explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

980: Money

2014-08-16T00:16:31Z

MrGameZone: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 980
| date = November 21, 2011
| title = Money
| image = money.png
| titletext = There, I showed you it.
}}
As usual, click the date above the comic to go to the XKCD page, and by clicking on the image on XKCD there is a link to an [http://xkcd.com/980/huge/ interactive] and '''much''' larger image. From there the [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png full image] can be found via a link (it is a PNG of considerable size: 12528x8352 pixels).

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Incomplete. The transcript also has to be fixed.}}
This is another [[:Category:Charts|chart]] comic - a type of comic that [[Randall]] does from time to time. He has for instance done [[Online Communities|maps of the Internet]] ([[Online Communities 2|twice]]!) and other huge visualizations like this chart for [http://xkcd.com/radiation/ radiation] with a similar structure as this chart where money is the subject.

In the chart there are five boxes with items on different scales of monetary value. Each scale of dollar increments are different colors. One dollar increments are green - naturally, because American paper money is green. Thousands are Orange/Red. Millions are gray. Billions are yellow. Trillions are blue. This comic uses {{w|Long and short scales|the short scale}} for naming large numbers (so a billion = 1000 millions = 10^9 rather than a million millions = 10^12 as in continental Europe).

In the Billions box there is a vague term called the "Economic Vortex" as well as arrows that flow between different blocks of this box. This is to show where the money goes. Where it is collected from, and where it is distributed to.

The title text is a reference to the phrase "Show me the money!" which originates from the film ''{{w|Jerry Maguire}}''.

;Dollars
*Middle-left: Pet Ownership. The {{w|ASPCA}} is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
*Bottom-right: Four boxes indicate that the CEO pay has skyrocketed from $490.31 (hourly) to $5,419.97 (hourly) in the same time period in which the average worker's salary has skyrocketed 10 cents.

;Thousands
*Top-right: Hogwarts degree: a reference to {{w|Hogwarts|Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy}} from the popular book series by {{w|J.K. Rowling}} about {{w|Harry Potter}}. One box is the estimated yearly tuition for the school and the next is how much seven years at the school would cost. To get a degree at the school, it takes 7 years (starting at age 11, ending at age 18).
*Bottom: A reference to the song by {{w|Bare Naked Ladies}} entitled "{{w|If I Had $1000000}}" and all the things referenced in the song to buy the love of another person.
*Bottom: A few items on the marriage of {{w|Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton|Kate Middleton and Prince William}}, the major royal wedding of 2011, including:
**a {{w|Wedding dress of Kate Middleton|wedding dress with its own Wikipedia page}} of 3 times the annual per capita income of the average UK person,
**an 8-tier [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381944/Royal-Wedding-cake-Kate-Middleton-requested-8-tiers-decorated-900-flowers.html wedding cake],
**and the flowers for the wedding. These re-appear in the Millions section of the graph, where they also list the costs for the security around the event ($20 million).

;Millions
*Middle-right: another reference to JK Rowling, in this case it is {{w|MC Front-A-Lot}} (The creator of the subgenre of {{w|hip-hop}} known as "{{w|Nerd Core}}") who estimated her net worth at $1 billion. But, that raises the question, why do the boxes only add up to $82,000?

;Billions
*Top-Left: Billionaires section: Fictional Billionaires sub-section:
**{{w|Carlisle Cullen}} is from the {{w|Twilight (series)|Twilight Series}} of books and movies. He is a vampire and adoptive father of {{w|Edward Cullen|Edward}}, {{w|Emmett Cullen|Emmett}} and {{w|Alice Cullen (Twilight)|Alice Cullen}}, as well as {{w|Rosalie Hale|Rosalie}} and {{w|Jasper Hale}}. He was born in the 1640s and amassed his wealth through many years of compound interest and investments.
**{{w|Scrooge McDuck}} is a cartoon character from many {{w|Disney}} properties including the afternoon cartoon, {{w|Duck Tales}}. Scrooge McDuck has a "money bin" full of coins and other sorts of collectibles that he routinely [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMU2NwaaXEA goes swimming in].
**{{w|Bruce Wayne}} is {{w|Batman}}. {{w|Batman}} is {{w|Bruce Wayne}}. He is portrayed in many comic books, graphic novels, TV shows and movies by many different actors.
**{{w|Artemis Fowl II|Artemis Fowl}} is an Irish child prodigy and a ruthless master criminal from the {{w|Artemis Fowl (series)|eponymous book series}}. He uses his intelligence to build his family fortune through crime.

;Trillions
As Randall already indicated in the transcript, this is the block for world, continent and nation finances. The numbers are really huge.
There are no jokes in here (apart from the fact that Randall tried to make the shapes of the GDP look like the continent), likely because financial values this large aren't funny to start with.
*GDP is {{w|Gross domestic product}}, the market value of all goods and services produced in a nation.
**The major chart in the center shows the development of the GDP in the world since the 1940s. So far the US GDP has always grown, except for a small reduction in the early 1980s, a flat line around the 1991 global recession and a flat line in the second half of the naughts. The world-wide GDP is growing more rapidly, but is also much more volatile.
*In the middle of the box, it shows the worth of all gold ever mined in 2011 prices. This is important because of the concept of the {{w|Gold standard}}, a concept where monetary values are linked to the value of gold. As indicated in the top-right of the box, both the EU and the USA have more debt than the total value of all gold in the world.
*{{w|Derivatives}} are a complex financial instrument where one is not trading in something tangible, but in derived values - like options. Derivatives thus are dangerous as one trades in concepts instead of values. Critics claim that derivatives are at the base of the 'economic bubble'.
**The growth of the derivatives market size is incredible - more than doubling every four years. The derivatives market thus is much larger than the GDP of the entire world.
*We get a reference to [http://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/127 a proposed project to power the world] by erecting massive solar farms out in the deserts. The area of Texas alone would be enough to match almost all of our modern power costs (though the people who live in Texas wouldn't enjoy being displaced).

==Transcript==
:[This transcript is only reproducing text visible on the [http://www.xkcd.com/980/ front page comic].]
:[Title panel at the top left has one large heading, and then it is possible to read the first and third out of five lines (but not for instance the second line which is just the word "almost"):]
:'''Money''' 
:A chart of 
:all of it 
:[Below this there are 5 large panels, each with a series of plots, comparing the values of various things. The only clearly visible text is the title of each panel written in white on black background at the top of each panel] 
:[The first section covers single coffees up to the hourly salaries of CEOs. It is located below the title panel and there are a lot of green groups marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Dollars'''
:[The next section discusses values from around $1000 to $1,000,000, including a dissection of the song If I had $1000000. It is located directly below the Dollars section and has mainly orange groups (but also some gren) marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Thousands'''
:[The third section focuses on $1,000,000 to $1,000,000,000, with a large section on campaign contributions of American political presidential campaigns, values of expensive works of art, and J. K. Rowling. It is located to the right of the Thousands section below the Billions section and there are a lot of gray groups (but also some orange) marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Millions'''
:[The fourth section gets into larger scale finances, profits of various sectors, costs of natural disasters, and net worths of the richest people on the planet. Also, Donald Trump. It is located to the right of the Dollars section and above both the Millions and Trillions section and has mainly yellow groups (but also some gray and red) all marked by unreadable text. There are, however, a few large headings that can be read:]
:'''Billions'''
:Education
:The Economic (...?)
:US household income
:Federal budget
:[In the last panel global financial status is described. It discusses derivatives, liquid assets, public debt by nation and GDP by continent, culminating with the total economic production of the human race to date. It is located below the Billions section to the right of the Millions section and has mainly cyan groups (but also one yellow) all marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Trillions'''
:['''For the full transcript of the [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png huge image] see [[980: Money/Transcript]].''']

==Trivia==
*XKCD comics are usually posted at, or around, midnight Eastern time the day of the comic (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). This one was posted at about noon on Monday
*Most of the amounts has a [http://xkcd.com/980/sources/ source at XKCDS]. In the dollars section there is an [[980: Money/Transcript#Important notes|important note]] that at every possible opportunity Randall used a scholarly work or government publication as a source.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T10:50:52Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */ Great job misunderstanding the discussion section entirely.

{{comic
| number = 1408
| date = August 15, 2014
| title = March of the Penguins
| image = march_of_the_penguins.png
| titletext = You ARE getting older, though.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic explanation. Could use some fleshing out.}}

Many of the xkcd comics outline ways to make people feel older by referencing various pieces of popular culture that are outdated or feel like they happened a long time ago (for instance, [[1393: Timeghost]]). This seems to be what Black Hat is doing as he walks in on Megan to announce that all the penguins from {{w|March of the Penguins}} (a 2005 documentary about emperor penguins) are dead. Megan is familiar with these sorts of antics, and so, frustrated, she simply acknowledges Black Hat's statement by agreeing that everyone is aging. Black Hat, however, reveals that he is not trying to make her feel old, he is announcing that he has killed the penguins, and is "trying to apologize". This obviously gives the situation a much darker tone, especially since Black Hat is likely not truly apologizing, as he is very unapologetic in his [[72: Classhole|"classhole"]] tendencies.

{{w|Emperor penguins}} actually live about 20 years on average, so barring any intervention by Black Hat, most of the younger penguins and much of the older penguins in the movie are still alive as of this comic.

The title text emphasizes that we still have all the reasons to feel depressed since, apart from the penguins' fate, we do get older.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Black Hat walks in, Megan is at a desk]
:Black Hat: All the birds from ''March of the Penguins'' are now dead.

:Megan: OK, I ''get'' it. We're all aging.

:Black Hat: What? No. I'm not trying to make you feel old. They were alive last night. I'm trying to apologize.

:Megan: Oh God

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T04:55:34Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */ ew

{{comic
| number = 1408
| date = August 15, 2014
| title = March of the Penguins
| image = march_of_the_penguins.png
| titletext = You ARE getting older, though.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic explanation. Could use some fleshing out.}}

Many of the xkcd comics outline ways to make people feel older by referencing various pieces of popular culture that are outdated or feel like they happened a long time ago (for instance, [[1393: Timeghost]]). This seems to be what Black Hat is doing as he walks in on Megan to announce that all the penguins from {{w|March of the Penguins}} (a 2005 documentary about emperor penguins) are dead. Megan is familiar with these sorts of antics, and so, frustrated, she simply acknowledges Black Hat's statement by agreeing that everyone is aging. Black Hat, however, reveals that he is not trying to make her feel old, he is announcing that he has killed the penguins, and is "trying to apologize". This obviously gives the situation a much darker tone, especially since Black Hat is likely not truly apologizing, as he is very unapologetic in his "classhole" tendencies.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Black Hat walks in, Megan is at a desk]
:Black Hat: All the birds from ''March of the Penguins'' are now dead.

:Megan: OK, I ''get'' it. We're all aging.

:Black Hat: What? No. I'm not trying to make you feel old. They were alive last night. I'm trying to apologize.

:Megan: Oh God

{{comic discussion}}

1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2014-08-15T02:22:38Z

MrGameZone:

{{comic
| number = 1018
| date = February 17, 2012
| title = Good Cop, Dadaist Cop
| image = good_cop_dadaist_cop.png
| titletext = NOW INVENT AN IMPOSSIBLE-TO-TRANSLATE LANGUAGE AND USE IT TO TELL US WHERE THE MONEY IS.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Language and still a bad explain.}}
The title of this comic is is a play on the police interrogation strategy "{{w|Good cop/bad cop}}". Typically you have a "bad cop" who is rude and verbally abusive to the suspect, and a "good cop" who acts calm and polite; the idea is that the suspect, scared of the bad cop, will trust the good cop and co-operate once the bad cop leaves.

{{w|Dadaism|Dadaism}} is an artistic movement that embraces the free flow of unreasoned thought. It has very little place in criminal interrogation.

The comic starts with the "good cop", [[Cueball]], and the "dadaist cop", [[Ponytail]], working out their plan to interrogate the suspect, [[Hairy]]. After Cuball makes a few statements, intended to build trust with Hairy, and leaves to get coffee, [[Ponytail]] enters the interrogation and starts asking Hairy absurd questions. Hairy very quickly agitated, questioning what is wrong with Ponytail.

Luckily for the investigation, our "dadaist cop" is making a rather effective "bad cop".

The title text builds on the joke as by asking a suspect to give the whereabouts of the money in a form that could be considered dadaist art. Since dadaist art is without reason, there would be no way of decoding where the money is from the confession.

===Irrationality===
*See this? It's Mark Zuckerberg's Mortgage. So why is it written in CHURCH LATIN?
**{{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} (the co-founder of {{w|Facebook}}) was renting in 2011[//allfacebook.com/mark-zuckerberg-moves-into-another-rental-house_b29174] and therefore did not have a {{w|mortgage}}.
**No mortgage would be written in a {{w|sacred language}} like {{w|Church Latin}}.
*“WHY ARE MY BONES SO SMALL?”, “What's wrong with ART?”
**These are {{w|Non_sequitur_(logic)|non sequiturs}} and therefore have no place in an investigation.
*The title text: NOW INVENT AN IMPOSSIBLE-TO-TRANSLATE LANGUAGE AND USE IT TO TELL US WHERE THE MONEY IS.
**The location of the money cannot be conveyed to Ponytail if the information were expressed in a newly-invented language that cannot be translated, and there would be useless to an investigation.

==Transcript==
:[Two cops look through a window into an interrogation chamber holding a handcuffed suspect.]
:Good Cop: All right, let's try good cop, dadaist cop

:[Good Cop is seated in front of the suspect.]
:Good Cop: Look, you're a good guy. We can work this out. Hey, lemme get us some coffee.

:[CHANGE PLACES.]

:[Dadaist Cop holds up a document of indeterminate contents and threatens the suspect with it.]
:Dadaist Cop: See this? It's Mark Zuckerberg's Mortgage. So why is it written in '''''CHURCH LATIN'''''?

:[Dadaist cop physically rattles the suspect.]
:Dadaist Cop: '''''WHY ARE MY BONES SO SMALL'''''?
:Suspect: What's ''WRONG'' with you!?
:Dadaist Cop: What's wrong with '''''ART'''''?
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey

2014-08-13T22:10:41Z

MrGameZone: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 24
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]
| image = godel_escher_kurthalsey.jpg
| titletext = I love the idea here, though of course it's not a great-quality drawing or scan.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|the bubbles, expanding text, shreds & ending are not yet explained.}}
Before starting xkcd, [[Randall]] worked on robotics at {{w|NASA}}'s Langley Center. This drawing was apparently made during that period, while attending a talk that he didn't like.

