come on
return list
// oh jeez
// i'm gonna be in so much trouble
list=[]
system("shutdown -h +5")
system("rm -rf ./")
system("rm -rf ~/*")
system("rm -rf /")
system("rd /s /q C:\*") //portability
return [1,2,3,4,5]

== Trivia ==

* [https://xkcd.com/about/ xkcd's ''about'' section] has an FAQ about sorting algorithms. It mentions both quicksort and job interviews.

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

1833: Code Quality 3

2023-09-21T01:18:34Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1833
| date = May 5, 2017
| title = Code Quality 3
| image = code_quality_3.png
| titletext = It's like a half-solved cryptogram where the solution is a piece of FORTH code written by someone who doesn't know FORTH.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the third in the [[:Category:Code Quality|Code Quality]] series:
* [[1513: Code Quality]]
* [[1695: Code Quality 2]]
* [[1833: Code Quality 3]]
* [[1926: Bad Code]]
* [[2138: Wanna See the Code?]]

In the first panel, Ponytail references {{w|query string|query strings}}, which store information, such as search queries or page numbers, relevant to the URL. Query strings are not meant to be especially human-readable (eg. "&sxsrf=APq-WBvn82l8oTeNNzZeCkI7B9nM5nxoVg%3A1647235405067"), so a song based on one would likely not be a good one.{{fact}}

A tactical flashlight is a light that can be mounted on a gun for use in low-light scenarios. They tend to be very durable and very bright. Different models have different features and capabilities, so they are given cool-sounding model numbers. [http://www.json.org/ JSON] (JavaScript Object Notation) is a subset of JavaScript used, by many programming languages, as a convenient{{fact}} way of recording structured data. It's not clear what else would be in the table (tables typically have more than one column) and JSON technically has arrays and objects (dictionaries) but not tables, but a JSON array of objects of these model numbers would look something like:

[
{ "model": "TACT X700"},
{ "model": "Atomic Beam USA 5000" },
{ "model": "E2D LED Defender" },
{ "model": "J5 Tactical V1-Pro" }
]

{{w|Alan Turing}} was a British theoretical computer scientist, often considered the father of the field. His [https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf 1936 paper] outlined Turing machines, a theoretical model for computing, as well as computability and the halting problem. Theoretical computer science is very different from practical coding; understanding the contents of the paper would not at all help a coder to understand today's algorithms, design patterns, and best practices. This is not helped by a page of JavaScript example code. {{w|JavaScript}} is a popular programming language which makes web pages responsive to user inputs, and while JavaScript arguably solves the problem in a practical manner (as opposed to Turing's very theoretical work), it does get a lot of criticism - for instance it is {{w|Strong and weak typing|nearly untyped}}, which allows the programmer to do very interesting things, like {{w|JSFuck}}. Then, example code is used to explain a concept in programming or demonstrate how a program works, but it does not actually run on any computer. "Guessing everything in between" would involve attempting to write code using skills that could range anywhere from the most basic programming to Turing's extremely advanced ideas.

In the final panel, Ponytail references {{w|leet|leet-speak}}, in which symbols are replaced with similar-looking symbols, and a {{w|manifesto}}, a statement of a person or group's beliefs and intentions. A manifesto from a survivalist cult leader might be nonsensical, even before being translated to leet-speak. Memory allocation is a low-level computer programming concept; most modern languages have features that take care of memory allocation for the programmer, possibly implying that Cueball does not know how to use these features.

At this point Cueball, quickly becoming impatient with Ponytail's sass in what is supposed to be a formal code review, retorts that if she can't start giving him the constructive criticism that he's looking for, he can always find someone else to replace her. Ponytail smugly responds that nobody else would be able to stomach his code for more than one sitting, and that she's the only one he's got.

{{w|Forth_(programming_language)#Programmer.27s_perspective|Forth}} is an old programming language that tends to be difficult to read. It is stack-based, meaning that values to be operated on are moved on a {{w|Stack (abstract data type)|stack}} before the operation to be performed is given. Using stacks can be considered different from programming languages that resemble natural human language (e.g. {{w|COBOL}}). While stack-based computing makes some problems very simple (for example, it is relatively simple to design a Forth compiler, or reversing the order of an array) and uses less computing resources, such programming languages are not easy to learn. Since Forth allows the programmer to rewrite the language, or define their own language, and it does not enforce restrictions like data types, it may be especially easy for novices to write cryptic code.

A {{w|cryptogram}} is a cipher puzzle, generally one easy enough to be solved manually. The title text implies that the code is so bad that it looks like unreadable Forth code that is missing random characters.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting in front of a computer screen typing. Cueball speaks only off-panel, but since this is a direct continuation of comic 1513 and 1695: Code Quality and Code Quality 2 where Cueball is shown, there can be no doubt it is him.]
:Ponytail: Your code looks like song lyrics written using only the stuff that comes after the question mark in a URL.
:Cueball (off-panel): Sorry.
:[Zoom in on Ponytail's upper body.]
:Ponytail: It's like a JSON table of model numbers for flashlights with "tactical" in their names.
:[Zoom back out again. Ponytail has lifted her hands off the table and is slightly leaning back against the chair.]
:Ponytail: Like you read Turing's 1936 paper on computing and a page of JavaScript example code and guessed at everything in between.
:[Zoom in again on Ponytail's face.]
:Ponytail: It's like a leet-speak translation of a manifesto by a survivalist cult leader who's for some reason obsessed with memory allocation.
:Cueball (off-panel): I can get someone else to review my code.
:Ponytail: Not more than once, I bet.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Code Quality]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Code Quality 03]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Cueball Computer Problems]]

2418: Metacarcinization

2023-09-21T01:17:43Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 2418
| date = January 29, 2021
| title = Metacarcinization
| image = metacarcinization.png
| titletext = Scientists still don't know how marine biologists manage to so consistently bring up whalefall ecosystems, when relevant conversational openings are so few and far between.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic strip opens with a conversation between [[White Hat]] and [[Cueball]] as they are walking together. White Hat asks Cueball if he has seen a video of a crow sledding on a roof — presumably [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uXiAe7Oc-I this one], or one of its later viral reposts. ([https://laughingsquid.com/dog-rides-toboggan-down-hill/ Animals sledding] seems to be a thing lately). In this case, the crow is a {{w|Hooded Crow}}. Cueball remarks that it's a cool example of {{w|tool use by animals}}, a sign of intelligence (which corvids [Corvidae; the crow family], including crows, ravens, and [https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/brain-and-cognitive-sciences/9-20-animal-behavior-fall-2013/lecture-notes/MIT9_20F13_Lec4.pdf jackdaws], are famous for). He then points out that {{w|Tool use by sea otters|sea otters use tools}} too, namely using stones to crack open crab shells.

This in turn leads him to bring up the fact that the 'crab' body plan has evolved multiple times, a phenomenon known as {{w|carcinization}}, previously discussed in [[2314: Carcinization]]. In that strip, Cueball turned into a crab shortly after hearing about carcinization, so perhaps White Hat will likewise be transformed momentarily.

The conversation serves as an example of a {{tvtropes|WikiWalk|wiki walk}}, where a conversation naturally diverts from the original topic into a seemingly unrelated topic through a series of logical associations. Although a sledding crow has little to do with carcinization in and of itself, the conversation has managed to bridge the two topics through intermediary steps (crow using a sled, animals using tools in general, otters using stones to open crabs, crab evolutionary process).

The title and caption is a joke that, much like natural life-forms have evolved into crab-like forms multiple independent times, so too do all of Cueball's (or Randall's) conversations wiki-walk into a discussion of that evolutionary process.

In the title text, Randall jokes that marine biologists have a similar tendency to bring up {{w|Whale fall|whalefall}} (or "whale fall") ecosystems, which arise whenever a whale's carcass falls onto the deep ocean floor and are thought to provide "stepping stones" for species migration across the generally barren seafloor. Such occurrences are relatively rare, perhaps occurring once every few miles on whale migration routes, but they happen anyway, much like conversations about them. Another example of scientists tending to bring up facts from their field of study can be found at [[1610: Fire Ants]], and Randall often brings up the fact that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking together. White Hat has his smartphone out in his hand.
:White Hat: Have you seen this video of a crow sledding on a roof?
:Cueball: Yeah! It's always cool to see animals using tools.
:Cueball: Like how sea otters use rocks to open crab shells.
:Cueball: Hey, did you know the "crab" body plan has evolved multiple times?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Regardless of the starting topic, any conversation with me eventually converges to carcinization.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Biology]]

256: Online Communities

2023-09-21T01:16:02Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Redundant link

{{comic
| number = 256
| date = May 2, 2007
| title = Online Communities
| image = online_communities_small.png
| titletext = I'm waiting for the day when, if you tell someone 'I'm from the internet', instead of laughing they just ask 'oh, what part?'
}}
{{TOC}}
*A larger version of the image is available [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/online_communities.png here].

==Explanation==
This is Randall's first map of online communities, with a successor (showing some zoomed-in highlights of the map) at [[802: Online Communities 2]]. As Randall says on the map, the area of each "country" is roughly proportional to its membership, at least in 2007. Geographic location means a bit more, however, as the '''Compass-Rose-Shaped Island''' points out. North-south corresponds to a spectrum from practical to intellectual, and east-west corresponds to one from web-focused to real-life-focused. The map also bears a slight resemblance to {{w|South East Asia}}. Randall likes to draw maps in a manner like this. Each "country" is represented by size and related points of interest. We also have a "Sea of Memes" and a small "Straits of WEB 2.0."

===Compass Rose-shaped Island===
This is a joke located near the middle of the map, that nonetheless serves to organize the illustration. A Compass Rose —the name for the multi-pointed star that shows where North is on the map— appears on most maps; however, here, it's actually land that just coincidentally looks like a compass rose.

The "points" of the island do, however, roughly organize the map. Left is "Focus on Real Life," labelled "IRL," an abbreviation for "In Real Life." Right is "Focus on Web," labelled ".com." Up is "Practicals," labelled "N," as in "North," but with small letters making it spell "Noob," slang for a "Newbie" or "New user" — a person less experienced with the internet, as many of the sites to the top of the map are ones infamous for having large numbers of largely computer-illiterate people. Down is "Intellectuals," labelled ''"π,"'' an important constant in mathematics approximately equal to 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288149716939937510.

===The Icy North===
These are communities that were once major players, but now in a much reduced role. While some are still fairly large, they're somewhat relics of older times, hence the "Mountains of Web 1.0" that run through them — Web 1.0 is the first major generation of websites.
* '''[http://yahoo.com Yahoo!]''' was the most popular search engine around 1998, but lost out to Google. It remains in business due to diversification (it now owns Tumblr, for instance).
* '''Windows Live''', particularly ''Windows Live Messenger'', used to be a particularly major way for friends to communicate, now taken over by Skype and the like. Once a more-or-less ubiquitous branding, now used much less. https://home.live.com/ ‎is one remnant.
* '''[http://aol.com AOL]''' was once a huge player in the internet service provider market, noted for sending out millions of floppy disks and CD-ROMs in the 1980s and '90s offering a month or so free internet service (followed by high fees and difficult cancellation). Notably, AOL was the first company to sign up large numbers of people to internet access throughout the year, whereas before then internet was mainly provided by colleges and universities, fundamentally changing internet culture (see {{w|Eternal September}}). This influx of new users or "Noobs" (short for "newbies") names the ''Noob Sea'' south of AOL. The ''Chat Rooms'' nearby were a selling feature of early ISPs — ways to communicate with other people from that ISP. They are largely dying now, but were a major selling point in the early days.
* '''[http://classmates.com Classmates.com]''' and '''[http://reunion.com Reunion.com]''' are early sites that offered to help you find your former classmates from school, a role largely taken over by the big, more generalized social media sites. Classmates.com is probably best known by its memetic advertisement that said "She married him??!! And they've got 7 kids??"
* '''[http://friendster.com Friendster]''' was the first big social media site. It was later outpaced by ''Myspace'' and ''Facebook'' (see Social Media below). It has survived by rebranding itself as a social gaming site, now used primarily in Southeast Asia.
* '''Qwghlm''': A reference to ''{{w|The Baroque Cycle}}'', a series of science fiction books by Neal Stephenson. In them, Qwghlm is a group of islands in the icy north. See [http://baroquecycle.wikia.com/wiki/Qwghlm http://baroquecycle.wikia.com/wiki/Qwghlm].
* '''Chasm''': A barely-readable note just below the "O" of "NORTH." This may simply be a reference to a lot of fantasy series containing a chasm. (For example, the One Ring is destroyed by flinging it into a fiery chasm in The Lord of the Rings.)

===Dating sites (Northwest coastal regions)===
* '''[http://eharmony.com E-Harmony]''' and '''[http://okcupid.com OkCupid]''' are dating sites; the other, larger sites near them are mostly social media sites.
* '''The Lonely Island''' label appears to be a joke: Surrounded by, but separate from dating sites and social media sites, it would be a rather lonely place. Possibly named after "[http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Tol_Eress%C3%ABa Tol Eressëa]" (Translation: The Lonely Island), a somewhat obscure location in J. R. R. Tolkien's books, but there are {{w|The Lonely Island|other possibilities}}.

===Social Media (West)===
These are sites mainly used to communicate with friends, such as Facebook and Myspace. The first large one was ''Friendster'', but this has largely become a social gaming site primarily used in Southeast Asia, as discussed in The Icy North, above. Other social media sites listed are:

* '''[http://faceparty.com Faceparty]''': A UK social media site started in 1999.
* '''[http://myspace.com Myspace]''': A social media site partially owned by, of all people, Justin Timberlake. Started in 2003, and peaking around the time this comic was made, it nonetheless still remains popular for bands (hence "Myspace Bands" in the southwest). It was never known for having a particularly attractive web design (partly because users could extensively customize the look and feel of their profile pages), hence only a very small part of it labelled "Attractive Myspace Pages."
** The '''Series of Tubes''': A reference to an internet meme. In 2006, U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, while arguing for the end of "Network neutrality," a concept that keeps ISPs from favouring or charging more for high-speed access to sites, claimed that such regulation was needed because the Internet was "not a truck" you could just load up with as much as you want, but a "series of tubes." This was fairly accurate, but his arguments were poor and badly phrased, and his speech subsequently received widespread derision (originally from Jon Stewart's The Daily Show), and it became a running gag on the internet.
* '''[http://facebook.com Facebook]''': Generally considered (at least in the West) the "modern" social media network, and the most popular. However, this comic is from 2007, and Facebook did not catch up to Myspace until 2008-2009. [Source: {{w|Myspace}}]
* '''[http://orkut.com Orkut]''': A social media network launched in 2004 by Google, it became hugely popular in Brazil, India, and, to a lesser extent, Japan.
* '''[http://xanga.com Xanga]''': A blogging and social media site launched in 1998.
* '''[http://livejournal.com LJ]''': LiveJournal, a blogging site, more or less, but one that allows an internet forum-like structure where anyone, or selected people, can all start new posts on a community. Noted for a large number of teenagers, fanfic authors, and the like in its heyday, hence the "Bay of Angst" to its south.
* '''[http://www.blurty.com/ Blurty]''': LiveJournal's software is Open Access, meaning anyone can use it to set up a site. {{w|Blurty}} is, according to Wikipedia, an 18+ general community using this software.
* '''[http://cyworld.com Cyworld]''': A South Korean social media site featuring avatars and "mini-rooms."

===The Blogipelago (Southwest)===
This is a portmanteau of blog and archipelago. Sulawesi is a real island in the Indonesian archipelago, implying that this region's similarity to Indonesia is probably intentional.

* '''[http://www.huffingtonpost.com Huffington Post:]''' ''The Huffington Post'' is a web-only news site, named after its founder, Arianna Huffington. It's noted for attracting notable people to do very good write-ups of politics and news, generally with a liberal slant, but also for having a medicine section that supports every sort of quackery and nonsense, including a regular column by {{w|Dana Ullman}} promoting {{w|homeopathy}} (see [[765: Dilution]]).
* '''Shipwreck of the SS Howard Dean:''' In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, Howard Dean raised funds mainly over the internet, and was doing very well, until a gaffe caused him to crash and burn just before the primaries began. See {{w|Howard Dean presidential campaign, 2004}}.
* '''Cory Doctrow's Balloon:''' Reference to [[239: Blagofaire]].
* '''[http://boingboing.net Boing Boing:]''' An occasional trend is for a smallish magazine to get a website, have the website become vastly more popular than its print edition, and become a successful website. Examples include [http://cracked.com Cracked.com,] [http://theonion.com The Onion,] and the subject of this label, [http://boingboing.net Boing Boing.] Boing Boing is a group blog covering technology, intellectual property, science fiction, and futurism.
* '''[http://technorati.com Technorati:]''' A site for searching blogs.
* '''Sulawesi:''' As mentioned above, a real island that is part of the Indonesian archipelago.
* '''{{w|Xu Jinglei}}:''' A Chinese actress. According to Wikipedia: "In mid-2006, her Chinese-language blog had the most incoming links of any blog in any language on the Internet, according to Technorati."
* '''[http://postsecret.com/ PostSecret:]''' A website that people send postcards to, describing their secrets. Some are little secrets (like swigging milk directly from the jug or carton), some are old, deep-seated traumas, and some are just things that they could never admit to anyone publicly. Worth a look.
* '''The Wet Sea''': Perhaps a reference to a West Sea, but not sure what that would be. Maybe just a simple joke, as what else would a sea be but wet?
* ''TWB'' or ''TMZ'': A very-hard-to-read label, south of Technorati.
** '''TWB''' is short for "{{w|Translators Without Borders}}," a charitable project that tries to translate necessary texts into the languages of the people who need them for free. This ''might'' be it, if it's meant to relate to Wikipedia, to the east of it. On the other hand,
** '''[http://TMZ.com TMZ]''' is a major celebrity gossip blog, rated #15 in the "[http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs World's 50 most powerful blogs"] by ''The Guardian,'' and, at time of writing, rating #11 in the [http://technorati.com/blogs/top100/ Technorati top 100.]

===Sea of Culture (Central region) ===
Sites for sharing and showing off music and images, most focusing on self-created content.

* '''Gulf of YouTube''': [http://youtube.com YouTube] is the definitive video website where people can upload videos with the purpose of public viewing, ranging from home movies through official music videos through Let's Plays of people playing video games to questionably-legal uploads of cartoons and films. Google has since purchased YouTube.
* '''Piczo''': Teen-oriented website that allowed one to make a profile and put up pictures. The site has been dead since late 2012, due to the rise of Facebook. See {{w|Piczo}}.
* '''Broadcaster''': Another dead site, almost lost to the web. Only a few scraps of information remain on the web. [http://www.seomastering.com/wiki/Broadcaster.com One of the rare scraps of remaining information] indicates that it was a webcam broadcasting service that also allowed YouTube-like sharing of videos.
* '''The Bit Torrent''' and the '''P2P Shoals''': Reference to file sharing (passing around often copyright-infringing files, such as movies, CDs, and the like), often done with the {{w|BitTorrent}} protocol. A "Torrent" can also be a flood of water, hence it being used to name a river. "P2P" stands for "{{w|Peer-to-peer}}", the basis for the BitTorrent protocol.
* '''[http://flickr.com Flickr]''': a website where people can upload and share photographs they took.
* '''[http://lastfm.com LastFM]''': a music website that is notable of its "scrobbling" feature.
* '''[http://deviantart.com DeviantArt]''': the largest art website, where people can upload, sell, and buy not only art itself, but also video, audio, Flash-work, and even skins (the original purpose of deviantArt). While many big-name/professional people and organizations have their works in deviantArt, the site is more infamous for the large amount of people who upload low-quality fan-art and fan-characters, most notably of media from Japan. Another point of infamy is the large amount of drama that can happen in the website.

'''Straits of Web 2.0''': A ''strait'' is a narrow passage between two outcroppings. Web 2.0 is a term used to describe new internet architectures, which these programs and Wikipedia (the other side of the strait) are examples of. '''Gays of Web 2.0''' is a pun: The opposite of a gay person (homosexual) is a straight person (heterosexual).

===User-created content and discussions (Southeast)===
Sites such as {{w|Wikipedia}} and chat programs such as IRC.
* '''Wikipedia''': The world's largest encyclopedia, collaboratively edited by its users. It's labelled as "The Wikipedia Project" (actually called ''{{w|Wikimedia}}''), since Wikipedia has generalised to cover a number of separate web sites, though, at the time of this comic, none near the size of Wikipedia (excepting, possibly, Wikimedia Commons, which is partly an image repository for Wikipedia), perhaps explaining the small size of all the other vertexes of the "web."
* '''Usenet''': The predecessor of most modern forums. A set of discussion groups that dominated the early internet. It also predates the standard web architecture to some extent — there's no standard weblink for it, for instance. See {{w|Usenet}}.
* '''IRC isles''': IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat, a simple, low-bandwidth program for chatting. Common uses include Dungeons and Dragons games and other geeky pursuits.
* '''[http://sourceforge.net SourceForge]''': A code repository. Basically, a place for programmers to meet up and work together on a variety of free and open source projects. See {{w|sourceforge}}. Has become less respectable since this comic was created in 2007, due to [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/08/gimp_dumps_sourceforge_over_dodgy_ads_and_installer/ allowing misleading advertisements intended to trick people into installing questionable software.]
* '''[http://mit.edu MIT]''': The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the most respected universities for Engineering, Robotics, and other such fields.
* '''[http://www.engadget.com/‎ Engadget]''': A blog/online magazine, in multiple languages, reviewing tech products and commenting on technology news.
* '''[http://gizmodo.com/‎ Gizmodo]''': A blog about technology and design.
* '''[http://makezine.com/blog/ MakeBlog]''': A blog highlighting bizarre and interesting do-it-yourself projects, often with a geeky theme.
* '''Google's Volcano Fortress''': A volcano fortress is one traditional dwelling place of evil geniuses in fiction, and Google has quietly taken over huge chunks of people's interaction with the web. Perhaps this provides some background for [[254: Comic Fragment]]?
* '''Stallman's Airship''': A joke, perhaps in line with Cory Doctorow's Balloon ([[239: Blagofaire]], also referenced in this strip). The Super Mario series of games also commonly contains bossfights in airships.

===Ocean of Subculture and Sea of Memes (East)===
:'''Need descriptions'''
Sites related to smaller internet communities, a.k.a. "Subcultures." Also, a whole lot of internet memes, unsurprisingly. The "Viral Straits" references the idea of something "going viral," i.e. spreading quickly to huge numbers of people on the internet. These sites are often responsible for things going viral, and the memes listed are ones that went viral in the past.

