explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:991: Phantom Menace

2013-12-17T02:50:57Z

Neito:

Episode I is so much maligned that some fans have created their own viewing order:

*IV: A New Hope
*V: The Empire Strikes Back
*II: Attack of the Clones
*III: Revenge of the Sith
*VI: Return of the Jedi

Skipping The Pantom Menace entirely. [http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/]

[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 23:26, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

I like to believe that being in line early is a phantom menace.--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 05:37, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

I actually saw the 3D rerelease... [[User:BlueDudeWithATude|BlueDudeWithATude]] ([[User talk:BlueDudeWithATude|talk]]) 15:43, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

I think that the existing explanation kind of misses the comic entirely. The comic was published 2 months before the 3D rerelease, so we can assume that the events of the comic take place at the same time as the publishing and so the characters are standing there at least 2 months early. Also, Cueball says "Let's give it one more month" to the suggestion that they aren't even in line for a theatre, suggesting that a) they've probably been waiting for at least a month, and b) they're so dedicated that they went to watch the movie without even knowing where they were going. So, my explanation would be that the characters are die-hard Star Wars fans, willing to watch even the much-maligned Episode I and also convinced of the sheer importance of this event that they're willing to line up at least 3 months in advance at what might not even be a theatre. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:57, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

I'm reasonably certain (but not so certain as to edit the article) that the joke is not that they're waiting for the re-release of Phantom Menace in 2012, but the original release in 1999. [[User:Neito|Neito]] ([[User talk:Neito|talk]]) 02:50, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

755: Interdisciplinary

2013-12-16T00:46:22Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 755
| date = June 18, 2010
| title = Interdisciplinary
| image = Interdisciplinary.png
| titletext = Replace the pendulums with history students and you'll qualify for a grant!
}}

==Explanation==
Here the comic lampoons the concept of ‘Interdisciplinary Programs’ by envisioning an oddball exercise involving both physics majors and psychology students. Strictly speaking, this event could be categorized as an interdisciplinary program, because it is a plan involving students from different disciplines. The study of pendulums is common in physics courses, and the concept of fear arises in psychology, thus the joint effort unifies both subjects. In addition, pendulum-like motion (from objects such as a gold pocketwatch on a chain) is stereotypically used in portals of Psychology as a device for hypnotism.

The image text suggests that replacing the pendulums with history students would guarantee funding of a grant, perhaps because of the increased number of disciplines involved.

This is another theme in xkcd. The ripping of Psychology, History, and English majors is very common in various comics.

==Transcript==
:[2 men and 1 woman stand in the foreground, while in the background, a woman stands on a platform and releases a pendulum hanging from the ceiling toward a man who is running away.]

:Cueball: This is an interdisciplinary program in which Physics students try to hit Psychology students with pedulums.
:Megan: Promising!
:Background man: AAAAAAA!

:My professors had an ongoing competition to get the weirdest thing taken seriously under the label "interdisciplinary program."

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

578: The Race: Part 2

2013-12-14T23:23:27Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 578
| date = May 5, 2009
| title = The Race: Part 2
| image = the_race_part_2.png
| titletext = The Hammer + Captain Tightpants == Captain Hammerpants?
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}} was a television series aired by FOX in 2002 that got cancelled mid-way through, but has a large fan base nowadays (for a more comprehensive explanation, see the Wikipedia page). The star of the show was Captain Malcolm (or Mal) Reynolds, played by {{w|Nathan Fillion}}.

Megan tries to play the rational card, and insist that the characters of major TV shows must get tired of fans' never-ending need to see them playing that character, and never being themselves. Nathan Fillion, however, appears to miss the days of Firefly so much that he spends his time reenacting his role as Malcolm at home.

In the fourth panel Cueball suggests they race for charities, which would mean the winner gets to donate the prize money to their charity of choice. In the fifth panel Fillion, takes the phrase and twists it to mean that the winner gets the charity. This is why Cueball says the confused line "Come again?"

The title text refers both to Mal being referred to by Kaylee as "Captain Tightpants" in the episode "Shindig," and to Captain Hammer, a superhero played by Nathan Fillion in another series created by Joss Whedon: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Hammerpants refer to the odd, puffy parachute pants worn by 90s rapper MC Hammer.