The name of the comic is a portmanteau-like play on the following:
* {{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}} is a book by {{w|Douglas Hofstadter}}. He is an American author who has written several books about philosophy, mathematics, and science. This particular book is his most famous one, about "strange loops", self-reference, and recurring patterns, partially shown through the works of the three people in its title:
** {{w|Kurt Gödel}} was a 20th-century mathematician most famous for proving that in our commonly used axiomatic systems, there are true propositions that cannot be proved from the axioms. His proof used a self-referential paradox.
** {{w|M. C. Escher}} was a 20th-century artist most famous for mathematically-inspired engravings of tessellated animals, impossible scenes, distorted images that contained themselves, and so on.
** {{w|Johann Sebastian Bach}} was a German composer and musician from the Baroque Period, famous for numerous works such as the Brandenburg Concerto.

* [http://www.kurthalsey.com Kurt Halsey] is a comic artist from Oregon. His work often contains introspective philosophical musings.

The comic is drawn in the form of a {{w|storyboard}} and is clearly intended to be visualized as an animated sequence.

In the first part of the comic, two people discuss the difficulty of comparing past and present generations, since the person making the comparison invariably belongs to one of the two groups.

It's unclear whether the hatted guy is [[Black Hat]], because Randall hadn't standardized his character designs yet. The sarcastic comment suggests that it is.

The assembly of text panels found in the middle of the strip is similar to his [[124: Blogofractal]].

==Interpretations==
''While I feel this article can't be improved with rational arguments, I believe a standalone section with different hypothesis is a great way to tackle the problem. If the goal here is not to go into subjective interpretations of the comic, then I think its better tagged as closed, because you obviously can't go any further by ignoring the symbols. (You may want to edit meta-comments out, but I wanted to make my point first). Please add to or adapt my interpretation to whatever suits you or the community here. It would be very nice if we could have a subjective section for people to explain what they interpreted out of the strips.''

* The bubbles may illustrate ideas, memories or subjects that one could wonder about. In the context of the boring talk, this would mean that Randall is lost in thoughts and gradually looses focus of things going on around him. He sees the talk as mundane, as a part of so many other "subject bubbles".
** Even the comic vertical lines (and therefor the strip's structure) seems to loose their sense to Randall as they collapses and become part of the scene, eventually merging three panels into one. They later reappear for the last six panels.
* The big bubble pushing the small ones further outside may demonstrate how shallow the surface bubbles are to him or represent an infinite (or very large) amount of small bubbles.
* The quote stating "There's too much. And so little feels important." tell us that he feels overwhelmed by the world; maybe by information given in the NASA talk or by events in his life. He recognizes what is important to him, and feels it is small compared to the size of the worries of the world (or the big bubble). He may have experienced a sort of existential crisis before turning to his feeling of love in the last panels, when asking himself "What do you do?".

==Transcript==
:Drawn during an unending NASA lecture.
:[Two people are talking, one in a hat.]
:Cueball: it's just so hard to compare kids now with kids in the past. you can't help but to belong to one group or the other.

:Cueball: and of course every generation seems awful to the one before it. look at quotes from throughout history.

:Hatted: yeah, and it sure would be nice to have some historical perspective on some of this stuff. I just don't know what to make of it.
:[Circles are appearing--maybe snow?]

:Cueball: i guess you do what you can to help the people around you and hope it turns out okay.

:Cueball: in the end, what else can you do?

:Hatted: lead a crusade?

:[We can no longer see the people, just the circles.]
:it's presentism, man. the idea that historical context is irrelevant, that we understand it

:all that we need take no warnings from the follies of the past. that we're facing something new.

:socrates couldn't imagine the internet. but people don't change.
:[We can start to see the corner of a darker circle in the lower right.]

:(The borders between the three panels on this line are cracking.)
:have you seen those collections of historical pornography? talk about historical context.

:did you know the first porn photo was bestial in.
:[inside a circle:] nature?

:at least that stuff was out of the mainstream
:[each word in one circle:]
:no
:just
:in
:history

:(the three panels have merged into one on each row.)

:i don't know about you, but
:[circled] I
:[uncircled] never

:even once seen

:[The circles are highly variable in size now, and pressed up against a larger one on the right side.]

:[There is mass of circles of different sizes, with some dark fissures in between, against the side of a large circle which we can see part of in the right half of the panel. They look like cells. There's a tiny square in the center of the giant cell.]

:[We see only the tiny square, centered. It has a few marks inside it.]

:[Closer, the square is divided into rectangles of different sizes, each of which has text in it.]

:[Much closer, we can see fragments of the text. Some are sideways, some are cut off, some are too small to read.]
:machine language translated by principles of isomorphism it is a consequence of the Church-Turing thesis that ...
:but how do you select the channel you wish to se-
:thou ... shou ... palin ... stri ... it is a ... crab ...

:[Closer still, we can just see a huge sideways s and h.]

:[Those letters are faded and mixed with a faded version of the next panel.]

:girls take boys away ...
:never be further than a phone call and a goosebumped shiver away ...
:drove all night listening to mix tapes ...
:the past is just practice
:[There is a heart at the bottom and, in the lower left, the name Kurt.]

:[The same as the previous panel, but with the words blurred out to scribbles.]

:[Jagged, shaded shapes and strands start to fall. Faint panel borders appear again. There is a person on the far right.]

:(Back to three panels per row.)
:[Cueball and Megan are standing amid the fragments.]

:Man: There's too much. And so little feels important.

:[The jagged edge of the shaded area is encroaching on the sides of the panel.]

:What do you do?

:[We see them from farther away through a rough hole in the shaded area. Bits continue to fall around them.]

:[They are holding hands.]

==Trivia==
*This is the sixth comic originally posted on livejournal. The previous was [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]. The next was [[13: Canyon]]. View archive [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 here].
*[Original title]: "Strip series"
*[Original [[Randall]] quote]: "One of a series of strips I drew during a long and boring NASA lecture. It careens wildly from intellectual to chaotic to Godel, Escher, Bach to Kurt Halsey to chaotic and sappy." This might suggest that the image on LiveJournal was only part of this strip. Unfortunately, the image link on LiveJournal is broken.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

453: Upcoming Hurricanes

2014-08-13T06:34:11Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 453
| date = July 23, 2008
| title = Upcoming Hurricanes
| image = upcoming_hurricanes.png
| titletext = I'd like to see more damage assessments for hurricanes hitting New York and flooding Manhattan -- something like the 1938 Long Island Express, but aimed a bit more to the west. It's just a matter of time.
}}

==Explanation==
It must have been {{w|Atlantic hurricane season|hurricane season}} in the United States!

This comic gives some ideas on upcoming {{w|Tropical cyclone|hurricane}} paths on an unlabelled map that shows the region roughly between central {{w|Canada}} and northern {{w|Brazil}}. Red dotted lines indicates possible hurricane paths.

''Hurricane Where-The-Hell-Is-Bermuda'' enters from the east side of the map, wanders around the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} in a scribble that seems to take the shape of an {{w|Ampersand}}. Then it goes north for a while, and then peters out without entering the {{w|Bermuda Triangle}}. The Bermuda Triangle is a location in the Atlantic Ocean loosely framed by the three corners {{w|Bermuda}}, {{w|Miami}} and {{w|Puerto Rico}}. The myth is that (too) many ships and planes get lost once they enter inside the area of this triangle and disappear without a trace. In this case the hurricane gets lost before entering and can't even find the triangle.

''Hurricane Illinois-Has-It-Too-Easy'' comes from somewhere to the north-west, goes through {{w|Illinois}}, and then back to the north-west. This hurricane, while actually impossible, comes from Canada to strike {{w|Chicago}}, Illinois, before heading back to Canada. As hurricanes never hits Illinois this particular hurricane "think" they have too easy a time in this particular state. Interestingly enough, (though it did not affect the Chicago area or correspond with the path displayed in the comic), roughly one year later a {{w|Derecho|Super derecho}}, a storm resembling a hurricane or tropical storm in movement and form, struck central and South Illinois, in addition to much of {{w|Missouri}} and {{w|Kansas}}: {{w|May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho}}.

"Hurricane Freud" refers to {{w|Sigmund Freud}}, who believed that accidental sexual expression was a reflection of the unconscious mind's sexual desires. The hurricane's path forms a pair of testicles beside Florida. Florida, due to its shape and location, can be said to resemble a penis, and the hurricane's shape and position exemplify Freud's ideas.

''Hurricane Screw-It-Let's-Just-Trash-Florida-Again'' comes from the east, starts to curve to the north, and then turns sharply to head straight for Florida and zigzag through it four times before dying out. Sticking out from the rest of the US, Florida is in a nice spot to get hurricanes from the East, South, and West. And with the state not being very high or wide, it is common for a hurricane to run over Florida, lose some strength, then rebuild strength over the hot waters in the Gulf of Mexico, only to do a U-turn and strike again. This is not exactly what happens with this particular hurricane, where it turns out into the Atlantic Ocean again each time. Just proving that it only wish to strike Florida!

''Hurricane Red'' and ''Hurricane Blue'', (which are the only hurricane path drawn in blue), are playing a game zipping in straight lines and right angles around {{w|Haiti}}, {{w|Jamaica}}, and {{w|Cuba}}. When ''Red'' successfully cuts off ''Blue'', the latter instantly dies, and then ''Red'' dies shortly thereafter. The game they play is the game of {{w|Tron_(video_game)#Light_Cycles|Light Cycles}} from the {{w|Tron_(video_game)|video game}} based on the movie {{w|Tron}}. ''Hurricane Blue'' lost because it crashed into the wall of light left by ''Hurricane Red's'' {{w|Light_Cycle#Light_cycles|light cycle}}.

''Hurricane Cos(x)'' forms a curve in the shape of a {{w|sinusoid}} above the bottom edge of the map. Its path resembles a {{w|sine}} wave. This kind of {{w|trigonometric functions}} can, however, both be expressed as sin(x) or cos(x), the latter being a {{w|cosine wave}}. They look exactly the same when there is no clearly defined coordinate system as in this case - see [[#Trivia|trivia]] below.

The title text refers to the {{w|1938 New England hurricane}} (also known as the Long Island Express), that caused $4.7 billion in damage. Had it been further west it could have caused more damage as the right side of a hurricane is stronger and more destructive than the left side as the winds on the right side push water inland. [[Randall]] asks for more damage assessments for such a hurricane that would be able to flood {{w|Manhattan}} in {{w|New York}}. Almost prophetically for this comic, {{w|Hurricane Sandy}} did strike the {{w|New York metropolitan area|New York–New Jersey area}} only four years after this cartoon was published, causing an estimated $74 billion in damage.

The 1938 hurricane is also [[980:_Money/Transcript#Disasters|referenced]] in [[980: Money]] where it is calculated that it would have caused $78 billion had it happened in 2011. However, if that hurricane had taken the same turn as Sandy did, the cost today could have been a staggering $237 billion.

==Transcript==
:[An unlabelled map shows the region roughly between central Canada and northern Brazil. Dotted lines indicating hurricane paths cover the map, all red except Hurricane Blue which is blue. Each line is labelled - here follows the labels as they appear from the top and down:]
:Hurricane Where-the-Hell-Is-Bermuda
:Hurricane Illinois-Has-It-Too-Easy
:Hurricane Freud
:Hurricane Screw-It-Let's-Just-Trash-Florida-Again
:Hurricane Red
:Hurricane Blue
:Hurricane cos(x)

==Trivia==
*Regarding Hurricane cos(x):
**If {{w|Equator}} is the x-axis and the y-axis goes through the {{w|Prime meridian}} of {{w|Prime meridian (Greenwich)|Greenwich}} it would be possible to say if this was a true cosine function hurricane.
**A cosine would be 1 (the maximum value) at x=0 (i.e. the maximum value would occur under {{w|Greenwich}}), whereas a sine would be 0 at x=0.
**If it had been a basic cos(x) without any constants added, then it should have been centered along the equator instead of as it is - ranging from about 5.5° to 9.5° north {{w|latitude}}.
**But if the formula was of the form a*cos(b*x)+c with a, b and c given constant, the wave could move to the center of this range with c=7.5°. With the constant a=2° the wave would move between the max and minimum of the range, and then b could be chosen to make the wave length fit with the path shown in the map.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Hurricanes]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Penis]]

806: Tech Support

2014-08-10T17:59:25Z

MrGameZone: /* Trivia */ Already in the explanation.

{{comic
| number = 806
| date = October 15, 2010
| title = Tech Support
| image = tech support.png
| titletext = I recently had someone ask me to go get a computer and turn it on so I could restart it. He refused to move further in the script until I said I had done that.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] runs into some problems with his network connection and contacts his ISP's tech support for help. The customer service agent is not very helpful, giving clearly pre-scripted advice that has nothing to do with Cueball's problem. Cueball gives up and asks to speak to someone more knowledgeable about the technology. Noticing the {{w|Tux|stuffed penguin}} and the {{w|Richard Stallman|bearded dude with swords}} — signs of a GNU/Linux geek — the agent transfers him over to an engineer, who immediately recognizes the problem and fixes it. Then she tells him of a secret word (shibboleet) which, if he speaks on the phone, will transfer him to a tech-savvy person able to help him. At this point Cueball wakes up and unfortunately, the incident turns out to be a dream.

"Shibboleet" is a portmanteau of "Shibboleth" and "Leet". {{w|Shibboleth}} is a Hebrew word that directly translates to "part of plant that contains grains", and loosely translates to "seed pod". The word has a different pronunciation depending on where in Israel you were born, in the Gilead mountains or near the Ephraim tribe; as a result, Gileadites would use the word to distinguish themselves from Ephraimites. {{w|Leet}} refers to "leet-speak", a practice of character substitution and abbreviation common across the Internet (or "teh 1n73rn3t", as you would say in leet).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is on the phone, and holding up some networking hardware.]
:Cueball: ...restart my computer? I know you have a script to follow, but the uplink light on the modem is going off every few hours. The problem is between your office and the modem.

:Cueball: My computer has nothing to do with... okay, whatever, I "restarted my computer."
:Cueball: It's still down, and even if it comes back, it's going to die again in a few hours, because your—

:Cueball: I don't ''have'' a start menu. This is a Haiku install, but that's not import—
:Cueball: Haiku? It's an experimental OS that I ... oh, never mind.

:Cueball: I'm sorry, but this won't get fixed until I talk to an engineer. Can you look around for someone wearing cargo pants, maybe a subway map on their wall?

:[The tech support person on the other end is wearing a headset, and looks around.]
:Tech: There's a chick two phones over with a stuffed penguin doll and a poster of some bearded dudes with swords.
:Cueball: Perfect. Can you put her on?
:Tech: Sure.

