explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1762: Moving Boxes

2016-11-21T23:48:50Z

JustJim: /* Explanation of boxes */ Box 4 typo red/read

{{comic
| number = 1762
| date = November 21, 2016
| title = Moving Boxes
| image = moving_boxes.png
| titletext = Later, when I remember that I'm calling movers, I frantically scribble over the labels and write 'NORMAL HOUSE STUFF' on all of them, which actually makes things worse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Fill table}}
[[Randall]] talks about moving boxes and not labeling them until he forgets what's in them. Since he doesn't know what's in them, he writes silly things on the boxes as a joke. Some things are unusual/unlikely (e.g. sand, hydrants, peat) and some are abstract/impossible (e.g. elves, taupe, dark matter). Several of the categories overlap confusingly; for instance, "sand" and "silt" and "dark matter" are all generally considered as "particles"; "membranes", "edges", and "shawls" are all kinds of "manifolds"; "hooves" are part of "bison"; "fog" contains "water"; and "triangles" consist of three "edges". Another way to interpret this comic is that Randall actually has these items (or at least some of them) in the boxes and has simply forgotten which boxes contain what.

===Explanation of boxes===
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
!Label
!Explanation
|-
!Box 1
|-
|Grids|| [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grid Grids] are mathematical drawings; they would be constructed by drawing them, not stored in a box (though {{w|graph paper}} might be). May refer to a classic {{w|snipe hunt}} where a hazing victim is tasked with finding "a box of grid squares".
|-
|Bison||{{w|Bison}}, sometimes mistakenly called buffalo, are large animals{{Citation needed}} that would probably not fit in the box{{Citation needed}}.
|-
|Checkerboards||A tabletop gaming board on which one plays {{w|English draughts|Checkers}}.
|-
|Fog||{{w|Fog}} is essentially low-lying clouds which, being gaseous, are hard to box using only cardboard.
|-
!Box 2
|-
|Beacons||A device designed to draw attention to itself, for various reasons. From the generic term "beacon" this could mean anything from electronic GPS locator beacons to miniature replicas of naval lighthouses.
|-
|Elves||A fictional race (or rather, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurElvesAreBetter many, many fictional races]) of human-like magical creatures.
|-
|Sand||Fine particles of rock. While it's not unheard of for people to need to store sand, it's usually not stored along with your personal belongings on moving day.
|-
!Box 3
|-
|Hemoglobin||{{w|Hemoglobin}} is the protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. This may be a solution of hemoglobin protein, but one human generally would not need a full box of it{{Citation needed}}.
|-
!Box 4
|-
|Water||As with sand, it's not unheard of for, say, a laboratory to store water samples for testing. But again, these wouldn't be stored along with your personal belongings on moving day. And if this is meant to be drinking water, it would be a waste of effort; it's taken as read that any house you're moving into has its own plumbing.
|-
|Hooves||{{w|Hooves}} are possibly best-known as horse and cow 'feet'. This could also be read as a compound word, Water-Hooves akin to water-wings.
|-
!Box 5
|-
|Shorebirds|| Birds which live by the shore{{Citation needed}}.
|-
!Box 6
|-
|Oil|| Again, hard to store in boxes.{{Citation needed}}
|-
|Vectors||{{w|Vector}}s are points on geometric shapes, not physical objects, so they cannot be put in boxes.
|-
|Silt|| Material between sand and clay sizewise. A sediment.
|-
!Box 7
|-
|Membranes||Delicate thin pliable sheet or skin of various kinds. Usually fragile or cut easily. Not something you would expect to be packed with something sharp, which shards are likely to be, although these labels are incorrect.
|-
|Shards||Broken pieces of smooth and hard objects, e.g. ceramic, glass, crystal. Something you would normally expect to be thrown out, rather than packed up for moving house.
|-
!Box 8
|-
|Shawls||{{w|Shawls}} are a simple item of clothing, worn loosely over one's shoulders. Also being of rectangular shape, they are supposed to be worn in colder weather.
|-
|Glucose||{{w|Glucose}} is possibly best-known as the sugar plants produce for energy, but can be manufactured.
|-
|Kits||A {{w|kit}} is any set of tools, supplies, and/or instructions for a specific purpose. These could be first aid kits, software development kits, bomb-making kits, sewing kits... Alternatively, this may be a compound word "Glucose Kits", diabetic assay tools to help the patient regulate their blood sugar.
|-
!Box 9
|-
|Hydrants||{{w|Fire hydrant}}s are likely too big to fit in boxes, and are also simply odd objects to be packing into a box.
|-
|Particles||As almost all matter is composed of {{w|particles}}, it is hard to find exceptions. Thus, this is very vague.
|-
|Knots||
|-
!Box 10
|-
|Graphite||
|-
|Taupe|| {{w|Taupe}} is a dark tan color in between brown and gray, again, not an object.
|-
!Box 11
|-
|Field Lines||This could refer to {{w|field line}}s as used to depict electromagnetic force fields, or possibly to the lines painted on an athletic field to mark the boundaries of play. The former are a visualization tool rather than physical objects; the latter consist of streaks of paint on grass or artificial turf, and thus neither kind of field line is the kind of physical object that could be packed into a box.
|-
!Box 12
|-
|Traps||May be a reference to 'My house is full of traps' from [https://what-if.xkcd.com/34// What-If #34]
|-
!Box 13
|-
|Edges||
|-
|Tribes||
|-
|Dough||
|-
!Box 14
|-
|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}}
|-
!Box 15
|-
|Manifolds||Manifolds are akin to {{w|topological}} {{w|universe}}s.
|-
!Box 16
|-
|Triangles||Within the context of this comic, the reference is likely to the shape. On the other hand, it would not be unusual to pack one or more {{w|Triangle (musical instrument)}}s into a box.
|-
|Peat|| {{w|Peat}}is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation that forms in wetland bogs, moors, mires, and swamps.
|-
|Crowns|| May be royal crowns, or may be the coin worth five shillings in UK pre-decimal currency.
|-
!Box 17
|-
|Scrolls||A {{w|scroll}} is a roll of papyrus, paper, or parchment that contains writing.
|}