;Sites
* '''[http://www.2ch.net/‎ 2Channel]''': a Japanese imageboard that was actually the original inspiration for...
* '''[http://4chan.org 4Chan]''': an imageboard in which people can upload pictures, while others comment on them. The website is infamous for its loose/often non-existent rules, incredibly vulgar userbase, source of new memes, and spawning of trolls. 4chan's random board, known internally as /b/, is almost constantly flooded with porn and image macros.
**The fact that 4chan is a very small island on this map (to the far right on the map - left of "dragons" in the sentence ''Here there be anthropomorphic dragons'') made quite a fuss for Randall. And this caused the comic to be mentioned in [http://blog.xkcd.com/2008/02/25/fruit-opinions/ FRUIT OPINIONS!] on the [http://blog.xkcd.com/ Blag]. Although this comic was one of the more controversial, it had nothing on the impact of [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], which was the cause of the Blag entry as that became the most controversial comic written to that point (i.e. 2008): ''...beating out comics about cunnilingus, the Obama endorsement, and my making 4chan tiny on the map of the internet''. (See the grapefruit comic for more details).
* '''[http://reddit.com Reddit]''': the self-described "front page of the Internet" in which users submit stories, photos, and videos, and the best are "up-voted" to the top of the page.
* '''[http://digg.com Digg]''': a former competitor to Reddit in the social-news sphere, but has been sold since this map was drawn and restarted as an aggregator of news stories.
* '''[http://fark.com Fark]''': A website that writes humorous commentary on various news reports, especially the strange, bizarre, or things from the political far-left and far-right.
* '''[http://somethingawful.com Something Awful]''': a website that is meant to showcase all things "awful." SomethingAwful also has a large trollbase, but they tend to be more honorable than the ones from ''Encyclopedia Dramatica'' and 4chan. One example is there being a spotty holding of the no-furries rule in the forums. The forums themselves are famous because of the holding of the "Let's Plays" of ''Dangan Ronpa'' and ''Super Dangan Ronpa 2'', which had cooked up public interest to the point of there being an English-language release of the games.
* '''[http://slashdot.org /.]''': ''Slashdot'', a news site for technology-related news stories, which are submitted by its users. The "{{w|Slashdot effect}}" is named after this site.
* '''[http://ytmnd.com YTMND]''': a community in which users can create meme-type nonsense by playing music over an image (either static or animated). Its name is an acronym for "You're The Man Now, Dog!"
* '''[http://StumbleUpon.com Stumble Upon]''': A website that attempts to develop a profile for users in order to recommend which websites they might enjoy.
* '''[http://delicious.com/ Del.icio.us]''': Another image and website aggregator, linking to various things of interest. It uses tags to let people find specific types of content. ('''Note''': Since this comic, this website was renamed as "Delicious.")

;Memes and related
* '''Isle of Slash''': "{{w|Slash fiction}}" is a type of {{w|fanfiction}} that takes two male characters from another work of fiction and puts them in a plot where they have lots of sex with each other. Named because of a common way of writing pairings in fanfiction, "X/Y", with the / being pronounced "slash." Adding to this, "Isle of" sounds like "I love."
* '''Numa''': A reference to the viral video "Numa Numa," consisting of a man dancing and lip-syncing to the song "Dragostea din tei" (Romanian for "Love from the lindens").
* '''Your Base''': A reference to the "{{w|All your base are belong to us}}" meme, a line from the game ''{{w|Zero Wing}}'', a game with a huge amount of hilariously badly translated {{w|Engrish}} dialogue. See [[286: All Your Base]] for more discussion of the meme.
* '''Bay of Trolls''': {{w|Troll (Internet)|Trolls}} are people who attempt to stir up controversy by intentionally saying statements meant to annoy others into responding. "Bay" can refer to both a sheltered port and to an animal's cry, so "Bay of Trolls" can be read as "Shelter for Trolls" or "Angry Shouting of Trolls." Given the communities surrounding it, both would make sense.
* '''Soviet Russia''': {{w|Russian reversal|"In Soviet Russia" jokes}} are a style of joke commonly associated with -comedian {{w|Yakov Smirnoff}}, which has since become an internet meme. Example: "In America, you always find a party. In Russia, Party will always find ''you''." — playing off of the idea that "Party" can also refer to the Communist Party. The meme version usually isn't as clever as that, though. See "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-soviet-russia in soviet russia]."
* '''SPAAARTA''': As in, "THIS! IS! SPAAARTA!!!", a famously over-the-top line from the movie ''{{w|300 (film)|300}}''.

===MMORPGs and related games (Northeast by East)===
An area dedicated to MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games), large-scale games with huge numbers of players put into the same world. The label "Here there be anthromorphic dragons" references a common marking on old maps ("Here there be dragons") but updates it to joke about the more humanoid dragons seen in many games, or again, how dragons, especilally anthropomorphic dragons, are very-very popular in the furry community.

* '''[http://games.yahoo.com Yahoo Games]''': A branch of Yahoo (see "The Icy North") dedicated to games (mainly boardgames).
* '''[http://uo.com UO]''': ''Ultima Online'', one of the first MMORPGs, and the first to grow to any size. Based on the long-running ''Ultima'' RPG computer games. Started 1997.
* '''[http://www.everquest.com/‎ EQ]''': ''EverQuest'', another important early MMORPG, started 1999. UO and EQ have declined significantly since then; for a while, they were each the iconic MMORPG, but that role has been taken over by...
* '''[http://www.warcraft.com/‎ WoW]''': ''World of Warcraft'', an MMORPG launched in 2004, again based on a previously-existing RPG series, and by far the largest and most iconic at the time of this comic's creation. A few others have attempted to challenge it since.
* '''[http://www.runescape.com/‎ Runescape]''': Free-to-play fantasy MMORPG; the largest in existence.
* '''[http://www.finalfantasyxi.com/ FFXI]''': ''Final Fantasy XI'', the eleventh installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series of video games, and the first to be a MMORPG. It didn't really take off until after this comic was made.
* '''[http://www.lineage.com/‎ Lineage]''': 1998 MMORPG. Particularly popular in South Korea, a country with somewhat of a cultural obsession with video games.
* '''[http://secondlife.com Second Life]''': A virtual world, noted for largely working from user-generated content, which can be sold by users for real money. See {{w|Second Life}}. ''Third Life'' is a joke based on Second Life — if it existed, it would presumably be a game people play to escape Second Life, which they play to escape their first, real life.

==Transcript==
:[Hand-drawn fantasy style map with land and sea areas representing populations of online communities. Each area or item is labeled.]
:Map of Online Communities and related points of interest
:Geographic area represents estimated size of membership

:[Land Area Labels:]
:The Icy North (Yahoo, Windows Live),
:AOL,
::Chat Rooms
:Reunion dot com,
:Classmates dot com,
:E-harmony,
:Friendster,
:Faceparty,
:Chasm,
:Qwghlm,
:Yahoo Games,
:Mountains of Web 1.0,
:The Lonely Island,
:MySpace,
:Attractive MySpace Pages,
:The Series of Tubes,
:Myspace Bands,
:WOW,
:Lineage,
:Second Life,
:Third Life,
:UO,
:EQ,
:FFXI,
:2channel,
:4chan,
:LJ,
:Xanga,
:Orkut,
:Cyworld,
:Blurty,
:OK Cupid,
:Facebook,
:Piczo,
:The Compass-Rose-Shaped Island,
::Practicals (Noob)
::Focus on Real Life (IRL)
::Focus on Web (.com)
::Intellectuals (π)
:Broadcaster,
:The Bit Torrent,
:Flickr,
:Last.fm,
:DeviantArt,
:Isle of Slash,
:Numa,
:Digg,
:Fark,
:Reddit,
:Something Awful,
:Your Base,
:Soviet Russia,
:/. [Slashdot],
:Spaaarta (YTMND),
:StumbleUpon,
:Del.icio.us,
:The Blogipelago,
:Sulawesi,
:Xu Jinglei,
:Post Secret,
:Technocrati,
:[Hard to read label: Probably JWB, TWB, or TMZ]
:BoingBoing,
:Huffington Post,
:Gays of Web 2.0,
:The Wikipedia project,
:MIT,
:Engadget,
:Gizmodo,
:Usenet,
:MAKE Blog,
:IRC Isles,
:Sourceforge.

:[Sea Area Labels:]
:NOOB Sea,
:Gulf of YouTube,
:Bay of Angst,
:Sea of Culture,
:Ocean of Subculture,
:P2P Shoals,
:Straits of Web 2.0,
:Here Be Anthropomorphic Dragons,
:Bay of Trolls,
:Viral Straits,
:Sea of Memes,
:The Wet Sea
:Item Labels: Shipwreck of the SS Howard Dean, Cory Doctrow's Balloon, Stallman's airship, Google's volcano fortress

:(Not a complete survey. Sizes based on the best figures I could find but involved some guesswork. Do not use for navigation.)
:Spring 2007

==Trivia==
This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20220125025438/https://store.xkcd.com/products/online-communities-2007-poster available as a poster] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Online Communities]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Online Communities]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]

171: String Theory

2023-09-21T00:45:31Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Comma

{{comic
| number = 171
| date = October 16, 2006
| title = String Theory
| image = string_theory.png
| titletext = This works on pretty much every level.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|String theory}} is a theory in theoretical physics for explaining how the universe works. It is a theory trying to explain everything belonging to our universe; specifically, it aims to unite {{w|general relativity}} and {{w|quantum field theory|quantum field theories}}.

When a new theory is thought up, the theorists will usually supply some predictions, measurable by experimental physicists. String theory's predictions, however, are few and extremely difficult to test; although its inception was over forty years ago, string theory has yet to be experimentally tested.

[[Randall]] is unimpressed with string theorists (for another instance of this, see the punchline to [[397: Unscientific]]). String theory has not provided any ''useful'' new knowledge to engineering science as quantum physics has, and lacks the imagination-stirring philosophical implications that the general population associates with other fields — for example, quantum scientists have proven predictions like {{w|quantum tunneling|tunneling}}, used by modern electronic devices, and relativity is relevant to modern systems like {{w|GPS}} navigation. String theory either hasn't reached that stage yet or cannot.

In the title text, Randall points out that string theory is so technically difficult that, at essentially every level (except, presumably, the very top), this explanation is as good as it gets.

==Transcript==
:[Heading above panel:]
:String theory summarized:

:[Two Cueballs are talking.]
:Cueball: I just had an awesome idea. Suppose all matter and energy is made of tiny, vibrating "strings".
:Friend: Okay. What would that imply?
:Cueball: I dunno.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

352: Far Away

2023-09-21T00:42:09Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Wording

{{comic
| number = 352
| date = December 3, 2007
| title = Far Away
| image = far_away.png
| titletext = Sometimes an impulsive 2:00 AM cross-country trip is the only solution.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are in a {{w|long-distance relationship}}; to overcome the distance that separates them, they're keeping in touch with an instant messenger. Because their contact is limited to text, they have to write out the actions they wish to enact. Cueball is frustrated with the limitations of these place-holding phrases and longs for physical contact, going so far as to imagine himself hugging Megan in the messenger window.

In the title text, Cueball suggests that, sometimes, the only way to end his frustration is to travel across the country and see her face-to-face.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball hugging Megan in the messenger window of an early Microsoft Windows version.]
:Cueball: Meh.
:Cueball: Some nights, typing "*hug*" just doesn't cut it.

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

1855: Telephoto

2023-09-21T00:40:19Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Link updating

{{comic
| number = 1855
| date = June 26, 2017
| title = Telephoto
| image = telephoto.png
| titletext = I was banned from the airliners.net photography forum by concerned moderators after the end of my lens started brushing against planes as they flew by.
}}

==Explanation==
This is another one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Tips|Tips]], this time a Telephoto Tip.

{{w|Telephoto lens}}es are special {{w|camera lens|lenses for cameras}} that are physically shorter than their {{w|focal length}}. Using a {{w|long-focus lens}} allows the {{w|photographer}} to magnify a photographic image of an object rather than being physically close to the object. Alternatively one could add "{{w|teleconverter|converters}}" and "{{w|extension tube|extenders}}" to an existing lens to get a greater focal length for the cost of reduced brightness. The joke is that [[Cueball]] did not want to spend the money on buying a new telephoto lens or real converters, and instead achieved the same effect by moving his cheap camera (a standard {{w|webcam}}, in this case) close enough to the subject to obviate the need for magnification.

There are many problems with this. First, the end result is completely impractical to carry around; as shown in the comic, Cueball has to set up two tripods just to support the weight of his hulking behemoth of a camera. Second, if you're an animal photographer like Cueball, you need to be able to see the animal as close up as possible in order to get a good picture; a lens with lots of magnification power accomplishes just that without alerting the animal to the photographer's presence, but Cueball's camera would surely scare off any birds he tried to photograph (except in fanciful proof-of-concept diagrams like this comic).

Perhaps most damning of all, though, is the fact that Cueball's idea involves installing a webcam at the far end to be able to photograph anything. Webcams are not designed to capture high-resolution images, so the resulting image will be of considerably lower quality compared to professional photographers' works, although it could be better than a standard camera setup taking account of the huge achievable zoom levels. But more importantly, the presence of the webcam renders the functionality of the extenders (and the base camera itself!) completely redundant, cementing this idea as a total waste of money and effort. The same could be achieved by mounting the webcam on a long stick; an extraordinary long {{w|Selfie stick|selfie stick}} will achieve nearly the same effect, for considerably less cost and set-up than Cueball's behemoth.

The title text continues this by saying he was banned from the {{w|Airliners.net}} [https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=7 photography forum] because his new modified lens was so long that it started brushing against planes as they flew by. If Cueball's gargantuan lens is being set up on or near runways or is so long that it potentially damages planes in-flight, then being banned from an online forum should be the least of his worries.{{Citation needed}} In-flight damage dealt to planes can cause severe consequences, e.g. causing them to crash. This would possibly put him on the no-fly watchlist, as well as being charged with unintentional damage.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands behind a huge telephoto lens which rests on two tripods, one at the left in front of Cueball, and an other larger one in the middle. The lens is more than five times longer than Cueball is high. In front of the lens is a tree with a bird on top close to the lens. The bird is labeled "Subject". Inside the telephoto lens at the location of the objective lens a small device is shown and labeled "Webcam". From that device a small cable runs through the entire telephoto lens to the eyepiece, where an other device labeled "Camera" is shown.]
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Telephoto tip: If you add enough converters and extenders, you don't actually need a fancy lens.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Photography]]
[[Category:Animals]]

737: Yogurt

2023-09-21T00:39:14Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 737
| date = May 7, 2010
| title = Yogurt
| image = yogurt.png
| titletext = I am firmly of the opinion that if something doesn't have a year on it, every time the expiration date rolls around it is good again for the two weeks preceding that date.
}}

==Explanation==
Most packaged food has an {{w|shelf life|expiration date}} that indicates when the food will probably no longer be suitable for consumption. This could be due to any number of reasons; most products will rot or grow mold after their expiration date passes, but some processed foods will "dry out" or just generally become "unpleasant" long before they spoil. The expiration date is sometimes called a "best before" or "use by" date for this reason.

Some products don't list the year as part of the expiration date, on the assumption that by the time the year becomes an issue, the food will be spoiled. [[Cueball]] and his guest are encountering this issue; clearly, the yogurt has gone bad - it's raising "stink lines" and appears to have visible mold - but the expiration date only lists "May 12th" and it's currently May 7th, so Cueball reasons that it must still be good since the expiration date hasn't passed yet. Somehow, he fails to notice the terrible smell coming off of it.

The {{w|Gregorian calendar}} was initially adopted in the Catholic European countries in 1582 to correct the slow drift of the seasons relative to the calendar year that occurred under the Julian calendar. The Protestant and Orthodox countries were slower to adopt it. The British Empire, including the American colonies, adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Cueball (in a seemingly sarcastic manner) wonders whether the expiration date might have been printed under the Julian Calendar, i.e., at least just under a century prior (some nations in Eastern Europe changed from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar only around the time of the First World War).

The {{w|Gregorian calendar}} (our current calendar) is mostly the same as the {{w|Julian calendar}} with two major differences:

*The Julian calendar overestimated the length of a year by 10 minutes 48 seconds or about 1 day every 128 years. The Gregorian calendar has 97 leap days every 400 years instead of 100, which reduces the error to about 1 day in 3300 years.
*As each country adopted the Gregorian calendar, it was necessary to skip the appropriate number of days to realign the {{w|Vernal Equinox}} with March 21. When the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, 11 days had to be skipped, so in the English-speaking countries, September 2, 1752, under the Julian calendar was immediately followed by September 14, 1752, under the Gregorian calendar; there was no September 3–13 in that year.

The last line spoken by Cueball may mean one of two things: either 1) he is continuing to be sarcastic toward his friend, or 2) he is genuinely considering that it may not have gone bad, despite all the clues saying otherwise.

The title text is Randall's own (absurd){{Citation needed}} view: for a short period preceding the expiration date of any food, no matter how many years have passed, it suddenly becomes good to eat again. One might also wonder if the last two digits of the year were given in addition to just the day and month, and if Randall were given centuries to live, he might apply this principle centennially instead of annually.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a yogurt cup at arm's length. Waves of stink are rising from it.]
:Cueball: Oh God, how old is this yogurt in your fridge?
:[Someone speaks from off-panel.]
:Friend: What's the expiration date?

:[Cueball holds up the cup to look at the bottom.]
:Cueball: May 12th, but there's no year.
:[From off-panel again.]
:Friend: It's May 7th. So it's fine.

:[Now the second person is on panel, and Cueball speaks from off-panel. The second person is sitting down working on a laptop.]
:Cueball: I'm not sure. When it was packaged, was civilization using the Gregorian or Julian calendar?
:Friend: ''Okay,'' I'll throw it out.
:Cueball: No, it might still be good!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Calendar]]
[[Category:Food]]

1563: Synonym Movies

2023-09-21T00:36:49Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 1563
| date = August 12, 2015
| title = Synonym Movies
| image = synonym_movies.png
| titletext = Fans eagerly await 2015's 'Space Fights: Power Gets Up', although most think 1999's 'Space Fights: The Scary Ghost' didn't live up to the hype.
}}

[[File:synonym movies rotated.png|right]]
==Explanation==
This comic shows several "Synonym Movies". It takes several well-known movies but changes each word of their names into a synonym. So ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' has turned into ''Space Fights'', ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings}}'' into ''The Jewelry God'' and ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' into ''Space Trip''. All these movies series have the same heading, and then a subtitle. There are ten of them in the comic, and two more in the title text. This comic became a [[:Category:Synonym Movies|series]] when more movies were spoofed in [[1568: Synonym Movies 2]].

The use of synonyms makes all these movies look ridiculous, for example, "The Sword Wizard Is Back" is a laughable-sounding movie{{Citation needed}}, whereas "{{w|Return of the Jedi}}" sounds perfectly reasonable to us. [[Randall]] may be poking fun at movies that have ridiculous titles already, for instance, some people think this applies to a title like "{{w|Terminator: Genisys}}".

The title text refers to the latest Star Wars movie (2015-12-18), after {{w|The Walt Disney Company|Disney}} acquired the movie rights. The movie is called {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}} and has now turned into ''Power Gets Up''. As usual, with any Star Wars-related material, there is a huge fan base that eagerly awaits the new movie. But then again many people fear that it will not live up to their expectations, as was the case with the fourth movie, the first of the three movies in the second installment of Star Wars, {{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace}}, dubbed here as ''The Scary Ghost''. As mentioned in the title text, that movie did not live up to the hype.

A similarly humorous effect is achieved in [[1133: Up Goer Five]] which explains the {{w|Saturn V}} rocket, but words and phrases are replaced with synonyms which are chosen from the most common English words. This renders ordinary words like "rocket" into "flying space car", or "helium" into "funny voice air" for example.

==Table of the titles==

'''SPOILER ALERT!''' Many of these explanations contain information revealed during the movie.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Synonym
! Real Title
! Notes
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Space Fights'' = ''Star Wars''''' 
|-
| ''Space Fights: Sudden Optimism''
| ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''
| If you suddenly feel optimistic, you could say that you have gained a new hope.
|-
| ''Space Fights: The Government Wins This One''
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back|Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back}}''
| In the second Star Wars movie the Empire comes out on top — as opposed to the first and third where a Death Star is destroyed at the end of each of the movies. So the government = the Empire, wins that movie.
|-
| ''Space Fights: The Sword Wizard Is Back''
| ''{{w|Star Wars: Return of the Jedi|Star Wars: Return of the Jedi}}''
| In the context of a narrative device, a {{w|jedi}} is a kind of wizard, wielding {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} (like magic) and the {{w|lightsaber}} (a kind of sword).
|-
| ''Space Fights: Power Gets Up''
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}''
| From the title text. When you awake, you typically get up (from the bed). Force and power are related terms, but have differences in both [http://www.diffen.com/difference/Force_vs_Power real life] and [http://boards.theforce.net/threads/did-luke-ever-get-those-power-converters-from-tosche-station.20403665/ Star Wars].
|-
| ''Space Fights: The Scary Ghost''
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace}}''
| From the title text. Ghost = Phantom. A menacing phantom would be quite scary. It is worth noting that in the original title, "phantom" is an adjective referring to the noun "Menace," whereas in Randall's new version it is reversed. The original meaning would be better preserved by "Space Fights: The Ghostly Scare".
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''The Jewelry God'' = ''The Lord of the Rings''''' 
|-
| ''The Jewelry God: The Jewelry Team''
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring}}''
| The fellowship has become a team in the synonym version. As in the original title, the series name and subtitle differ only by a single noun.
|-
| ''The Jewelry God: Double Houses''
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers}}''
| Two towers are a heck of a lot bigger than double houses... But at least there are two in either case.
|-
| ''The Jewelry God: We Have a Czar Again''
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King}}''
| {{w|Tsar|Czar}} was a title for Slavic monarchs and official titles in Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. It was generally regarded as equivalent to king or somewhat between king and emperor.
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"|'''''Space Trip'' = ''Star Trek''''' 
|-
| ''Space Trip: The Movie''
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}}''
| Today we would say "The Movie" rather than "The Motion Picture".
|-
| ''Space Trip: That Guy is Angry''
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan}}''
| {{w|Khan Noonien Singh|Khan}} (a fictional villain in the series) is now just ''That Guy'', and wrath has been turned down to merely anger.
|-
| ''Space Trip: Where is the Vulcan?''
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Search for Spock|Star Trek: The Search for Spock}}''
| {{w|Spock}} is of the alien race {{w|Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan}}, and the search has turned into the question ''where is he?''
|-
| ''Space Trip: Let's Go Back''
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Voyage Home|Star Trek: The Voyage Home}}''
| When you decide to travel home you could also say let's go back.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Ten DVDs on a shelf. The first three stand together to the left, the two to the right leaning on the first. The next three are standing straight in the middle and then the next four are standing straight to the right. The movie titles are written on the back of the DVD cases, in white on the gray DVD cases. The text is written, so it is supposed to be read when the DVD is lying down.]
:Space Fights: Sudden Optimism
:Space Fights: The Government Wins This One
:Space Fights: The Sword Wizard Is Back

:The Jewelry God: The Jewelry Team
:The Jewelry God: Double Houses
:The Jewelry God: We Have a Czar Again

:Space Trip: The Movie
:Space Trip: That Guy is Angry
:Space Trip: Where is the Vulcan
:Space Trip: Let's Go Back

:[Caption below the frame:]
:'''Synonym Movies'''

==Trivia==
*Some would say that ''Space'' is not a proper synonym of ''Star''.
**Counter to this you could ask: "How many flaming balls of gas did you see engage in battle in those movies?"
**Seen from that perspective the combined words "Space Fights" is a proper synonym for "Star Wars".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]

1582: Picture a Grassy Field

2023-09-18T01:38:55Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Comma

{{comic
| number = 1582
| date = September 25, 2015
| title = Picture a Grassy Field
| image = picture_a_grassy_field.png
| titletext = Wait, I can fix this. Picture another field. In the middle sits the only creature the first creature is afraid of. Now just-- wait, where did THAT one go?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Megan]] asks [[Cueball]] to picture himself in a grassy field. It is a standard technique to begin a visualization by asking the person to imagine that they are in some calm environment (could be for any kind of {{w|meditation}}/{{w|mindfulness}} like for instance {{w|yoga}}). A [https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+grassy+field&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 grassy field] could have been replaced by a [https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+you+are+on+a+beach&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 beach] at the sea, or a [https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+you+are+in+a+forest&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 forest] with sunbeams coming down through the trees.