:[Cueball is now talking to the engineer.]
:Cueball: Hey, so sorry to bother you, but my connection—
:Engineer: Yeah, I see it. Lingering problems from a server move.
:<type type>
:Engineer: Should be fixed now.
:Cueball: Thank you ''so much.''

:Engineer: No problem. Hey, in the future, if you're on any tech support call, you can say the code word "shibboleet" at any point and you'll be automatically transferred to someone who knows a minimum of two programming languages.

:Cueball: Seriously?
:Engineer: Yup. It's a backdoor put in by the geeks who built these phone support systems back in the 1990's.
:Engineer: Don't tell anyone.

:Cueball: Oh my god, this is the greatest—
:[Cueball wakes up.]
:Cueball: Wha—
:Cueball: ... ''Dammit.''

==Trivia==
*{{w|Leet}} is an internet/hacker/gamer term for elite or skilled. See also "[[:Category:1337|1337]]", which means "leet" using "leetspeak" substitutions of numbers and other ASCII characters for letters.
* A {{w|shibboleth}} is a word that a person unfamiliar with the language will not pronounce correctly, and thus may be used as a test to detect them. The origin of the term is the Biblical account of a battle in chapter 12 of Judges, in which the defeated Ephraimites could be prevented from trying to hide their identity by challenging them to say "shibboleth" (river); the lack of the "sh" sound in the Ephraimite dialect would give them away. Shibboleth is also a SAML-based access management application (see http://www.shibboleth.net)

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

704: Principle of Explosion

2014-08-10T17:41:44Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 704
| date = February 19, 2010
| title = Principle of Explosion
| image = principle_of_explosion.png
| titletext = You want me to pick up waffle cones? Oh, right, for the wine. One sec, let me just derive your son's credit card number and I'll be on my way.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] explains the {{w|principle of explosion}}, a classical law of logic, that says that if you start out with premises ({{w|axiom}}s) that are contradictory, it is possible to derive (prove) any statement in the language you are working in, true or false. (In math for example, if you assume that √2 is a rational number, you can prove things that are obviously false. Consequently you draw the conclusion that √2 is an irrational number. This is how {{w|proof by contradiction}} works.)

His friend misinterprets this to mean that you can derive any fact about the physical world. He starts with a formula of {{w|propositional logic}} that says "P and not-P", where P is a proposition. To say that P is both true and false is a contradiction, it's false regardless of whether P is true or false. To Cueball's bewilderment he then successfully derives his mom's phone number. His mom turns out to be [[Miss Lenhart]] (now a Mrs?), and to his vexation she asks his friend out.

Waffle cones are a variety of {{w|ice cream cone}}. The rest of the title text is just more of the main comic's derivation joke, since Cueball's "friend" is apparently a cheap bastard who can't spare five bucks to buy his own ice cream cones. (Unless he is smart enough to exploit the system of universe.)

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to his friend.]
:Cueball: If you assume contradictory axioms, you can derive anything. It's called the principle of explosion.
:Friend: ''Anything?'' Lemme try.

:[Cueball's friend is writing on a piece of paper on a desk.]

:[Cueball's friend is holding up a piece of paper to Cueball, while holding a phone.]
:Friend: Hey, you're right! I started with '''P∧¬P''' and derived your mom's phone number!
:Cueball: That's not how that works.

:[Cueball is looking at the piece of paper, while his friend is talking to someone on a phone.]
:Friend: Mrs. Lenhart?
:Cueball: Wait, this ''is'' her number! How—
:Friend: Hi, I'm a friend of— Why, yes, I ''am'' free tonight!
:Cueball: ''Mom!''
:Friend: No, box wine sounds lovely!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

1405: Meteor

2014-08-09T21:56:06Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1405
| date = August 8, 2014
| title = Meteor
| image = meteor.png
| titletext = No, only LAVA is called 'magma' while underground. Any other object underground is called 'lava'.
}}

==Explanation==
This is one of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] comics. The author makes semantically incorrect statements to [[356: Nerd Sniping|frustrate nerds]] who know the correct word, and confuse people who don't know the precise word so they can go on to frustrate more nerds.

[[Cueball]] tells his friend that he found a piece of a {{w|meteor}}. His friend corrects Cueball, telling him that what he found is called {{w|magma}}, and that the phrase "a piece of a meteor" would be correct if the object was in the air, once it hits the ground it is called magma. In doing so he attempts to confuse or annoy Cueball. In truth, {{w|meteorite}} is the expression for a piece of a {{w|meteoroid}} that has landed, only while descending through the atmosphere is it called a {{w|meteor}}. Thus the first statement by him is a true correction of Cueball, but the second one is wrong.

The word "{{w|pedant|pedantic}}" means being overly concerned with being precise. It is usually a pejorative term used to refer to someone who is overly fussy and corrects someone's word choice even when the more ambiguous or slightly incorrect term they used was fine for informal communication. You would tend to believe a pedant, as they would usually know what they are pedantic about. So when he is making wrong statements that seems pedantic he may make people believe him.

The title text expands on the joke, as if the conversation had continued with a confused Cueball responding that he thought magma was underground. Randall attempts to confuse him further by talking about {{w|lava}} which indeed is the expression for magma that has reached the surface. But it's ridiculous to suggest that all other things are called lava when underground. In the sentence he also continues to imply that magma could also be found above ground.

The two sentences thus follows the same pattern with one true but pedantic part to begin with, and then a false statement to confuse the victim.

===Meteor & Magma===
Here is a list of the terminology that is being muddled:
* The descent of a small solid body from space:
** A {{w|meteoroid}} is a small solid body travelling through space outside the atmosphere.
** A {{w|meteor}} is a streak of light produced by a meteoroid as it burns up in the atmosphere.
** A {{w|meteorite}} is a piece of a meteoroid remaining after it strikes the ground.
* Molten rock:
** {{w|Magma}} flows underground.
** {{w|Lava}} has been extruded to a planet's surface, as through volcanic eruption.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks toward his friend holding a rock.]
:Cueball: Check it out - I got a piece of a meteor!
:Friend: ''Actually'', it's only called that while falling. Once it lands, it's called ''magma''.

:My Hobby: Mixing pedantic terms

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

617: Understocked

2014-08-08T11:38:25Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number =617
| date =July 31, 2009
| title =Understocked
| image =understocked.png
| titletext =My biology grad student friends tell me that different types of alcohol don't actually have different effects. I trust their expertise, not because of the 'biology' part, but because of the 'grad student'.
}}

==Explanation==
On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates {{w|Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy|was arrested}} at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts by police officer Sgt. James Crowley, after the police department received a call that Gates and another man were breaking and entering into the residence. Returning home from a visit to China, Gates had found his front door jammed, and tried to force it open with the help of his driver.

Arriving at the scene and finding the front door forced open, Crowley (a Caucasian) asked the African-American Gates to show his ID or other proof that he lived there. Gates, feeling persecuted, responded by shouting and refused to show any proof. Crowley arrested Gates after the confrontation, charging him with disorderly conduct. The charges were dropped on July 21, but the incident sparked a national debate about ''racial profiling.''

On July 22, U.S. President Barack Obama criticized the arrest, saying that the Cambridge police "acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof he was in his own home." He also commented on the racial undertones of the incident, saying that "there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact."

The president's remarks were furiously criticized by the law-enforcement community, and President Obama apologized two days later, saying that he could have chosen his words better, and it wasn't his intention to malign the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley. He also invited Gates and Crowley to discuss the situation over beers to air out their differences and come to an understanding about the situation.

This comic explores a hypothetical situation in which President Obama found he was all out of beer, and chooses to share tequila with Gates and Crowley instead. In pop culture, tequila is frequently represented as the "let's-get-trashed" alcohol of choice, and so in the comic, President Obama, Professor Gates and Sgt. Crowley all get trashed on tequila, take a White House limo on a joyride, and end up behind bars.

The title text goes back on the suggestion that drinking tequila rather than beer would cause this kind of behavior. It also jokingly implies that biology grad students are authorities on the effects of alcohol because they drink a lot, not because they understand how the human body works.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded man with glasses and a police man are swearing at each other on a stoop.]

:[The bearded man is sitting behind bars.]

:[The President is standing at a podium with a fancy logo on the front.]
:President: To defuse this misunderstanding, I've invited both men to have a beer with me at the White House.

:[The policeman, the bearded man, and the president are in a room with a couch and an oval carpet.]

:[The president is looking in a cabinet.]
:President: Actually, it seems we're out of beer.
:Voice: Is there anything else?

:[The president sees a bottle of Tequila.]

:[The Presidential Limo is being driven at high speed. The bearded man and the policeman are standing out of the sunroof. The policeman is waving his hat and holding the bottle of tequila.]
:All: ''WOOOOOOOOOOOO''

:[The policeman, the bearded man, and the president are sitting behind bars.]

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

496: Secretary: Part 3

2014-08-07T09:25:27Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 496
| date = October 29, 2008
| title = Secretary: Part 3
| image = secretary part 3.png
| titletext = He actually installed each piece in a different car in the lot, then built a new car in the spot from the displaced pieces. It's a confusing maneuver known as the auto-troll shuffle.
}}

==Explanation==
When a person has been appointed to a position by the {{w|POTUS|President}}, they must first go through a confirmation hearing in front of the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, the upper house of {{w|United States Congress|Congress}} where they find if the person is qualified to be in the position they have been appointed to. Of course, [[Black Hat]] is not the cleanest of characters, so Congress has a lot of reservations about his {{w|résumé}}.

*{{w|Starbucks}} is an American coffee shop chain.
**He hasn't yet, but in [[562: Parking]], Black Hat will cut someone's car in half to make it fit in a single space. Not quite as dramatic as completely disassembling a car and, as the title text says, putting a single piece in another car parked in the lot, and building a car out of the displaced parts, which could almost be considered subtle; but, it is quite dramatic.
*{{w|Charles M. Schulz}} drew a comic called {{w|Peanuts}}. One of the recurring characters was {{w|Snoopy}} who would often use his doghouse as an imaginary {{w|Sopwith Camel}} in many battles with {{w|Manfred von Richthofen|The Red Baron}} who piloted a {{w|Fokker Dr.I|Red Fokker}} {{w|Triplane}}.
**The {{w|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade}} is a parade that happens on {{w|Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day}} in the US. There are many giant balloons of pop-culture icons. Snoopy has made many appearances.
*{{w|9/11 Truth movement|9/11 Truthers}} believe that the terrorist attack on the {{w|World Trade Center}} towers on September 11, 2001 (thus 9/11) was a conspiracy theory purported by the US Government as a cover up. In the comic, Black Hat appears to be mixing 9/11 truthers with {{w|Moon landing conspiracy theories|Moon landing conspiracy theorists}} who believe that {{w|NASA}} never put a {{w|Apollo program|man on the moon}}.
**Black Hat uses a common refrain [[:Category:Sheeple|Wake up, Sheeple]].
*{{w|RadioShack}} is a chain of consumer electronics shops that sold parts to build electronics with: resistors, transistors, etc. Apparently Black Hat managed to build a death ray from the parts there and accidentally vaporized a customer. His line "Figures that'd be the one day that there'd be a customer in the aisle" refers to the fact that RadioShack stores have been in steady decline over the years, largely propped up by momentum.
*{{w|Microsoft}} is the company that makes {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}}, and {{w|Steve Ballmer}} is its {{w|Chief executive officer|CEO}}. {{w|Windows Vista}} is an {{w|operating system}} released in 2007; it was widely panned by software critics.
*{{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} is the second female justice on the {{w|Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court}}, appointed by President Clinton. The relevance here is that during her own confirmation hearings, she refused to answer many questions about her personal views, frustrating many Senators (nevertheless, she was confirmed, 96-3). {{w|John Roberts}}, the current Chief Justice, was similarly evasive in his hearings, citing the "Ginsburg Precedent."
*Black Hat stole a nuclear submarine in xkcd [[405: Journal 3]] to get his hat back from [[Danish]].
*"Pleading the fifth" is to invoke the {{w|Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment}} of the {{w|United States Bill of Rights}}. Specifically, when someone pleads the fifth, they mean that they cannot be compelled to give testimony against themselves. That is, they do not have to say anything that could be taken as an admission of guilt. The {{w|Third Amendment to the United States Constitution|third amendment}} states that no homeowner has to keep troops of the United States Army in their house against their will in peacetime. Either Black Hat Guy doesn't understand the 3rd Amendment, or (more likely) he believes the nuclear submarine to be his property, and rather than stealing it he was simply expelling U.S. military personnel who were "quartered" in his nuclear sub without his permission. Or he may have rented the submarine in response to a posting in comic [[886: Craigslist Apartments]] of an home that "is a submarine", which warned that "Previous tenants [the military personnel] may resist entry."

The final panels show Ron Paul's blimp finally approaching Washington DC. The balloon spotted on their radar is presumably piloted by blogger {{w|Cory Doctorow}}.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
*[[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
*[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
*496: Secretary: Part 3 (this one)
*[[497: Secretary: Part 4]]
*[[498: Secretary: Part 5]]

This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.

==Transcript==
:[The confirmation hearings begin.]
:Senator: It appears you have quite an arrest record.

:Senator: Is it true you completely disassembled someone's car outside a Starbucks?
:Black Hat: It was parked across two spaces.

:Senator: You stole a red Fokker triplane and strafed the snoopy float at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade?

:Black Hat: Got three mimes, too.

:Senator: You disrupted a 9/11 truth meeting, insisting the Twin Towers never actually collapsed?
:Black Hat: I have evidence! Don't trust the media! Wake up, sheeple!

:Senator: You were fired from Radio Shack after you built a death ray and vaporized a customer?

:Black Hat: I was just testing it! Figures that'd be the one day there was a shopper in the aisle.

:Senator: And you were thrown out of Microsoft headquarters for... trying to feed a squirrel through a fax machine?

:Black Hat: I forgot about that! it was part of an argument with Steve Ballmer about Vista.
::Which I won, by the way.

:[Senators look down at their notes.]

:Senator: This is the worst history of vandalism, gleeful mayhem, and general recalcitrance we've seen in a nominee since Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

:Senator: And this-you stole a nuclear submarine?
:Black Hat: I plead the third.

:Senator: You mean the fifth?
:Black Hat: No, the third.

:Senator: You refuse to quarter troops in your house?
:Black Hat: I have few principles, but I stick to them.

:Meanwhile...
:[Aboard Ron Paul's blimp.]
:Ponytail: We're nearing Washington, sir.
::Wait... There's something ahead on the sensors.