According to the title text, when Randall remembers that he is calling movers, he frantically scribbles "Normal House Stuff" on all the boxes. He says this makes the situation worse, possibly because the movers see the scribble and become suspicious. Alternatively, labeling every box with the exact same phrase will make it even harder to figure out what they contain and where they should go in the new dwelling.

==Transcript==
[A bunch of cardboard boxes stacked up, each labeled]
{| class="wikitable"
| style="visibility:hidden" |
| colspan="2" height="80px" width="80px" |
Grids 
Bison 
Checkerboards 
Fog
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px"|
Beacons 
Elves 
Sand
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Hemoglobin
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Water 
Hooves
| style="visibility:hidden" |
|-|
| style="visibility:hidden" |
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Shorebirds
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Oil 
Vectors 
Silt
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Membranes 
Shards
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Shawls 
Glucose 
Kits
| style="visibility:hidden" |
|-|
| style="visibility:hidden" |
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Hydrants 
Particles 
Knots
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Graphite 
Taupe
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Field Lines
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Traps
| style="visibility:hidden" |
|-|
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Edges 
Tribes 
Dough
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Dark Matter
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Manifolds
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Triangles 
Peat 
Crowns
| colspan="2" width="80px" height="80px" |
Scrolls
|}
[A caption:]
I always forget to label my moving boxes until they're sealed up and I've forgotten what's in them.
{{comic discussion}}

1602: Linguistics Club

2015-11-11T10:22:19Z

JustJim: /* Explanation */ Removed 'where' from 'in which where Cueball'.

{{comic
| number = 1602
| date = November 11, 2015
| title = Linguistics Club
| image = linguistics_club.png
| titletext = If that's too easy, you could try joining Tautology Club, which meets on the date of the Tautology Club meeting.
}}

==Explanation==
A "[[wiktionary:sesquiannual|sesquiannual]]" meeting is one that occurs one and a half times every year, or once every 8 months. It comes from the Latin root "[[wiktionary:sesqui|sesqui-]]", which means "half and...", and "[[wiktionary:annual|-annual]]", which is "...one per year". A linguist or Latin scholar, the joke suggests, should be able to figure that out as "half-plus-one every year". This is an extension of the common confusion between "biannual," meaning "twice a year", and "biennial", meaning "once every two years". Compare with the {{w|Sesquicentennial Exposition}} celebrating the first 1½ centuries of the United States.

Regarding the title text, a {{w|tautology (rhetoric)|tautology}} is a statement that is true because of its logical form, such as "all birds are birds" or "A = A." As such, the statement "the Tautology Club meets on the date of the Tautology Club's meeting" is itself tautological.