All comics in "[[The Race]]" series:
*[[577: The Race: Part 1]]
*[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
*[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
*[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
*[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

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

==Transcript==
:[Cueball with skateboard and gear and Megan are talking.]
:Cueball: "Why race him?" He's ''Captain Reynolds!''
:Megan: Mr. Fillion is an actor. Firefly was years ago.

:[They go over to a computer; Cueball is using a phone and presumably looking up a phone number.]
:Megan: He has his own life to live, and I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is indulge a fan by playing Mal for him.

:Meanwhile...
:[Nathan Fillion is standing in front of a mirror in a trenchcoat.]
:Nathan: (into the mirror) Name's Captain Reynolds, ma'am. *ahem* Name's Captain Reynolds, ma'am.
:Someone offpanel: Nathan? Telephone!
:Nathan: That's ''Captain!''
:Someone offpanel: Fine, Captain Nathan.
:Nathan: No, use my '''space''' name!
:Someone offpanel: *sigh*

:[Nathan and Cueball talk on the phone.]
:Cueball: So, how about we race for charities?

:Nathan: Sure. Always did want a charity of my own.

:Cueball (between panels): Come again?

:Nathan: You know, boxes in supermarkets collecting food. 'Course, ought to tack up a list sayin' which wines I like best...

:Cueball: Uh, that's not quite—
:Nathan (over the phone): Listen, I'm the captain here.
:Cueball: ...I just got goosebumps when you said that.

:Nathan: Yeah, happens to me too whenever I get captainy. I cut such a strapping figure.
:Nathan: Buckle! Swash!
:Nathan: All right, let's do this race.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Nathan Fillion]]
[[Category:The Race]]
[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:Electric skateboard]]

575: Tag Combination

2013-12-14T23:19:18Z

Neito: Elaborated on tags, removing "incomplete" tag.

{{comic
| number = 575
| date = April 29, 2009
| title = Tag Combination
| image = tag combination.png
| titletext = I love Eileen / and want you to love her / When you're around / I'm one floor above her / If you could see / just how much I adore her / Oh, that pretty red dress / I'd do anything for her / (Too ra loo ra too ra loo rye ayy)
}}

==Explanation==

Song tags are a form of file {{w|Metadata}} used to categorize music. Tags will typically describe the content and genre of the song, and many music organization programs and services will allow users to find all songs that contain a particular tag; so when a user searches for "Country breakup music," they will receive a list of {{w|Country music|country}} songs about breaking up.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] tests [[Megan]]'s claim that she can make a song name for any set of tags by coming up with a collection of mostly unrelated words: "{{w|lesbian}} {{w|voyeurism}} {{w|one-hit wonder}} {{w|Mashup (music)|mash-up|}}." A lesbian is a woman who is only romantically interested in other women. Voyeurism is the act of watching someone else do something sexual, generally without their knowledge. A one-hit wonder is a band that had "one big hit" before fading from the public eye forever. A mash-up is when you take two previously unrelated songs and make a third song that's a mix of both of them (a recent example of which would be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82LCKBdjywQ this Gangam Style/Ghostbusters theme mashup]). In response, Megan almost immediately replies with two song titles that look like they would fit the tags well.

Megan's first title, "I Wish That Stacy's Mom Had Jessie's Girl" is a ''mash-up'' of Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield, and Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, which were both ''one-hit-wonders''. The second title, "When You Come on Eileen I Touch Myself" is a ''mash-up'' of Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and I Touch Myself by {{w|Divinyls}}.

The title text is a set of potential lyrics to Megan's second title.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: So you can come up with a song title fitting any tag combination?
:Megan: Try me.
:Cueball: Lesbian voyeurism one-hit wonder mash-up.
:Megan: "I wish that Stacey's Mom had Jessie's Girl."

:Cueball: Well, that was one, but-
:Megan: "When you Come On Eileen I touch myself."
:Cueball: Okay, wow.