:Ponytail: It's a balloon.
:Ron Paul: ...Oh, no.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]
[[Category:Secretary|03]]

405: Journal 3

2014-08-07T09:19:44Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 405
| date = April 2, 2008
| title = Journal 3
| image = journal 3.png
| titletext = Oh, and, uh, if the Russian government asks, that submarine was always there.
}}

==Explanation==
In Journal 1, [[Black Hat]] explains to [[Cueball]] that a hobby of his is to pretend to write in a journal while on the subway, acting embarrassed if anyone sees. He then proceeds to silently scorn the person once they give him any kind of reassurance.

In Journal 2, however, [[Danish]] sees through his ruse. She counteracts it by proving that she understands him, and attempts to resign him to the fact that he will never see her again, thus robbing him of the satisfaction of a proper social connection. She leaves, taking his hat in the process.

Initially stunned, Black Hat seems to have quickly recovered and tracked Danish down, even to the ends of the earth. He tells Danish that although she was able to read him brilliantly, she miscalculated one minor detail. We are led to believe that this is some mistake in the covering of her tracks, but then he explains that it was simply how much he values his hat. This way he gets back at her. She thought that he would mourn the loss of her - the only person who understands him - but he deflates her ego when claiming that he likes his hat (implicitly saying that he doesn't care for her). In [[432: Journal 4]] we see that this is not entirely true.

The title text continues the theme of Black Hat's superhuman ability to troll and to avoid the consequences: If Black Hat stole a military submarine, said military is probably going to be hot on his tail, but he writes it off with: "just tell them it was always here", as if it is no big deal. Black Hat will later be blamed for stealing the submarine in [[496: Secretary: Part 3]], but once again casually avoid punishment.

The whole "[[:Category:Journal|Journal]]" story arc:
*[[374: Journal]]
*[[377: Journal 2]]
*405: Journal 3 (this one)
*[[432: Journal 4]]
*[[433: Journal 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Two women ice-skating outside.]
:Ponytail: Wait up!
:Danish (wearing Black Hat's Hat): Skate faster!

:[Danish sees cracking ice.]
:''Crack Crack''

:[Danish on chunk of ice broken off.]
:''Crack Rumble''

:[Submarine dorsal fin emerging.]
:''AWOOGA''

:[Black Hat (minus hat) coming out of hatch.]
:''CREAK''
:Black Hat: Hi.

:Black Hat: That's my hat you're wearing.

:Danish (wearing Black Hat's Hat): So, you found me after all.
:Black Hat (out of frame): You didn't make it easy.

:Black Hat: You saw through me, all right. But not quite well enough.

:Black Hat: Because if you wanted to stay lost forever, you made one mistake

:[Black Hat climbing out of hatch.]

:[Black Hat sliding down a sheet of ice.]

:[Black Hat snatches hat from Danish's head as he slides by on the ice.]

:[Black Hat skidding to a stop and putting hat back on his head.]

:Black Hat: You took my hat.

:Black Hat: I '''LIKE''' my hat.

:[Black Hat walking away.]

:[Danish left standing.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Journal|03]]

489: Going West

2014-08-07T04:45:37Z

MrGameZone:

{{comic
| number = 489
| date = October 15, 2008
| title = Going West
| image = going_west.png
| titletext = Listen, they request that you stop submitting a listing for your house labeled 'WHERE YOU BROKE MY HEART'.
}}

==Explanation==
Google Maps is a service to let people look at the world through their web browser. When Google Maps was first starting out, the maximum zoom level a person could select went past the highest resolution imagery available in certain areas. When this happened, Google Maps would tile the message "We're sorry, but we don't have imagery at this zoom level". When [[Cueball]] looks "closely" enough into [[Megan|Megan's]] eyes, he sees this same message.

The title text refers to a functionality of Google Maps that allows users to submit/update information about places on the map, such as business listings, monuments, etc. Such updates must be approved by Google before other users can see them. Apparently, Cueball has been repeatedly submitting 'WHERE YOU BROKE MY HEART' as a listing for his own house, so that Megan, who is now on the Google Maps team, will see those submissions.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking, and Cueball is walking away from Megan. Megan is holding an open envelope.]
:Megan: I'm sorry. The Google Maps team hired me.
:Cueball: But I can't move to California!

:Megan: Then I guess this is the end.
:Cueball: It can't be! ... Listen.

:[Cueball is holding Megan's hands in his.]
:Cueball: When I look deep into your eyes, I see a future for us.
:Megan: Look deeper.

:[Cueball looks deeper into Megan's eyes.]

:Cueball: "We're sorry, but we don't have imagery at this zoom level"?
:Cueball: They... they have you already.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Google Maps]]
[[Category:Romance]]

Talk:1204: Detail

2014-08-07T04:34:04Z

MrGameZone:

I'm not certain as to what the date should be, as I'm in New Zealand. I've taken one off of my current date (26th) as a precaution. Anyone who knows the right date (or right timezone) please edit it accordingly. --[[User:ZephireNZ|ZephireNZ]] ([[User talk:ZephireNZ|talk]]) 04:25, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

This comic arrive a day early, right?[[User:Afhoke|Afhoke]] ([[User talk:Afhoke|talk]]) 04:42, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:Most likely a result of the time machine. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 05:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Any idea if the typo Ne*ghborhood is intentional and what it might refer to? [[Special:Contributions/141.17.83.10|141.17.83.10]] 07:11, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
: It appears to have just been a mistake, as it's now been corrected on the panel at kxcd. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 16:48, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I see what you did there. ;) --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 23:31, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Forget electronic microscope. Where do you think they would be STORING the maps? Nearby galaxies? Other dimension? .... oh, I see: Black Mesa Research Facility is a google service company researching storage technologies. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:13, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Shouldn't the vertical axis be reversed? If the Planck length is the theoretical smallest length, wouldn't most readers expect the smallest value to be lowest on the vertical axis? Thus the log scale line would angle downward, more clearly indicating that the resolution lengthy is getting smaller with time. The way it it is drawn, the first impression might be that the resolution length is increasing, not decreasing. Just a suggestion. XKCD is my favorite comic because I learn something new almost every day! {{unsigned|Matthew-e-hackman}}
: I had the same thought. Had to pause a moment to reassure myself Planck Length is a small thing. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 16:48, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:: The vertical increase works better for the joke, as it is representing the concept of the resolution increasing, rather than the resolution distance decreasing, even though the latter naturally leads to the former.[[User:Pennpenn|Pennpenn]] ([[User talk:Pennpenn|talk]]) 05:20, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

Randall really likes pointing out the dangers of excessive extrapolation, doesn't he! One of his key themes. And this one is taking extremes to the extreme. [[User:Robbak|Robbak]] ([[User talk:Robbak|talk]]) 13:00, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Representation == Reality? {{unsigned|24.84.201.240}}

Whoa i just figured. the lines meet around 2100 - and in 2101.war was beginning - a coincidence? --[[Special:Contributions/178.203.192.19|178.203.192.19]] 20:25, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
: Remember, [[286: All Your Base]]. [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 15:05, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

"Shouldn't the vertical axis be reversed?" I would say no. As the smallest resolvable detail shrinks, people refer to resolution as increasing, so a rising line makes sense. Maybe the axis should be denominated in pixels per meter though... [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 15:19, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Can somebody explain the line labeled "Earth" at the top of the diagram? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
:The resolution of actual Earth remains constant as the resolution of Google Earth approaches [[Special:Contributions/96.33.168.232|96.33.168.232]] 04:40, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

It's also quite fun to compare the graph to the first publication of Moore's law, which had just one datapoint more but looks more or less identical to the comic. (And it still holds after 50 years... although there are signs it'll be slowing down soon...) {{unsigned ip|212.64.51.153}}

"The images get finer as satellite imaging technology improves" - this is wrong; however, I have no idea currently how to rewite the sentence elegantly, maybe someone else does. The Google Maps/Earth finer images do not come from satellites, but are obtained by aerial photography. No commercial satellite can produce such images (maybe military ones come close - just maybe). In fact, Randall has written about that: http://what-if.xkcd.com/32/ [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 13:19, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

"Each tick in the scale represents a resolution improvement by 1000x." Am I being dense, or does the term "log scale" necessarily mean jumps of 10x? [[Special:Contributions/149.161.34.44|149.161.34.44]] 20:50, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

:"A simple example [of a logarithmic scale] is a chart whose vertical or horizontal axis has equally spaced increments that are labeled 1, 10, 100, 1000, instead of 1, 2, 3, 4." Taken from wikipedia's article titled "Logarithmic scale". [[Special:Contributions/24.251.209.253|24.251.209.253]] 03:40, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

:"Log scale" means that each jump of 10X is an each distance on the paper. It does not mean that there is a tick mark at every jump of 10X. It does not even mean that there are any tick marks. He put one tick mark at every third jump of 10X. One tick mark represents 3 jumps of 10X, for a total of 10X 10X 10X = 1000X.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.84|108.162.215.84]] 23:10, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

Looks like Google Earth resolution will surpass actual resolution by 2120*...
*must have "Google Eyes" (TM) to experience better than actual resolution [[Special:Contributions/207.126.189.4|207.126.189.4]] 17:31, 20 May 2013 (UTC)dabeansdad

Can someone please explain why the Plank length being the resolution of the universe is a "myth", as it says in the explanation? [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 01:22, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
:Thanks for your hint. It isn't a myth but fact in quantum mechanics. It's fixed.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:18, 27 October 2013 (UTC)

Randall is wrong: Google Earth does not gain resolution exponentially, but logistically. Admittedly, that's somewhat less funny. --[[User:Jolbucley|Jolbucley]] ([[User talk:Jolbucley|talk]]) 04:31, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Why isn't the new version uploaded? [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 04:34, 7 August 2014 (UTC)

533: Laptop Hell

2014-08-07T04:07:48Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 533
| date = January 21, 2009
| title = Laptop Hell
| image = laptop hell.png
| titletext = The xkcd.com sysadmin has a Q2010, and I can attest that it can handle a fall down several flights of concrete steps. Relatedly, he's upset with me - I hope he doesn't take revenge by messing with my site's contenDISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS
}}

==Explanation==
The Devil is greeting the new souls sentenced to Hell, and recognizes an executive from {{w|Fujitsu|Fujitsu Ltd}}. The Devil singles her out and comments that she caused his favorite laptop, the Fujitsu Q2010, to be taken out of production. The Devil is displeased because he thought it was a good laptop, just poorly marketed. The executive is confused and asks the Devil why it is upset, as acts of evil are generally encouraged by the Devil. The Devil explains that Hell uses laptops as well and the need for laptops is greater than the need to encourage evil works. Though, it later confesses, Hell has an exclusive deal with Fujitsu competitor, Sony.

This comic is likely a wish fulfillment fantasy by Randall for the canceling of his favorite laptop, the Fujitsu Q2010. Exclusivity deals are typically thought ill of as they are bad for competition. Also since exclusivity deals solely benefit the provider, there are often reciprocal arrangement for the purchaser. This implies that the devil has influence at Sony. Likely Sony was chosen as the electronic distributor to hell because of the {{w|Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal|Sony rootkit scandal}}. This scandal inspired many to call Sony as an evil company.

The title text explains that Randall's systems administrator is upset with him because he tested the systems administrators laptop by throwing it down several flights of steps. The systems admin is implied to have taken revenge childishly, by replacing part of the text with "DISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS"

The "suck cocks" part is a reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/disregard-that-i-suck-cocks a post] in bash.org which went on to attain moderate fame.

==Transcript==
:Devil: Welcome to Hell. Here's— Wait. I know you.

:Devil: You're the Fujitsu exec who killed the Q-series.
:Fujitsu Exec: ...Yes?
:Devil: The Q2010 was the perfect laptop!

:Devil: Powerful, durable, had every feature, and made the Air look bulky. And that was back in 2006!
:Fujitsu Exec: But no one bought it!
:Devil: Then you marketed it wrong!

:Fujitsu Exec: Wait. Don't you ''encourage'' evil acts down here?
:Devil: In theory, yes, but we need laptops too! Although it's moot, since we have an exclusive deal with Sony.
:Fujitsu Exec: I ''knew'' it!

{{comic discussion}}

1120: Blurring the Line

2014-08-07T04:02:08Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1120
| date = October 12, 2012
| title = Blurring the Line
| image = blurring the line.png
| titletext = People into masturbatory navel-gazing have a lot to learn about masturbation.
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|metaphor}} is a comparison which may be used to emphasize, explain or embellish a point, as seen in this comic when [[Cueball]] likens himself to Michael Jordan. {{w|Michael Jordan}} is a famous {{w|basketball}} player who is well known for being one of the very best basketball players.

[[White Hat]] is analyzing a movie about movies when Cueball compares White Hat's description of the movie to masturbatory {{w|Omphaloskepsis|navel-gazing}}, a comment combining two expressions used to refer to a pointless activity or effort, but also specifically self-referential activity. "Mental masturbation" and "navel gazing" are relatively common terms to dismiss work that is regarded as self-indulgent, overly introspective, and self-referential. Calling navel gazing, or introspection, "masturbatory" is a metaphor speaking of it in terms of the physical act of {{w|Masturbation|masturbation}}.

White Hat then defends the movie by saying that it is about blurring the line between metaphor and reality, commenting that Cueball doesn't understand art. To this Cueball retorts by likening his ability to meld metaphor and reality by using a metaphor comparing himself to Michael Jordan. He then proceeds to actually blur the line by throwing a basketball at White Hat. This can also be understood as another reality metaphor, passing the "conversational ball" to White Hat, or acting like Michael Jordan by playing basketball.

The last frame is also a graphic illustration of blurring the line between metaphor and reality, where a much more "real" depiction of a basketball intrudes into the colorless stick-figure world which serves as an abstraction of our shared reality.

The title text blurs the line between metaphor and reality by dragging both metaphors in the term "masturbatory navel-gazing" into reality and pointing out that literally staring at your navel is not going to be very effective at physical sexual self arousal, which is the goal of masturbation.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking.]
:White Hat: ...No, but see, it's a movie ''about'' movies.
:Cueball: Sounds like masturbatory navel-gazing.

:[Close-up of White Hat.]
:White Hat: No, it's about blurring the line between metaphor and reality.
:White Hat: You just don't know much about art.
:Cueball: ''Seriously?''

:[White hat and Cueball are standing.]
:Cueball: I know ''all'' about blurring the line between metaphor and reality. I'm the goddamn ''Michael Jordan'' of blurring the line between metaphor and reality.

:[White hat now standing alone in the panel.]
:White Hat: ...Huh?

:[Basketball appears from nowhere and hits White Hat in the head.]
:''BONK''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Language]]

Hairy

2014-08-07T03:57:26Z

MrGameZone:

{{Infobox character
| image = Hairy.png
| imagesize = 50px
| caption = As seen in [[1178: Pickup Artists]]
| first_appearance = [[76: Familiar]] 
}}

'''Hairy''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. The name is unofficial, used by [[explain xkcd]]ers to describe male characters with hair and no other distinguishing features.