Whilst the membership requirement for the original club is merely to know the intended frequency (presumably then a successful applicant to be told at least one meeting date in the cycle so that an attendance can be made; or perhaps the member is supposed to guess that by reasoning that every third meeting must extend across the beginning of a new year), Tautology Club's stipulation appears to require an eligible member to derive a valid meeting date from thin air without any clue at all (and no indication that there is even a regular cycle of any kind). This would definitely be more of a challenge.

The title text has a connection to [[703: Honor Societies]] in which Cueball announces that "the first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club."

==Transcript==
Megan: You should come to our Linguistic Club's sesquiannual meeting. Membership is open to anyone who can figure out how often we meet.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]

13: Canyon

2015-07-27T12:36:19Z

JustJim: /* Explanation */ minor grammar

{{comic
| number = 13
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Canyon
| image = canyon_small.jpg
| titletext = They're standing at the lip of the canyon, which isn't clear at all.
}}

==Explanation==
This is one of the early comics which explores a theme [[xkcd]] returns to often: the wonder around us, if we would just look.

[[Cueball]] and his friend (who also looks like Cueball), are having a discussion. After the friend asks Cueball what the time is, Cueball simply states that it is ''now.'' Then there is a beat panel showing the two standing at the lip of a great canyon drawn in detail and color.

The friend claims that ''now'' is a boring answer, since it's a tautology, a functionally useless answer, and a bad joke all at the same time. Cueball, however, asserts that ''now'' is the least boring answer he could give.

It is typical for human beings to focus on mundane concerns, like a meeting they might be late for or a bus they have to catch, and take their familiar environment for granted, no matter how fabulous it might have been at first sight.

The title text explains that they stand on the lip of the canyon, which may not be clear if you do not look very carefully at the color drawing. There are two tiny stick figures at the top of the canyon, near the center of the panel. On the other six panels there is just a ragged line, which thus obviously is this lip of the canyon.

==Transcript==
:[Two guys, both Cueball-like, are standing at some kind of cliff edge.]
:Friend: What time is it?

:[The second guy (Cueball) looks at his watch in silence.]

:[Then he answers the question]
:Cueball: Now.

:[Full scene is revealed: The two men (barely visible) are standing at the lip of a huge canyon in a rocky, barren landscape. A pock-marked moon and a ringed planet are visible in the burgundy-colored sky.]

:[The two guys are again seen standing at what is now know to be the lip of the canyon.]
:Friend: That's a pretty boring answer.

:[Next panel is the same as before.]
:Cueball: Is not.

:[Last panel is the same as before.]
:Cueball: It's the least boring answer imaginable.

==Trivia==
*This was the 7th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]].
**The next was [[8: Red spiders]].
*This comic kept it's original title: "Canyon"
**This is the first of the original comics that kept it's title unchanged after transfer to xkcd.
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "I'm not sure where they are, but they should be more excited! I would be."
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 07]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 07]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1538: Lyrics

2015-06-17T04:26:46Z

JustJim: /* Possible lyrics and songs */ changed 'closed guess' to 'closest guess'

{{comic
| number = 1538
| date = June 15, 2015
| title = Lyrics
| image = lyrics.png
| titletext = To me, trying to understand song lyrics feels like when I see text in a dream but it𝔰 hอᵣd t₀ ᵣeₐd aกd 𝒾 canٖt fཱྀcu༧༦࿐༄
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This is a stub. There is probably a more thorough explanation.}}

For some modern songs, the vocalist chooses to perform the track in a way that emphasizes emotion, accent or style over clear pronounciation of the lyrics. Some forms of music, for example the Jazz style Scat, use purely nonsensical lyrics while some styles of dance music use a single line of lyrics repeated throughout the track.

There are also certain types of people that may describe themselves as "lyric deaf", which is sort of the lyrical equivalent to being [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_deafness tone deaf], although it doesn't have an underlying medical understanding. Some people that describe themselves as tone deaf are even quite musically capable.

The comic is illustrating (in text form) how listening to such a song feels before you have learned what the actual lyrics are. The lyrics are represented in an indecipherable way, with a few mildly recognizable words. This represents the auditory experience of being able to hear and understand some words (perhaps incorrectly), but not all of them.

Another example of this experience can be seen in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxELSzay2lc this video] of a British TV commercial from the 1980s, showing someone who has misheard Desmond Decker's The Israelites as "My Ears Are Alight".