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

575: Tag Combination

2013-12-14T23:18:09Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 575
| date = April 29, 2009
| title = Tag Combination
| image = tag combination.png
| titletext = I love Eileen / and want you to love her / When you're around / I'm one floor above her / If you could see / just how much I adore her / Oh, that pretty red dress / I'd do anything for her / (Too ra loo ra too ra loo rye ayy)
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|If people could elaborate on the specific tags used in the comic, that would be great. Not a music buff, don't know much about these tags.}}
Song tags are a form of file {{w|Metadata}} used to categorize music. Tags will typically describe the content and genre of the song, and many music organization programs and services will allow users to find all songs that contain a particular tag; so when a user searches for "Country breakup music," they will receive a list of {{w|Country music|country}} songs about breaking up.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] tests [[Megan]]'s claim that she can make a song name for any set of tags by coming up with a collection of mostly unrelated words: "{{w|lesbian}} {{w|voyeurism}} {{w|one-hit wonder}} {{w|Mashup (music)|mash-up|}}." A lesbian is a woman who is only romantically interested in other women. Voyeurism is the act of watching someone else do something sexual, generally without their knowledge. A one-hit wonder is a band that had "one big hit" before fading from the public eye forever. A mash-up is when you take two previously unrelated songs and make a third song that's a mix of both of them (a recent example of which would be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82LCKBdjywQ this Gangam Style/Ghostbusters theme mashup]). In response, Megan almost immediately replies with two song titles that look like they would fit the tags well.

Megan's first title, "I Wish That Stacy's Mom Had Jessie's Girl" is a ''mash-up'' of Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield, and Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, which were both ''one-hit-wonders''. The second title, "When You Come on Eileen I Touch Myself" is a ''mash-up'' of Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and I Touch Myself by {{w|Divinyls}}.

The title text is a set of potential lyrics to Megan's second title.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: So you can come up with a song title fitting any tag combination?
:Megan: Try me.
:Cueball: Lesbian voyeurism one-hit wonder mash-up.
:Megan: "I wish that Stacey's Mom had Jessie's Girl."

:Cueball: Well, that was one, but-
:Megan: "When you Come On Eileen I touch myself."
:Cueball: Okay, wow.

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

526: Converting to Metric

2013-12-14T21:59:15Z

Neito: /* Mass */

{{comic
| number = 526
| date = January 5, 2009
| title = Converting to Metric
| image = converting to metric.png
| titletext = According to River, "adequate" vacuuming systems drain the human body at about half a liter per second.
}}

==Explanation==
Most people will eventually develop an intuitive feel for how big certain measurements are (e.g., how long an inch or a foot is, how much a pound weighs). This comic points out that people who were brought up using the {{w|Imperial measurement|imperial system}} probably don't have the same intuitive understanding for metric units and attempts to provide some benchmarks for these people. Most of the benchmarks are common sense, highly-useful ones (e.g., if it's 30 degrees centigrade, you'd be quite comfortable outside dressed for the beach) but some of the benchmarks are humorous and/or completely useless. Benchmarks include:

===Temperature===
*-20⁠℃ - FuckFuckFuckCold and -30⁠℃ - Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!: This is basically what some people would say when they step outside at this temperature.
*-40⁠℃ - Spit goes "clink": The temperature at which your spit would freeze ''before'' it hits the ground.

===Length===
*1 cm - Width of microSD card and 3cm - Length of SD card: Refers to the {{w|MicroSD card|memory cards}} used in cell phones, digital cameras, etc.
*1 m - {{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber Blade}}: Refers the weapon used in the {{w|Star Wars}} movie franchise. Canonically, the length of a Lightsaber's blade varies greatly depending on the setting of the weapon, but "one meter" is by no means a bad approximation.
*170 cm - {{w|Summer Glau}}: Refers to the height of the actress who portrays the character River Tam on the TV show {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}.
*200 cm - Darth Vader: Refers to the height of the main antagonist from Star Wars.
*16 m 4 cm - Human tower of Serenity crew: Again, this refers to the Firefly TV show, which takes place mostly on a space ship called Serenity. Presumably, if all the crew of Serenity were stacked on top of each other, this would be their combined height. The comic depicts four characters from the show standing on top of each other; the bottom figure is the crew's captain, {{w|Malcolm Reynolds}} in his signature coat.

===Speed===
*110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 MPH): Refers to the {{w|Interstate|American highway system}}.
*120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65": People routinely break the aforementioned speed limit.