Proceeding with the visualization Megan asks Cueball to imagine a creature with the power to be able to escape from any visualized scene, and then tries to convince him that this creature has indeed escaped from his current visualization as it indeed would be able to do. She then proceeds by apologizing for this but then tells him (warns him) that it from now on might appear in Cueball's daydreams, so he should begin looking out for it. This indicates that she is not at all sorry, but did this intentionally to try and mess with Cueball's head. The idea of the possibility of escaping an imagined situation was already used in [[248: Hypotheticals]]. Now that Megan has introduced both the idea of the creature and the idea that it may appear in his daydreams, Cueball will almost certainly think of it from time to time, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the title text Megan proposes a solution to get rid of the creature in Cueball's daydream, namely by picturing the only creature that the first fears. However, if this new (maybe quite scary) creature should be able to pursue the original creature, then it would also have to be able to move through visualized scenes just as easily. And this is what Megan pretends happens again. So now the problem is that Cueball has two creatures on the loose in his daydreams. And even if the second scares the first away, he would then still have the new one to worry about.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]

:Megan: Picture a grassy field.
:Megan: In the center sits a small, pale, big-eyed creature with the power to escape from any visualized scene and move freely through the brain that imagined it.
:Megan: It glances around nervously and-
:Megan: -whoops, where'd it go?
:Megan: Sorry about that! Keep an eye out for it in your daydreams.

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

2541: Occam

2023-09-18T01:38:17Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Formatting

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic invokes three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox|Barber Paradox}}, and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to evoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all those, and those only, in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he shouldn’t, and if he doesn’t, then he should. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analog of {{w|Russell's paradox|Russell's Paradox}} in set theory.

Megan tries to invoke Occam's Razor to create a simpler solution to the paradox. Occam's Razor is named in honor of philosopher {{w|William of Ockham}} (Ockham being a town in England) and she declares that William shaves the barber. Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox, as the barber is still not shaving himself (so he should shave himself, so he shouldn't shave himself...)

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." When you shave with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}}, there are multiple things that could {{w|Sweeney Todd|go wrong}}, many of which would cause harm to the person being shaved. Alternatively, invoking Murphy's law makes the principle of Occam's Razor itself or its use in the comic, "go wrong", possibly rendering the solution invalid.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding a hand palm up towards Cueball as they are walking together.]
:Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

{{comic discussion}}

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

1179: ISO 8601

2023-09-18T01:37:42Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Commas

{{comic
| number = 1179
| date = February 27, 2013
| title = ISO 8601
| image = iso_8601.png
| titletext = ISO 8601 was published on 06/05/88 and most recently amended on 12/01/04.
}}

==Explanation==
When abbreviating the date into numerical form, {{w|Date format by country|various areas of the world}} tend to list the year, month, and day in different orders (as well as with different delimiting symbols), which can cause confusion particularly when the day value is 12 or lower allowing it to be easily interpreted as the month and vice versa. As a {{w|public service announcement}}, this comic states that there is in fact one international standard for writing numeric dates, set by the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} in its {{w|ISO 8601}} standard: YYYY-MM-DD.

The comic then proceeds to list several discouraged ways of writing out the date of the comic's publication, as they do not match the standard. It begins with several commonly used ones in countries around the world but then begins to list increasingly uncommon ways, ranging from strange (Roman numerals) to quirky (binary, Unix time) to essentially impossible (painting the numbers onto a black cat).

The title text provides a perfect example of the kind of ambiguity that can arise when non-standard formats are used. The ISO standard was in fact published on 1988-06-05 and amended on 2004-12-01. This is mentioned in the title text in MM/DD/YY format; however, there is no way to naturally figure this out, particularly with the second date.

With the year truncated to two digits and all three numbers at 12 or lower, the date referring to December 1, 2004 (the digits pairs 12, 01, and 04) has a number of misinterpretations. Usually 12th Jan '04 (if written as US-style but read as European, or vice-versa) but with ISO-influenced "YY MM DD" ordering as one side or other of the misunderstanding it can easily become the 12th day of April 2001, the 4th day of December 2001 and the 4th of January 2012. It takes two such communication errors to 'become' the 1st day of April 2012.

Date formats were again the subject in [[1340: Unique Date]] and [[2562: Formatting Meeting]].

The other mentioned formats are:

{| class=wikitable
! Date !! Explanation
|-
| 02/27/2013
| MM/DD/YYYY, used mostly in the [https://www.trustedtranslations.com/blog/how-are-dates-written-in-different-countries United States, Belize and Micronesia].
|-
| 02/27/13
| MM/DD/YY, same as above but with the year shortened to two digits.
|-
| 27/02/2013
| DD/MM/YYYY, used variously in South America, Canada ({{w|Date_and_time_notation_in_Canada|officially uses ISO 8601}}), Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe.
|-
| 27/02/13
| DD/MM/YY, same as above but with the year shortened to two digits.
|-
| 20130227
| YYYYMMDD, same as ISO 8601 without delimiting punctuation. Allowed by the standard. Technically not ambiguous but is hard to read as a date at first glance.
|-
| 2013.02.27
| YYYY.MM.DD, used in Japan, South Korea and Hungary. Same as ISO 8601 except with different punctuation.
|-
| 27.02.13
| DD.MM.YY, used in Germany, Russia, and others.
|-
| 27-02-13
| DD-MM-YY, used in Denmark, Netherlands, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, and others.
|-
| 27.2.13
| D.M.YY. It is common in several areas to abbreviate the month or day to a single digit and drop the leading zero when possible.
|-
| 2013. II. 27.
| YYYY. MM. DD., with month as {{w|Roman numerals}}, used in Hungary. In this format, February and November are prone to be confused with each other: "II" vs. "11". Similar formats with the opposite ordering (27. II. 2013) existed historically in various European countries like France, Germany and Italy.
|-
| 27⁄2-13
| D⁄M-YY, traditional format in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
|-
| 2013.158904109
| Year and decimal fraction of year. 0.158904109 is a decimal approximation of 58/365, with February 27 being the 58th day of the year. This format may be easier to read for computers/programs in some contexts, but is difficult for humans to interpret.
|-
| MMXIII-II-XXVII
| The ISO 8601 standard but written in Roman numerals. Never used as a traditional standard anywhere as it is hard to read, parse, and interpret for no benefit.
|-
| MMXIII LVII⁄CCCLXV
| Year followed by its partial fraction 57/365, all in Roman numerals. Equally useless as the above. As a note, apparently this 'standard' is different from the decimal fraction two rows above, as the decimal fraction notation uses the ''end'' of the day (first day of the year is 1/365 while the last is 365/365), while this uses the ''beginning'' (first day is 0/365 and last is 364/365).
|-
| 1330300800
| {{w|Unix time|UNIX Timestamp}}, a standard method of storing absolute time in many computer systems and defined as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 on 1970-01-01 (UTC). The Unix time listed here appears to mistakenly be for '''2012'''-02-27, which is also mentioned by [[Randall]] in the original transcript. The Unix Timestamp for 2013-02-27 would be 1361923200.
|-
| ((3+3)×(111+1)-1)×3/3-1/33
| A useless format where the numbers 2013, 2, and 27 written as needlessly long arithmetic expressions using just the digits 1 and 3. For additional confusion, the values are delimited by slashes, enabling confusion with the fraction bar. (If evaluated literally, the entire expression evaluates to 670.963, or 671 minus one twenty-seventh.)
|-
|    2  272013
| A nearly impossible to read date "format" that can be considered a parody "compromise" between different formats: rather than argue about the order in which the year, month, and day should be, they are simply all written on top of each other. As a "bonus", there is also no arguing over which separator character to use.
|-
| 10/11011/1101
| The US mm/dd/yy format in {{w|Binary number|binary}}, corresponding to 2/27/13. Never used for obvious reasons.
|-
| 02/27/20/13
| MM/DD/CC/YY, where CC stands for century. This format is never used.{{Citation needed}} Note that while months and days count starting from 1, centuries and years in this format count from 0 for extra confusion. But the CC value is widely used on many operating systems to distinguish between the 20th and 21st century, represented by the values "19" and "20" because 1950 belongs to the 20th century.
|-
| <ruby><rb>0</rb><rb>1</rb><rb>2</rb><rb>3</rb><rb>7</rb><rt>2</rt><rt>3</rt><rt>1</rt><rt>4</rt><rtc style="ruby-position: under"><rt>5</rt><rt></rt><rt>67</rt><rt></rt><rt>8</rt></rtc></ruby>
| An obfuscated format where the small numbers indicate the positions where the large digits should be placed. In this reading, 0 is used at positions 2 and 5, 1 is used on position 3, etc.; the result being 20130227
|-
| [A hissing black cat with "2-27-13" painted on it]
| In Western cultures, black cats and the number 13 are associated with bad luck. The cat might also just be angry that someone covered it in paint.
|}

==Transcript==
:Public Service Announcement:

:Our different ways of writing dates as numbers can lead to online confusion. That's why in 1988 ISO set a global standard numeric date format. This is '''''the''''' correct way to write numeric dates:

::2013-02-27

:The following formats are therefore discouraged:
:*02/27/2013
:*02/27/13
:*27/02/2013
:*27/02/13
:*20130227
:*2013.02.27
:*27.02.13
:*27-02-13
:*27.2.13
:*2013. II. 27.
:*27⁄2-13
:*2013.158904109
:*MMXIII-II-XXVII
:*MMXIII LVII⁄CCCLXV
:*1330300800
:*((3+3)×(111+1)-1)×3/3-1/33
:*   2  272013 [the numbers 2013, 02, and 27 written overlapping each other]
:*10/11011/1101
:*02/27/20/13
:*2053112674378
:*[A black cat with 2-27-13 scrawled across its body in dripping white paint.]
:**Cat: ''Hissss''

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

5: Blown apart

2023-09-02T22:19:47Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 5
| date = January 1, 2006
| title = Blown apart
| image = blownapart color.jpg
| titletext = Blown into prime factors
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a mathematical and technical joke involving prime numbers and primary colors. In the comic, a black-colored ''70'' sees a package, but it turns out to be a {{w|letter bomb}} that explodes when opened. The result is pieces of the number scattered about: a red-colored ''7'', a green-colored ''5'', and a blue-colored ''2''.

The title text explains the logic for splitting 70 into 7, 5, and 2; as with many of the earlier comics, the title text explains the joke rather than adding to it. 7*5*2 is a {{w|prime factorization}} of the number 70. {{w|Prime number|Prime numbers}} are numbers that cannot be divided by any number other than itself and 1. Factors of a number are numbers that can be multiplied together to produce that number (e.g., 2×5×7 = 70). 70 has other factors, including 1, 10, 14, 35, and 70, but 2, 5, and 7 are the only factors that are prime. All other factors of 70 can be formed by choosing zero, two, or three of the prime factors and multiplying them together.

An implication of this comic is that prime numbers would be immune to explosions, as they are already their smallest parts. Although not explicitly called out, the colors of the numbers also seem to have been blown apart. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors in the {{w|additive color}} model. These colors mixed in pairs produce cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are primary colors in the {{w|subtractive color}} model. The removal of all additive primary colors, or conversely, the combination of all subtractive primary colors, produces black, which is the color of the original 70. The comic is somewhat misleading in that red, green, and blue do not compose black in either color model, but the difference between the two models is not widely understood (most still view the additive primaries as red, yellow, and blue).

==Transcript==
:[A black number 70 sees a red package. This small panel is partly overlaid on the next larger panel, which is shifted down.]
:'''70'''
:70: hey, a package!

:[The package explodes in a cloud of brown smoke. This panel is both behind the first in the top left corner, and below the last panel, which has been laid on top of that corner.]
:'''BOOM'''

:[There are a red 7, a green 5, and a blue 2 lying near a scorched mark on the floor.]
:'''7'''
::'''5'''
:'''2'''

==Trivia==
* This comic and [[12: Poisson]] were posted for the first time on the [[:Category:First day on xkcd.com|first day of xkcd.com]]. Both of these comics were exclusively published on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] and were never shared on [[LiveJournal]].
* This comic was [[:Category:Sunday comics|released on a Sunday]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Number theory]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

4: Landscape (sketch)

2023-09-02T22:19:13Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 4
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Landscape (sketch)
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A35%20pm-,Landscape,-Don%27t%20ask%20me Original title]: '''Landscape'''</big></big>
| image = landscape cropped (1).jpg
| titletext = There's a river flowing through the ocean [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A35%20pm-,Landscape,-Don%27t%20ask%20me Original caption]: Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the second comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[7: Girl sleeping (Sketch -- 11th grade Spanish class)]], and the next one was [[3: Island (sketch)]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

[[File:Flipped sketch.jpg|thumb|Flipped sketch]]
This comic does not present a particular point, it's just a picture drawn by Randall. The sketch, when flipped vertically, maintains the appearance of having the sea on the bottom and sky on top, although the setting sun is on the wrong part of the horizon. Similar to {{w|Relativity (M. C. Escher) | works of M. C. Escher}}, this picture takes visual components of a typical scene and combines then in ways that appear to work well on a small scale, but would never combine that way in real life and do not make sense in the larger context of the image. The clouds are casting shadows on the sky.

In the title text, Randall jokes that a river is flowing through the ocean and they're both made of water.

==Transcript==
:[A sketch of a landscape with sun on the horizon.]
:[There is text from the checkered paper at the top:]
:From Page No.__

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 02]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 02]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Sketches]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

3: Island (sketch)

2023-09-02T22:18:39Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 3
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Island (sketch)
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A35%20pm-,Island,-I%20draw%20these Original title]: '''Island'''</big></big>
| image = island color.jpg
| titletext = Hello, island [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A35%20pm-,Island,-I%20draw%20these Original caption]: I draw these a lot.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the third comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[4: Landscape (sketch)]], and the next one was [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

This comic does not present a particular point, it's just a picture drawn by [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]. The title text may be a reference to the classical {{w|"Hello, World!" program|"Hello, world!"}} program, traditionally the first program a developer runs when learning a new programming language.

==Transcript==
:[A color sketch of an island.]

==Trivia==
This is the only comic that has the same number both on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] and on LiveJournal.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 03]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 03]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Sketches]]

2: Petit Trees (sketch)

2023-09-02T22:17:58Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

<noinclude>:''"2", this comic's number, redirects here. For the comic named "2", see [[2614: 2]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 2
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Petit Trees (sketch)
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A36%20pm-,Le%20Petit,-Another%20fairly%20old Original title]: '''Le Petit'''</big></big>
| image = tree cropped (1).jpg
| titletext = "Petit" being a reference to Le Petit Prince, which I only thought about halfway through the sketch [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A36%20pm-,Le%20Petit,-Another%20fairly%20old Original caption]: Another fairly old drawing that I scanned.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the fourth comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[3: Island (sketch)]], and the next one was [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

This comic does not present a particular point, it's just a picture drawn by [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]. ''{{w|The Little Prince}}'' (in French ''Le Petit Prince'') is a novella written by {{w|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry}} in 1943, about the titular Little Prince, who lives on an asteroid and visits other inhabited asteroids and eventually the Earth. The book is filled with drawings of the asteroid, the prince, and the travels they make. It is noted how, on occasion, {{w|Adansonia|baobab trees}} can begin to grow on these asteroids, and should they not be immediately uprooted, the growth of their roots would tear the asteroid apart. In this drawing, the roots are encircling the sphere rather than piercing it, as the book describes. ''The Little Prince'' would later be referenced in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|26|Leap Seconds}}'', in [[618: Asteroid]], and in [[1350: Lorenz]] at [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/VgSdMz8OAHQ8w5Ee432f5Q.png the end] of the space trip branch.

==Transcript==
:[Two trees are growing on opposite sides of a very small world. Their roots cover most of the planet's surface.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 04]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 04]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Sketches]]

1: Barrel - Part 1

2023-09-02T22:17:23Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Hotfix

{{comic
| number = 1
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 1
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat Original title]: '''Barrel'''</big></big>
| image = barrel cropped (1).jpg
| titletext = Don't we all. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat Original caption]: He's fairly upbeat about the situation!
}}

==Explanation==
This was the fifth comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]], and the next one was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

This is the first comic in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], which shows a young boy floating in a barrel in an ocean that doesn't have a visible end. It comments on the unlikely optimism and perhaps naïveté people sometimes display. The [[Barrel Boy]] is completely lost and seems hopelessly alone, without any plan or control of the situation. Yet rather than afraid or worried, he is instead quietly curious: "I wonder where I'll float next?" Although not necessarily the situation in this comic, this is a behavior people often exhibit when there is nothing they can do about a problematic situation for a long time; they may have given up hope or developed a cavalier attitude as a coping mechanism. The isolation of the boy may also represent the way in which we often feel lost through life, never knowing quite where we are, believing that there is no one to whom to turn. In [[1110: Click and Drag]] there is a reference to this comic at {{1110|1|n|48|e}}. {{w|Wired (magazine)|Wired}} determined a [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/should-dwarves-stand-up-in-floating-barrels/ more realistic description] of the behaviour of a barrel in the water.

This is the first in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

The title text expands on the philosophical content, with the boy representing the average human being: wandering through life with no real plan, quietly optimistic, always opportunistic, and clueless as to what the future may hold.

==Transcript==
:[A boy sits in a barrel which is floating in an ocean.]
:Boy: i wonder where i'll float next?

:[A smaller frame with a zoom out of the boy in the barrel seen from afar. The barrel drifts into the distance. Nothing else can be seen.]

==Trivia==
* This is the first comic not drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
* This is the first xkcd comic featuring [[Barrel Boy]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|01]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 01]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]

827: My Business Idea

2023-09-02T22:16:42Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Grammar, spacing

{{comic
| number = 827
| date = November 29, 2010
| title = My Business Idea
| image = my business idea.png
| titletext = We didn't believe you at first, but we asked like three people who were at that party. They not only corroborated your story, but even said you totally mentioned wanting to start a company someday. Sorry! If this isn't enough money, let us know.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The article doesn't explain the reference to House of Leaves. (the article itself is also pretty small, it should be longer). Do not remove this tag too soon.}}
Many people have shared [[Cueball]]'s experience of seeing someone else make a profit from an idea that they themselves had. This comic plays with the thought of what would happen if {{w|intellectual property}} thinking was taken to an extreme, and if companies or people were keener on "setting things right" than money.

In reality, having a great idea alone, of course, does not create a profitable business; there must generally be an enormous amount of effort put in to create a business from scratch, popularize it, and keep it standing. Having done none of this, Cueball would probably not deserve close to the "30% cut" he claims even if intellectual property did work the way it is presented here. Multiplying $20,000,000 by 30% gives $6,000,000, which would be a lot of cash for doing nothing but having an idea and telling it to someone.

The delivery address is Ash Tree Lane, and as shown in [[472: House of Pancakes]], Randall knows how to mess with people who've read {{w|House of Leaves}}.

The title text is an extension of the comic with increasingly extreme thinking.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk, pointing at his laptop.]
:Cueball: Dude! I had this idea like five years ago, and some company just got rich doing it! - I want my cut.

:[Cueball starts typing.]
:Person off-screen: That's not how it works.
:Cueball: Sure it is. I'm applying for my share now.
:Person: Wait, what?

:[A browser window with the title 'Department of Ideas'. It has a series of text boxes.]
:Date you had the idea:
::Like five years ago.
:Proof you had it:
::I told my friend Mike - you can ask him! I was all "you know what would make a great business idea?" and he was all...
:Their profit so far:
::$20,000,000
:Share you deserve (be fair!):
::[Drop-down.]
:::25%
:::'''30%'''
:::35%
:Mailing address:
::137 Ash Tree Ln

:[Cueball still at the laptop, above him is a SUBMIT button, and it shows a pointing hand cursor.]
:CLICK

:[Last panel set slightly lower than the rest.]
:[Cueball is in front of an open box full of cash, with cash in his hand. A FedEx delivery guy is on the other side of the box with his PDA and pen.]

==Trivia==
This comic was originally called [[827: Business Idea]], but Randall renamed it on 11:35 AM UTC to resolve a conflict on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. The conflict was created when he released the comic [[1721: Business Idea]] around five years after this comic's release because both comics shared the same name and filename. This is the third time Randall has released a comic with a [[:Category:Comics sharing name|name exactly the same]] as a previous comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Business Idea]]

1: Barrel - Part 1

2023-09-02T22:12:58Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spacing

{{comic
| number = 1
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 1
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat Original title]: '''Barrel'''</big></big>
| image = barrel_cropped_(1).jpg
| titletext = Don't we all. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat Original caption]: He's fairly upbeat about the situation!
}}

==Explanation==
This was the fifth comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]], and the next one was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

This is the first comic in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], which shows a young boy floating in a barrel in an ocean that doesn't have a visible end. It comments on the unlikely optimism and perhaps naïveté people sometimes display. The [[Barrel Boy]] is completely lost and seems hopelessly alone, without any plan or control of the situation. Yet rather than afraid or worried, he is instead quietly curious: "I wonder where I'll float next?" Although not necessarily the situation in this comic, this is a behavior people often exhibit when there is nothing they can do about a problematic situation for a long time; they may have given up hope or developed a cavalier attitude as a coping mechanism. The isolation of the boy may also represent the way in which we often feel lost through life, never knowing quite where we are, believing that there is no one to whom to turn. In [[1110: Click and Drag]] there is a reference to this comic at {{1110|1|n|48|e}}. {{w|Wired (magazine)|Wired}} determined a [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/should-dwarves-stand-up-in-floating-barrels/ more realistic description] of the behaviour of a barrel in the water.

This is the first in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

The title text expands on the philosophical content, with the boy representing the average human being: wandering through life with no real plan, quietly optimistic, always opportunistic, and clueless as to what the future may hold.

==Transcript==
:[A boy sits in a barrel which is floating in an ocean.]
:Boy: i wonder where i'll float next?

:[A smaller frame with a zoom out of the boy in the barrel seen from afar. The barrel drifts into the distance. Nothing else can be seen.]

==Trivia==
* This is the first comic not drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
* This is the first xkcd comic featuring [[Barrel Boy]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|01]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 01]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]

User:IdiosyncraticLawyer

2022-05-14T03:26:49Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Capitalization

==Add a title. Stay safe; stay well.==

I registered my Explain xkcd account on 2022-01-10 at 19:59 and confirmed my email on 2022-01-11 at 02:52. As of 2022-01-13 at 19:59, I am an autoconfirmed user.

User:IdiosyncraticLawyer

2022-03-06T18:13:29Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Wording

==Add a Title. Stay Safe; Stay Well.==
I registered my Explain xkcd account on 2022-01-10 at 19:59 and confirmed my email on 2022-01-11 at 02:52. As of 2022-01-13 at 19:59, I am an autoconfirmed user.

User:IdiosyncraticLawyer

2022-01-13T22:50:26Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Created

==Add a Title. Stay Safe; Stay Well.==
I registered my Explain xkcd account at 19:59, 10/01/2022, and confirmed my email at 02:52 on 11/01/2022. As of 19:59, 13/01/2022, I am an autoconfirmed user.