This experience is similar to that shown by the character [http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Havelock_Vetinari Havelock Vetinari] in Terry Pratchett's Discworld book [http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/vetinari/vl-soulmusic.html Soul Music]. Rather than listening to music, he preferred to read the printed sheet music.

''In fact the kind of music he really liked was the kind that never got played. It ruined music, in his opinion, to torment it by involving it on dried skins, bits of dead cat and lumps of metal hammered into wires and tubes. It ought to stay written down, on the page, in rows of little dots and crotchets, all neatly caught between lines. Only there was it pure. It was when people started doing things with it that the rot set in. Much better to sit quietly in a room and read the sheets, with nothing between yourself and the mind of the composer but a scribble of ink. Having it played by sweaty fat men and people with hair in their ears and spit dribbling out of the end of their oboe...well, the idea made him shudder.''

For a related experience see {{w|Mondegreen}}.

The title text elaborates on the fact that [[Randall]] has the same experience when trying to understand song lyrics as when he sees text in his dreams. The last part of the title text is written in strange scripts to illustrate how he feels when seeing text in his dreams. Translated it says: ''it's hard to read and I can't focus.''

Note that it looks like the song lyrics were written by drawing in a tool like MS Paint and then cutting out pieces and shifting them slightly.

==Possible lyrics and songs==
The closest guess on the lyrics is this:

''I can't even tell her''

''Anything she wanna''

''Had beautiful sang or kill''

''Forgetting love.''

(Note that the first line also might be ''I can't even '''help''' her''.)

*The first line ''I can't even tell her'', probably comes from Eminem's 'Rap God'

*The second line ''Anything she wanna'', varies a lot, plausible songs are 'The Lazy Song' by Bruno Mars, 'Dark Horse' by Katy Perry, 'She Looks So Perfect' by 5 Seconds of Summer, or perhaps 'American Dream' by MKTO.

*The fourth and final line ''Forgetting love'' comes from Taylor Swifts 'Red'

It might also be the case that [[Randall|Randall Munroe]] made up the lyrics himself and that these songs coincidentally share the same lyrics, because they are very cliché lyrics occurring in many pop songs.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits in a chair holding something. A speaker on a counter behind him is transmitting music. Four lines of wavy undecipherable lyrics emanate from the speaker. The lyrics are surrounded by musical notes. Below is the best attempt to write this down in text, also using capitals when they are clearly there in the comic.]
:I CANT₣∇EN +ELҼ ⊤HER
:A|N⊃Г⊕N6 ƒHE W(AN NAp.
:HADβE Aūτ|ƒA!NNNG∩fҠILL...
:FOR♡ITiNnα⊣GLOOOO!VEEE ?-

:[Caption below the frame:]
:'''Sometimes I wonder what it would'''
:'''be like to be able to understand'''
:'''song lyrics without looking them up.'''

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

1446: Landing/All pictures

2015-06-13T05:57:26Z

JustJim: spelling

*Below are all 143 pictures from [[1446: Landing]].
*To the left of each picture is the timestamps given to them on xkcd.
*When the pictures were first collected on Explain xkcd there were eight missing. These pictures are also included here, and have been marked with a * after the time stamp.
*There are still five time intervals where there were no picture even on xkcd. For these five the N/A is written instead of a time stamp and there is written ''Missing picture'' where a picture would have been.
*See more about this here in [[1446: Landing/Frame by Frame Breakdown|this table]].