===Volume===
*30 mL - Nasal Passages and 40mL - Shot Glass: The comic points out that you could just about fill a shot glass using the mucus from your nose. Since shot glasses are usually used for mixed drinks, the comic jokes that this mucus could constitute a new, disgusting drink.
*3 L - Two-liter bottle: Refers to a bottle which contains two liters (in the US usually soda) but itself occupies almost three liters (eg. when submerged).
*30 L - Milk Crate: Refers to a {{w|Milk crate|type of small box}} originally used to transport milk but now often in demand to be used as bicycle basket, storage spaces, etc.
*55 L - Summer Glau: Again, this refers to the actress from Firefly.
*65 L - {{w|Dennis Kucinich}}: An American politician belonging to the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party}}, noted for his relatively strong (for the US) leftest views.
*75 L - {{w|Ron Paul}}: An American politician belonging to the rival {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican party}}, noted for his strong rightest views. As hinted at in the comic, he, Kucinich and Glau would not get along at all well together trapped inside a fridge.

===Mass===
*3 g - {{w|M&M's|Peanut M&M}}: A small chocolate candy
*5 kg - {{w|Lcd monitor|LCD Monitor}}: A modern flat-screen-style monitor.
*15 kg - {{w|CRT monitor|CRT Monitor}}: An older-style, cathode ray tube-based monitor.
*4 kg - Cat and 4.1 kg - Cat (With Caption): Refers to the internet's love of putting {{w|Lolcat|captions on cats}}. Usually, this is done in a graphics program, but here the cat is actually physically carrying around his caption. The "with caption" part is most likely a reference to [[262:_IN_UR_REALITY|Comic 262]], where [[Black Hat]] glues captions to cats.
*150 kg - Shaq: {{w|Shaq|Shaquille O'Neal}}, a famously tall basketball player.
*200 kg - Your Mom, 220 kg - Your Mom (incl. cheap jewelry) and 223 kg - Your Mom (also incl. Makeup): Refers to a common type of {{w|Your mom|joking insult}} whereby someone insults someone else's mother in a creative way. Here, the comic slyly calls your mom fat and implies she wears way too much jewelry and almost 7 pounds of makeup.

The title text refers once again to Summer Glau's Firefly character, River, who (after being subjected to a long series of medical experiments) is severely mentally ill and often comes out with macabre—though scientifically accurate—pronouncements.

==Transcript==
:Guide to Converting to Metric
:The key to converting to metric is establishing new reference points. When you hear "26 degrees centigrade", instead of thinking "That's 79 degrees fahrenheit" you should think, "that's warmer then a house but cool for swimming." Here are some helpful tables of reference points:

:Temperature:
:60 degrees centigrade - Earth's Hottest
:45 degrees centigrade - Dubai Heat Wave
:40 degrees centigrade - Southern US Heat Wave
:35 degrees centigrade - Northern US Heat Wave
:30 degrees centigrade - Beach weather
:25 degrees centigrade - Warm Room
:20 degrees centigrade - Room Temperature
:10 degrees centigrade - Jacket Weather
:0 degrees centigrade - Snow!
:-5 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Boston)
:-10 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Moscow)
:-20 degrees centigrade - FuckFuckFuckCold
:-30 degrees centigrade - Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
:-40 degrees centigrade - Spit goes "clink"
:[Stick figure next to last three lines.]
:Man: ''Pthoo'' [Man spits.]
:Spit: ''Clink!'' [Spit bounces off ground.]

:Length
:1cm - Width of microSD card
:3cm - Length of SD card
:12cm - CD Diameter
:14cm - Penis
:15cm - BIC pen
:80cm - Doorway width
:1m - Lightsaber Blade
:170cm - Summer Glau
:200cm - Darth Vader
:2.5m - Ceiling
:5m - Car-length
:16m4cm - Human tower of Serenity crew
:[Human tower of Serenity crew stick figures depicted taking up from second line of panel to bottom.]