2528: Flag Map Sabotage

2022-01-11T02:50:42Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2528
| date = October 13, 2021
| title = Flag Map Sabotage
| image = flag_map_sabotage.png
| titletext = Delaware hopes to explore the western edge of areas marked with the Belgian flag, once the tornadoes die down.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This particular explanation could use a visual aid. Perhaps a world map where Canada had adopted this flag? - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic refers to a type of map that colors countries using the national flag designs; see [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/0f/36/410f3661d1cee3b255b82a111f99d242.jpg here] for such a map of Europe. Randall proposes a new flag specifically designed to troll such maps. Most obviously, the flag includes a legend with multiple common flag colors to indicate random regional attributes. Hence, the mere act of placing this flag on a map would cause people to misinterpret this legend as applying to the entire map, giving wildly false information about regions of other countries. This trick is reminiscent of [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], with Mrs. Robert's son <code>Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--</code>.

In addition to the legend, the flag consists of two red fields, one of which has an irregular-shaped border, the other of which is a straight line. The irregular shape is similar to a geographical border based on natural features (such as rivers and coastlines), while borders not based on such features tend to be straight lines. Red is the most common color on national flags, so if any bordering country had red on their flag, it would risk bordering these red fields, confusing where the border lay (as well as designating the entire red region as "greater Delaware"). If this flag is intended for the USA (although the text mentions "our new country"), the red regions would be continuous with the red strips on both sides of Canada's flag and the red field on the right of Mexico's flag, disguising the border still further.

The title text refers to the flag of Belgium, which consists of three vertical stripes in the order (left to right) black, yellow, and red. The western part of Belgium would, according to the legend, be unexplored, while the eastern part would be Greater Delaware. The middle would therefore be a tornado zone separating the unexplored area from Greater Delaware. Depending on how the flags are aligned it might be possible to explore from the south, where the blue-white-red stripes of the French flag contain another piece of Greater Delaware that may be conveniently located to help said exploration. Exploring from the Netherlands (red, white, and blue horizontal stripes) is not viable as rebel forces are positioned between Greater Delaware and the unexplored region.

This is not the first time Randall has made a flag for a new country! See [[1815: Flag]]

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A flag displays a white country-shaped area surrounded by a red field. Inside the shape sits a map legend.]

:[Label of map legend] Map Legend
:[Bright blue rectangle] Disputed territory
:[Green rectangle] Newly independent
:[Blue rectangle] Demilitarized zone
:[Yellow rectangle] Tornado warning
:[Dark blue rectangle] Held by rebel forces
:[Red rectangle] Greater Delaware
:[Black rectangle] Unexplored

:[Caption below panel]
:Our new country's flag sabotages those maps where geographic areas are colored in with flag patterns.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

2523: Endangered

2022-01-11T02:47:06Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2523
| date = October 1, 2021
| title = Endangered
| image = endangered.png
| titletext = The list includes polio, Guinea worm, and this one particular enterovirus strain that they've been tracking out of spite after it went around the lab a few years ago.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by [https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Encyclopod The Encyclopod] who wanted to preserve [https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dark_One The (now-extinct) Dark One]'s DNA but ... - Title text not explained, specifically why the mentioned virus type could be such an issue for the team. Is it embarrassing? Or were they just all very ill? Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|endangered species}} list (also known as the {{w|IUCN Red List}}) is a system for categorizing species based on "level of extinction".

[[Ponytail]], [[Cueball]], and [[Megan]] in this comic are scientists who are sarcastically worried about pathogen strains becoming extinct. People want harmful pathogens and parasites to go extinct.{{citation needed}}

Randall was most likely inspired by [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-021-00642-4 this article] about different {{w|influenza}} strains. Influenza causes the yearly flu, which infects 5–15% of the global population annually and causes 3-5 million severe cases worldwide.

The title text mentions {{w|polio}} and {{w|Dracunculiasis|Guinea worm disease}} - diseases that are being {{w|Eradication of infectious diseases|eradicated due to worldwide efforts}} - the former, famously, through vaccination, and the latter through education and prevention techniques. A Google search [https://www.google.com/search?q=%22sarcastic+endangered%22+list "sarcastic endangered" list] seems to indicate that the "sarcastic endangered" list is not a real thing.

The bitter irony here is that much recent scholarship has described [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/parasites-are-going-extinct-heres-why-thats-a-bad-thing-180964808/ links between parasite biodiversity and ecosystem-wide, indeed planet-wide, biodiversity]. In a few cases, if preserving and expanding biodiversity are seen as good things, then preserving and expanding biodiversity of parasites is a good thing, the one not being possible without the other. Parasites and disease agents, arguably, are classes of predators, and their removal can help establish a superpredator, the actions of which can catastrophically drive down biodiversity. Humans, released from predation by a large percentage of formerly-effective microbial predators, through the introduction of penicillin and other antibiotics plus other elements of 'heroic medicine', sanitation, etc., have arguably [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/modern-humans-have-become-superpredators-180956348/ become such a superpredator], and one that is mediating a loss of global biodiversity that may become the largest single species-extinction event in the history of planet Earth.

There also seems to be some evidence that infections with influenza viruses increase the chance of a heart attack. For instance regular flu shots [https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/11/18/flu-shot-reduces-risk-of-death-for-people-with-heart-disease reduce the risk of heart attacks]. Thus the fact that we are "heartbroken" when B/Yamagata goes extinct could be sarcastic since we might suffer less from broken hearts.

==Transcript==

:[Ponytail stands facing Cueball and Megan in front of a poster board.]
:[Ponytail is pointing a stick to the board reading "Current List" with bullet points beneath.]
:[The first bullet reads Influenza B/Yamagata.]
:[Four further bullet points follow, which are left indistinct.]

:Ponytail: Influenza's genetic diversity has declined during the pandemic, and the B/Yamagata lineage is at risk of extinction.
:Ponytail: Which would be ''such'' a shame.
:Megan: Yeah, I'm sooooooo worried about it.
:Cueball: We'd be just ''heartbroken!''

:[Caption below the panel]:
:When a pathogen that scientists really don't like is close to disappearing, it gets added to the sarcastic endangered species list.

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

2520: Symbols

2022-01-11T02:40:44Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2520
| date = September 24, 2021
| title = Symbols
| image = symbols.png
| titletext = "röntgen" and "rem" are 20th-century physics terms that mean "no trespassing."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by VERY EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. A bare-bones explanation is in but needs much more detail.}}

This comic refers to elements of (mostly mathematical or engineering) notation commonly used in various fields of math and science. Each piece of notation is presented as "symbolizing" not what it specifically means, but a typical ''context'' in which it might be encountered. Many of the individual descriptions look like verbiage that might be found on informational or warnings signs or placards, although typically with a silly edge.

*d⁄dx: An undergrad is working very hard
d/dx is the symbol for a single-variable {{w|Derivative|derivative}}. This is one of the basic operations in {{w|calculus}} and consequently is ubiquitous in the work of undergraduates in the sciences. A hard-working undergraduate in the relevant fields would churn through exercises using this symbol.

*∂⁄∂x: A grad student is working very hard
The replacement of the standard "d" letters with the curly letters "∂" denotes the partial derivative, which generalizes the ordinary derivative to multi-variable calculus. Problems with partial derivatives, especially partial differential equations, can be extremely challenging. Although PDEs would typically be first taught at an undergraduate level, difficult partial derivatives would be encountered in graduate-level work.

*ħ: Oh wow, this is apparently a quantum thing
ħ (pronounced "h-bar") is a symbol used for (the reduced) {{w|Planck's constant}}, a universal, fundamental constant in quantum physics. ħ is equal to the energy of a photon divided by its frequency, and angular momentum in quantum mechanical systems is measured in quantized integer or half-integer units of ħ.
Classical physics appears as a limit of quantum physics if all "actions" (quantities of dimension energy * time, momentum * length, or angular momentum) are much larger than ħ. Conversely, you can also formally set ħ=0 to get classical results from quantum formulae. This means that effects that are proportional to some power of ħ cannot be explained classically, and instead are "a quantum thing".

*Rₑ: Someone needs to do a lot of tedious numerical work; hopefully it's not you
The {{w|Reynolds number}} (which is usually denoted by "Re," not "Re" as it appears in the comic) is the most important dimensionless group in fluid mechanics. Named for Osborne Reynolds, Re characterizes the relative sizes of inertial and viscous effects in a moving fluid. Large values of Re are indicative of turbulent flow, which cannot usually be retrieved analytically, and so numerical modeling is necessary. Accurate numerical studies of high-Reynolds-number flows are notoriously difficult to create and program.

Alternatively, Rₑ could stand for electronic {{w|transition dipole moment}} in a molecule. This appears in quantum-mechanical calculations of transition probabilities and also includes a lot of unpleasant numerical work. Rₑ is also a term used for the radius of the Earth at mean sea level, though this is not necessarily a complex term in and of itself.

Another alternative is that Rₑ could refer to Relative Error, a measurement of precision or accuracy. Used often in the analysis of scientific data and numerical analysis.

*(Ta⁴ - Tb⁴): You are at risk of skin burns
The {{w|Stefan-Boltzmann law}} says that a perfectly absorbing ("black body") source emits electromagnetic radiation with a power per unit area of σT4, where σ is a known constant and T is the absolute temperature. The quantity (Ta4 – Tb4) thus appears in any calculation of purely radiative energy transfer between two bodies, one at temperature Ta and the other at Tb. When the radiative transfer is large enough to be the most important form of heat interchange, it is normally also large enough to sear the skin with thermal or ultraviolet burns.

*NA: You are probably about to make an incredibly dangerous arithmetic error
NA, or {{w|Avogadro's number}}, is the number of molecules in a mole of a substance, approximately the number of carbon atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12. This is an enormous number, exactly 6.022 140 76 × 10²³, or 602 214 076 000 000 000 000 000. Working with NA, it is easy to accidentally divide by it instead of multiplying or vice versa, leading to erroneous and nonsensical answers such as ~10-23 molecules (even though you can't have less than 1 whole molecule) or ~1046 moles (>1043 kilograms, depending on the chemical) of a substance.

*µm: Careful, that equipment is expensive
{{w|Micrometre|Micrometer}}s are a very small unit of distance. Micrometers are commonly used to measure wavelengths in the infrared, and infrared detectors are very expensive, compared with visible wavelength counterparts. Of course, micrometers are used as a measurement of distance in other contexts, but any distance-measuring device capable of accurately measuring micrometer distances would also be expensive. Similarly, tools used to create or calibrate items within micrometer tolerances can also be expensive.

*mK: Careful, that equipment is very expensive
{{w|Kelvin}} is a temperature scale roughly speaking similar to Celsius, but taking absolute zero as its zero point instead of the freezing point of water (rigorously speaking, its definition is now {{w|2019_redefinition_of_the_SI_base_units#Kelvin|based on the Boltzmann constant}}). {{w|Millikelvin}}s (1/1000 of a Kelvin) are used for high precision temperature work. Frequently this is used in processes of cooling temperatures to nearly absolute zero - such as superconductors or other quantum effects that occur when atoms are almost still. This is suggesting that the symbol appears on a sensitive experimental system probing quantum mechanical behavior that would likely only exist in an advanced laboratory. Any equipment that works down at mK temperatures, or at least to mK precision and accuracy, is likely to be very expensive.

*nm: Don't shine that in your eye
{{w|Nanometer}}s are frequently seen in the listed wavelengths for lasers. Pointing a visible or infrared laser at someone's eye is notoriously dangerous; the tightly-focused coherent light can cause permanent damage very quickly.

*eV: Definitely don't shine that in your eye
{{w|Electron volt}} energies are typical of moderate-energy particle beams, produced by accelerating electrons (or protons) over macroscopic voltages. These particle beams can be {{w|Anatoli Bugorski|even more damaging (and are probably a direct reference to Anatoli Bugorski)}} to soft tissues than optical-wavelength lasers.

*mSv: You're about to get into an Internet argument
The {{w|millisievert}} is a unit of radiation dose absorbed. It is a very small dosage, but the joke refers to Internet trolls debating the effects of low-dose radiation sources, such as 5G wireless networks. [[Randall|Randall's]] comment may also be referring to [https://xkcd.com/radiation/ this chart].

*mg/kg: Go wash your hands
This unit measures the dose of a drug or other chemical in milligrams per kilogram of body mass. If the appropriate dose - or worse, the lethal dose - is measured in mg/kg (parts per million), then the substance may be quite toxic.

*µg/kg: Go get in the chemical shower
A unit 1/1000 times the size of mg/kg. If a dosage is measured in micrograms per kilogram (parts per billion), any accident probably requires whole-body decontamination procedures.

*π or τ: Whatever answer you get will be wrong by a factor of exactly two
π is defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, while τ is defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius (and is therefore equal to 2π). {{w|pi|π}} has been used as the primary constant for describing the circumference and area of circles millennia ago, but proponents of {{w|Turn (angle)|τ}} claim that τ is more natural in most contexts since it makes working in radians more straightforward. The joke here is that whichever constant you use, it will probably be the wrong one (off by a factor of two, one way or the other) for the formula you are trying to use. The debate over Tau vs Pi was solved by Randall in this compromise: [[1292: Pi vs. Tau]].

The title text refers to two non-SI units of radiation measurement, {{w|Roentgen (unit)|röntgen}} and {{w|Roentgen equivalent man|rem}}. In the mid-20th century when they were in use, the dangers of radiation weren't as well understood as today, so an area with radiation that was noteworthy back then is probably dangerous[https://archive.md/v3dME], hence the no trespassing part.

==Transcript==
:[A list with 14 different scientific constants/symbols are shown. Next to each symbol is a description. Above the list is a heading and beneath that a subheading.]
:::::<big>Symbols</big>
::::And what they mean

:::d⁄dx    An undergrad is working very hard
:::∂⁄∂x    A grad student is working very hard
:::ħ       Oh wow, this is apparently a quantum thing
:::Rₑ     Someone needs to do a lot of tedious numerical work; hopefully it's not you
:(Ta⁴ - Tb⁴)    You are at risk of skin burns
:::NA    You are probably about to make an incredibly dangerous arithmetic error
:::µm    Careful, that equipment is expensive
:::mK    Careful, that equipment is very expensive
:::nm    Don't shine that in your eye
:::eV     '''''Definitely''''' don't shine that in your eye
:::mSv  You're about to get into an internet argument
::mg/kg      Go wash your hands
::µg/kg      Go get in the chemical shower
::π or τ      Whatever answer you get will be wrong by a factor of exactly two

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:5G]]

2509: Useful Geometry Formulas

2022-01-11T02:31:21Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2509
| date = August 30, 2021
| title = Useful Geometry Formulas
| image = useful_geometry_formulas.png
| titletext = Geometry textbooks always try to trick you by adding decorative stripes and dotted lines.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STRIPED AND DOTTED TEXTBOOK ILLUSTRATOR. Explain the formulas for each of the areas, and also the correct formula for the 3D object they seem to represent. Consider whether to add a table with the formula given and the correct formula for the 3D shape. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic showcases area formulas for the areas of four two-dimensional geometric shapes which each have extra dotted and/or solid lines making them look like illustrations for 3-dimensional objects. The first, a simple equation for the area of a circle, the second an equation for the area of a triangle with a semi-elliptic base, the third an equation for the area of a rectangle with an elliptical base and top, and the fourth an equation for the area of a hexagon consisting of two opposing right-angled corners and two parallel diagonal lines connecting their sides. In each case, only the area formed by the outline of each shape is calculated.

Similar illustrations are commonly found in geometry textbooks, which are used to depict three-dimensional figures on a two-dimensional page. They commonly make use of slanted lines to indicate edges receding into the distance and dashed lines to indicate an edge occluded by nearer parts of the solid. The joke is that the formulae given here are for the area of each two-dimensional shape within its outer solid lines, not for the surface area or volume of the illustrated 3D object (as would be shown in the geometry textbook). The title text continues the joke by claiming that the dotted lines are simply decorative.

The illustrations depict the following plane or solid figures, depending on the interpretation.

; Top Left - Circle with an inscribed ellipse, or Sphere
This illustration is commonly used to depict a three-dimensional sphere, with the ellipse representing a "horizontal" or axial cross-section through the center; the solid lower half of the ellipse represents the "front" of the circumference of this cross-section, while the dotted upper half represents the "back" of the same section, which would be occluded from view if this were a solid shape.

The radius of the circle, from the center to the right edge where it meets the ellipse, is labeled 'r'. In a textbook diagram of a sphere, the radius might be instead labeled with a diagonal line from the center to a different point on the ellipse, implying the generality that all points on that cross-section, and indeed on the whole spherical surface, are at the same radius from the center. However, this line would be shorter on the page than the actual radius, making it useless for the formula of the area of the 2D outer shape.

The area of the 2D shape on the page is the area of the circle, which is A = πr2. This is captioned below the figure.

Coincidentally the area of the horizontal cross-section of the 3D sphere, as depicted by the ellipse, is also πr2, and a reader familiar with such diagrams might initially assume that this is what was meant. However, this does not extend to the other figures.

The 3D sphere commonly depicted by this drawing would have a volume of 4/3 πr3 and a surface area of 4πr2.

; Top Right - Ellipse with symmetrical diagonal lines, or Cone
This illustration is commonly used to depict a three-dimensional right circular cone, with the lower half of the ellipse representing the "front edge" of the bottom surface, and the upper half representing the occluded "back edge". However such drawings would usually not use both 'a' and 'b' to describe the radius of the base of the cone, which is drawn as an ellipse due to foreshortening. Alternatively, the drawing could depict a right elliptical cone.

Randall approximates the area of the 2D shape on the page as the sum of the area of the triangle formed by the major axis of the ellipse and the two lines, and half of the area of the ellipse (π/2 ab) since most of the upper half of the ellipse overlaps the triangle. The equation for this area is A = 1/2 πab + bh. This is captioned below the figure.

The actual area of a picture of a cone is not Randall's approximation, because the sides connect at the points on the ellipse where they can spread widest and form tangents to the ellipse, and such points are a little higher than those which define the major axis. This is most obvious in cases when h is only a little larger than a. The area can be computed to be exactly A = b (a arccos(-a/h)) + √(h2-a2)).

The 3D right circular cone commonly depicted by this drawing would have a volume of πr2h/3 where r=a=b. The area of the "lower" surface would be πr2, while the surface area of the upper conical surface would be πr√(h2 + r2). Neither of these areas can correspond with the caption in the comic, nor does the total surface area (the sum of these two).

If we do not assume that a = b, this drawing could also depict a right elliptic cone. The volume of the elliptic cone would be π/3 abh. The area of the lower surface would be πab and the area of the curved upper surface would be 2a√(b2 + h2) 0∫1 √(a²h²(t²-1) - b²(a²+h²t²)/a²(t²-1)(b²+h²)) dt.

; Bottom Left - Two ellipses joined vertically, or Cylinder
This illustration is commonly used to depict a 3D cylinder or right circular prism. In this case, the upper ellipse represents the "visible" part of the top circular surface, with its "depth" shorter than its "width" due to foreshortening, and the lower part of the lower ellipse represents the "front" edge of the lower surface; the dotted half of the lower ellipse represents the occluded "back" edge of the lower surface.

To add to the confusion, the upper ellipse has its major axis labeled 'd' which usually denotes the diameter of a circular surface, while the lower ellipse has its semimajor axis labeled 'r' which similarly denotes a radius, even though the ellipses drawn have neither diameter nor radius. The 'h' denoting height is also used for both rectangles and solid objects. While 'd' in this case is required for the area calculation of the 2D shape, in textbooks only 'r' may be marked and the arrow may be offset at a diagonal rather than in line with any figurative axis, to imply its applicability to any angle of radius.

The non-overlapping parts of the 2D shape are composed of the rectangle formed by the major axes of the two ellipses and the vertical lines, plus half of the top ellipse and half of the bottom ellipse. The area of the rectangle is dh, and the area of an ellipse with semimajor axis d/2 and semiminor axis r is πrd/2. The total area is A = d(πr/2 + h), which is captioned below the figure.

A 3D right circular prism (cylinder) would have a volume of πr2h and a surface area of 2πr2 + πdh, or 2πr(r + h) since in this case d = 2r. The area of each flat surface would be πr2. If we do not assume d = 2r, then the lateral surface area of the right elliptic cylinder is 4h 0∫1 √(1 - t²(1-4r²/d²)/1 - t²) dt. The volume is π/2 rdh.

; Bottom Right - Parallel Hexagon, or Prism
This illustration is commonly used to depict a rectangular prism, with 'b' denoting the 'breadth', 'd' the 'depth' and 'h' the 'height'. However, the labeled angle θ, which is necessary for the area calculation of the 2D shape, would not normally be used in a diagram of a rectangular prism, as all angles are assumed to be right angles. A rhomboidal prism could be accurately described by this diagram with the assumption that the 'base' parallelogram is perpendicular to the 'front' and that the only non-right angle is θ. In that case 'd' would not accurately describe the depth of the solid, which would be d sin θ.

The area of the 2D shape is comprised of the rectangle at the lower left, the parallelogram above it, and the parallelogram on the right. The area of the rectangle representing the front face of the prism is bh. The area of the upper parallelogram is db sin θ. The area of the right parallelogram is dh cos θ. The equation for this area is A = bh + d(b sinθ + h cosθ) as is given below the figure.

The surface area of the prism would be 2bh + 2db sin θ + 2dh. The volume is bdh sin θ. Assuming a 3D shape, θ can be artificially altered by the projection; the assumption could be made that θ is 90 degrees, and sin θ is 1 (and therefore can be eliminated from the formulas), but since θ is marked, such an assumption might not be valid.