:00:00: [[Image:???.png]]
:00:05: [[Image:???2.png]]
:00:10: [[Image:???3.png]]
:00:15: [[Image:???4.png]]
:00:20: [[Image:???5.png]]
:00:25: [[Image:???6.png]]
:00:30: [[Image:???7.png]]
:00:35: [[Image:???8.png]]
:00:40: [[Image:???9.png]]
:00:45: [[Image:???10.png]]
:00:50: [[Image:???11.png]]
:00:55: [[Image:???12.png]]
:01:00: [[Image:???13.png]]
:01:05: [[Image:???14.png]]
:01:10: [[Image:???15.png]]
:01:15: [[Image:???16.png]]
:01:20: [[Image:???17.png]]
:01:25: [[Image:???18.png]]
:01:30: [[Image:???19.png]]
:01:35: [[Image:???20.png]]
:01:40: [[Image:???21.png]]
:01:45: [[Image:???22.png]]
:01:50: [[Image:???23.png]]
:01:55: [[Image:???24.png]]
:02:00: [[Image:???25.png]]
:02:05: [[Image:???26.png]]
:02:10: [[Image:???27.png]]
:02:15: [[Image:???28.png]]
:02:20: [[Image:???29.png]]
:02:25: [[Image:???30.png]]
:02:30: [[Image:???31.png]]
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:02:45: [[Image:???34.png]]
:02:50: [[Image:???35.png]]
:02:55: [[Image:???36.png]]
:03:00: [[Image:???37.png]]
:03:05: [[Image:???38.png]]
:03:10: [[Image:???39.png]]
:N/A: Missing picture
:03:20*: [[Image:???39a.png]]
:03:25: [[Image:???40.png]]
:N/A: Missing picture
:03:35: [[Image:???41.png]]
:03:40: [[Image:???42.png]]
:03:45*: [[Image:???32a.png]]
:03:50: [[Image:???43.png]]
:03:55*: [[Image:???43a.png]]
:N/A: Missing picture
:04:05*: [[Image:???43b.png]]
:04:10: [[Image:???44.png]]
:04:15: [[Image:???45.png]]
:04:20: [[Image:???46.png]]
:04:25: [[Image:???47.png]]
:04:30: [[Image:???48.png]]
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:04:45: [[Image:???51.png]]
:04:50: [[Image:???52.png]]
:04:55: [[Image:???53.png]]
:10:00: [[Image:???54.png]]
:10:05*: [[Image:???54a.png]]
:10:10: [[Image:???55.png]]
:10:15: [[Image:???56.png]]
:10:20*: [[Image:???56a.png]]
:10:25: [[Image:???57.png]]
:10:30: [[Image:???58.png]]
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:10:55: [[Image:???63.png]]
:11:00: [[Image:???64.png]]
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:11:25: [[Image:???69.png]]
:11:30: [[Image:???70.png]]
:11:35: [[Image:???71.png]]
:11:40: [[Image:???72.png]]
:11:45: [[Image:???73.png]]
:11:50: [[Image:???74.png]]
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:12:00: [[Image:???76.png]]
:12:05: [[Image:???77.png]]
:12:10: [[Image:???78.png]]
:12:15: [[Image:???79.png]]
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:12:25: [[Image:???81.png]]
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:14:35: [[Image:???107.png]]
:14:40: [[Image:???108.png]]
:14:45: [[Image:???109.png]]
:14:50: [[Image:???110.png]]
:N/A: Missing picture
:15:00: [[Image:???111.png]]
:N/A: Missing picture
:15:10: [[Image:???112.png]]
:15:15: [[Image:???113.png]]
:15:20: [[Image:???114.png]]
:15:25: [[Image:???115.png]]
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:16:00: [[Image:???122.png]]
:16:05*: [[Image:???122a.png]]
:16:10*: [[Image:???122b.png]]
:16:15: [[Image:???123.png]]
:16:20: [[Image:???124.png]]
:16:25: [[Image:???125.png]]
:16:30: [[Image:???126.png]]
:16:35: [[Image:???127.png]]
:16:40: [[Image:???128.png]]
:16:45: [[Image:???129.png]]
:16:50: [[Image:???130.png]]
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:17:05: [[Image:???133.png]]
:17:10: [[Image:???134.png]]
:17:15: [[Image:???135.png]]

1454: Done

2015-06-13T05:02:58Z

JustJim: /* Explanation */ substituted 'wistfully' for 'wishfully' in final paragraph.

{{comic
| number = 1454
| date = December 1, 2014
| title = Done
| image = done.png
| titletext = I'm sorry, but the author of this Facebook comment clearly believes you were.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a joke about the hyperbolic expression ''shut it down'' being taken literally. If someone thinks that a device has achieved its goal they shut it down. After an idea or product that people think is well made is created people will joke that the process that created it should be shut down, as if the process has achieved its ultimate purpose. This is most often used sarcastically for an inferior product or idea. Taking things literally is a common theme in the xkcd comics.

Curly-hair sits at a computer anxiously and nervously writing a message to someone she cares about deeply, possibly a child to be adopted or a romantic interest. Curly-hair plans on saving enough money to have the person flown to her location from "half a world away." Curly-hair ends the message with a promise to communicate daily until the two are able to meet. When attempting to send the message, however, Curly-hair discovers that their internet connection is down and the message goes unsent.

[[Ponytail]] explains there was a "ridiculous video" to which someone had commented "That's it. Shut down the Internet. We're done." This was taken literally and, because enough people agreed with this comment, the internet was shut down and Curly-hair was left unable to communicate with her love.