:Speed
:5 kph - 1.5 m/s - Walking
:13 kph - 3.5 m/s - Jogging
:25 kph - 7 m/s - Sprinting
:35 kph - 10 m/s - Fastest Human
:45 kph - 13 m/s - Housecat
:55 kph - 15 m/s - Rabbit
:75 kph - 20 m/s - Raptor
:100 kph - 25 m/s - Slow Highway
:110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 MPH)
:120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65"
:140 kph - 40 m/s - Raptor on Hoverboard

:Volume
:3mL - Blood in a fieldmouse
:5mL - Teaspoon
:30mL - Nasal Passages
:40mL - Shot Glass
:So when it's blocked, the mucus in your nose could about fill a shot glass.
:[Image of a shot glass.] Related: I've invented the worst mixed drink ever.
:350mL - Soda Can
:500mL - Water Bottle
:3L - Two-Liter Bottle
:5L - Blood in a Human Male
:30L - Milk Crate
:55L - Summer Glau
:65L - Dennis Kucinich
:75L - Ron Paul
:200L - Fridge
:[Cueball shoving Ron Paul, Summer Glau, and Dennis Kucinich into fridge.]
:[Above fridge, circled, is 55+65+75<200]

:Mass
:3g - Peanut M&M
:100g - Cell Phone
:500g - Bottled Water
:1kg - Ultraportable Laptop
:2kg - Light-Medium Laptop
:3kg - Heavy Laptop
:5kg - LCD Monitor
:15kg - CRT Monitor
:4kg - Cat [Drawing of cat.]
:4.1kg - Cat (With Caption) [Drawing of cat, going "Mrowl?", and holding a caption.]
:60kg - Lady
:70kg - Dude
:150kg - Shaq
:[Stick figure of Megan and Cueball beside previous 3 lines.]
:200kg - Your Mom
:220kg - Your Mom (incl. cheap jewelry)
:223kg - Your Mom (also incl. Makeup)

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

496: Secretary: Part 3

2013-12-14T20:56:58Z

Neito: /* 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 Radio Shack 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}} was 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. 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 soldiers who were "quartered" in his nuclear sub without his permission.

All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:
*[[494: Secretary: Part 1]]
*[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]
*[[496: Secretary: Part 3]]
*[[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]]

340: Fight

2013-12-11T18:56:01Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 340
| date = November 9, 2007
| title = Fight
| image = fight.png
| titletext = And she put sweet nothings in all my .conf files. It'll take me forever to get X working again.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|boot sector}} of a hard drive is where the information for {{w|operating system}}s is stored. It tells the computer to load a program, in most cases this is an operating system. If this sector is overwritten (say, by a love letter from an angry girlfriend), an operating system stored on the drive can't be booted into.

The ''.conf'' files of {{w|Linux}}- and {{w|Unix}}-based systems are text based files where all the settings for various applications are stored. Since all the configurations were replaced with "sweet nothings" - whispered lovers' talk, or literal nothings (blank space or meaningless jumbles of characters) - none of the programs work as they should. X is the {{w|X Window System}}, the most common windowing system used on modern Linux and Unix systems. It's notoriously hard to configure correctly, even when starting from a known good configuration, let alone a destroyed one.

==Transcript==
:We had a fight last night.
:[Cueball is sitting in a sofa, head in both hands, feeling upset.]
:I guess she's still mad.
:[Megan is standing with arms crossed in front of her chest, with the same mood.]
:I woke up to find she'd written a sappy love note
:[Cueball is standing in front of a computer, with a cup in his hand.]
:to my boot sector.
:[The cup now lies on the floor, Cueball is looking at the computer with disbelief.]
:Computer: Operating system not found

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

Talk:325: A-Minus-Minus

2013-12-11T16:17:51Z

Neito:

Why should the woman be [[Danish]]? She wasn't introduced at this point, and has different hair. --[[Special:Contributions/141.89.226.146|141.89.226.146]] 10:32, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

:Good point; I've edited the transcript accordingly. Thanks! - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 12:19, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

- What can we learn from this? - I've learned to expect the unexpected and laugh my ass off when I figure out the reason behind it (Thank you for all the laughs and lessons, Mr. XKCD) - [[User:E-inspired|E-inspired]] ([[User talk:E-inspired|talk]]) 16:36, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Does this explanation still need to be listed as incomplete? I really don't think so. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 17:23, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:I did remove the incomplete tag after entering more clear internal comic links. But this is still more a link collection than an explanation. I'm still not happy with this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:43, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