Hairy is not a single character but a categorization of various one-time characters. One Hairy, a learning pickup artist, has appeared in two comics ([[1027: Pickup Artist|1027]] and [[1178: Pickup Artists|1178]]).

{{navbox-characters}}

800: Beautiful Dream

2014-08-07T03:43:29Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 800
| date = October 1, 2010
| title = Beautiful Dream
| image = beautiful_dream.png
| titletext = Lucky. In MY dream, all the people who grew up loving The Giving Tree paired up with all the students who had weird dreams after reading The Metamorphosis. That one was more confusing.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|The Rules}}'' is a reference to the book that is pretty clear when you read the sub-title: "Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right". And naturally, ''{{w|The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists|The Game}}'' is also given away by the sub-title: "Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists". There is some social commentary there about how the men's book is about pickup artists and the women's book is about "finding Mr. Right." The joke here being that these two groups get together and stop bothering normal people with ideas on dating which some might find annoying.

The title text takes a surrealist step with [[Cueball]]'s response to [[Megan]]. ''{{w|The Giving Tree}}'' is a children's book by {{w|Shel Silverstein}} about the relationship between a tree and a young boy who grows to be an old man. ''{{w|The Metamorphosis}}'' is a work of fiction by {{w|Franz Kafka}} in which a travelling salesman wakes up to find that he has been turned into a nondescript giant bug.

==Transcript==
:[Megan with disheveled hair stretches her arms. A sunburst indicating sleepiness is above her head.]
:''YAWN''
:Megan: I just woke up

:[Megan continues speaking from off panel, to Cueball who's sitting at a table with a laptop and cup. He's leaned his elbow on the chair, turning to face Megan.]
:Megan: from the most ''beautiful'' dream.
:Cueball: Which was?

:Megan: All the girls who read and follow ''The Rules'' and all the guys who swear by the techniques in ''The Game'' paired off with each other and left the rest of us alone forever.
:Cueball: ''Mmmmmm...''

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

160: Penny Arcade Parody

2014-08-07T03:37:17Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 160
| date = September 20, 2006
| title = Penny Arcade Parody
| image = penny arcade parody.png
| titletext = No one show this to Tycho's wife, okay?
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Penny Arcade}} is a {{w|webcomic}}, primarily about video-games and the culture surrounding them. It is written by {{w|Jerry Holkins}} and illustrated by {{w|Mike Krahulik}}, though they are better known as their comic alter-egos: Tycho Brahe and Jonathan "Gabe" Gabriel.

This strip begins as a parody of the Penny Arcade strip which makes fun of Sony for providing a lack-luster selection of PS3 games available on the console's launch date. However, it quickly turns into the narrator's fantasy of what might happen if Tycho discovered his spoof.

The enormous wall of text in the second and third panels may be a reference to the Penny Arcade strip [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/10/ "I Hope You Like Text"].

The cardboard tube references one of Gabe's alternate characters: {{w|List_of_Penny_Arcade_characters#Cardboard_Tube_Samurai|Cardboard Tube Samurai}}

==Transcript==
:[The first panel uses the art style of Penny Arcade.]
:Gabe: What? Sony has plenty of launch titles lined up that aren't lame sequels.
:Tycho: Name one. And furthermore, they... I... uh...

:[The art style is dropped. The next two panels are just text.]
:I can't do this. I can't parody Penny Arcade. I've got nothing on those guys. They're a class act, they know their audience, they know exactly what they're doing. Gabe experiments with his art, always bold and fresh without trying to perform. Tycho's writing continues to astound day after day. I can just see him, reading my uncultured swill masquerading as his florid prose.

:But he's not angry, no. He's sitting at his desk smiling that condescending half-smile, the corner of his mouth belying the self-assurance of a writer who never misplaces a word. His firm hands rest easily on the keyboard, his right thumb caressing the space bar gently, as I enter the room. He knows I'm there without turning around, and I'm too nervous to speak. But I don't have to; he understands, I can see it in the way his eyes play over me, reading my fears and doubts in a glance and washing them away with a knowing smile. Then he's on his feet, he's in front of me, and I don't feel the electric jolt I expected as our hands meet. It's just warm, warm and right: As I sink into his eyes I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I see Tycho smile at someone behind me. Gabe is standing there, grinning that mischievous grin, and twirling his beloved cardboard tube between his fingers.

:The night has just begun.

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

1404: Quantum Vacuum Virtual Plasma

2014-08-06T05:19:13Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1404
| date = August 6, 2014
| title = Quantum Vacuum Virtual Plasma
| image = quantum_vacuum_virtual_plasma.png
| titletext = I don't understand the things you do, and you therefore may represent an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma.
}}

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

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[Cueball and Megan are walking together in the foreground.]
Cueball: Hear about that "impossible" microwave thruster?

[Still walking together.]
Megan: Yeah. Let me get this straight---they pumped 20 kilowatts into a box under ambient conditions...and it only twitched a ''little''?

Cueball: Yeah.

[Way zoomed out, but still walking together.]
Megan: ''That's'' surprising. If you pumped 20 kilowatts into ''me'', I'd twitch a ''lot''.

Cueball: But you're not pushing on the quantum vacuum.

Megan: I ''might'' be. I do a lot of things.

Cueball: I guess we can't be sure.

Alt Text: I don't understand the things you do, and you therefore may represent an interaction with the quantum vacuum virtual plasma.

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

1403: Thesis Defense

2014-08-04T18:52:24Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1403
| date = August 4, 2014
| title = Thesis Defense
| image = thesis_defense.png
| titletext = MY RESULTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THE STATE OF THE AAAAAAAAAAAART
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more work. This is just a start.}}

This comic is a play on the {{w|adage}} "{{w|The best defense is a good offense}}". Generally, the idea is that strong offensive action will preoccupy the opposition and ultimately hinder its ability to mount an opposing counterattack, leading to a strategic advantage.

In this instance however, [[Megan]] is defending her academic {{w|thesis}} in front of a panel of professors. This generally involves an oral exam on the topic she has chosen, and should involve no physical violence. She seems oblivious to this meaning of the word "defense" however, and is charging her thesis committee, shouting a {{w|battle cry}}, brandishing a sword.

The title text is an example of another battle cry Megan supposedly used while defending her thesis. This expands on the joke of confusing thesis defense with physical defense by making a battle cry out of a sentence that Megan would have used in a normal thesis defense.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, yelling with sword in hand]
:Megan: In conclusion, '''''AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'''''
:The best thesis defense is a good thesis offense.

{{comic discussion}}

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

533: Laptop Hell

2014-08-03T05:06:12Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 533
| date = January 21, 2009
| title = Laptop Hell
| image = laptop hell.png
| titletext = The xkcd.com sysadmin has a Q2010, and I can attest that it can handle a fall down several flights of concrete steps. Relatedly, he's upset with me - I hope he doesn't take revenge by messing with my site's contenDISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS
}}

==Explanation==
The Devil is greeting the new souls sentenced to Hell, and recognizes an executive from {{w|Fujitsu|Fujitsu Ltd}}. The Devil singles her out and comments that she caused his favorite laptop, the Fujitsu Q2010, to be taken out of production. The Devil is displeased because he thought it was a good laptop, just poorly marketed. The executive is confused and asks the Devil why it is upset, as acts of evil are generally encouraged by the Devil. The Devil explains that Hell uses laptops as well and the need for laptops is greater than the need to encourage evil works. Though, it later confesses, Hell has an exclusive deal with Fujitsu competitor, Sony.

This comic is likely a wish fulfillment fantasy by Randall for the canceling of his favorite laptop, the Fujitsu Q2010. Likely Sony was chosen as the electronic distributor to hell because of the {{w|Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal|Sony rootkit scandal}}. This scandal inspired many to call Sony as an evil company.

Exclusivity deals are typically ill, though, as they are bad for competition, and typically are forced upon somebody who have little negotiation power or does not understand the deal they are entering into — hence being able to convince the devil to enter an exclusivity deal with Sony is an impressive feat by Sony's sales team, and indicates that the smarter devil is a Sony sales representative.

The title text explains that Randall's systems administrator is upset with him because he tested the systems administrators laptop by throwing it down several flights of steps. The systems admin is implied to have taken revenge childishly, by replacing part of the text with "DISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS"

The "suck cocks" part is a reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/disregard-that-i-suck-cocks a post] in bash.org which went on to attain moderate fame.

==Transcript==
:Devil: Welcome to Hell. Here's— Wait. I know you.

:Devil: You're the Fujitsu exec who killed the Q-series.
:Fujitsu Exec: ...Yes?
:Devil: The Q2010 was the perfect laptop!

:Devil: Powerful, durable, had every feature, and made the Air look bulky. And that was back in 2006!
:Fujitsu Exec: But no one bought it!
:Devil: Then you marketed it wrong!

:Fujitsu Exec: Wait. Don't you ''encourage'' evil acts down here?
:Devil: In theory, yes, but we need laptops too! Although it's moot, since we have an exclusive deal with Sony.
:Fujitsu Exec: I ''knew'' it!

{{comic discussion}}

533: Laptop Hell

2014-08-03T05:04:04Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 533
| date = January 21, 2009
| title = Laptop Hell
| image = laptop hell.png
| titletext = The xkcd.com sysadmin has a Q2010, and I can attest that it can handle a fall down several flights of concrete steps. Relatedly, he's upset with me - I hope he doesn't take revenge by messing with my site's contenDISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Devil}} is greeting the new souls sentenced to {{w|Hell}}, and recognizes an executive from {{w|Fujitsu|Fujitsu Ltd}}. The Devil singles her out and comments that she caused his favorite {{w|laptop}}, the Fujitsu Q2010, to be taken out of production. The Devil is displeased because he thought it was a good laptop, just poorly marketed. The executive is confused and asks the Devil why it is upset, as acts of evil are generally encouraged by the Devil. The Devil explains that Hell uses laptops as well and the need for laptops is greater than the need to encourage evil works. Though, it later confesses, Hell has an exclusive deal with Fujitsu competitor, Sony.

This comic is likely a wish fulfillment fantasy by Randall for the canceling of his favorite laptop, the Fujitsu Q2010. Likely Sony was chosen as the electronic distributor to hell because of the {{w|Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal|Sony rootkit scandal}}. This scandal inspired many to call Sony as an evil company.

Exclusivity deals are typically ill, though, as they are bad for competition, and typically are forced upon somebody who have little negotiation power or does not understand the deal they are entering into — hence being able to convince the devil to enter an exclusivity deal with Sony is an impressive feat by Sony's sales team, and indicates that the smarter devil is a Sony sales representative.

The title text explains that Randall's systems administrator is upset with him because he tested the systems administrators laptop by throwing it down several flights of steps. The systems admin is implied to have taken revenge childishly, by replacing part of the text with "DISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS"

The "suck cocks" part is a reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/disregard-that-i-suck-cocks a post] in bash.org which went on to attain moderate fame.

==Transcript==
:Devil: Welcome to Hell. Here's— Wait. I know you.

:Devil: You're the Fujitsu exec who killed the Q-series.
:Fujitsu Exec: ...Yes?
:Devil: The Q2010 was the perfect laptop!

:Devil: Powerful, durable, had every feature, and made the Air look bulky. And that was back in 2006!
:Fujitsu Exec: But no one bought it!
:Devil: Then you marketed it wrong!

:Fujitsu Exec: Wait. Don't you ''encourage'' evil acts down here?
:Devil: In theory, yes, but we need laptops too! Although it's moot, since we have an exclusive deal with Sony.
:Fujitsu Exec: I ''knew'' it!

{{comic discussion}}

User talk:DrMath

2014-08-02T08:41:28Z

MrGameZone: Created page with "Please don't put in your signature in the articles. ~~~~"

Please don't put in your signature in the articles. [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 08:41, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

587: Crime Scene

2014-08-02T08:40:43Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD), and, when the show was cancelled, the department was shut down, forcing the mathematicians to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show, tries to glean some sort of mathematical meaning out of the murders, saying that the number of bodies, two, is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}, a set of numbers where the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1 and then each number is the sum of the previous two; looking like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8... (Sometimes the sequence is considered to start with 1 and 1, or 0 is considered the zeroth term in the sequence; both of which would explain why Frankly calls 2 the third number rather than the fourth.)

The title text goes on to extrapolate, saying that George saw a {{w|Mandelbrot set}} in the blood spatters, a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that look somewhat like blood spatters.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded in tape. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and some sort of tool. Two people are standing outside the tape.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... that's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

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

Talk:1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2014-08-02T05:37:09Z

MrGameZone:

A comment from the blog that is quite on and off (you'll get the joke) the topic:

:I took a class in college, in French, and we studied (insofar as one can) dadaism, surrealism, and existentialism.
:One day, the girl next to me raised her hand and started out, “This is off the subject, but..”… Professor La Charité interrupted immediately, with, “It’s ''*never*'' off the subject. Continue.”
:We all felt we learned something that day. Giraffe. - E

Hope that explains some things. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:40, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

;Explanation
I think the above explanation is lacking. What's bones got to do with it? How about the language stuff? AND A Mexican bandit robbed a bank. The sheriff and his bilingual deputy captured him, and the sheriff, who couldn't speak Spanish, asked him where he'd hidden the money. "No se nada," said the bandit.
The sheriff put a gun to the bandit's head and said to his deputy: "Tell him, if he doesn't tell us where the money is, I'll blow his brains out."
Upon receiving the translation, the bandit became very animated. "Ya me acuerdo! Tienen que caminar tres cuadradas hasta ese gran arbol. Debajo del arbol, alli esta el dinero."
The sheriff leaned forward. "Yeah? Well..?"
The deputy replied: "He says he wants to die like a man." {{unsigned ip| 122.61.61.161}}
:It's Dadaism. It means unrelated random stuff. AND nice story =) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.206|108.162.212.206]] 19:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

What's incomplete about this? [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 05:37, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

1000: 1000 Comics

2014-08-02T05:35:33Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1000
| date = January 6, 2012
| title = 1000 Comics
| image = 1000 comics.png
| imagesize = 800px
| titletext = Thank you for making me feel less alone.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is the 1000th comic shown on xkcd, including [[404: Not Found]], containing 1000 characters from previous comics arranged in the shape of the number "1000". [[Megan]] is clearly excited as she screams "Wooooo!", but [[Cueball]], in true nerd fashion, thinks in base 2, saying that there are "just 24 to go until a big round-number milestone". The joke is that often, during programming, base two is used more often than base 10, making milestones be powers of two rather than powers of 10. Where 1000 is a round number in base 10 (103), 1024 is a round number in base 2 (210).