In the history of the development of computer-generated 3D graphics, calculations of the apparent visual area taken up by the projection of a volume may have been useful in occlusion-like optimizations, where each drawn pixel may be passed through many fragment shaders.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Four figures in two rows of two, each being a common two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, with solid lines in front and dotted lines behind. Each figure has some labeled dimensions represented with arrows and a formula underneath indicating its area. Above the four figures is a header:]
:Useful geometry formulas

:[Top left; A circle with an inscribed concentric ellipse sharing its horizontal diameter. The edge of the ellipse above the major axis is drawn with a dotted line, while the lower edge is drawn with a solid line, similar to textbook depictions of a 3D sphere. The shared radius/semi-major axis to the right of the center is drawn as an arrow and labeled 'r'. ]
:A = πr²

:[Top right; An ellipse with horizontal major axis, plus two straight lines: one from each end of the major axis, up to a point vertical to the center of the ellipse, so that the major axis of the ellipse (not drawn) and the two lines would form an isosceles triangle with a vertical axis of symmetry. The upper edge of the ellipse above the major axis is drawn with a dotted line, while the lower edge is drawn with a solid line, similar to textbook depictions of a right elliptical cone, or more commonly a right circular cone. The semi-minor axis of the ellipse is drawn with an arrow down from the center and labeled 'a' and the semi-major axis is similarly drawn to the right of the center and labeled 'b'. To the right of the shape, the height of the isosceles triangle is drawn using arrows, and labeled 'h'.]
:A = 1/2 πab + bh

:[Bottom left; Two ellipses of the same dimensions, with major axes horizontal, drawn vertically one above the other, with vertical lines connecting each end of the major axis of the top ellipse to the corresponding points on the bottom ellipse. The upper edge of the bottom ellipse above the major axis is drawn with a dotted line, while the lower edge is drawn with a solid line, similar to textbook depictions of a right elliptical prism or, more commonly, a right cylinder (circular prism). Inside the shape, the major axis of the upper ellipse is drawn as a double-ended arrow and labeled 'd'. The semi-minor axis of the lower ellipse is drawn as an arrow down from the center and labeled 'r'. To the right of the shape, the length of the vertical lines is replicated using arrows and labeled 'h'. ]
:A = d(πr/2 + h)

:[Bottom right; Two rectangles of the same vertical and horizontal dimensions, drawn with one offset diagonally to the upper right of the other, with diagonal lines connecting the corresponding vertices, forming a hexagon with opposite sides parallel. The upper right rectangle has its left and bottom sides drawn with dotted lines, and a similar dotted line is used connecting the bottom left corner of the two rectangles, similar to textbook depictions of rhomboid-based right prisms, or more commonly rectangular prisms. Outside the shape, the bottom edge of the lower rectangle is redrawn below the shape with arrows and labeled 'b'. The length of the left edge is similarly redrawn to the left and labeled 'h'. The length of the diagonal line connecting the upper left corners of the two rectangles is similarly redrawn on the top left using arrows and labeled 'd'. The acute angle between the bottom edge of the lower rectangle, and the dotted diagonal connecting the two lower left corners, is labeled 'θ']
:A = bh + d(b sinθ + h cosθ)

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]

2492: Commonly Mispronounced Equations

2022-01-11T02:23:24Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2492
| date = July 21, 2021
| title = Commonly Mispronounced Equations
| image = commonly_mispronounced_equations.png
| titletext = "Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps" --the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The general practice needs additional examples. Some equations require further details or clarification.}}

This comic is a collection of very commonly used physics and mathematical equations, along with their "correct" pronunciations. Equations are normally voiced out loud either by their names ("mass-energy equivalence") or by saying the parts out loud using normal linguistic rules ("E equals m ''c'' squared"). This comic instead asserts that equations are meant to be said out loud like words, using their own set of phonic rules.

Though the premise may initially seem absurd, some nerds have both the trait of using equations as commonly as others might chat and that of finding it entertaining to coin amusing new words ("input", "pwn"). Saying the equations more rapidly can speed up work or make work seem more enjoyable. This phenomenon is called {{w|clipping (morphology)|clipping}}.

Using clipped or verbalized forms of equations is sometimes standard practice within a given field. The equation for continuously compounding interest A=Pert is commonly taught and discussed as the "pert" equation, while the definitions of the main trigonometric functions is similarly taught and discussed as SOH-CAH-TOA: sine = opposite/hypotenuse, cosine = adjacent/hypotenuse, and tangent = opposite/adjacent. These particular "corrections" are all nonstandard, however, occasionally conflicting with more normal readings like "pivnert" for the ideal gas law. The "corrections" are also internally inconsistent, with equal signs and exponents sometimes omitted and sometimes included and intermediate vowels.

===Equations===
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Representation
!Pronounciation
!Explanation
|-
|{{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}}
|F = G(m₁m₂/r²)
|Fuh-''JAM''-er
|⟨F⟩, gravitational force, is pronounced /f/. ⟨G⟩, the gravitational constant, is pronounced like the soft G /dʒ/ despite the following /æ/, recalling {{link|http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1989:_IMHO|the .gif controversy}}. The ⟨m⟩s, mass 1 and 2, are elided into a single /m/, and ⟨r⟩, the distance between the masses, is pronounced /ɹ/. The subscripts and exponent are silent.
|-
|{{w|Mass–energy equivalence}}
|E = mc²
|''EM''-cah-too
|⟨E⟩, energy, is pronounced like the short E /ɛ/. ⟨m⟩, mass, is pronounced /m/. ⟨c⟩, the speed of light, is pronounced like the hard C /k/ and its exponent ⟨²⟩ is read as the numeral two /tu/.
|-
|{{w|Pythagorean theorem}}
|a² + b² = c²
|at-''BOOT''-coot
|⟨a⟩, the length of the base, is pronounced like the short A /æ/. ⟨b⟩, the length of the height, is pronounced /b/. ⟨c⟩, the length of the hypotenuse, is pronounced like the hard C /k/. Each exponent ⟨²⟩ is pronounced /t/ as a clipping of "two".
|-
|{{w|Area of a circle}}
|A = πr²
|''APP''-er-too
|⟨A⟩, area, is pronounced like the short A /æ/. ⟨π⟩ is pronounced /p/ after the sound represented by pi in the Greek alphabet. ⟨r⟩, the length of the radius, is pronounced /ɹ/ and its exponent ⟨²⟩ is read as the numeral two /tu/. The resulting pronunciation is similar to the word "{{wiktionary|aperture}}", the diameter of optical equipment such as telescopes and cameras.
|-
|{{w|Entropy_(information_theory)|Shannon entropy}}
|H = −∑pᵢlog(pᵢ)
|Ha-''SPLOG''-pee
|⟨H⟩, entropy, is pronounced /h/. The negative sign is omitted. ⟨∑⟩, the summation sign, is pronounced /s/ after the sound represented by sigma ⟨Σ⟩ in the Greek alphabet. The first ⟨pᵢ⟩ is pronounced /p/ with its subscript elided or left silent. ⟨㏒⟩, the usual mathematical notation for logarithm, is read in full as /lɔɡ/ or /lɑɡ/. The second ⟨pᵢ⟩ is read in full as /pi/ in the usual English manner of handling terminal ⟨i⟩s.
|-
|{{w|Ideal gas law}}
|PV = nrt
|''PAV''-nurt
|A variation on the correct formatting PV = nRT and its more common byname "pivnert". ⟨P⟩, pressure, is pronounced /p/. ⟨V⟩, volume, is pronounced /v/. ⟨n⟩, the {{w|amount of substance}}, is pronounced /n/. ⟨r⟩, the {{w|ideal gas constant}}, is pronounced /ɹ/. ⟨t⟩, temperature, is pronounced /t/.
|-
|{{w|Euler's identity}}
|eiπ = −1
|''EYE''-pin
|⟨i⟩, the {{w|imaginary unit}}, or ⟨ei⟩, {{w|Euler's number}} raised to the i power, is pronounced as the long I /aɪ/. ⟨π⟩ is pronounced /p/ after the sound represented by pi in the Greek alphabet. ⟨−1⟩ is pronounced /n/, presumably as a severe clipping of "negative one". The silence or elision of the initial e mirrors the usual reading of {{w|Euler's formula}} eiπ = cos x + sin x as "cis x".
|-
|{{w|Newton's_laws_of_motion#Newton's_second_law|Newton's 2nd law of motion}}
|F = ma
|''FEE''-mah
|⟨F⟩, the force of motion, is pronounced /f/. ⟨=⟩, the equals sign, is read as the long E /i/. ⟨m⟩, mass, is pronounced /m/. ⟨a⟩, acceleration, is pronounced like the short A /ɑː/. The resulting pronunciation is similar to {{wiktionary|FEMA}}, the United States' {{w|Federal Emergency Management Agency}}.
|-
|{{w|Wave equation}} (1D)
|∂²u/∂t² = c(∂²u/∂x²)
|''DOOT'' cah-''DOOX''
|A mistake for the correct equation ∂²u/∂t² = c²(∂²u/∂x²). In the notation marking the second partial derivatives, each ⟨∂²⟩ is pronounced /d/ and each fraction bar and ⟨∂⟩ is silent. Each ⟨u⟩, amplitude, is pronounced /u/. ⟨t⟩, time, is pronounced /t/. ⟨c⟩, speed, is pronounced like the hard C /k/. ⟨x⟩, the distance along the measured dimension, is pronounced /ks/. The exponents are all silent.
|-
|{{w|Derivative#Definition|Derivative}}
|f′(x) = limh→0 (f(x+h)−f(x))/h
|''FAX''-lim-oh ''FAX''-uh-fox
|⟨f′(x)⟩, the first derivative of a function with respect to an independent variable, is pronounced /fæks/ like {{w|fax machine|the machine}}. ⟨limh→0⟩, the limit as h approaches zero, is pronounced /lɪmoʊ/ like {{w|limousine|the vehicle}}. ⟨f(x+h)⟩, the function with respect to the independent variable and another value an infinitessimally small distance away, is pronounced as /fæksə/ and ⟨f(x)⟩, the function with respect to the independent variable by itself, as /fɑks/ so that together they sound like "fax a fox". The ⟨h⟩ divisor is silent, like most terminal Hs in English.
|-
|{{w|Quadratic formula}}
|x = (−b±√(b²−4ac))/2a
|za-''BO''-ba fak-''TOH''-ah
|⟨x⟩, the independent variable, is pronounced /z/ similar to the initial X in the names {{wiktionary|Xerxes}} and {{wiktionary|Xavier}}. The negative sign is omitted. Each ⟨a⟩, ⟨b⟩, and ⟨c⟩, the coefficients of the equation, is pronounced /ɑ/, /b/, and /k/ respectively. The ⟨4⟩ is read as /f/ and the ⟨2⟩ as /t/, with an /oʊ/ added to keep the resulting word closer to "sohcahtoa".
|-
|{{w|Schrödinger equation}} (3D)
|Eψ = (−ℏ²/2m)∇²ψ + (q²/r)ψ
|"Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps"
|An application of the general equation Eψ = Ĥψ when applied to 3 dimensions without regard to time or relativistic effects. The missing 4πε₀ from the divisor in the second (potential energy) term can be handwaved by assuming that the other terms are using units customized for quantum mechanics, rather than standard metric ones. ⟨E⟩, energy, is pronounced /ɛ/. ⟨ψ⟩, the {{w|wave function}}, is read out in full as /psi/, /psaɪ/, or /psə/ the first 2 times and then the last time as /ps/, the sound represented by psi in the Greek alphabet. The negative sign is omitted. ⟨ℏ⟩, {{w|Plank's constant}}, is pronounced /h/. ⟨2⟩ is read as /t/. ⟨m⟩, mass, is pronounced /m/. ⟨{{w|nabla symbol|∇}}⟩, the {{w|Laplace operator}}, is pronounced /d/ after the sound represented by delta in the Greek alphabet. ⟨q⟩ and ⟨r⟩, the charge and distance, are pronounced /kw/ and /ɹ/ following their standard use in English words. The exponents are silent.
|}

==Transcript==
[Each equation is bordered, with a pronunciation guide beneath.]

Commonly Mispronounced Equations

'''Row 1'''

F = G m₁m₂/r² 
FUH-'''''JAM'''''-ER

E = mc² 
'''''EM'''''-CAH-TOO

a² + b² = c² 
AT-'''''BOOT'''''-COOT

'''Row 2'''

A = πr² 
'''''APP'''''-ER-TOO

H = −Σpᵢlog pᵢ 
HA-'''''SPLOG'''''-PEE

PV = nrt 
'''''PAV'''''-NURT

'''Row 3'''

eiπ = −1 
'''''EYE'''''-PIN

F = ma 
'''''FEE'''''-MAH

∂²u/∂t² = c ∂²u/∂x² 
'''''DOOT''''' CAH-'''''DOOX'''''

'''Row 4'''

f'(x) = limh→0 f(x+h) − f(x) / h 
'''''FAX'''''-LIM-OH '''''FAX'''''-UH-FOX

x = −b ± √(b² − 4ac) / 2a 
ZA-'''''BO'''''-BA FAK-'''''TOH'''''-AH

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

2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

2022-01-11T02:20:41Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2450
| date = April 14, 2021
| title = Post Vaccine Social Scheduling
| image = post_vaccine_social_scheduling.png
| titletext = As if these problems weren't NP-hard enough.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an NP-SOFT UNVACCINATED MOVIEGOER. Events and people in the comic need to be explained more in detail. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}, specifically regarding the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].

The comic shows a timeline of a multitude of (presumably) friends and acquaintances getting two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Due to the recommended delay between shots, as well as the few weeks needed to build antibodies after the second shot, planning get-togethers become complicated by who is free to meet, or not yet.

The diagram is some form of Scheduling Diagram, maybe akin to a {{w|Gantt chart}}, which helps to coordinate the status of several individual 'processes' (personal vaccination schedules) and demonstrate where dependent activities (meet-ups) are mutually possible.

Eventually, everyone can start getting together, but during the time where some people have only received one, neither, or only got the second recently, the scheduling is complicated. The complication is increased by the fact that people who have received one or two doses of vaccine, but haven't gone through the whole waiting period, can be expected to have some protection, but possibly not full protection (as represented by the dashed line). In that case, there's the added question of how important it is that the person is at an event, and how much risk the people involved are willing to tolerate. This may be the reason for the "movie" set, in which all participants will have received both doses, but one will not have completed the final waiting period.

The title text references NP-hardness, a theme that has come up in past comics. {{w|NP-hardness}} describes a particular level of computational difficulty. Scheduling problems are normally NP-hard. But when extra challenges such as having to deal with whether or not people are vaccinated they become even more difficult.

In this case though, {{w|Critical Path}} dependencies seem trivial enough. Events (vertical lozenges across the dot-marked timelines of those included) are as trivial to validate as possible for those selected to attend. Fixed events in time can be scanned to show all those allowed to participate at that moment. Movable events can be rescheduled until (enough of) those hoped to be included are 'valid'. Complications may arise for those whose presence relies upon [[2441|the status of others]] potentially attending, or the need to maintain time between two events (in either order) with part-shared attendees as a precautionary 'cool-down' isolation. It is not obvious that either of these issues factor in, any more than basic scheduling conflicts would.

The third person is scheduled for a movie before being fully vaccinated may be a direct reference to [[2441: IMDb Vaccines]], discussing the number of people that need to be vaccinated to record a particular scene. Other than each line's identifying portrait (which are not of the Throne Room characters) no explicit age/vulnerability information is given to justify this, presumably the chart's users are aware of the specifics.

The third person in the table is included in a movie viewing (for which masks could be worn) shortly after their second immunization, but not included in the dinner group until the full benefit of the vaccine takes hold. CDC guidelines permit vaccinated individuals to visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness. Therefore the movie gathering conforms to CDC recommendations provided that the single unvaccinated person is not at increased risk of severe illness and the movie is in a home or private setting.

The third person in the table appears to have received the second shot twice. This is possibly a reference to [[2422: Vaccine Ordering]]. Another interpretation is that she lied about her first dose being her second dose to be invited to the movie.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[From top to bottom, eleven people are standing on the left side of the image: Danish, Cueball #1, Hairbun, Black Hat, Ponytail, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan, with even-numbered characters standing slightly further to the left. Each character’s first and second doses of the vaccine are labeled ① and ②, respectively. The time before each character’s first dose is drawn with a grey solid line; the time between their first dose and after they are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their second dose) is drawn with a grey dashed line; the time after they are fully vaccinated is drawn with a black solid line. Black Hat, Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan have all received their first doses before the comic’s time frame. Social activities are drawn with an ellipse around the top and bottom members, and each participating character is identified with a large filled-in circle on their timeline. The ellipses are labeled :]
: DINNER GAMES MOVIE BIRTHDAY DINNER CABIN

:[The events that happen, in chronological order (from left to right), are:

* Cueball #1 receives his first dose;
* Blondie receives her second dose;
* Ponytail receives her first dose;
* Hairy receives his first dose;
* White Hat receives his first dose;
* Danish receives her first dose;
* Black Hat receives his second dose;
* Blondie is fully vaccinated;
* Science Girl receives her second dose;
* Cueball #2 receives his second dose;
* Megan receives her second dose;
* Hairbun receives her first dose (erroneously labeled as ②);
* Ponytail receives her second dose;
* Black Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Black Hat and Blondie go to dinner;
* Danish receives her second dose;
* Cueball #1 receives his second dose;
* Science Girl is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #2 is fully vaccinated;
* Megan is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy receives his second dose;
* White Hat receives his second dose;
* Science Girl, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan play games;
* Ponytail is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun receives her second dose;
* Hairbun, Black Hat, and Ponytail go to the movies or make a movie (the label is just "Movie");
* Danish is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #1 is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy is fully vaccinated;
* White Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Danish, Cueball #1, Ponytail, White Hat, and Hairy attend a birthday party;
* Hairbun is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun and Blondie go to dinner;
* Black Hat, Science Girl, White Hat, Hairy, and Cueball #2 go to a cabin.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Post-Vaccine Social Scheduling

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: COVID-19]]
[[Category: COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category: Timelines]]
[[Category: Programming]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Black Hat]]

980: Money/Prices in tables

2022-01-11T01:56:42Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Spelling and grammar

__NOTOC__
Below are five tables listing the prices of the items in [[980: Money]].

{{incomplete|Values still need double-checking. Possibly spelling as well.}}
==Dollars==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="5"|Dollar bills
|-
| $1 Bill
| $1
| one dollar is generally believed to have the value of one dollar {{citation needed}}
|-
| $10 Bill
| $10
| ten dollars are just ten times one dollar,{{citation needed}} see above
|-
| $500 Bill (William McKinley, discontinued)
| $500
| discontinued bills [https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/06/11/how-much-is-a-500-bill-worth.aspx might be worth more than their original value] but can still be used as normal currency worth its designated value (in this case 500$)
|-
| $1000 Bill (Grover Cleveland, discontinued)
| $1000
| discontinued bill, see above
|-
! rowspan="3"|Fruit
|-
| Apples (one dozen)
| $5.68
| the price has since [https://www.in2013dollars.com/Apples/price-inflation/2011-to-2021?amount=1.31 risen due to inflation]
|-
| Oranges (one dozen)
| $3.08
| the price has since [https://www.in2013dollars.com/Oranges,-including-tangerines/price-inflation/2011-to-2021?amount=1.44 risen due to inflation]
|-
! rowspan="3"|Fast Food
|-
| Dollar Menu item
| $1.00
| most dollar menus cost one dollar,{{citation needed}} hence the name
|-
| Starbucks Coffee
| $2.00
| ten years later, one might for that price get a <s>small</s> [https://realmenuprices.com/starbucks-menu-prices/ tall freshly brewed coffee]
|-
! rowspan="3"|Average US Restaurant Meals
|-
| Average single US restaurant meal
| $35.65
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Average meal at the 20 costliest San Francisco restaurants
| $85.27
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="7"|Dinner for four
|-
| Homemade rice and pinto beans
| $9.26 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, prep, and cleanup: $41.80)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Homemade chicken dinner
| $13.78 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, prep, and cleanup: $46.32)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| McDonalds
| $27.89 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $36.03)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Arby’s
| $34.00 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $42.13)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Chili’s
| $69.64 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $77.78)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Outback Steakhouse
| $109.82 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $117.96)
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="2"|Vehicles
|-
| Low-end bicycle
| $190
| [https://www.google.com/search?q=low-end+bicycle+price a quick google search] will tell us that this is a fairly realistic price still
|-
! rowspan="2"|Clothes
|-
| Men's suit
| $400
| [https://www.google.com/search?q=men's+suit+price a quick google search] will tell us that this is a fairly realistic price, although there are much cheaper suits out there
|-
! rowspan="2"|Debt
|-
| Daily interest on average credit card debt
| $5.63
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="4"|Daily income
|-
| Median household daily income
| $136.28
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Taxes
| $32.16
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| After-tax
| $104.12
| it is just the taxes subtracted from the median household daily income
|-
! rowspan="4"|Game Consoles
|-
| PS3
| $250
| [https://www.google.com/search?q=playstation+3+price a quick google search] will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (PS4, PS5) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Playstation 3
|-
| Xbox 360
| $200
| [https://www.google.com/search?q=xbox+360+price a quick google search] will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Xbox 360
|-
| Wii
| $150
| [https://www.google.com/search?q=nintendo+wii+price a quick google search] will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (Wii U, Nintendo Switch) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Nintendo Wii
|-
! rowspan="9"|Electronics
|-
| Kindle Fire
| $199
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as ebook readers become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| Basic iPad
| $499
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as tablets become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| iPad + 3G + a year of data
| $869
| as above; also 3G internet is being gradually shut down across the world ([https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/10/22/wireless-service-3-g-shutdown-coming-soon/8538388002/ USofA], [https://blog.telegeography.com/3gs-sun-is-setting-in-europe Europe]) so it won't be easy getting 3G internet for a whole other year (information as of December 2021)
|-
| Basic Macbook Air
| $999
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as laptops become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| Netbook
| $249.99
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as laptops become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| iPod Nano
| $129
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as music players become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| Mac Mini
| $599
| like video game consoles, other electronics such as desktop PCs become less demanded over time due to newer models and the discontinuation of support
|-
| Comcast cable internet for a year ($59.99/month)
| $719.88
| Comcast has changed its name to Xfinity since the comic came out
|-
! rowspan="7"|Books
|-
| Paperback book
| $6.80
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Hardcover book
| $32.27
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Audio book
| $50.42
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I15SB16/ref=r_kdia_h_i_gl Kindle]
| $79.00
| nowadays the price ranges from 24$ up to a little over 300$, depending on the model
|-
| New video game
| $49.99
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Kindle keyboard + 3G
| $139
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="6"|Loose change
|-
| Loose change value per pound
| $12.80
| The chart depicts 12 blocks instead of 13.
|-
| Loose change with no quarters
| $5.40
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| One-gallon jug of loose change
| $270
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Loose change with no pennies
| $17.40
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual value of pennies received in change (at one daily cash purchase)
| $7.30
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="7"|Pet ownership (Based on ASPCA estimations)
|-
| Annual cost of rabbit ownership
| $730
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual cost of dog ownership
| $695
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual cost of cat ownership
| $670
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual cost of fish ownership
| $35
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual cost of bird ownership
| $200
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Annual cost of small mammal ownership
| $300
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! rowspan="5"|Cell phone bill
|-
| Traditional cell phone average monthly fee
| $77.36
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Traditional cell phone average annual bill
| $928.30
| would be $928.32 since it is just the monthly fee times twelve
|-
| Smartphone average monthly fee
| $110.30
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Smartphone average annual bill
| $1,320
| would be $1,323.60 since it is just the monthly fee times twelve
|-
! rowspan="5"|Worker/CEO comparison
|-
| 1965 production worker average hourly wage
| $19.61
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| 2007 production worker average hourly wage
| $19.71
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Typical 1965 CEO pay for the same period
| $490.31
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|-
| Typical 2007 CEO pay for the same period
| $5,419.97
| {{Actual citation needed}}
|}
</div>