The explanation is clear, but is there some specific e-Bay meaning to A-Minus-Minus (A--) ? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 19:45, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

I put in my take on A--. Maybe someone can check this, and remove the incomplete tag. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.160|199.27.128.160]] 05:03, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

I think that A−− is a grade, proportional to 97%. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.199|108.162.212.199]] 12:25, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

Since it seems like we've explained every possible interpretation of the title, I'm removing the "incomplete" tag. [[User:Neito|Neito]] ([[User talk:Neito|talk]]) 16:17, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

325: A-Minus-Minus

2013-12-11T16:17:21Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 325
| date = October 5, 2007
| title = A-Minus-Minus
| image = a-minus-minus.png
| titletext = You can do this one in every 30 times and still have 97% positive feedback
}}
==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] is trying to make the world a weirder place by shipping bobcats to his {{w|eBay}} buyers. Ordinarily, negative feedback is used to warn future buyers about sellers that ship broken products or post misleading listings. In this case, the unfortunate buyer is leaving feedback warning future buyers that Black Hat ships bobcats instead of the actual products, though "would not buy again" seems to be a rather feeble response to the replacement. This appears to have been a continuing project, as [[Cueball]] receives random packages a year and a half later ([[576: Packages]]). Four years later, it is shown that you can blackmail Black Hat into not sending you a bobcat ([[837: Coupon Code]]).

Like the weak "would not buy again" comment is a play on the stock "would buy again" comment often found in positive eBay feedback, the title "A-Minus-Minus" is a play on the frequent comment "A++". That in turn, sometimes with varying numbers of pluses, seems to be an easy way people use to pad the end of an eBay comment field to the maximum 80 characters. It may also be a subtle reference to the {{w|Futurama}} episode {{w|A Big Piece of Garbage}}. At one point in that episode, one character, as an act of petty revenge, gives another "the worst grade imaginable": an A-minus-MINUS.

The title text is about a flaw in eBay's feedback system: You can intentionally do nasty things to your buyers and get ''very'' bad reviews, but still have overall high feedback scores as long as you don't do it too often. (See also [[937: TornadoGuard]], which shows a different flaw in the concept of averaging reviews—namely that five-star reviews for aesthetic qualities are weighted equally to one-star reviews for major functional deficits—and [[1098: Star Ratings]], which addresses the topic as well.) These reviews would be disregarded by future customers as well for their weirdness.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is packing a bobcat into a box; Megan stands beside him.]

:Megan: What are you doing?
:Black Hat: Making the world a weirder place.

:Bobcat: ''mrrowlll''
:[Black Hat has finished taping the package for shipping.]
:Black Hat: Starting with my eBay feedback page.

:[Bandaged person at a computer with assorted debris around the floor.]
:Screen: comments:
:Bandaged person typing: Instead of office chair package contained bobcat.
:Bandaged person typing: Would not buy again.

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

325: A-Minus-Minus

2013-12-11T16:17:08Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 325
| date = October 5, 2007
| title = A-Minus-Minus
| image = a-minus-minus.png
| titletext = You can do this one in every 30 times and still have 97% positive feedback
}}
==Explanation==

{{Incomplete|What about the title of the comic, A--?}}

[[Black Hat]] is trying to make the world a weirder place by shipping bobcats to his {{w|eBay}} buyers. Ordinarily, negative feedback is used to warn future buyers about sellers that ship broken products or post misleading listings. In this case, the unfortunate buyer is leaving feedback warning future buyers that Black Hat ships bobcats instead of the actual products, though "would not buy again" seems to be a rather feeble response to the replacement. This appears to have been a continuing project, as [[Cueball]] receives random packages a year and a half later ([[576: Packages]]). Four years later, it is shown that you can blackmail Black Hat into not sending you a bobcat ([[837: Coupon Code]]).