The joke being that the internet was creating something far more valuable between Curly-hair and her love than a ridiculous video, thus highlighting the beautiful and far reaching potential impact of the internet. The likelihood of the entire internet being shut down based on a single comment being vanishingly low adds to the humor.

In the final panel Curly-hair states wistfully that she was not done with the internet. The title text is Ponytail's response, which asserts Ponytail's belief that Curly-hair's message could not be important because the Facebook comment asserted that nothing of any significance could come from the internet after the ridiculous video.

==Transcript==
:Writer (typing): I had started to think I was asking too much, that I needed to settle. And then I found you half a world away.

:Writer (typing): I've been saving money. Six months from now, I'll be able to fly you here and support us for a while.

:Writer (typing): It's a long wait, but we'll talk every day until then. Maybe this won't work out, but I want to try. What do you think?

:Computer: '''ERROR''': Your message could not be sent.
:''[Refresh]''
:Computer: '''ERROR''': No connection.
:Writer: ??

:Writer: Why can't I connect?
:Ponytail: Someone saw a ridiculous video and said "That's it. Shut down the Internet. We're done." So they did.

:Writer: ...But... I wasn't done.

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

1441: Turnabout

2015-06-13T04:32:38Z

JustJim: /* Explanation */ spelling

{{comic
| number = 1441
| date = October 31, 2014
| title = Turnabout
| image = turnabout.png
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on an obstacle, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the Moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.

A {{w|retroreflector}} is a device or surface that reflects light back towards its source. Several such devices {{w|List of retroreflectors on the Moon|were placed on the Moon}} and have been used ever since by scientists on Earth to {{w|Lunar Laser Ranging experiment|measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging}}.

The title text may be a reference to the common practice of "calling bank" in the game of basketball. In basketball, the backboard may be used to deflect the ball into the hoop. This is called a "bank shot." In casual games, if the player using the backboard in this way does not indicate that it was intentional by "calling bank" before releasing the ball, the basket may not be counted in order to not give the player credit for a wild shot that happened to go in. When a player releases a shot that they realize is off the mark they sometimes quickly say "bank" to try and fool the other players into thinking that they were intentionally trying to "bank" the ball off the backboard into the hoop. In the title text scenario, "Apollo retroreflector" is used the same way "bank" is in basketball, i.e., the shooter meant to hit the target by reflection rather than directly.

[[Randall]] discussed the effect of hitting the Moon with lasers in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If: Laser Pointer] and the likelihood of hitting a celestial object with a laser in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ What If: Into the Blue].

Retroreflectors were placed by the American {{w|Apollo 11}}, {{w|Apollo 14|14}}, and {{w|Apollo 15|15}} missions. The Soviet {{w|Lunokhod 1}} and {{w|Lunokhod 2|2}} rovers also carried such reflectors; attempts to use them for laser ranging were unsuccessful from 1971 to 2010, but were successfully renewed after the rovers' positions were photographed by the {{w|Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter}}.

The likelihood of the wild shot being aimed at the Moon is fairly low in itself, and the probability of accidentally hitting a retroreflector on the Moon is lower still. Even if it did, it is highly unlikely that a pistol-sized generator could produce a beam coherent enough to inflict damage after traveling to the Moon and back, as lasers built for the purpose of hitting retroreflectors on the Moon typically get a return around one quadrillionth of the original beam, and a visible light laser would need a very large lens or mirror in order to still be relatively concentrated upon hitting the reflectors.

The title text claims you would need to say "Apollo retroreflector" really fast; this is an ambiguous reference between 'calling bank,' which would have to be done quickly before the shot lands, since from Earth you would only have about [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2+*+moon+distance+from+earth+%2F+speed+of+light 2.5 seconds] before the light is reflected back to its source.

==Transcript==
:[A guy and Cueball are engaged in a fight with laser pistols. The guy is standing behind a small box, firing his gun at Cueball.]
:[Cueball is kneeling behind a larger box, returning fire.]
:[The guy leaps on top of the larger box, knocking Cueball backwards and off balance. Cueball fires wildly into the air.]
:[Now the guy is standing on the box. Cueball is sprawled on the ground, laser pistol out of reach, at gunpoint.]

:Guy: Any last words?
:Cueball: "Apollo retroreflectors."
:Guy: What?

:[The guy gets shot in the back by the returning beam of Cueball's wild shot.]

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