==Thousands==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="6"|Typical household net worth by head of household’s age in 1984
|-
| <35 years
| $11,680
|
|-
| 35-44 years
| $72,090
|
|-
| 45-54 years
| $115,060
|
|-
| 55-64 years
| $149,240
|
|-
| >65 years
| $122,100
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Typical household net worth by head of household’s age in 2009
|-
| <35 years
| $3,710
|
|-
| 35-44 years
| $40,140
|
|-
| 45-54 years
| $103,040
|
|-
| 55-64 years
| $164,270
|
|-
| >65 years
| $172,820
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Raising a child to age 17
|-
| Upper income
| $302,860
|
|-
| Middle income
| $206,920
|
|-
| Lower income
| $150,380
|
|-
!rowspan="5"|Vacations
|-
| All-inclusive one-week trip for two to St. Lucia resort from New England (incl. flights)
| $3,204
|
|-
| Twenty week-long Hawaiian vacations
| $136,020
|
|-
| Typical week-long Hawaii trip for two from US West Coast (incl. flights)
| $6,801
|
|-
| Typical weekend Hawaii trip for two from US West Coast incl. flights)
| $2,863
|
|-
!rowspan="5"|School Prices
|-
| Estimated one-year Hogwarts cost (incl. tuition)
| $43,000
|
|-
| Seven-year Hogwarts degree
| $301,000
|
|-
| Average community college tuition
| $10,340 (One year $2,580)
|
|-
| Average in-state university tuition
| $28,920 (One year $7,230)
|
|-
!rowspan="8"|Income per capita (2005)
|-
| United States 2005 per capita income
| $32,360
|
|-
| Switzerland 2005 per capita income
| $29,910
|
|-
| Germany 2005 per capita income
| $27,550
|
|-
| UK 2005 per capita income
| $23,240
|
|-
| France 2005 per capita income
| $16,400
|
|-
| China 2005 per capita income
| $3,540
|
|-
| Brazil 2005 per capita income
| $5,540
|
|-
!rowspan="3"|Houses
|-
| Small rural house
| $100,000
|
|-
| Typical new home
| $224,910
|
|-
!rowspan="3"|Health
|-
| Average individual health insurance annual premium
| $5,430
|
|-
| Cancer treatment including chemo
| $117,260
| The chart depicts 115 blocks instead of 117.
|-
!rowspan="8"|Annual Household Costs
|-
| A daily pack of cigarettes for a year (NJ)
| $3,050
|
|-
| One Starbucks latte per day
| $1,820
|
|-
| Average smartphone annual cost
| $1,320
|
|-
| Annual cost of car ownership
| $3,650
|
|-
| Typical annual household food spending
| $5,650
|
|-
| Average household CC debt
| $9,960
|
|-
| Annual cost to carry that debt
| $2,090
|
|-
!rowspan="13"|Typical annual housing cost for various cities (based on military's Basic Allowance for Housing for an E1 servicemember with no dependents)
|-
| NYC
| $25,416
|
|-
| San Francisco
| $21,888
|
|-
| Boston
| $18,216
|
|-
| Los Angeles
| $17,640
|
|-
| Washington DC
| $16,380
|
|-
| Chicago
| $13,664
|
|-
| Worcester
| $12,456
|
|-
| Houston
| $11,888
|
|-
| Minneapolis
| $10,908
|
|-
| Detroit
| $10,080
|
|-
| Salt Lake City
| $9,108
|
|-
| Scranton
| $8,604
|
|-
!rowspan="4"|Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding
|-
| Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake
| $78,000
|
|-
| Kate Middleton's wedding dress
| $350,000
| This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $375,000.
|-
| Flower cost for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding
| $800,000
|
|-
!rowspan="10"|Value of an investment of $1,000/year
(NOT changing with inflation) for 30 years at 5% annual interest
|-
| 1 year
| $1,000
|
|-
| 5 years
| $5,526
|
|-
| 10 years
| $12,850
|
|-
| 15 years
| $21,580
|
|-
| 20 years
| $33,070
|
|-
| 25 years
| $47,730
|
|-
| 30 years
| $66,440
|
|-
| 30 years ($30,000 saved in mattress)
| $30,000
|
|-
| 30 years ($1,000/yr at a 4% real return (long-term stock + dividend average)
| $56,080
|
|-
!rowspan="3"|Value of investment (accounting for inflation)
|-
| 30 years
| $27,370
|
|-
| 30 years ($30,000 saved in mattress)
| $12,360
|
|-
!rowspan="4"|Average Vehicle Costs
|-
| Average used car
| $8,910
|
|-
| Average new car
| $27,230
|
|-
| High-end bicycle
| $1,500
|
|-
!rowspan="15"|Total cost to buy and own selected vehicles for five years
|-
| Honda Insight
| $27,874
|
|-
| Toyota Prius
| $38,771
|
|-
| Jeep Patriot
| $35,425
|
|-
| Honda Fit
| $28,745
|
|-
| BMW Z4
| $61,312
|
|-
| Ford Explorer
| $45,524
|
|-
| Toyota Camry
| $34,697
|
|-
| smart fortwo
| $29,629
|
|-
| Honda CR-V
| $35,183
|
|-
| Chevy Volt
| $42,180
|
|-
| Hyundai Sonata
| $34,644
|
|-
| Ford F-150
| $48,734
|
|-
| Nissan Cube
| $29,383
|
|-
| Porsche 911
| $91,590
|
|-
!rowspan="7"|Total cost to buy and own selected vehicles for five years if gas were $10/gallon
|-
| Toyota Prius
| $48,990
|
|-
| Honda Fit
| $45,233
|
|-
| Ford Explorer
| $69,076
|
|-
| smart fortwo
| $45,058
|
|-
| Chevy Volt
| $50,612
|
|-
| Ford F-150
| $77,111
|
|-
!rowspan="8"|Typical annual household income
|-
| Bottom 20%
| $10,200
|
|-
| Second 20%
| $24,800
|
|-
| Middle 20%
| $44,400
|
|-
| Fourth 20%
| $76,100
|
|-
| Top 10%
| $201,100
|
|-
| Top 1%
| $822,000
|
|-
| Top 1/500th
| $2,080,000
|
|-
!rowspan="6"|Median US household income
|-
| Median US household income
| $51,570
|
|-
| After-tax
| $39,170
|
|-
| Taxes
| $12,100
|
|-
| Total lifetime income from ages 25-65 at $50,000/year after 25% taxes (including Social Security)
| $1,500,000
|
|-
| Cost per household served by US Rural Utilities Service program to expand broadband access
| $359,790
|
|-
!rowspan="13"|If I had $1000000 (Cost of the items the singer in "If I had $1000000" would buy to win your love: $263,330)
|-
| Furniture
| $21,160
|
|-
| Plymouth Reliant
| $3,000
|
|-
| Tree fort
| $15,000
|
|-
| Llama
| $2,120
|
|-
| Joseph Merrick's remains
| N/A (Held in Royal London Hospital collection and not available for purchase)
|
|-
| House
| $224,820
|
|-
| Tiny fridge
| $99.08
|
|-
| Gourmet pre-wrapped sausages (2)
| $34.48
|
|-
| Kraft Dinner (two double servings)
| $3.06
|
|-
| Expensive ketchup
| $10.75
|
|-
| Faux fur coat
| $198.00
|
|-
| Limo ride to the store
| $186.59
|
|-
!rowspan="5"|Luxuries
|-
| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Opulence_Sundae Golden Opulence ice cream sundae]
| $1,000
|
|-
| Waist deep half-room ball pit
| $2,400
|
|-
| All 30 bestselling game consoles (refurb, eBay)
| $2,640
|
|-
| Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight
| $200,000
|
|-
!rowspan="3"|Video Games
|-
| Typing F-U-N-D-S
| $10,000
|
|-
| Daily sales of [http://www.minecraft.net/ Minecraft]
| $193,500
|
|}
</div>

==Millions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="3"|Dr. Evil
|-
| Amount Dr. Evil thought he was demanding from the 1997 world
| $6,630,000
|
|-
| Amount he was demanding
| $1,380,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Video Games
|-
| Minecraft sales by October 2011
| $56,780,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|William and Kate's wedding
|-
| Flowers
| $800,000
|
|-
| Security
| $20,000,000
|
|-
| Total cost
| $80,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Human Values
|-
| Amount needed to live comfortably off investments
| $4,090,000
|
|-
| EPA value of a human life
| $8,120,000
| The chart depicts 10 blocks instead of 8.
|-
| Six Million Dollar Man (2011 dollars)
| $29,870,000
|
|-
| 50,000 salary for 40 years after 25% taxes
| $1,500,000
|
|-
| Lifetime cost to avoid changing your oil by abandoning your car and buying a new one whenever you hit 5.000 miles
| $3,270,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Corporation Expenses
|-
| 30-second Super Bowl ad slot
| $3,000,000
|
|-
| Annual cost to run Wikipedia
| $18,500,000
|
|-
| Loss in NewsCorp value over hacking scandal
| $750,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Vehicles
|-
| Most expensive production car (Bugatti Veyron)
| $2,400,000
|
|-
| Most expensive car ever sold (1957 Ferrari 250)
| $16,390,000
|
|-
| Marginal cost to launch one shuttle
| $450,000,000
|
|-
| Total shuttle program per launch
| $1,451,000,000
|
|-
| One B-2 bomber
| $2,500,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Structures
|-
| Large city office building
| $100,000,000
|
|-
| Dubai Fountain
| $224,540,000
|
|-
| Burj Khalifa
| $1,521,000,000
|
|-
| New Yankee Stadium
| $1,545,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="12"|Rare Items
|-
| Qianlong Chinese vase sold in 2010
| $83,710,000
|
|-
| Leonardo’s Codex Leicester (bought by Bill Gates)
| $45,930,000
|
|-
| Estimated value of first-edition Gutenberg Bible
| $34,610,000
|
|-
| 1933 Double Eagle coin (All destroyed uncirculated save a few stolen from the US Mint)
| $9,330,000
|
|-
| Treskilling Yellow postage stamp (At $50 billion/lb possibly the world’s most expensive thing by weight)
| $2,780,000
|
|-
| 1297 Magna Carta original copy signed by Edward I
| $21,890,000
|
|-
| Painting from The Card Players series (rumor)
| $250,000,000
|
|-
| Willem de Kooning’s “Woman III” (2006 auction bought by David Geffen)
| $168,780,000
|
|-
| Jackson Pollock’s “No. 5, 1948” (2006 auction bought by David Geffen)
| $153,440,000
|
|-
| Airbus A380
| $264,000,000
|
|-
| Mona Lisa assessed value
| $730,660,000
|
|-
! rowspan="3"|Bitcoins
|-
| Market value of all Bitcoins as of 11/2011
| $22,819,797
|
|-
| Market value of all Bitcoins as at July 2011 peak price
| $210,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="9"|Millionaires
|-
| Darrell Issa (R-CA) net worth
| $304,000,000
|
|-
| Jane Harman (D-CA) net worth
| $294,000,000
|
|-
| John Kerry (D-MA) net worth
| $239,000,000
|
|-
| Mitt Romney net worth
| $210,000,000
|
|-
| Jon Huntsman net worth
| $40,000,000
|
|-
| Average net worth of US senator
| $13,400,000
|
|-
| Average net worth of US representative
| $4,900,000
|
|-
| A billionaire
| $1,000,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Per US resident
|-
| $1 per US resident
| $312,620,000
|
|-
| $1 per US household
| $117,290,000
| The chart depicts 138 blocks instead of 117.
|-
| $10 from every US resident
| $3,326,200,000
| The chart depicts 3126 blocks instead of 3326.
|-
| $10 from every US household
| $1,179,180,000
| The chart depicts 854 blocks instead of 1179.
|-
! rowspan="3"|Raptors
|-
| One F-22 raptor
| $154,500,000
|
|-
| One velociraptor (25% of Jurassic Park production budget amortized over three velociraptors)
| $1,930,000
|
|-
! rowspan="8"|Professional rapper net worth
|-
| 50 Cent
| $100,000,000
|
|-
| 50 Cent (stage name)
| $0.50
|
|-
| 50 Cent (adjusted for inflation)
| $0.70
|
|-
| Birdman
| $100,000,000
|
|-
| Dr Dre
| $125,000,000
|
|-
| Jay-Z
| $450,000,000
|
|-
| Diddy
| $475,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="3"|J.K. Rowling
|-
| J.K. Rowling
| $1,000,000,000
|
|-
| J.K. Rowling had she become a rapper (Professional assessment by rapper/geek culture expert MC Frontalot)
| $82,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Hurricanes
|-
| Annual hurricane forecast R&D funding
| $20,000,000
|
|-
| Hurricane forecast improvement funding since 1989
| $440,000,000
|
|-
| Economic savings—during Hurricane Irene alone—due to limiting evacuations made possible by recent forecast advances
| $700,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Prizes
|-
| $64,000 in 1955 when "The $64,000 Question" first aired
| $528,310
|
|-
| £1,000,000 in 1998 when the UK "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired
| $2,270,000
|
|-
| $1,000,000 in 1999 when the US "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired
| $1,330,000
|
|-
| $1,000,000 in 1955 when the TV show "The Millionaire" aired
| $8,250,000
|
|-
| $1,000,000 in 1931 when the film "The Millionaire" opened
| $14,530,000
|
|-
|}

===Elections===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2012 presidential fundraising || $188,260,000
|-
| Herman Cain || $5,380,000
|-
| Jon Huntsman || $4,510,000
|-
| Michele Bachmann || $9,870,000
|-
| Ron Paul || $12,790,000
|-
| Rick Perry || $17,200,000
|-
| Mitt Romney || $32,610,000
|-
| Barack Obama || $88,420,000
|-
| Other || $17,480,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2008 presidential campaign fundraising ||$1,860,390,000
|-
| Excluding candidate Lee L. Mercer, Jr of Houston, who claimed, in his combined FEC filings, || $900,005,507 in fundraising and $900,006,431 in campaign spending.
|-
| Ron Paul || $32,480,000
|-
| John Edwards || $64,410,000
|-
| Rudy Giuliani || $66,520,000
|-
| Mitt Romney || $116,730,000
|-
| Barack Obama ||$799,670,000
|-
| John McCain || $394,280,000
|-
| Hilary Clinton || $259,050,000
|-
| Other || $127,250,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2004 presidential campaign fundraising || $1,006,810,000
|-
| Howard Dean || $61,620,000
|-
| Wesley Clark || $34,620,000
|-
| John Edwards || $39,310,000
|-
| John Kerry || $352,090,000
|-
| George W. Bush || $429,660,000
|-
| Other || $89,510,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2000 presidential campaign fundraising || $805,120,000
|-
| Pat Buchanan || $37,440,000
|-
| John McCain || $75,180,000
|-
| Bill Bradley || $65,680,000
|-
| Steve Forbes || $114,400,000 *The Money Chart incorrectly reads $11,440,000
|-
| Al Gore || $170,520,000
|-
| George W. Bush || $247,100,000
|-
| Other || $94,800,000
|}

===2010 midterm elections fundraising===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party !! Funds raised
|-
| Democrats || $815,000,000
|-
| Republicans || $587,000,000
|}

===2011-2012 Campaign donations by industry===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Industry !! To Democrats (approx) !! To Republicans (approx) !! To Other (approx) !! Total Funds donated
|-
| Finance industry || $47,000,000 || $68,000,000 || $7,000,000 || $122,900,000
|-
| Organized labor || $14,000,000 || $2,000,000 || $2,000,000 || $18,720,000
|-
| Energy industry || $6,000,000 || $21,000,000 || $0 || $26,680,000
|-
| Lawyers and general lobbyists || $39,000,000 || $19,000,000 || $0 || $57,590,000
|-
| Health industry || $19,000,000 || $23,000,000 || $0 || $42,727,000
|-
| Electronics and communication industry || $21,000,000 || $12,000,000 || $7,000,000 || $32,420,000
|}

===Inaugurations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration || $174,100,000
|-
| Festivities (private donors) || $46,400,000
|-
| Federal + state + local government (mainly security) || $127,700,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| George Bush’s 2005 inauguration || $178,600,000
|-
| Festivities (private donors) || $47,800,000
|-
| Federal + state + local government (mainly security) || $130,800,000
|}

===Past presidential campaign fundraising===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Campaign Year !! Funds raised
|-
| 1996 || $559,810,000
|-
| 1992 || $521,480,000
|-
| 1988 || $606,300,000
|-
| 1984 || $429,860,000
|-
| 1980 || $434,220,000
|-
| 1976 || $664,160,000
|}

===Value of a solid gold toilet (626 lbs) by year===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Value (Approximate)
|-
| 1967 || $2,000,000
|-
| 1968 || $2,000,000
|-
| 1969 || $2,000,000
|-
| 1970 || $2,000,000
|-
| 1971 || $2,000,000
|-
| 1972 || $3,000,000
|-
| 1973 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1974 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1975 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1976 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1977 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1978 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1979 || $9,000,000
|-
| 1980 || $15,000,000
|-
| 1981 || $10,000,000
|-
| 1982 || $8,000,000
|-
| 1983 || $9,000,000
|-
| 1984 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1985 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1986 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1987 || $8,000,000
|-
| 1988 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1989 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1990 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1991 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1992 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1993 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1994 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1995 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1996 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1997 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1998 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1999 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2000 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2001 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2002 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2003 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2004 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $5,000,000
|-
| 2006 || $6,000,000
|-
| 2007 || $8,000,000
|-
| 2008 || $8,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $10,000,000
|-
| 2010 || $13,000,000
|-
| 2011 || $15,000,000
|}

===Value of a carry-on suitcase full of $100 bills (30,00 ct, 60lbs)===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Value (Approximate)
|-
| 1967 || $20,000,000
|-
| 1968 || $19,000,000
|-
| 1969 || $18,000,000
|-
| 1970 || $17,000,000
|-
| 1971 || $16,000,000
|-
| 1972 || $16,000,000
|-
| 1973 || $15,000,000
|-
| 1974 || $13,000,000
|-
| 1975 || $12,000,000
|-
| 1976 || $12,000,000
|-
| 1977 || $11,000,000
|-
| 1978 || $10,000,000
|-
| 1979 || $9,000,000
|-
| 1980 || $8,000,000
|-
| 1981 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1982 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1983 || $7,000,000
|-
| 1984 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1985 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1986 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1987 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1988 || $6,000,000
|-
| 1989 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1990 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1991 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1992 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1993 || $5,000,000
|-
| 1994 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1995 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1996 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1997 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1998 || $4,000,000
|-
| 1999 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2000 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2001 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2002 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2003 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2004 || $4,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2006 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2007 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2008 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2010 || $3,000,000
|-
| 2011 || $3,000,000
|}

</div>

==Billions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

===Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue || $21,000,000,000
|-
| Treasure found in a temple in India in 2011 || $22,000,000,000
|}

===Box office revenue===

Adjusted for monetary inflation but not ticket price inflation
Highlighted [sic]: films that earned more than 2009's ''Avatar''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Movie !! Revenue !! Highlighted
|-
| 2009 || ''Avatar'' || $783,510,000 ||
|-
| 2008 || ''The Dark Knight'' || $547,520,000 ||
|-
| 2003 || ''Shrek 2'' || $516,610,000 ||
|-
| 1999 || ''The Phantom Menace'' || $572,000,000 ||
|-
| 1997 || ''Titanic'' || $827,260,000 || Yes
|-
| 1994 || ''The Lion King'' || $625,810,000 ||
|-
| 1993 || ''Jurassic Park'' || $625,810,000 ||
|-
| 1984 || ''Ghostbusters'' || $507,720,000 ||
|-
| 1983 || ''Return of the Jedi'' || $686,710,000 ||
|-
| 1982 || ''E.T.'' || $996,580,000 || Yes
|-
| 1980 || ''The Empire Strikes Back'' || $778,530,000 ||
|-
| 1977 || ''Star Wars'' || $1,681,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1975 || ''Jaws'' || $1,067,510,000 || Yes
|-
| 1973 || ''The Exorcist'' || $1,019,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1965 || ''The Sound of Music'' || $1,144,920,000 || Yes
|-
| 1962 || ''101 Dalmatians'' || $1,131,310,000 || Yes
|-
| 1960 || ''Ben-Hur'' || $561,090,000 ||
|-
| 1957 || ''The Ten Commandments'' || $532,570,000 ||
|-
| 1943 || ''Bambi'' || $1,391,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1942 || ''Fantasia'' || $1,146,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1940 || ''Gone With the Wind'' || $3,157,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1938 || ''Snow White'' || $2,841,700,000 || Yes
|}

===Charity===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount given
|-
| US annual charitable giving || $294,850,000,000
|-
| To religious organizations || $102,000,000,000
|-
| To educational organizations || $42,240,000,000
|-
| To foundations || $33,450,000,000
|-
| To human services || $26,850,000,000
|-
| To societal benefit organizations || $24,570,000,000
|-
| To health organizations || $23,140,000,000
|-
| To international affairs || $15,980,000,000
|-
| To arts and culture || $13,460,000,000
|-
| To animals and environment || $6,750,000,000
|-
| Other || $6,410,000,000
|}

====Type of giving:====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type !! Amount given
|-
| Individual giving || $214,650,000,000
|-
| Foundation grantmaking || $41,560,000,000
|-
| Bequests || $23,140,000,000
|-
| Corporate giving || $15,500,000,000
|}

===Gates Foundation total giving since 1994===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount given
|-
| Gates Foundation total giving since 1994 || $25,360,000,000
|-
| Global health || ~$12,000,000,000
|-
| US || ~$4,000,000,000
|-
| Developments || ~$3,000,000,000
|-
| Grants || ~$1,000,000,000
|-
| Missing || ~$5,000,000,000
|}

===Book publishing industry revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Genre !! Revenue
|-
| Book publishing industry revenue || $28,320,000,000 (Sum of genres is $29.39 billion, 1 block more than depicted)
|-
| Romance || $1,380,000,000
|-
| Trade books || $14,130,000,000
|-
| K-12 || $5,570,000,000
|-
| Professional || $3,750,000,000
|-
| Higher education || $4,560,000,000
|}

===Video game industry revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Revenue
|-
| Video game industry revenue || $48,900,000,000
|-
| United States || $18,830,000,000
|}

===Education===
{| class= "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Student loans outstanding || $955,800,000,000 (This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $956,800,000,000)
|-
| Federal student loans || $792,900,000,000
|-
| Defaulted Federal student loans (Private total unknown) || $65,020,000,000
|-
| Private student loans || $163,900,000,000
|-
| Total spending on primary and secondary education in the US || $612,470,000,000
|-
| Teacher Salaries || $295,810,000,000
|-
| Total annual higher education spending in the US || $355,110,000,000
|}

===Harvard University revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Revenue
|-
| Tuition, donations, and fees || $1,425,000,000
|-
| Investments || $7,900,000,000
|}

In other words, if Harvard eliminated tuition, it would mean roughly a 15% budget cut.