Like the weak "would not buy again" comment is a play on the stock "would buy again" comment often found in positive eBay feedback, the title "A-Minus-Minus" is a play on the frequent comment "A++". That in turn, sometimes with varying numbers of pluses, seems to be an easy way people use to pad the end of an eBay comment field to the maximum 80 characters. It may also be a subtle reference to the {{w|Futurama}} episode {{w|A Big Piece of Garbage}}. At one point in that episode, one character, as an act of petty revenge, gives another "the worst grade imaginable": an A-minus-MINUS.

The title text is about a flaw in eBay's feedback system: You can intentionally do nasty things to your buyers and get ''very'' bad reviews, but still have overall high feedback scores as long as you don't do it too often. (See also [[937: TornadoGuard]], which shows a different flaw in the concept of averaging reviews—namely that five-star reviews for aesthetic qualities are weighted equally to one-star reviews for major functional deficits—and [[1098: Star Ratings]], which addresses the topic as well.) These reviews would be disregarded by future customers as well for their weirdness.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is packing a bobcat into a box; Megan stands beside him.]

:Megan: What are you doing?
:Black Hat: Making the world a weirder place.

:Bobcat: ''mrrowlll''
:[Black Hat has finished taping the package for shipping.]
:Black Hat: Starting with my eBay feedback page.

:[Bandaged person at a computer with assorted debris around the floor.]
:Screen: comments:
:Bandaged person typing: Instead of office chair package contained bobcat.
:Bandaged person typing: Would not buy again.

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

322: Pix Plz

2013-12-11T15:18:26Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 322
| date = September 28, 2007
| title = Pix Plz
| image = pix_plz.png
| titletext = But one of the regulars in the channel is a girl!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The behave of the man (Cueball) must be better explained.}}
Though this comic predates it, there is a [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet meme] (also known as [http://rules-of-the-internet.urbanup.com/2799580 Rule 16] or [http://rulesoftheinternet.com Rule 30] [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rules-of-the-internet of the Internet]) that states there are no girls on the Internet. This comes partly from a stigma that girls are too stupid to go on the Internet, and partly that they are afraid of such a male-dominated subculture. The {{Wiktionary|puerile}} nature of the Internet creates a repulsive force because of exactly what [[Cueball]] is doing. As soon as anyone claims to be a female online there will invariably be a slew of "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tits-or-gtfo tits or gtfo]" replies.

[[Cueball]] behaves this way out of a (potentially) joking {{w|misogyny}}. One of the "jokes" of certain areas of the internet (especially IRC and 4chan) is that women are only "good for" certain things, such as sex, pornography, and the like. By making such a huge deal out of her being a girl, he directs unwanted, perhaps negative, attention at any female to join, making them wish to abandon the area that they're in.

[[Black Hat]], while usually a destructive force, and self-proclaimed [[Classhole|classhole]], stands up for women everywhere. He enlists the help of a [[Ponytail]] character named Joanna to [http://banhammer.urbanup.com/1921346 ban] Cueball from the Internet.

{{w|IRC}} is the acronym for Internet Relay Chat. It is a protocol that eventually evolved into the {{w|instant messenger}}s, {{w|chat room}}s, and {{w|XMPP|XMPP (formerly Jabber)}} servers around today. With the advent of live-streaming video online, IRC channels are making a come-back as a way for hosts and audiences to communicate with each other in real-time.

An {{w|Electromagnetic pulse|EMP}} is an electromagnetic pulse that will disrupt electronics from functioning normally. An EMP is an unusual spike in voltage. Small EMPs will disrupt electricity momentarily, larger EMPs are capable of burning out circuitry.

For the record, the assertion that "there are no girls on the Internet" has become ''completely'' false in the six years since this comic was first posted. The phrase still finds use, but as a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GIRL warning] rather than a supposed fact.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat stands in the entrance to a room. The door has been broken down. A surprised Cueball has turned away from his computer to face the remains of the door.]
:Black Hat: Hi. I'm here about the girl who visited your IRC channel last night looking for Java help.
:Cueball: What did you do to my door?

:Black Hat: When someone with a feminine username joins your community and you say "OMG a woman on the Internet" and 'jokingly' ask for naked pics, you are being an asshole. You are not being ironic. You are not cracking everybody up. You are the number one reason women are so rare on the Internet.
:Black Hat: At least, the parts of it <u>you</u> frequent.