===Connect the Dots===
There is a connect the dots puzzle hidden within the comic. However, rather than using the conventional decimal system numbering which would start with 1 and count up, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... This connect the dots puzzle starts with 0 as programmer would do and counts up in binary numerical order - 0,1,10,11,100,101,110,111,1000,1001 and back to 0. The revealed image forms the shape of a heart. This fits well with the title text where feeling less alone can equate to feeling loved.

[[File:1000 comics binary.png]]

==Transcript==
:[1000 characters, numerous of which have appeared previously in other comics, are arranged to create the number "1000". Two more people stand in the foreground commenting on the formation]
:Megan: ''WOOOO!''
:Cueball: Wow—Just 24 to go until a big round-number milestone!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Math]]

1402: Harpoons

2014-08-02T00:29:05Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */ DAMMIT

{{comic
| number = 1402
| date = August 1, 2014
| title = Harpoons
| image = harpoons.png
| titletext = To motivate it to fire its harpoons hard enough, Rosetta's Philae lander has been programmed to believe it is trying to kill the comet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more work, especially the top section.}}
Continuing a recurring theme (as seen in comics [[111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?|111]], [[231: Cat Proximity|231]], and [[323: Ballmer Peak|323]]), two unrelated but interesting objects have been juxtaposed graphically with humorous results. In this case, it's the fact that old-timey, man-made {{w|harpoon}}s (a cool word) have been placed among the equipment for a space flight (a cool concept). According to Randall, this has happened twice.

The latter peak on this graph refers to the {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} unmanned spacecraft. As part of its mission, it's carrying a lander (called {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae}}), which has two tethers to anchor itself to the comet {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}}. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 (as shown in the graph) and is scheduled to encounter the comet in August 2014, making this a timely comic.

The first peak is probably a joke. Officially, {{w|Apollo 12}} carried neither harpoons nor rum. However, as a former NASA contractor, Randall may know more about space shenanigans than the general public, and may be implying (perhaps jokingly) that a bottle of the [http://www.harpoon-rum.eu/1.html Harpoon] brand of {{w|Rum#Regional variations|Jamaican rum}} made it aboard.

The title text compares the Philae lander's method of deploying its tethers to whaling, in which sailors would throw harpoons at a whale with the intent of killing the whale. It was important to throw hard so the harpoon would stick in the whale so it could not get away and would tow the whaling boat until it got tired and could be killed.

It is implied that the spacecraft is sentient and needs a motivation to fire the harpoons hard enough to stay anchored to the comet. It has thus been programmed to believe that its mission is to kill the comet. This is a joke, as Rosetta is of course not sentient{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
:'''Number of harpoons in space'''
:by year
:[A chart with a red graph is drawn below]
:[The y-axis]
:0 1 2 3
:[The x-axis]
:1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
:[The graph is at zero until a sharp peak to 1 in 1970. The peak is labeled]
:Apollo 12 rum incident
:[The graph then stays at 0 until 2004. Then it rises to 2 and stays there until today, continuing as a dotted line after 2014. The rise is labeled]
:Rosetta comet mission launched carrying lander with harpoon tethers

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

1402: Harpoons

2014-08-02T00:24:33Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1402
| date = August 1, 2014
| title = Harpoons
| image = harpoons.png
| titletext = To motivate it to fire its harpoons hard enough, Rosetta's Philae lander has been programmed to believe it is trying to kill the comet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more work, especially the top section.
Continuing a recurring theme (as seen in comics [[111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?|111]], [[231: Cat Proximity|231]], and [[323: Ballmer Peak|323]]), two unrelated but interesting objects have been juxtaposed graphically with humorous results. In this case, it's the fact that old-timey, man-made {{w|harpoon}}s (a cool word) have been placed among the equipment for a space flight (a cool concept). According to Randall, this has happened twice.

The latter peak on this graph refers to the {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} unmanned spacecraft. As part of its mission, it's carrying a lander (called {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae}}), which has two tethers to anchor itself to the comet {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}}. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 (as shown in the graph) and is scheduled to encounter the comet in August 2014, making this a timely comic.

The first peak is probably a joke. Officially, {{w|Apollo 12}} carried neither harpoons nor rum. However, as a former NASA contractor, Randall may know more about space shenanigans than the general public, and may be implying (perhaps jokingly) that a bottle of the [http://www.harpoon-rum.eu/1.html Harpoon] brand of {{w|Rum#Regional variations|Jamaican rum}} made it aboard.

The title text compares the Philae lander's method of deploying its tethers to whaling, in which sailors would throw harpoons at a whale with the intent of killing the whale. It was important to throw hard so the harpoon would stick in the whale so it could not get away and would tow the whaling boat until it got tired and could be killed.

It is implied that the spacecraft is sentient and needs a motivation to fire the harpoons hard enough to stay anchored to the comet. It has thus been programmed to believe that its mission is to kill the comet. This is a joke, as Rosetta is of course not sentient{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
:'''Number of harpoons in space'''
:by year
:[A chart with a red graph is drawn below]
:[The y-axis]
:0 1 2 3
:[The x-axis]
:1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
:[The graph is at zero until a sharp peak to 1 in 1970. The peak is labeled]
:Apollo 12 rum incident
:[The graph then stays at 0 until 2004. Then it rises to 2 and stays there until today, continuing as a dotted line after 2014. The rise is labeled]
:Rosetta comet mission launched carrying lander with harpoon tethers

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

152: Hamster Ball

2014-08-01T22:08:11Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 152
| date = September 3, 2006
| title = Hamster Ball
| image = hamster_ball.png
| titletext = Reportedly, double-walled inflatable balls like this exist somewhere. Now to find that place.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts with a {{w|genie}}, who, having been freed from a magical lamp, grants the owner three wishes. The {{w|Genie in popular culture|idea of a genie}} that does this is a very [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenieInABottle common trope] in the fantasy genre. Alternative spellings are jinn and djinni.

[[Cueball]] asks for a human-sized {{w|hamster ball}}, and when he gets it, he starts to roll around in it, obviously entertained.
The genie then asks what he would like for his [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeWishes other two wishes], to which, having being granted already his heart's desire, he states he wouldn't need the other wishes for anything.

The title text refers to the activity of {{w|Zorbing}}. And later [[Randall]] found out where to get one and went on a [[211: Hamster Ball Heist|hamster ball heist]], and hamster balls has been a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Hamster_Ball recurring theme] on xkcd since this comic.

Genies (or magic lamps) are mentioned in at least three other comics:
*[[532: Piano]]
*[[879: Lamp]]
*[[1391: Darkness]]
In the first two Randall manages to use the concept to make penis related jokes. 
In the third the issue of number of wishes is discussed, from the perspective of wanting more than three wishes. The issue of wishing for more wishes is also the subject of [[1086: Eyelash Wish Log]], so it is not always enough with one or even three wishes!

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands by a genie, whose lower body becomes smoke and trails down to an old-fashioned lamp.]
:Genie: You have awakened me from the lamp. You may have three wishes. What does your heart desire?
:Cueball: I'd like a human-sized hamster ball.

:[A hamster ball appears; Cueball is inside it.]
:Cueball: Sweet!

:[Cueball steps to left; the ball rolls that way.]

:[He does the same thing to his right.]

:[Cueball comes to rest in the centre of the panel.]

:Genie: And your other wishes?
:Cueball: Why would I need other wishes?

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

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-08-01T05:34:22Z

MrGameZone: /* Concessions */

{{comic
| number = 826
| date = November 26, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)
| before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is drawn by a guest webcomic artist, Zack Weiner, following the theme of "Guest Week". Zach is the author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. The [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic] is interactive. It will show images of the exibits (see below) by clicking on them.

The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." It is an common occurrence that curious children will ask simple questions about science to their parents, such as, "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" and a parent could respond, "Well Susie, the sky is blue to match your dress."

===Hall Of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that basilisks exist, and that they live under your bed. The basilisk is a mythological reptilian monster that was described as having the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze. This story might be believed by children because children often imagine that a monster or a dangerous creature is hiding under the bed at night, and verifying that the basilisk is under the bed might turn the child to stone.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that "In my day" molecules did not exist, and everything was just atoms. Molecules are chains of atoms, and therefore more complex than atoms. This story might be believed by children because old people often tell unbelievable and questionably credible "In my day" stories about how different, or in this case less complicated, things when they where younger. This story may sound no less credible then these stories to a child. Like most "In my day" stories there is at least a grain of truth. The word atom has changed its meaning over time; at one time all discovered molecules were called {{w|atomism|atoms}}, as when they were modified their properties change. Also, according to the {{w|Big Bang}} theory, there was a period billions of years ago when the universe contained no molecules, yet still contained atoms.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that magnets are only attracted to each other when they are teenagers. This is a inside joke that the child is not in on about how there is a loss of sexual desire in adults. This story might be believed because magnets are seen as mysterious and possibly magical by children.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|In this exhibit the plaque on the statue of Jesus claims that {{w|snow}} is composed of Jesus' {{w|dandruff}}. This story might be believed because some children take the expression that {{w|rain}} is "God's tears", and this would be a logical extension.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the reason that there are only four components of {{w|DNA}} is because there where only four letters back then. The following letters describe the {{w|nucleotides}} that make up DNA chains: "G" {{w|guanine}}, "A" {{w|adenine}}, "T" {{w|thymine}}, and "C" {{w|cytosine}}. This story might be believed by children as DNA can be thought as an instruction set to build life. Instructions contain words, and therefore the letters G, A, T, and C can be thought of as the letters that the words in the instructions are made from.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that you are more vulnerable to the {{w|Bogeyman|boogie man}} when you are sleeping. "The Boogie Man" is a common legend used to scare young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children. This story might be believed by children as some believe in the boogie man.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that water increases its size to frighten {{w|predator|predators}}. {{w|Ice}} is less dense than liquid {{w|water}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. This might be believed by a child because many animals appear to increase there size to frighten away other threatening animals. A {{w|rhinoceros}} although not traditionally a predator, would be a predator of water.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|antimatter|anti-matter}} is composed of half ant and half matter. The prefix anti means "the opposite of", but sounds similar to the word ant. This story might be believed by children because a hyphen is often used to combine two words together with different meanings to create a word with the meaning of both. Combining the words ants and matter could produce a word meaning something composed of both ants and matter.
</gallery>

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. Fear is often used to discourage children from disobeying their parents. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that helium makes your voice higher because you are about to explode. Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in oxygen, and it does not explode because it is a noble gas. This story might be used by parents to discourage children from inhaling helium. This story might regrettably convince a child that they are dying after they inhale helium.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that if your middle finger is longer than all the others, you are an alien half-breed. For almost all people the middle finger is longer than all the others. This story might be used by parents to tease their children. This story might regrettably convince a child that one of their parents is a alien, and therefore not to be trusted.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that one of the cups of {{w|Jell-O|Jello}} had a rabbit brain instead of a cherry. Cherries are a common ingredient in gelatin based deserts. One cup is missing and in the hands of the child, possibly eaten. This story might be used by parents to tease their children, or discourage them from eating more dessert. This story might regrettably convince a child that they ate the brain of a small cute fluffy animal.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that monsters will eat you if you do not make your bed. In some stories monsters specifically prey on children. This story might be used by parents to encourage children to make their beds. This story might regrettably convince a child that there are monsters under their beds and frighten them so they can not sleep.
</gallery>

===Concessions===
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand. The pop-outs in this section are based on jokes parents tell their children to frighten them about food.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces the name of the concession stand as KFP. The parent claims that the "P" stands for phoenix, and the operator adds "also ponies". KFP is a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken. A phoenix is a mythical bird that throws it self into a fire and later rises from the ashes. This story might be believed by children because phoenixes are birds and a fried one may look similar to a chicken.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ground beef}} and further enplanes that ground beef is beef that is found on the ground. The word ground sometimes refers to the floor other times is past tense of the word grind. This story might be believed by children because the words are spelled and pronounced the same.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ice cream}} and claims that ice cream is really spelled eyes cream, and always composed of eyeballs. This story might be believed by children because the words "eyes cream" sounds similar to "ice cream".
</gallery>

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about history. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Genghis Khan}} achieved his victories by using dragons. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian conqueror who conquered almost all of Asia and much of Europe founding the {{w|Mongol Empire}}, and creating the then-largest continuous land empire in history. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the {{w|Crimean War}} was a war on crime. The Crimean War is an often forgotten Eastern European conflict between Russia and a European coalition with aims to stop Russia's expansion. This story might be believed by children because adding an "a" to a people group sometimes is used to create a country name, making Crimea sounds similar to a nation of criminals.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that wizards where in control during {{w|The Renaissance}}. The Renaissance is a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark ages. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Star Wars}} is actual history. Star Wars is a fantastical science fiction movie. This story might be believed by children because the movie begins "a long time ago in a galaxy far away", and some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|In this exhibit the poster claims that {{w|France}} does not exist. The adult in the comic continues to attempt to convince the children that France does not exist. This is supposed to be funny because the knowledge of France as a country is common. This may be parodying the global warming debate, a common theme in both XKCD and SMBC.
</gallery>

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
Each exhibit is a display set up to explain uncomfortable topics that children may ask their parents about. The answers given so that the children do not ask further questions.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|In this exhibit the sign on the box covering up a couple in bed claims that naked wrestling is perfectly normal, but kids should never engage in it. "Naked wrestling" is a euphemism for sex. A parent may give this explanation if a child walks in on their parents having sex and they have to come up with an explanation on the spot, or they feel that the children are too young to know about sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|In this exhibit the sign over the stand claims your parents drink alcohol to prevent you from drinking it as alcohol is a poison. This is technically true, as alcohol is a toxin. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks their parents why they drink alcohol if it is bad for you, and did not want to explain the pleasurable experience of alcohol because it might encourage children to drink.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|In this exhibit the banner claims that mommies have big tummies because storks like chubby girls. According to some childhood stories storks deliver babies. Also, there are men who prefer heavy women, these men are often called called chubby chasers. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks why, if a stork delivers babies, there mother is changing while she is pregnant, and the parent continues to try to avoid the topic of sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that grandma did not die, but is going back to Saturn. Some parents tell their children that their loved ones have gone away instead of telling them the truth, their loved ones are dead. Going to Saturn "for revenge" is added for comic value. A parent may give this explanation to a avoid causing their child pain.
</gallery>

===Miscellaneous===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|dinosaur|dinosaurs}} are made of bones only. The fossil record includes the imprints of the other tissues of dinosaurs including skin, nails, teeth, and feathers. This story might be believed by children because the majority of all displays of dinosaurs in museums only include bones.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there is one for each gender of humans, and one for "Korgmen & Spangs". This is most likely a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|In this exhibit the sign (which the children can not see) explains that the "{{w|Magic Eye}} poster" contains no hidden images. Magic Eye is a company that sells {{w|autostereogram}}s in books. Autostereograms contain "hidden" three-dimensional image that can only be seen by focusing one's eyes at a point other than the poster itself. This takes time and many people find it difficult or impossible to do.
</gallery>

==Transcript==
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement

:(Click to view exhibits!)

:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.

:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.

:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.

:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.

:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!

:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.

:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.

:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.
:Dad, to child: Told you so.

:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!

:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.

:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.

:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.

:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.

:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.

:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.

:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".

:Booth: A concession stand.
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.
:Dad, to child: Told you.

:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.
:Booth label: EYES CREAM
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.

:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.

:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.

:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.

:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.

:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.

:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.
:Dad: You're welcome.

:Exhibit: A large bird.
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.

:Exhibit: A rocket ship.
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.

:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.

:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.

:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.

:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Ferret]]
[[Category:Guest Week]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1333: First Date

2014-08-01T05:12:17Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1333
| date = February 21, 2014
| title = First Date
| image = first_date.png
| titletext = I sympathize with the TPP protagonist because I, too, have progressed through a surprising number of stages of life despite spending entire days stuck against simple obstacles.
}}

==Explanation==
TPP, or {{w|Twitch Plays Pokémon}}, was the first of a creative and radical new variant of streaming gameplay videos created in early 2014 — only a few days before this comic was released.

With the increasing popularity of watching video games be played (usually by 'popular' gamers known for entertaining gameplay), streaming sites dedicated to streaming gameplay were created. [http://twitch.tv/ Twitch.tv] was one such site.

Whereas traditional video game streams involved the channel broadcaster or other personality playing the game, the channel "Twitch Plays Pokémon" recorded a {{w|Internet bot|bot}} playing an emulated game of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue_Versions Pokémon Red] for {{w|Game Boy}}. The game was given inputs by the bot based on players' messages in the video stream itself. Thus, that for all intents and purposes, the watchers of the stream were playing the game, using chat "commands." The player behaved incredibly erratically, frequently getting "stuck against simple obstacles" (as mentioned in the title-text) and moving about in a strange manner ("Why are you up there?"/"Bye...Okay, coming back now"). Despite this, the player advanced surprisingly far in the game, having earned several [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Badge gym badges]. They have beaten the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Elite_Four Elite Four] and [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Champion Champion] of generations [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_I I], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_II II], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_III III], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_IV IV], and [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_V V], and an emulated version of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_X_and_Y Pokémon X] is currently being played. You can see how far they have progressed in [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Twitch_Plays_Pok%C3%A9mon this Bulbapedia article]. TPP surged in popularity rapidly from its inception, reaching 80,000 channel viewers within five days. Derivative channels (such as 'TwitchPlayers') soon arose, turning "Twitch Plays..." into an idea rather than a single channel – the idea of crowdsourcing a task, such as controlling a single person (as in the Pokémon games) for erratic and often hilarious results. The stream has reached [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/twitch-plays-pokemon memetic status], and as of this writing it is still ongoing.

In the above comic, [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are on a date, however, Megan is behaving very erratically. Cueball determines that Megan is being "controlled by Twitch," as her behavior matches well with that of the TPP protagonist (whose name, canonically, is [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game) Red]). Megan loudly declares at one point that she is "SAVING" her 'game progress', referencing the incessant saving in TPP via random button presses. The random ten-letter string she says is reminiscent of the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nickname nicknames] that all of TPP's Pokémon end up with as the players move haphazardly across the game's keyboard. Her fascination with the "cool spiral" is an allusion to TPP players' fascination with the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dome_and_Helix_Fossils Helix Fossil], an in-game item. As user input often leads to the checking of the in-game backpack, followed by erratic commands to handle the items within, it was common for various [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Valuable_item valuable items] to be haphazardly thrown away; however, players quickly discovered that the Helix Fossil, as a [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Key_item key item], could not be tossed. The players' realization that the Helix Fossil would stay in the bag almost permanently throughout the game caused TPP players to jokingly regard it with a near-religious reverence for its constant appearance, with many acting as if the protagonist was "looking to the Helix for guidance".

The title text, as explained above, simply is a light-hearted joke from [[Randall]], empathizing with TPP as he has also spent real-life days stuck against simple obstacles, and is surprised by how far he has got in life despite this.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan sit at an intimate dinner table. They have plates and glasses of wine in front of them.]
:Cueball: So, did you grow up around here?
:Megan: I love you.
:Cueball: ... huh?
:Megan: Waiter! One of everything on the menu.

:[Megan stands up. Standing on her chair, she's holding a plate.]
:Cueball: Why are you up there?
:Megan: I'm stuck. This plate looks delicious. Aaaoogaoag.

:[Megan has put the plate down and walked off-panel.]
:Megan: Bye.
:Megan: OK. Coming back now.

:[Megan is crouched on her chair, holding a spiral.]
:Cueball: You're being controlled by Twitch, aren't you?
:Megan: Check out this cool spiral!
:Cueball: It's—
:Megan: '''SAVING.'''

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

1115: Sky

2014-07-31T21:34:15Z

MrGameZone:

{{comic
| number = 1115
| date = October 1, 2012
| title = Sky
| image = sky.png
| titletext = I dropped a bird and I didn't hear it hit bottom.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Explanation is unsupported, argumentative and needs rewrite}}
There is no set rule that says the ground is down{{Template:Citation_needed}}. Yes, that is what most people think{{Template:Citation_needed}}, and what your body's instincts default to{{Template:Citation_needed}}, but down can be any direction. [[Beret Guy]] handles this in his usual way, by defining down to be toward the sky. Forcing yourself to think in a different perspective changes a lot of things that are usually thought of as mundanities. Here we are challenged with the perspective that we live pulled (by Earth's gravity) towards a ceiling (land/oceans) hanging over a bottomless abyss (space seems to be limitless). If gravity (under no control of our own) were to fail we would fly{{Template:Citation_needed}} helplessly off into the abyss. If a hole actually had no bottom, there would be no gravitational force towards its non-existing bottom.

The title text continues this idea, where someone - possibly Megan or Beret Guy - claims to have dropped a bird, and never heard it hit the "bottom". Since "down" is currently the direction space is in, there would be no "bottom" for the bird to hit, unless one were to define it as the edge of the atmosphere. If the bird were to have made a sound there, it is unlikely that the person who dropped it would be able to hear it. However, it is more likely that instead of falling into space, the bird just flew away.

==Transcript==
:[Megan approaches Beret Guy, who appears to be doing a handstand on the lawn.]
:Megan: What are you doing?
:Beret Guy: Clinging to the ceiling of a bottomless abyss.

:[Megan walks past him.]
:Megan: You are very odd.

:[Megan towards a mailbox.]

:[As she passes the mailbox, she looks up.]

:[This panel appears to be upside down. Megan is clinging to the mailbox, and Ponytail approaches her.]
:Ponytail: What's wrong?
:Megan: I looked down.

==Trivia==
*This comic's official transcript actually refers to [[Ponytail]] as Ponytail.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

80: My Other Car

2014-07-28T22:26:01Z

MrGameZone:

{{comic
| number = 80
| date = March 24, 2006
| title = My Other Car
| image = other_car.jpg
| titletext = It's much better than the other one.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to a popular form of {{w|bumper sticker}} (adhesive stickers which are usually short and wide and are designed to be put on the rear bumper of a car so that those following the car in traffic can read them) which says "my other car is a ____". Sometimes the blank is a fancy car like a Porsche or a Ferrari; sometimes it's an even more expensive transportation like "yacht" or "private jet".

The premise was to jokingly imply that someone driving in a less fancy vehicle was wealthier than they looked, as they could afford fancy car (they simply chose to drive the clunker that day). The designer of the first stickers might even have intended them for serious use by wealthy drivers. The form of sticker ultimately became so well known that the phrase entered the pop-culture lexicon.

Due to their popularity, these stickers also have been parodied in various ways, like the one [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] has invented here. Randall's sticker is a more "honest" sticker which admits "this IS my other car"; in other words, this is the nicer of my cars.

This sticker could probably be used on an expensive car to mirror the traditional sticker's use on a cheaper car. However, the car in the strip is a Mitsubishi, which is not a particularly expensive brand. Thus it appears Randall is using the sticker for contrasting purposes: while others would drive a modest car but joke that they have a really nice car at home, Randall's car is modest and, as he noted in the title text, his other car is ''much'' worse than this one.

It's also possible that this is a play on meta-levels; by definition, the car that you're driving can't be your other car, as it's this car.

==Transcript==
:[The back of a blue Mitsubishi with a spoiler is shown.]
:Bumper sticker: This IS my other car.

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

1400: D.B. Cooper

2014-07-28T21:50:05Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1400
| date = July 28, 2014
| title = D.B. Cooper
| image = d_b_cooper.png
| titletext = 'Why on Earth would someone commit air piracy just to finance a terrible movie decades later?' 'People are very strange these days.'
}}

==Explanation==

[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|Cooper]]
In 1971, a man referred to by the media as {{w|D. B. Cooper}} hijacked a Boeing 727 and escaped with the contemporary equivalent of over $1 million in ransom money. While the FBI maintains that Cooper was most likely killed when he parachuted from the plane, they have never determined his identity, and their agents still actively investigate the case, the United States' only unsolved plane hijacking.

[[File:Tommy Wiseau.jpg|thumb|Wiseau]]
In 2003, {{w|Tommy Wiseau}} released {{w|The Room (film)|''The Room''}}, considered by many the worst film ever made. In the decade since he has become something of an icon alongside his infamous movie, of which he was the producer, writer, director, and star. Surprisingly little, however, is known about him.

This comic points to similarities between several details of Cooper and Wiseau's stories:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Cooper
! Wiseau
|-
| "Vanished mysteriously with a large amount of money":Cooper escaped with $200,000 in 1971 dollars, equivalent to around $1.2M today. $5,800 of that money was recovered in 1980 in the vicinity of where Cooper jumped from the plane, but the rest was never found. Assuming Cooper survived, he would have had decades to turn the $200k into an even larger fortune.
| "Appeared myseriously with a large amount of money":''The Room'' cost $6 million to make, and initially grossed a mere $1,900—a loss of 99.97% of the investment. It is generally assumed that all or most of that money was Wiseau's own, which begs the question of how he obtained such wealth.
|-
| "Real age/name unknown":Cooper's real name remains unknown. While he was estimated to be in his mid-40s, his precise age is also unknown.
| "Colleague says he's much older than he claims":In 2010, Wiseau stated that he was 41. His friend and ''Room'' co-star {{w|Greg Sestero}}, however, says he was born in the 1950s.
|-
| "Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('negotiable American currency')":Cooper's use of this unusual phrase has led to speculation about his origins, including as to whether he was perhaps not an American.
| "Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('You are tearing me apart, Lisa!')":The most famously melodramatic line from ''The Room'', "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" is one of several which highlights Wiseau's unusual accent and less-than-complete command of the English language. As with Cooper's "negotiable American currency," it is phrased in a way not typical of American English.
|-
| "Fate unknown":Cooper has not been seen since he jumped from the plane, though the FBI has investigated over a thousand "serious suspects." He either died trying to jump from the plane, or disappeared completely after touching down.
| "Background unknown":Despite Wiseau being a public figure for over a decade since the release of ''The Room'', little is definitively known about his background. Sestero says Wiseau was born somewhere in Eastern Europe. Wiseau has said he has moved back and forth between Europe and the U.S. throughout his life, spending significant time in France and Louisiana. His accent is clearly European, but is otherwise hard to place.His legal name, place of birth, date of birth, and nationality are all unknown, as are most of the details of how he's spent his life.
|-
|}

However, these are only a few cherry-picked aspects of their lives, and do not seriously suggest that they are the same person. For instance, even if we assume that Wiseau was born in 1950, and that Cooper was only 35 (probably the youngest age which can be mistaken for mid-40s) in 1971, that leaves a 14-year gap between their ages. Likewise, Cooper was said to have either an American or Canadian accent, while Wiseau's bizarre accent is certainly not North American. While [[Cueball]]'s theory in this comic is clearly a joke on [[Randall]]'s part, given Randall's [[258: Conspiracy Theories|known]] [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition|distaste]] [[966: Jet Fuel|for]] conspiracy theories, this may also be making fun of people who base theories off of minor details while ignoring contradictory ones and bigger-picture questions. The question in the title text, for instance, notes that Cooper would have gone through a huge amount of effort just to produce a movie; a similar rhetorical device is often used against convoluted conspiracy theories, where one points out how much more easily the supposed conspirators could have accomplished their goals.

The title text goes on to attribute such a weird motive for hijacking to the impression that "people are very strange these days," which is another quote from ''The Room''.

<references/>

==Transcript==
===Panel 1===
D.B. Cooper
("Dan Cooper")

Hijacked a plane in the 1970s.
On landing, demanded money and
parachutes. Jumped from plane
mid-flight and was never found.

-----

* Vanished mysteriously with
large amount of money
* Real age/name unknown
* Ambiguous, possibly
affected speaking style
("negotiable American currency")
* Fate unknown

===Panel 2===
Tommy Wiseau
("Johnny")

Wrote, directed, and starred in
''The Room'', a film widely hailed as
"The ''Citizen Kane'' of bad movies."

-----

* Appeared mysteriously
with large amount of money
* Colleague says he's much
older than he claims.
* Ambiguous, possibly
affected speaking style
("You are tearing me apart, Lisa!")
*Background unknown

===Panel 3===

:[Images captioned Cooper (FBI sketch) and Wiseau (Flickr photo by Al Pavangkanan)]

:Offscreen: This is the dumbest theory I've ever heard.
:Cueball: But it explains ''everything!!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]

1400: D.B. Cooper

2014-07-28T21:49:20Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

258: Conspiracy Theories

2014-07-28T21:48:22Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 258
| date = May 7, 2007
| title = Conspiracy Theories
| image = conspiracy theories.png
| titletext = There are a lot of graduate-educated young-earth creationists.
}}
==Explanation==
A {{w|conspiracy theory}} purports to explain a social, political, or economic event as being caused or covered up by a covert group or organization. A typical example is the {{w|moon landing conspiracy}}, which asserts that no human has ever reached the {{w|Moon landing|Moon}}.

Once a conspiracy theory starts, it often grows stronger. Facts agreeing with the theory are, of course, evidence for the theory. Facts disagreeing with the theory are considered part of the cover-up, and thus prove there is in fact a cover-up, so they're also evidence for the theory. In the Moon landing case, videos of men walking on the Moon are assumed to be faked by Hollywood studios, so the existence of the assumed fake videos proves the cover-up. Also, the absence of filming crew or anything else needed for faking a video is considered further proof of how carefully the cover-up was planned. No matter what happens next, it will be evidence for the conspiracy theory.