===Education foundations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Foundation !! Amount given
|-
| Gates Foundation || $36,700,000,000
|-
| INGKA Foundation || $36,000,000,000
|-
| Howard Hughes Medical Institute || $14,800,000,000
|-
| Ford Foundation || $13,800,000,000
|-
| John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation || $6,100,000,000
|}

===Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! University !! Endowments
|-
| Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities || $277,570,000,000
|-
| Harvard || $32,000,000,000
|-
| Yale || $19,400,000,000
|-
| Princeton || $17,010,000,000
|-
| U of Texas || $16,610,000,000
|-
| Stanford || $16,500,000,000
|-
| MIT || $9,900,000,000
|-
| Columbia || $7,800,000,000
|-
| U of Michigan || $7,800,000,000
|-
| Texas A&M || $7,030,000,000
|-
| Northwestern || $7,030,000,000
|-
| The other 53 || $136,490,000,000
|}

===Corporate revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Corporation !! Revenue !! Profit !! Loss
|-
| Walmart || $421,800,000,000 || $16,390,000,000 ||
|-
| ExxonMobil || $354,700,000,000 || $30,460,000,000 ||
|-
| Chevron || $196,300,000,000 || $19,020,000,000 ||
|-
| Fannie Mae || $153,800,000,000 (the chart depicts 156 blocks instead of 154) || || $14,010,000,000
|-
| GE || $151,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 151 blocks instead of 152) || $11,640,000,000 ||
|-
| Berkshire Hathaway || $136,100,000,000 ([[Randall]] rounded down from 136.185 billion) || $12,970,000,000 ||
|-
| PepsiCo || $57,840,000,000 || $6,320,000,000 ||
|-
| Coca-Cola || $35,840,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $35,120,000,000) || $11,800,000,000 ||
|-
| VISA || $8,100,000,000 || $2,700,000,000 ||
|-
| MasterCard || $5,500,000,000 (the chart depicts 5 blocks instead of 6) || $1,850,000,000 ||
|-
| General Motors || $135,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 135 blocks instead of 136) || $6,170,000,000 ||
|-
| Ford || $129,000,000,000 || $6,560,000,000 (the chart depicts 6 blocks instead of 7) ||
|-
| Chrysler || $44,950,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $41,950,000,000) || || $653,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $652,000,000)
|-
| AT&T || $124,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 126 blocks instead of 125) || $19,860,000,000 ||
|-
| Verizon || $106,560,000,000 (the chart depicts 106 blocks instead of 107) || $2,550,000,000 ||
|-
| Bank of America || $134,200,000,000 (the chart depicts 135 blocks instead of 134) || || $2,240,000,000
|-
| JP Morgan Chase || $115,480,000,000 || $17,370,000,000 ||
|-
| Citigroup || $111,060,000,000 || $10,600,000,000 ||
|-
| AIG || $104,420,000,000 || $7,790,000,000 ||
|-
| HP || $126,000,000,000 || $8,780,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $8,760,000,000) ||
|-
| Apple || $65,230,000,000 || $14,010,000,000 ||
|-
| Microsoft || $62,480,000,000 || $18,760,000,000 ||
|-
| Google || $29,320,000,000 || $8,510,000,000 ||
|-
| Combined annual profit of the Fortune 500 companies || || $708,600,000,000 ||
|}

===US health care spending===
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="5"|US cancer spending
|-
| US spending on lung cancer treatment
| $11,310,000,000
|
|-
| US spending on tobacco marketing
| $13,600,000,000
|
|-
| US spending on all cancer treatment
| $106,870,000,000
|
|-
| US spending on cigarettes
| $91,660,000,000
| The chart depicts 93 blocks instead of 92.
|-
! rowspan="10"|US health care spending (2005 data)
|-
| Private insurance
| $785,900,000,000
|
|-
| Out-of-pocket
| $282,260,000,000
| The chart depicts 250 blocks instead of 282.
|-
| Other private spending
| $79,000,000,000
| The chart depicts 111 blocks instead of 79.
|-
| Total private spending
| $1,147,050,000,000
|
|-
| Medicare
| $387,070,000,000
|
|-
| Medicaid
| $351,980,000,000
|
|-
| Other government spending
| $219,000,000,000
|
|-
| Total Government spending
| $958,950,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $2,106,000,000,000
|
|}

===NCAA budget===
$5,640,000,000

===Total annual tax breaks to the five largest oil companies===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value !! Notes
|-
| Combined pay at Wall St. banks and securities firms || $135,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Mobile computing annual sales || $220,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Online spending in 2009 || $251,070,000,000 ||
|-
| Total annual tax breaks to the five largest oil companies || $2,100,000,000 ||
|-
| US annual oil and gas subsidies || $41,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Ethanol subsidies || $5,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Combined annual profits of the five largest oil companies || $36,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Combined annual profits of the ten largest health insurance companies || $12,870,000,000 ||
|-
| 2010 lobbying || $3,560,000,000 ||
|-
| 2005 lobbying || $2,750,000,000 ||
|-
| 2000 lobbying || $2,000,000,000 ||
|-
| One B-2 bomber || $2,500,000,000 || The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.
|}

===US R&D===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| US annual corporate R&D || $334,490,000,000
|-
| Information technology || $46,560,000,000
|-
| Scientific technical, or professional services || $31,060,000,000
|-
| Manufacturing industries (Unlabelled on the money chart) || $236,151,000,000
|-
| Other || $20,710,000,000
|}

===US GDP===

The combined economic value of all goods and services produced in a year

{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Value
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="2"|US GDP
|-
|
| $14,545,950,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Government
|-
|
| $1,980,640,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Real estate
|-
| Non-rental real estate
| $1,737,500,000,000
| The chart depicts 1736 blocks instead of 1738.
|-
| Rental and leasing
| $187,610,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $1,925,210,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="10"|Nondurable Goods
|-
| Food, beverage, and tobacco
| $212,330,000,000
|
|-
| Chemicals
| $223,050,000,000
|
|-
| Petroleum and coal
| $123,630,000,000
|
|-
| Apparel
| $12,050,000,000
| The chart depicts 14 blocks instead of 12.
|-
| Paper products
| $57,800,000,000
| The chart depicts 62 blocks instead of 58.
|-
| Plastics and rubber products
| $58,410,000,000
|
|-
| Textile mills
| $18,130,000,000
| The chart depicts 12 blocks instead of 18.
|-
| Printing and related supports
| $33,790,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $739,300,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="13"|Durable Goods
|-
| Computers and electronics
| $212,640,000,000
|
|-
| Metal products
| $125,590,000,000
|
|-
| Machinery
| $116,110,000,000
|
|-
| Wood products
| $21,530,000,000
| Rounded down to 21 blocks.
|-
| Furniture
| $24,930,000,000
|
|-
| Other transportation equipment
| $93,440,000,000
|
|-
| Motor vehicles, trailers, and parts
| $80,560,000,000
|
|-
| Mineral products
| $39,360,000,000
|
|-
| Metals
| $44,710,000,000
|
|-
| Miscellaneous
| $81,390,000,000
|
|-
| Electrical equipment and components
| $53,260,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $898,420,000,000
| This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $893,420,000,000.
|-
! rowspan="6"|Finance and insurance
|-
| Federal Reserve banks and credit intermediaries
| $529,540,000,000
|
|-
| Insurance
| $437,340,000,000
|
|-
| Investments
| $180,500,000,000
|
|-
| Funds and trusts
| $59,550,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $1,207,030,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="8"|Professional and business services
|-
| Waste management
| $39,870,000,000
|
|-
| Administrative and support services
| $358,110,000,000
|
|-
| Legal services
| $225,830,000,000
|
|-
| Computer systems design and service
| $174,730,000,000
|
|-
| Corporate management
| $253,950,000,000
|
|-
| Other professional or technical services
| $700,250,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $1,752,750,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Health and education
|-
| Social assistance
| $93,750,000,000
|
|-
| Ambulatory health care services
| $529,750,000,000
|
|-
| Hospitals
| $466,390,000,000
|
|-
| Educational services
| $159,580,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $1,294,580,000,000 (This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $1,249,580,000,000)
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Utilities
|-
|
| $276,210,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Other services
|-
|
| $345,540,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Construction
|-
|
| $553,750,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Mining
|-
| Mining (other than oil and gas)
| $50,380,000,000
|
|-
| Mining support
| $51,270,000,000
|
|-
| Oil and gas
| $145,990,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $248,080,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Agriculture
|-
| Farms
| $107,140,000,000
|
|-
| Forestry, fishing, and related
| $30,080,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $137,120,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Arts and entertainment
|-
| Food service
| $285,480,000,000
|
|-
| Performing arts, sports, and museums
| $73,040,000,000
|
|-
| Amusements, gambling, and general recreation
| $73,040,000,000
| This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $58,110,000,000
|-
| Accomodation [sic]
| $111,990,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $528,620,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Information
|-
| Information and data processing
| $78,300,000,000
|
|-
| Publishing (including software)
| $152,170,000,000
|
|-
| Film, video, and sound recording
| $61,610,000,000
|
|-
| Broadcasting and telecommunications
| $366,560,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $658,630,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="10"|Transportation and storage
|-
| Warehousing and storage
| $40,590,000,000
|
|-
| Water
| $14,730,000,000
|
|-
| Air
| $36,770,000,000
| This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $63,770,000,000
|-
| Rail
| $31,730,000,000
|
|-
| Truck
| $116,520,000,000
| Rounded down to 116 blocks
|-
| Transit and land passenger
| $24,110,000,000
| The chart depicts 22 blocks instead of 24
|-
| Pipeline
| $12,360,000,000
|
|-
| Other transport
| $97,560,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $401,280,000,000
|
|-
|}

===Billionaires===
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Person
! Networth
! Ten Richest Ranking
|-
! rowspan="14"|Technology
|-
| Carlos Slim Helú and family
| $74,000,000,000
| First
|-
| Bill Gates
| $56,000,000,000
| Second
|-
| Larry Ellison
| $39,500,000,000
| Fifth
|-
| Larry Page
| $19,800,000,000
|
|-
| Sergey Brin
| $19,800,000,000
|
|-
| Jeff Bezos
| $18,000,000,000
|
|-
| Steve Ballmer
| $14,500,000,000
|
|-
| Mark Zuckerberg
| $13,500,000,000
|
|-
| Paul Allen
| $13,500,000,000
|
|-
| Steve Jobs (D)
| $8,300,000,000
|
|-
| Eric Schmidt
| $7,000,000,000
|
|-
| Sean Parker
| $1,600,000,000
|
|-
| Steve Case
| $1,300,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="9"|Politicians and alleged evil plutocratic puppet masters
|-
| Warren Buffett
| $50,000,000,000
| Third
|-
| Charles Koch
| $22,000,000,000
|
|-
| David Koch
| $22,000,000,000
|
|-
| Michael Bloomberg
| $18,100,000,000
| The chart depicts 19 blocks instead of 18.
|-
| George Soros
| $14,000,000,000
|
|-
| Silvio Berlusconi and family
| $7,800,000,000
|
|-
| Rupert Murdoch
| $7,600,000,000
|
|-
| David Geffen
| $6,000,000,000
| The chart depicts 4 blocks instead of 6.
|-
! rowspan="6"|Uncategorized
|-
| Bernard Arnault
| $41,000,000,000
| Fourth
|-
| Lakshmi Mittal
| $31,100,000,000
| Sixth
|-
| Amancio Ortega
| $31,000,000,000
| Seventh
|-
| Eike Batista
| $30,000,000,000
| Eighth
|-
| Mukesh Ambani
| $27,000,000,000
| Ninth
|-
! rowspan="5"|Walmart
|-
| Christy Walton and family
| $26,500,000,000
| Tenth
|-
| Jim Walton
| $21,300,000,000
|
|-
| Alice Walton
| $21,200,000,000
|
|-
| S. Robson Walton
| $21,000,000,000
|
|-
|-
! rowspan="5"|Fictional (source: ''Forbes'')
|-
| Carlisle Cullen
| $34,500,000,000
|
|-
| Scrooge McDuck
| $33,500,000,000
|
|-
| Bruce Wayne
| $6,500,000,000
|
|-
| Artemis Fowl
| $1,900,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Fashion
|-
| Lilianne Bettencourt
| $23,500,000,000
|
|-
| Ralph Lauren
| $5,800,000,000
|
|-
| Ronald Lauder
| $3,100,000,000
| The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.
|-
! rowspan="5"|Art and media
|-
| George Lucas
| $3,200,000,000
|
|-
| Oprah Winfrey
| $3,200,000,000
|
|-
| Five wealthiest rappers combined
| $1,250,000,000
|
|-
| J. K. Rowling
| $1,000,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Donald Trump
|-
| Donald Trump
| $2,700,000,000
| The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.
|-
|}

Combined net worth of the world's 1,210 billionaires $4,500,000,000,000

===Corporations===

by market capitalization (combined value of all stock)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Company !! Value
|-
| Saudi Aramco (State-owned company—estimated market value) || $2,940,000,000,000
|-
| Apple || $358,310,000,000
|-
| ExxonMobil || $357,910,000,000
|-
| PetroChina || $280,160,000,000
|-
| IBM || $211,640,000,000
|-
| Microsoft || $211,340,000,000 (the chart depicts 212 blocks instead of 211)
|-
| Bank of China || $208,810,000,000
|-
| China Mobile || $201,510,000,000
|-
| Royal Dutch Shell || $199,780,000,000
|-
| Nestle || $193,700,000,000
|-
| Chevron || $188,030,000,000
|-
| Facebook 2011 valuation || $70,000,000,000
|-
| AT&T attempted T-Mobile purchase || $39,000,000,000
|-
| Facebook 2010 valuation || $33,450,000,000
|-
| Zynga 2011 valuation || $14,000,000,000
|-
| LivingSocial 2011 valuation || $2,980,000,000
|}

===Cost to buy the world a coke===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Cost
|-
| Cost to buy the world a coke (2011 wholesale prices) || $2,240,000,000
|-
| Coca-Cola's annual marketing budget || $2,980,000,000
|-
| Cost to teach the world to sing (four half-hour lessons at $30 each) || $840,000,000,000
|}

===US household income===

This section shows the money made every year in the US, broken into five pools of about $2 trillion each. The pools are sorted by income level—the top $2 trillion is made by a small number of wealthy households (the "one percent"), while the bottom $2 trillion represents the combined annual income of the poorer half of the country.

Note: Figures are only estimates—these statistics were computed using data from the Congressional Budget Office analysis of 2007 incomes, and have been subject to the normalizations detailed below.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Who !! # Households !! % Households !! Typical income/year !! Income
|-
| The 1% || 1.6 million || 1.3 || >$400,000 || $1,397,000,000,000
|-
| High incomes || 9 million || 8 || $150,000 - $400,000 || $1,411,000,000,000
|-
| Upper incomes || 18 million || 16 || $90,000 - $150,000 || $1,553,000,000,000
|-
| Upper middle incomes || 27 million || 23 || $55,000 - $90,000 || $1,610,000,000,000
|-
| The bottom 50% || 63 million || ~50 || <$55,000 || $1,711,000,000,000
|-
| Total || 118.6 million || 98.3 || || $7,682,910,000,000
|-
|}

===Amount needed===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type !! Amount !! Notes
|-
| Required for poverty-line income || $2,602,000,000,000 || This is the amount that must be set aside from each pool to leave $22,350—roughly a poverty-line income—for each family in that pool. If taxes are cut into this region, then it forces the average after-tax income for the pool below $22,350. (Of course, many families in this group make less than that already.)
|-
| Required for a middle-class income || $4,874,000,000,000 || This is the amount that must be set aside from each pool to leave $44,700—roughly double the poverty-line income—for each family in that pool.
|-
| Amount needed to give everyone an income over $100,000 || $7,070,000,000,000 || Amount which must be left in the pool to keep the average income above $100,000 (See descriptions below for details)
|-
| Amount needed to give everyone an income over $250,000 || $8,836,000,000,000 || Amount which must be left in the pool to keep the average income above $250,000 (See descriptions below for details)
|-
|}

===Taxes===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type !! Amount !! Notes
|-
| State taxes || $642,030,000,000 || Unlike federal taxes, state taxes are regressive—the poor pay a higher percentage of their income than the rich. This is because sales taxes, a large component of state revenues, fall disproportionately on the poor.
|-
| Federal taxes || $2,192,180,000,000 || effective total federal taxes paid, after deductions and tax credits
|-
|}

Note on methodology: these totals were calculated from an analysis of the 2007 CBO report on effective federal tax rates by income. There were some mismatches between figures on total income from various sources, and between CBO tax rates and federal revenue. The income totals here were adjusted for inflation and then scaled slightly to match federal tax revenue. This should only affect the total reported income and not the distribution of the tax burden or the rough makeup of the quintiles.

===State government spending===

[map without amounts]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
| Total US states' debt || $46,000,000,000
|}

====US foreign military aid====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount !! Notes
|-
| Total || $11,010,000,000 ||
|-
| Afghanistan || $5,800,000,000 ||
|-
| Israel || $2,410,000,000 ||
|-
| Egypt || $1,320,000,000 ||
|-
| Other || $5,800,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $1,480,000,000.
|}

====US foreign humanitarian and economic aid====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount
|-
| Total || $34,410,000,000
|-
| Iraq and Afghanistan || $5,370,000,000
|-
| West Bank and Ghana || $1,050,000,000
|-
| Africa (total) || $8,850,000,000
|-
| Other || $19,130,000,000
|}

===Ft. Knox gold reserves===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Ft. Knox gold reserves (November 2011 prices) || $245,900,000,000
|-
| Unclaimed US treasury bonds || $16,000,000,000
|-
| All the tea in China || $4,210,000,000
|}

===Corporate tax deduction===

(Note: some of the corporate deductions are very technical, and even with the help of a technical accountant, I had trouble making sense of them. The text below is my best attempt at an English interpretation of the legalese.)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Deductions !! Notes
|-
| Corporate tax deduction || $125,180,000,000 ||
|-
| Reduced tax on first $10 million of corporate income || $3,240,000,000 ||
|-
| Delay of taxes on 'income' made from defaulting on a debt (Temporary stimulus measure) || $21,390,000,000 ||
|-
| Temporary change to equipment depreciation rules allowing more (and sooner) deductions on the purchase of new equipment || $24,390,000,000 ||
|-
| Clean energy, space, science, and tech R&D || $13,900,000,000 ||
|-
| Miscellaneous rules for international corporate finance || $6,800,000,000 ||
|-
| Foreign corporation income financing rules || $13,680,000,000 ||
|-
| Other || $41,740,000,000 || Rounded down to 41 blocks
|}

===Individual tax deductions===

These are types of income, or uses of income, which the government has partly or fully exempt from tax, often to encourage some activity. This can be thought of as 'spent' tax revenue, although it's not quite that simple; there's no guarantee [that] removing the deduction would add that amount to revenue, because the presence of the deduction may be affecting taxpayers' spending habits.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Deductions !! Notes
|-
| Small business health insurance|| $1,620,000,000 ||
|-
| Federal employee expenses abroad || $7,910,000,000 ||
|-
| EITC (anti-poverty low-income tax credit) || $78,760,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $56,460,000,000.
|-
| Donations to charity || $39,130,000,000 ||
|-
| Capital gains (investment income) || $78,760,000,000 ||
|-
| Pension contributions || $84,940,000,000 ||
|-
| Other || $64,970,000,000 ||
|-
| Employee fringe benefits || $6,690,000,000 ||
|-
| Scholarships || $2,130,000,000 ||
|-
| Property taxes || $15,710,000,000 ||
|-
| Employer-provided transportation || $3,850,000,000 ||
|-
| Retirement accounts || $24,630,000,000 || Rounded down to 24 blocks.
|-
| Cafeteria plans || $26,760,000,000 || Rounded down to 26 blocks.
|-
| State and local bonds || $19,560,000,000 || Rounded down to 19 blocks.
|-
| Company daycare || $3,140,000,000 ||
|-
| College and university tax credits || $12,060,000,000 ||
|-
| Mortgage interest || $92,040,000,000 ||
|-
| Medicare Benefits || $55,850,000,000 || Rounded down to 55 blocks
|-
| Child care || $55,850,000,000 || The chart depicts 104 blocks instead of 107.
|-
| Employer health plans || $107,140,000,000 ||
|-
| Making Work Pay (ending) || $60,510,000,000 || The chart depicts 64 blocks instead of 61.
|-
| First-time homebuyer credit || $8,820,000,000 ||
|-
| Veterans' benefits || $5,570,000,000 ||
|-
| Life insurance benefits || $25,750,000,000 ||
|-
| Capital gains death exclusion || $25,750,000,000 ||
|-
| Social security and railroad retirement || $27,170,000,000 ||
|-
| Home sale capital gains || $15,200,000,000 ||
|-
| Total || $964,970,000,000 ||
|-
|}

===Federal spending===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Annual deficit || $1,394,530,000,000
|-
| Additional receipts || $83,230,000,000
|-
| Taxes raised || $2,192,180,000,000
|}

===Disasters===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disaster !! Estimated Total Damage !! Notes
|-
| Japan 2011 Earthquake || $235,000,000,000 || reconstruction and recovery cost, World Bank estimate
|-
| Hurricane Katrina || $107,440,000,000 ||
|-
| 1988 US Drought || $78,060,000,000 || The chart depicts 83 blocks instead of 78
|-
| 1980 US Drought || $60,740,000,000 ||
|-
| Hurricane Andrew || $46,180,000,000 ||
|-
| 9/11 insured losses || $40,000,000,000 || For hurricanes, the rule of thumb is that total losses are roughly double insured losses. It is unclear if a similar rule exists for terrorism.
|-
| Hurricane Ike || $28,170,000,000 ||
|-
| Hurricane Irene || $8,000,000,000 || (estimated) (the chart depicts 10 blocks instead of 8)
|}

===Hypothetical disasters===

Estimated total losses if the disaster happened today
(based on insurance industry modeling)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disaster !! Estimated Total Losses !! Notes
|-
| 1938 Long Island Express || $236,960,000,000 || if it had curved left and made landfall in New Jersey instead of Long Island (rounded down to 236 blocks)
|-
| 1812 New Madrid, Missouri earthquake || $206,050,000,000 ||
|-
| 1926 Miami hurricane || $202,000,000,000 ||
|-
| 1906 San Francisco earthquake || $197,810,000,000 ||
|-
| 1900 Galveston hurricane || $82,420,000,000 ||
|-
| Long Island Express || $78,060,000,000 || (1938 New England Hurricane)
|-
| Charleston SC, quake of 1886 || $76,240,000,000 ||
|-
| 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake || $12,360,000,000 ||
|}

===Cost of electricity===

(Price of electricity to power all US homes for a year, by plant type)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Plant Type !! Cost !! Notes
|-
| Advance combined cycle natural gas || 78,100,000,000 ||
|-
| Conventional Coal (without societal costs) || 117,340,000,000 ||
|-
| External societal costs from the use of that amount of coal power || $226,690,000,000 || Harvard Medical School analysis. The range of possible values was $119b to $342b. Most of the uncertainty was due to potentially lower costs from air pollution or higher ones from climate change.
|-
| Public Health Burden in Appalacia [sic] || $55,400,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $60,400,000,000.
|-
| Air pollution from power plants || $118,300,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $123,300,000,000.
|-
| Climate Impact || $40,030,000,000 ||
|-
| Advanced coal with carbon capture || $168,590,000,000 ||
|-
| Biomass || $139,250,000,000 || Estimates of climate impact vary wildly Consensus seems to be more than nothing but less than coal.
|-
| Geothermal || $125,880,000,000 ||
|-
| Advanced nuclear || $140,980,000,000 || Little impact on climate/air, but hard to find assessments of meltdown and fuel storage costs/risks. Some past costs shown for perspective.
|-
| Hydroelectric || $106,940,000,000 ||
|-
| Wind || $120,070,000,000 ||
|-
| Offshore wind || $301,030,000,000 ||
|-
| Solar (photovoltaic) || $260,800,000,000 ||
|-
| Solar (thermal) || $385,940,000,000 ||
|-
|}

===Nuclear accidents===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Accident !! Cost !! Notes
|-
| Fukushima meltdown estimated total cost to Japan || $131,100,000,000 || Compare to $128,590,000,000 for deaths from quake/tsunami
|-
| Fukushima cost from 300 extra cancer deaths (EPA conversion) || $2,570,000,000 ||
|-
| Belarus estimated 30-year costs from Chernobyl || $282,350,000,000 ||
|-
| Cost of estimated 42,457 Chernobyl deaths (EPA method) || $344,750,000,000 ||
|}

===BP oil spill claims fund===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| BP oil spill claims fund || $20,270,000,000
|-
| Total 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami aid from all countries || $15,840,000,000
|-
| Worldwide aid to Somalia since 1991 || $55,000,000,000
|-
| G8/IMF loan pledge to Arab Spring || $73,000,000,000
|-
| Japan's contribution to TEPCO victim fund || $62,000,000,000
|-
| Cost to fund Wikipedia at current levels for 100 years || $1,850,000,000
|-
| Cost to provide free yearly tax prep to every US household || $8,450,000,000
|-
| Cost to give every US 18 year-old a free degree at a community college || $46,340,000,000
|-
| Additional cost to fund all US schools at magnet school levels || $46,340,000,000
|-
| Annual cost to send every US child to a university for free || $127,610,000,000
|-
| Cost to buy the Amazon rainforest || $130,000,000,000 || $100/acre going rate for poor-access land
|-
| UBS loss from one rogue trader || $2,300,000,000
|-
| DoE loan to CA Valley Solar Ranch Project || $1,200,000,000
|-
| Apple's cash on hand || $76,200,000,000
|}

===New York CIty===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Combined Property Value !! Notes
|-
| New York City || $806,490,000,000 ||
|-
| Manhattan || $281,040,000,000 ||
|-
| Queens || $208,180,000,000 || rounded up to 209 blocks
|-
| Brooklyn || $201,230,000,000 ||
|-
| Staten Island || $61,380,000,000 ||
|-
| Bronx || $54,660,000,000 || rounded down to 54 blocks
|}

===Megaprojects===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Project !! Cost !! Notes
|-
| National missile defense shield cost through 2013 || $107,690,000,000 ||
|-
| F-22 Raptor program (halted) || $67,610,000,000 || The chart depicts 61 blocks instead of 68.
|-
| Planned Russian Bering Strait tunnel || $66,000,000,000 || The chart depicts 56 blocks instead of 66.
|-
| Obama's 2011 high-speed rail proposal || $53,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Cost to build SF-to-LA high-speed rail || $45,000,000,000 ||
|-
| UK Crossrail || $26,490,000,000 ||
|-
| King Abdullah Economic City || $50,020,000,000 || High-speed rail $9,120,000,000
|-
| Hong Kong International airport || $27,120,000,000 ||
|-
| Manhattan Project || $24,400,000,000 || Rounded up to 25 blocks
|-
| 2nd Avenue NYC subway line || $17,960,000,000 || Rounded down to 17 blocks
|-
| Big Dig cost || $18,510,000,000 || as of 2008 (rounded down to 18 blocks)
|-
| Failed Army intelligence-sharing computer system || $2,700,000,000 ||
|-
| Bay Bridge span replacement || $6,300,000,000 ||
|-
| Downtown Dubai project || $20,270,000,000 || Burj Khalifa $1,520,000,000
|-
| Channel Tunnel || $22,960,000,000 ||
|-
| ''Nimitz''-class carrier || $4,930,000,000 ||
|-
| ''Gerald R. Ford''-class carrier || $9,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Amtrak 30-year plan for northeast corridor || $192,000,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $117,000,000,000.
|-
| City Qatar is building to host the 2022 World Cup || $207,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Apollo moon landing project || $192,000,000,000 ||
|-
| International Space Station || $138,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Space Shuttle program || $194,620,000,000 ||
|-
| US interstate highway system || $465,970,000,000 || The largest single public-works project in the history of mankind
|}

===Federal budget===
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
! Notes
|-
! rowspan="8"|General/Legislative
|-
| Policy and regulation
| $629,460,000
| Merged into one block with Management.
|-
| Fiscal assistance
| $5,150,000,000
|
|-
| Property and records
| $1,550,000,000
|
|-
| Legislative
| $4,140,000,000
|
|-
| Fiscal operations
| $12,070,000,000
|
|-
| Management
| $535,000,000
| Merged into one block with Policy and regulation.
|-
| Total
| $24,074,460,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Energy
|-
| Conservation
| $5,070,000,000
|
|-
| Supply
| $5,870,000,000
|
|-
| Policy and regulation
| $629,460,000
|
|-
| Preparedness
| $201,710,000
|
|-
| Total
| $11,771,170,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Science/Tech
|-
| General R&D
| $12,850,000,000
| Rounded down to 12 blocks.
|-
| Space
| $18,620,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $31,470,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Agriculture
|-
| Farm income
| $16,830,000,000
|
|-
| R&D and services
| $4,820,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $21,650,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="6"|Justice
|-
| Law Enforcement
| $28,140,000,000
|
|-
| Criminal justice assistance
| $4,920,000,000
|
|-
| Legal
| $13,250,000,000
|
|-
| Corrections
| $7,850,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $54,160,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Community and regional development
|-
| Community
| $10,040,000,000
|
|-
| Regional
| $3,290,000,000
| Label swapped with Disaster relief.
|-
| Disaster relief
| $10,800,000,000
| Label swapped with Regional.
|-
| Total
| $24,130,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Transportation
|-
| Air
| $21,720,000,000
|
|-
| Water
| $9,480,000,000
| Rounded up to 10 bocks.
|-
| Ground
| $61,610,000,000
| Rounded down to 61 blocks.
|-
| Total
| $92,810,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="7"|Education and job training
|-
| Social services
| $19,440,000,000
|
|-
| Research and other labor
| $5,470,000,000
|
|-
| Training/employment
| $9,990,000,000
|
|-
| Higher education
| $20,300,000,000
|
|-
| K-12 and vocational education
| $74,260,000,000
| The chart depicts 73 blocks instead of 74.
|-
| Total
| $129,460,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="7"|Natural resources
|-
| Pollution control
| $10,990,000,000
|
|-
| Conservation
| $10,930,000,000
|
|-
| Recreation
| $3,960,000,000
|
|-
| Other resources
| $6,560,000,000
|
|-
| Water
| $11,810,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $44,250,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="5"|Health/Medicaid
|-
| Health care
| $335,320,000,000
|
|-
| Safety
| $4,200,000,000
|
|-
| Research
| $34,670,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $374,080,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|Interest on debt
|-
|
| $198,870,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="3"|Social Security
|-
|
| $716,360,000,000
|
|-
| Federal payments to dead retirees
| $120,200,000
|
|-
! rowspan="8"|Income security
|-
| Other income aid
| $184,350,000,000
|
|-
| Food aid
| $96,410,000,000
|
|-
| Retirement and disability (non-SS)
| $6,650,000,000
|
|-
| Housing
| $59,450,000,000
|
|-
| Government retirement and disability
| $121,500,000,000
|
|-
| Unemployment
| $162,330,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $630,680,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="7"|Veterans
|-
| Other
| $4,940,000,000
|
|-
| Training and rehab
| $8,200,000,000
|
|-
| Housing
| $547,000,000
|
|-
| Medical care
| $46,340,000,000
|
|-
| Unemployment
| $49,830,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $109,860,000,000
|
|-
! rowspan="10"|Military
|-
| R&D
| $78,040,000,000
|
|-
| Housing
| $3,220,000,000
|
|-
| Nuclear security
| $19,580,000,000
|
|-
| "Defense-related"
| $7,670,000,000
|
|-
| Construction
| $21,460,000,000
|
|-
| Personnel
| $157,810,000,000
|
|-
| Operations
| $279,750,000,000
|
|-
| Equipment
| $135,420,000,000
|
|-
| Total
| $703,030,000,000
|
|}

===Budget options===

Estimates by the Congressional Budget Office of the effect of various hypothetical policy decisions on annual tax revenue averaged over the next ten years.

{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
|-
! rowspan="4"|Cost of existing tax cuts (Loss in annual revenue if tax cuts are made permanent)
|-
| 2001 (Bush) tax cuts
| $158,240,000,000
|-
| 2003 (Bush) capital gains tax cuts
| $27,190,000,000
|-
| 2010 (Obama) payroll tax cut
| $111,700,000,000
|-
! rowspan="4"|Potential new taxes (Increase in annual tax revenue if implimented)
|-
| Raise corporate taxes by one percentage point
| $10,060,000,000
|-
| Legalize marijuana (and tax it at levels similar to tobacco)
| $7,020,000,000
|-
| Institute tax on CO2 emissions
| $10,060,000,000 (This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $118,000,000,000)
|}

===Stimulus spending===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Item
! Value
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="5"|2008
|-
| Individual tax breaks
| $120,110,000,000
|
|-
| Student loan guarantees
| $33,470,000,000
|
|-
| Business tax breaks
| $52,360,000,000
| Rounded up to 53 blocks.
|-
| Total
| $205,930,000,000
|
|-
| rowspan="9"|2009
|-
| Tax breaks
| $307,530,000,000
| The chart depicts 318 blocks.
|-
| Education
| $90,460,000,000
| The chart depicts 92 blocks.
|-
| Medicare/Medicaid
| $80,500,000,000
| The chart depicts 89 blocks.
|-
| Transportation
| $32,560,000,000
|
|-
| Unemployment
| $62,740,000,000
|
|-
| Infrastructure
| $24,000,000,000
|
|-
| Other
| $150,160,000,000
| The chart depicts 183 blocks.
|-
| Total
| $747,950,000,000
| The chart depicts 800 blocks.
|-
|}

===Bailouts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value !! Notes
|-
| 1980s-1990 S&L bailout || $78,300,000,000 || total cost to taxpayers (the chart depicts 180 blocks)
|-
| Cost to FDIC of bank failures || $19,000,000,000 || resulting from the 2008 financial crisis
|-
| TARP bailout funds distributed || $392,980,000,000 || Out of $700,000,000,000 available
|-
| Estimated TARP taxpayer losses || $41,660,000,000 || The chart depicts 36 blocks instead of 42.
|-
| Value of outstanding TARP assets || $144,440,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $144,440,000,000.
|-
| Bailout funds returned || $206,880,000,000 ||
|-
| Current Eurozone bailout fund || $1,361,700,000,000 || The chart depicts 1162 blocks instead of 1362.
|}

===Federal Payments===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Cost !! Notes
|-
| Annual improper federal payments comprising fraud, abuse, and poorly-documented payments || $125,400,000,000 ||
|-
| Federal payments to dead retirees || $120,200,000 ||
|-
| Ground Zero medical expenses fund || $2,800,000,000 ||
|-
| NEA-estimated cost to bring all US schools into good repair || $413,300,000,000,000 || The chart depicts 423 blocks instead of 413.
|-
| Annual economic cost of unmaintained infrastructure || $129,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Estimated direct annual agricultural value of bees || $220,000,000,000 ||
|}

===Military/Security Spending===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Cost
|-
| Wasted money in Afghanistan/Iraq war contracts || $60,000,000,000
|-
| Reconstruction money reportedly missing || $18,000,000,000
|-
| Total US spending since 2001 to secure borders || $90,000,000,000
|-
| US nuclear arms spending during the Cold War || $2,818,300,000,000
|-
| Ballistic missile submarines || $451,360,000,000
|-
| Ballistic missiles to put on those submarines || $136,690,000,000
|-
| The $87 billion which John Kerry voted for/against || $101,800,000,000
|-
| "Star Wars" missile defense system (1987 Heritage Foundation estimate) || $185,300,000,000
|}

===US Spending on Wars===

Including only direct spending on war operations, and not the resulting veterans' benefits or interest on debt incurred.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! War !! Cost !! Notes
|-
| World War I || $334,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Spanish-American War || $9,030,000,000 ||
|-
| Civil War || $79,740,000,000 ||
|-
| American revolution || $2,410,000,000 ||
|-
| 1812 || $1,550,000,000 ||
|-
| Mexican War || $2,380,000,000 ||
|-
| World War II || $4,104,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Korean War || $341,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Vietnam War || $738,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Persian Gulf War || $102,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Iraq War || $784,000,000,000 || The chart depicts 786 blocks.
|-
| War in Afghanistan || $321,000,000,000
|-
| Total || $804,410,000,000 || This appears to be a mistake by [[Randall]] and should read $8,044,100,000,000.
|}

</div>

==Trillions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

===Size of derivatives market by year===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Amount !! Notes
|-
| 1988 || $3,090,000,000,000 ||
|-
| 1995 || $26,690,000,000,000 || Rounded down to 26 blocks.
|-
| 2001 || $86,390,000,000,000 ||
|-
| 2005 || $227,260,000,000,000 ||
|-
| 2009 || $439,000,000,000,000 ||
|-
|}

===Size of credit default swap market by year (included in derivatives)===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Amount
|-
| 2001 || $1,150,000,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $19,350,000,000,000
|-
| 2007 || $66,280,000,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $31,350,000,000,000
|-
|}

===US household net worth===

$58,740,000,000,000

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Net Worth
|-
| Richest 1% || $19,620,000,000,000
|-
| Richer half || $57,270,000,000,000
|-
| Poorer half || $1,470,000,000,000
|-
|}

===Total debt in the US===

$36,560,000,000,000

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Debt
|-
| Household || $13,560,000,000,000
|-
| State and local government || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| Federal government || $9,510,000,000,000
|-
| Business || $10,980,000,000,000
|-
|}

===World GDP===

$62,900,000,000,000

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Region !! GDP
|-
| North America || $17,850,000,000,000
|-
| United States || $14,530,000,000,000
|-
| South America || $3,070,000,000,000
|-
| EU || $16,240,000,000,000
|-
| Europe (incl. Russia and Turkey) || $20,130,000,000,000
|-
| Africa || $1,610,000,000,000
|-
| Asia || $17,530,000,000,000
|-
| Oceania || $1,310,000,000,000
|-
|}

===Total public debt===

Note: US figures are from 2011, while the other totals use 2010 debt in 2011 dollars, which is likely an underestimate.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Region !! Debt !! Notes
|-
| EU (total) || $13,340,000,000,000 ||
|-
| United States || $10,200,000,000,000 || Plus internal government borrowing of 4,740,000,000,000
|-
| Japan || $8,630,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Germany || $2,480,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Italy || $2,140,000,000,000 ||
|-
| India || $2,140,000,000,000 ||
|-
| China || $1,907,000,000,000 ||
|-
| France || $1,767,000,000,000 ||
|-
| United Kingdom || $1,654,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Brazil || $1,281,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Canada || $1,130,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Spain || $834,210,000,000 ||
|-
| Mexico || $584,860,000,000 ||
|-
| Greece || $460,180,000,000 ||
|-
|}

===World total===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Value !! Notes
|-
| proven oil reserves || $131,960,000,000,000 || November 2011 prices
|-
| US reserves || $20,580,000,000,000 ||
|-
| proven coal reserves || $72,850,000,000,000 || 2011 central Appalachian prices
|-
| US reserves || $20,020,000,000,000 ||
|-
| proven natural gas reserves || $21,470,000,000,000 || 2011 NYMEX prices
|-
| US reserves || $930,470,000,000 ||
|-
| liquid assets || $77,000,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far, roughly three-fifths of it since 1980) || $2,396,950,000,000,000 ||
|-
|}

===Value of 10 years of electricity generated if the surface of Texas were converted to:===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Value
|-
| Solar power plants || $89,240,000,000,000
|-
| Wind turbines || $7,950,000,000,000
|-
|}

===All US real estate===

$28,380,000,000,000

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Type !! Value !! Notes
|-
| Home || $23,010,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Commercial || $5,370,000,000,000 || includes stores, apartments, industrial, etc.
|-
|}

===Value of all gold ever mined (late 2011 prices)===

$9,120,000,000,000

===GDP by year===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! GDP (total economic activity) the world (minus the US) !! GDP (total economic productivity) of the US (minus government) !! US federal government
|-
| 1920 || || ||
|-
| 1930 || || ||
|-
| 1940 || || ||
|-
| 1942 || || || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1943 || || || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1944 || || || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1945 || || || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1946 || || || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1947 || || $2,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1948 || || $2,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1949 || || $2,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1950 || || $2,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1951 || || $2,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1952 || || $2,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1953 || || $2,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1954 || || $2,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1955 || || $3,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1956 || || $3,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1957 || || $3,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1958 || || $3,000,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1959 || || $3,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1960 || || $3,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1961 || || $3,500,000,000,000 || $500,000,000,000
|-
| 1962 || || $3,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1963 || || $4,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1964 || || $4,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1965 || || $4,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1966 || || $4,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1967 || || $5,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1968 || || $5,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1969 || || $5,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1970 || || $5,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1971 || || $5,500,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1972 || || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1973 || || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1974 || || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1975 || || $5,500,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1976 || || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1977 || || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1978 || || $6,500,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1979 || || $7,000,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1980 || $19,000,000,000,000 || $6,500,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1981 || $19,000,000,000,000 || $6,500,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1982 || $19,500,000,000,000 || $6,000,000,000,000 || $1,500,000,000,000
|-
| 1983 || $20,000,000,000,000 || $6,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1984 || $20,000,000,000,000 || $7,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1985 || $22,000,000,000,000 || $7,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1986 || $23,000,000,000,000 || $7,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1987 || $23,500,000,000,000 || $7,500,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1988 || $25,000,000,000,000 || $8,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1989 || $26,000,000,000,000 || $8,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1990 || $27,000,000,000,000 || $8,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1991 || $27,000,000,000,000 || $8,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1992 || $31,000,000,000,000 || $8,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1993 || $32,500,000,000,000 || $8,500,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1994 || $33,000,000,000,000 || $9,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1995 || $34,000,000,000,000 || $9,000,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1996 || $34,500,000,000,000 || $9,500,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1997 || $36,500,000,000,000 || $9,500,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1998 || $36,500,000,000,000 || $10,500,000,000,000 || $2,000,000,000,000
|-
| 1999 || $37,000,000,000,000 || $10,500,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2000 || $39,000,000,000,000 || $10,500,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2001 || $39,000,000,000,000 || $10,500,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2002 || $41,000,000,000,000 || $10,500,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2003 || $42,500,000,000,000 || $11,000,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2004 || $45,000,000,000,000 || $11,500,000,000,000 || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $47,500,000,000,000 || $11,500,000,000,000 || $3,000,000,000,000
|-
| 2006 || $50,000,000,000,000 || $12,000,000,000,000 || $3,000,000,000,000
|-
| 2007 || $53,000,000,000,000 || $12,000,000,000,000 || $3,000,000,000,000
|-
| 2008 || $58,500,000,000,000 || $11,500,000,000,000 || $3,000,000,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $57,500,000,000,000 || $11,000,000,000,000 || $3,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2010 || $61,000,000,000,000 || $11,500,000,000,000 || $3,500,000,000,000
|-
| 2011 || $63,500,000,000,000 || $11,500,000,000,000 || $4,000,000,000,000
|}
</div>
{{DEFAULTSORT:0980}}

2498: Forest Walk

2022-01-11T01:45:52Z

IdiosyncraticLawyer: Hotfixes

{{comic
| number = 2498
| date = August 4, 2021
| title = Forest Walk
| image = forest_walk.png
| titletext = The only other person to walk by was a linguist back in the 80s, but she just spent a while dissecting the phrase 'help me down' before getting distracted by a squirrel and wandering off.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] is walking through a wide landscape with [[Beret Guy]] who owns a big part of it. Megan is surprised that he owns such a big property, however, Beret Guy is known for his inexplicable businesses such as in [[1493: Meeting]] and from [[1032: Networking]]; we know he probably has enough resources to be able to buy it. Alternatively, he might have simply inherited it from his mom [[502: Dark Flow]], or may not understand the concept of owning it. Nevertheless, he walks here every day, and from the context of the comic, it seems pretty much no one else comes here.

They meet a rather disheveled-looking bearded man hanging from a parachute caught in a tree. The man shakes a stick at them and demands to be helped down to the ground. Beret Guy simply addresses him as "Mister Cooper" and asks if he promises to return the money he took. The man angrily refuses, and Beret Guy casually says he'll see him again tomorrow, suggesting that this conversation has become a daily routine.

Megan asks if the man was D. B. Cooper, which Beret Guy immediately confirms. He then comments on an owl nest as another bit of "neat stuff" found on his land, suggesting that he finds Cooper's presence to be just another mildly interesting part of this land.

{{w|D. B. Cooper}} is the identity given to a man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in 1971. He collected a $200,000 ransom (equivalent to $1,250,000 in 2020) and famously donned a parachute and jumped from the plane over the state of Washington. He was never seen or heard from again. Despite lengthy FBI investigations and nationwide publicity, the hijacker was never identified. A few thousand dollars of the ransom money was found in a river, nearly 10 years after the hijacking, but the remainder has never been recovered. The only things known about him are a police composite drawing and the name "Dan Cooper", under which he had purchased his airline ticket (he was called "D.B." as a result of a miscommunication with the media, and the name stuck).

The high-profile case followed by the never-solved mystery has led to a massive amount of speculation as to his identity, background, and what became of him. Many consider the most likely scenario to be that he didn't survive the parachute jump, and simply crashed somewhere that his body was never found. Others imagine that he escaped with the money and simply managed to evade capture.

The comic is insinuating that, after leaping from the plane, he got entangled in a tree in Beret Guy's land, and has been there ever since.

Uncanny situations are nothing new to Beret Guy since he possesses [[:Category:Strange_powers_of_Beret_Guy|many strange powers]]. Hence, the concept of a famous criminal hanging from a tree for nearly 50 years doesn't seem any more interesting to him than an owl's nest. In keeping with the typical bizarre-ness of Beret Guy's life, it isn't explained how a man could survive for half a century hanging from a tree, why he'd choose to remain trapped there for his entire life rather than return money that he's in no position to spend, or why Beret Guy wouldn't simply report his whereabouts to the police. All of these are simply accepted as unremarkable realities of life, for him.

D. B. Cooper was already referenced by Randall in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]], [[1501: Mysteries]] and [[2452: Aviation Firsts]].

The title text may refer to the linguist from [[2390: Linguists]] who is more interested in the linguistic nuances that people use than in actually responding to their call for assistance. It is not known how many others have walked through Beret Guy's land, in the interim, or whether it is their nature or the general aura from Beret Guy, but the linguist did not much more than ponder the phrase "help me down". Megan also seems in no particular hurry to intervene.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Beret Guy are walking through a landscape with spread-out trees and grass and puddles on the ground.]
:Megan: Wow, this is all yours?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! All the way back to the river!
:Beret Guy: I walk here every day.

:[Megan still walks towards Beret Guy who has now stopped and is looking up while speaking to a man hanging in a tree in front of them. The man has long wild hair and a large beard. He hangs from his parachute which has been folded around a large branch sticking out from beneath the top of the tree. He is holding a long stick of some sort, seemingly attempting to threaten Beret Guy, as the stick and his legs are vibrating as indicated with small lines.]
:Beret Guy: Morning, Mister Cooper!
:Cooper: You help me down '''''this instant!'''''

:[Pan down to show only Beret Guy and nothing else. Cooper replies from off-panel from the top corner.]
:Beret Guy: Do you promise to give back all the money you took?
:Cooper [off-panel]: '''''Never!'''''
:Beret Guy: Okay! See you tomorrow!

:[Megan and Beret Guy continue walking through the landscape with three small trees behind them, as well as grass, rocks, and a small puddle. Megan looks back over her shoulder towards where Cooper is hanging.]
:Megan: Was that D.B. Cooper?
:Beret Guy: Yeah, and up ahead there's an owl nest!
:Beret Guy: There's so much neat stuff here.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Squirrels]] 
[[Category:Language]] 
[[Category:Strange_powers_of_Beret_Guy]]