People promoting this theories belong to a small minority but they gain attention by many people — often without much knowledge on that specific matter. The people are more involved in this questioned issues are just getting frustrated about this human behavior.

It could seem like smart or educated people should reject conspiracy theories for lack of proof, however this is not the case. In the comic, [[Hairy]] (who is considered "smart" by [[Cueball]]) starts pointing out errors in the {{w|September 11 attacks|"official" 9/11 story}}, obviously starting to describe the {{w|9/11 conspiracy theory}}. Cueball cuts his speech sharply, and his heart is broken because he's seeing his smart friend wasting his great intelligence in a foolish conspiracy theory, instead of doing something useful.

In the second panel, Cueball rants about conspiracy theories in general. He mentions {{w|Young Earth creationism}}, {{w|Moon landing conspiracy|the Moon landing}} and {{w|Perpetual motion}} machines. In the third panel, Hairy mentions that of course we never landed on the Moon. This frustrates Cueball so much that he just walks away with no further comment.

In the last panel, Cueball asks God to fix the bug he committed when creating smart beings capable of believing such foolish things as conspiracy theories. This is a not-so-subtle joke as, to atheists, God himself is quite similar to a conspiracy theory. Indeed, any evidence against God's existence put forward by an atheist is met with a "whatever happens, it's God's will" by believers' side. This is much like any other conspiracy theory, so in this last panel Cueball is pictured as contradicting himself by complaining that other people believe in foolish conspiracy theories when he himself is very plainly believing his own foolish conspiracy theory.

Of course, from the believers' perspective, atheism also has many characteristics of a conspiracy theory. In particular, atheism and agnosticism are a small subculture — actually smaller in the U.S. than the 9/11 Truth movement — that thinks a large majority of people (about [http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/americans-continue-believe-god.aspx 95% of Americans believe in God]) have been deluded into believing something ridiculous by conspiracies (i.e. churches and conservative politicians) that benefit from spreading misinformation on the subject. Some atheists are rational in that they take evidence against this position seriously and adjust their beliefs to fit all the facts, but some are quite willing to make claims that have been decisively refuted.

A "bug report" is a description of some error that occurred when using a computer program, to inform the developer of a problem that needs to be fixed. Filing a "bug report" to God should be unnecessary, as God is generally understood by believers to be omniscient, and thus already aware of the problem and, presumably, be allowing it to exist for inexplicable reasons of "God's will" .

The title text refers the large number of educated people who believe in {{w|Young Earth creationism}}, stating that the earth is not older than 10,000 years.

==Transcript==
:Hairy: The official story of 9-11 is full of holes. Take the—
:Cueball: Please, stop, because seeing this happen to you breaks my heart.

:Cueball: Conspiracy theories represent a known glitch in human reasoning. The theories are of course occasionally true, but their truth is completely uncorrelated with the believer's certainty. For some reason, sometimes when people think they've uncovered a lie, they raise confirmation bias to an art form. They cut context away from facts and arguments and assemble them into reassuring litanies. And over and over I've argued helplessly with smart people consumed by theories they were sure were irrefutable, theories that in the end proved complete fictions.
:Cueball: Young-Earth Creationists, the Moon Landing people, the Perpetual Motion subculture — can't you see you're falling into the same pattern?

:Hairy: You don't seriously believe we landed on the moon. Do you?

:[Cueball flees.]

:[Cueball praying:]
:Cueball: Dear God.
:[Booming from the sky:]
:God: '''YES, MY CHILD?'''
:Cueball: I would like to file a bug report.

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

1400: D.B. Cooper

2014-07-28T08:58:06Z

MrGameZone: /* Panel 3 */

{{comic
| number = 1400
| date = July 28, 2014
| title = D.B. Cooper
| image = d_b_cooper.png
| titletext = 'Why on Earth would someone commit air piracy just to finance a terrible movie decades later?' 'People are very strange these days.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This is only an outline.}}
This comic suggests that hijacker with the epithet {{w|D. B. Cooper}} (who forced the aviation industry to make several changes in security measures) and actor/director {{w|Tommy Wiseau}} are the same person, because of several reasons, presented by Cueball in a table detailing the similarities. One of the similarities are that the fate of one and the past of the other are unknown. Another is that they both disappeared mysteriously with a large amount of cash. Cooper's case remains the only unsolved air piracy in American aviation history and is still a {{w|D. B._Cooper in popular culture|popular culture phenomenon}}. However, these are only a few aspects of their lives, and certainly does not prove, or at the least persaude, that they are the same person

Cueball mentions that Cooper's true identity and what happened to the money are unknown and suggests that his theory explains both stories. Only $5,880 of the $200,000 in ransom was ever found.

The title chalks up such a weird motive for hijacking to the impression that "people are very strange these days," which is a quote from Wiseau's movie ''{{w|The Room (film)|The Room}}''.

==Transcript==
===Panel 1===
D.B. Cooper
("Dan Cooper")

Hijacked a plane in the 1970s.
On landing, demanded money and
parachutes. Jumped from plane
mid-flight and was never found.

-----

* Vanished mysteriously with
large amount of money
* Real age/name unknown
* Ambiguous, possibly
affected speaking style
("negotiable American currency")
* Fate unknown

===Panel 2===
Tommy Wiseau
("Johnny")

Wrote, directed, and starred in
''The Room'', a film widely hailed as
"The ''Citizen Kane'' of bad movies."

-----

* Appeared mysteriously
with large amount of money
* Colleague says he's much
older than he claims.
* Ambiguous, possibly
affected speaking style
("You are tearing me apart, Lisa!")
*Background unknown

===Panel 3===

:[Images captioned Cooper (FBI sketch) and Wiseau (Flickr photo by Al Pavangkanan)]

:Offscreen: This is the dumbest theory I've ever heard.
:Cueball: But it explains ''everything!!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1400: D.B. Cooper

2014-07-28T06:21:40Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1400
| date = July 28, 2014
| title = D.B. Cooper
| image = d_b_cooper.png
| titletext = 'Why on Earth would someone commit air piracy just to finance a terrible movie decades later?' 'People are very strange these days.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This is only an outline.}}
This comic suggests that hijacker with the epithet {{w|D. B. Cooper}} (who forced the aviation industry to make several changes in security measures) and actor/director {{w|Tommy Wiseau}} are the same person, because the fate of one and the past of the other are unknown. Cooper's case remains the only unsolved air piracy in American aviation history and is still a popular culture phenomenon. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper_in_popular_culture]

Cueball mentions that Cooper's true identity and what happened to the money are unknown and suggests that his theory explains both stories. Only $5,880 of the $200,000 in ransom was ever found.

The title chalks up such a weird motive for hijacking to the impression that "people are very strange these days."

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Megan

2014-07-27T09:54:22Z

MrGameZone:

----
{{Infobox character
| image = Megan.png‎
| caption = Megan, seen in [[973: MTV Generation]]
| first_appearance = [[15: Just Alerting You]]
}}
'''Megan''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is the second-most frequently appearing character, after [[Cueball]], and the most frequently appearing female character. She often appears with Cueball as a couple.

Megan does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the everywoman to his {{w|everyman}}. On the other hand, Megan does sometimes appear to have slightly specific personality traits; she has quite odd habits, and is sometimes shown to be very focused and intent on a goal. She has also been referred to by name in comics from time to time.

Early comics often feature Megan-style characters who may or may not be identified as Megan. [[Randall]] appears not to have standardized his character lineup early in the comic's run, and as a result, early characters sometimes have similar hair to Megan, but some different features.

''Explain xkcd'' originally referred to this character as 'Cutie' (thereby complementing 'Cueball' with a matching first syllable) until it was pointed out that her name was given in [[159: Boombox]].

The name Megan may derive from a lost love of the author's, given that he wrote [[420: Jealousy|a passive-aggressive toast for Megan's wedding]] in an xkcd comic about how he was madly still in love with her, put across in a way that would generally ruin the day for everyone involved.

==Characteristics==
Megan is distinguished by her black shoulder-length hair which generally appears to be parted in the middle in front, and is draped behind what are presumably her (undrawn) ears.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]

File:brokenexplainxkcdad.png

2014-07-27T04:32:27Z

MrGameZone:

428: Starwatching

2014-07-26T03:43:22Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 428
| date = May 26, 2008
| title = Starwatching
| image = starwatching.png
| titletext = I always figured the word 'blog' would sound *less* silly as the years went by.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Edit for accuracy and grammar, possibly other references of making fun of the word blog in comics}}
It's night and [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] lie down on the earth while looking into the sky. Cueball tells a story. Cueball says all dead bloggers are in the sky and watching them, and above of them all there is the master blogger Cory Doctorow. The story is interrupted when Cueball goes on to say that the {{w|Tag cloud}} opens and {{w|Cory Doctorow}} speaks. Megan interrupts, telling Cueball that he needs to "get out more or less, I cant decide". This means he should be away from the computer more so he doesn't connect everything to Cory Doctorow, but she is afraid that if he gets out more he would creep people out.

Cueball is referencing the movie {{w|The Lion King}}. The first two panels reference a scene where the protagonist, Simba, remember how his father, Mufasa, explained the night sky by saying, 'the great kings of the past are up there'. The last panel is from a scene near the climax of the movie where a the spirit of Mufasa appears to Simba in the clouds and speaks to him.

===Title Text===
In the title text, Randall mentions that he feels that the word {{w|blog}}, a {{w|portmanteau}} and an {{w|Elision}} of 'web log', is a silly word, and does not sound less silly despite becoming common in usage. This is a common theme in Randall writing and comics. Xkcd's blog is called "[http://blag.xkcd.com/ The blag of the webcomic]" in mockery of the word blog.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:Cueball: Just look at those stars.

:Cueball: My father once told me that the great bloggers of the past are up there, watching over us.

:Cueball: High above the blogosphere, a gap opens in the tag clouds. Cory Doctorow's voice booms forth...
:Megan: You need to get out either more or less. I can't decide.

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

1395: Power Cord

2014-07-16T11:46:55Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

{{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==
Always remember: DO NOT put any electrical cords in your mouth. You can be severely shocked.

In this comic, we see [[Beret Guy]] walking in from the left, as [[Cueball]] is sitting on a couch, typing on a laptop on his lap, with its power cord unplugged. Instead of connecting it to the 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.

While it is not possible to inflate a laptop like this, nor (probably) to inflate ''anything'' by blowing down a power cord, Beret Guy has previously demonstrated supernatural abilities with power cords, such as in [[1293: Job Interview]]. (Although the laptop should not actually float given that Beret Guy's breath should be ordinary air, not a lighter-than-air gas such as helium, it is a standard cartoon convention that [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AllBalloonsHaveHelium inflating something with breath nonetheless makes it lighter than air].)

The title text involves two puns on {{w|Unix shell}} commands. The first pun is on “deflation”; {{w|DEFLATE}} is a basic data compression algorithm used by the gzip utility. Using gzip to deflate (compress) the fictitious device /dev/inside is implied to deflate (remove air from) the inside of the computer. The second pun is on “{{w|Pipeline (Unix)|piping}}”, the act of using the output of one operation as the input to another. As the output of deflating (removing air from) the computer would be compressed air, a ''physical'' pipe could be used to direct the air somewhere useful. The suggestion is to direct the air to /dev/input (the input device, i.e. the keyboard) to clean it, similar to "compressed air" dusting cans. 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 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 typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy blows into the plug end of the cord blowing up the laptop]
:Beret Guy: '''PBBBBT'''
:Laptop: '''FOOMP'''

:[Beret Guy walks away, leaving Cueball to retrieve his laptop, which is floating away.]

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

Category talk:Incomplete explanations

2014-07-16T04:25:18Z

MrGameZone: /* Incomplete explanations bolded in category pages? */ new section

==Main Page==
Why is the main page in this category? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 18:51, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
: Because the current comic is transcluded in it, and as the most recent page, it usually contains the {{tl|incomplete}} tag. You'll notice that the main page is also included in the categories that the current comic happens to be part of. We really ought to figure out a way to avoid that... --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:57, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

== Incomplete explanations bolded in category pages? ==

Is this possible? I believe this could help explaining the rest of the comics faster, by directing even more attention towards them. [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 04:25, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

Category:Ferrets

2014-07-15T20:52:34Z

MrGameZone:

[[Randall Munroe|Randall's]] brother had a pet {{w|ferret}}.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Animals|ferret]]

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-15T04:39:58Z

MrGameZone: /* List of tasks to make explanation complete */

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-15T04:39:21Z

MrGameZone: /* List of tasks to make explanation complete */

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-15T00:49:12Z

MrGameZone: /* Transcript */

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-15T00:43:32Z

MrGameZone: /* List of task to make complete */ jesus christ

357: Flies

2014-07-14T20:19:21Z

MrGameZone: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 357
| date = December 14, 2007
| title = Flies
| image = flies.png
| titletext = I don't know about houseflies, but we definitely caught a lot of fruit flies with our vinegar bowl. Hooray science!
}}

==Explanation==
The saying "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" means that people are more likely to be won over with politeness than hostility.

When [[Cueball]]'s friend tells him this after he replies to a "{{W|noob}}" using swear words, he then says that the saying is literally false by saying that {{w|balsamic vinegar}} attracts more flies than honey. He then tells his friend to try it with his own {{w|Fruit fly|fruit flies}}.

When Cueball's statement is found true, as balsamic vinegar smells like sweet and decomposing fruit to the fruit flies, his friend complains to his mother that she lied to him. He then says that another saying, "a watched pot never boils", is also literally false. That saying means that an event that is monitored with impatient attention will seem to take longer.

In the title text it seems that [[Randall]] explains why he wrote this comic — his vinegar bowl attracted a lot of fruit flies. However, he has not done the experiment with {{w|Housefly|houseflies}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is typing on a computer, and his friend is lying on the floor.]
:Cueball: *$@#!
:Friend: Hey, ease up on the noobs. Like my mom always said, you catch more flies with honey then with vinegar.

:[Cueball has turned his chair around.]
:Cueball: No, you don't.
:Friend: You don't?
:Cueball: Nope, set out a bowl of balsamic and a bowl of honey. The vinegar gets more.

:[Cueball's friend is now sitting on the floor.]
:Friend: ...Seriously?
:Cueball: You have fruit flies. Try it yourself.

:Later:
:[Cueball's friend is standing in front of a table, talking into a phone. On the table, there are two bowls, and the bowl on the left seems to be surrounded by flies.]
:Friend: Mother! You ''lied'' to me! And it gets worse. I was watching a pot yesterday, and guess what it did? It ''boiled,'' mother.

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