:[Ponytail enters the room, holding some sort of device.]
:Black Hat: As someone who likes nerdy girls, I do not appreciate this. I'm here to ban you from the Internet. The gal behind me with the EMP cannon is Joanna - she'll be assigned to you for the next year. Try to go online and she'll melt your PC.
:Cueball: Dude, she's hot. Is she single?
:Black Hat: Joanna, fire.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

321: Thighs

2013-12-11T15:12:30Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 321
| date = September 26, 2007
| title = Thighs
| image = Thighs.png
| titletext = My thighs have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
In each panel, Cueball sings a line from a different song ({{w|Survivor (band)|Survivor}}'s "{{w|Eye of the Tiger}}", {{w|Dean Martin}}'s "{{w|That's Amore}}", and {{w|Van Morrison}}'s "{{w|Brown Eyed Girl}}"), replacing the word "eye" in each with the word "thigh". It's probable, in the last panel, that Megan's "ewww" refers to the fact that brown thighs would be eminently possible via an act of poor defecation on oneself.

The title text references the first line of {{w|The Battle Hymn of the Republic}}, and is a sex joke, playing on the word coming, which in this case could mean either arrival or ejaculation.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball singing, Megan at computer]
:Cueball: It's the thigh of the tiger
:Cueball: When the moon hits your thigh like a big pizza pie, that's amore.
:Cueball: She's my brown-thighed girl.
:Megan: Don't you have a job or something?
:Megan: Also, Eww.

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

284: Tape Measure

2013-12-11T03:57:07Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 284
| date = July 2, 2007
| title = Tape Measure
| image = tape_measure.png
| titletext = This sequence was later reproduced in the International Tape-Extending Federation archives, retitled 'The Founding of the Sport'.
}}

==Explanation==
At this comic [[Cueball]] acts like a small boy, finding a tape measure and then playing with it. He then extends it to 8 feet, wondering whether or not that was a record, which makes him imagine a sport where extending the tape measure as far as possible was the goal.

The title text refers to a future where this sport exists and this comic is a representation of the origin of this sport.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball finds a tape measure.]
:Cueball: Hey, a tape measure.

:[Cueball extends the tape measure.]
:''extend extend''

:[The tape measure falls.]
:''clatter''

:[Cueball tries again.]
:''click''
:''schwoop''

:''extend extend''

:''extend''

:Cueball (thinking): Ooh, eight feet. I wonder if that's a record.

:[Cueball imagines an olympic stadium, with three people extending tape measures]
:Audience: ''Gooo! Goooo! Gooooooo!''

==Triva==
*That "Eight feet" should be "2.4384 meters" or approx. 2.5 meters by using the Metric system.
*Most countries are using the metric system, but the US is still on miles, yard, feet, gallons... and this causes confusion in international conversations.

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

182: Nash

2013-12-10T16:03:21Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

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

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

Feynman shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his important work in {{w|quantum electrodynamics}}. Feynman wrote {{w|Richard Feynman#Popular works|popular books}} and gave public lectures. These presented his work advanced theoretical physics to the general public, a practice that was not very common at that time. One of his more famous books, ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' gives many personal anecdotes from his lifetime, and it contains a passage giving advice on the best way to pick up a girl in a bar.

The aforementioned public books and lectures brought him great attention in the media, and his exceptional results in physics coupled with this have led to his getting an almost [http://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/02/magazine/tm-10496 cult-like following] among scientists. He's also (largely due to his book) known as something of a womanizer. Thus why he would take several women home at once.

The title text explains this: [[Randall]] wonders whether this "collective crush" (crush as in love affair) will fade away one day, but he doubts it. Great respect for Feynman continues to this day, even though he died about a quarter-century ago.

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

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

80: My Other Car

2013-12-10T03:31:11Z

Neito: /* Explanation */

{{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==
:[A blue driving Mitsubishi with spoiler.]
:Bumper sticker: This IS my other car.

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

1301: File Extensions

2013-12-09T16:14:13Z

Neito:

{{comic
| number = 1301
| date = December 9, 2013
| title = File Extensions
| image = file_extensions.png
| titletext = I have never been lied to by data in a .txt file which has been hand-aligned.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more detail}}

The form of presentation can say a lot about the content. {{w|File extension}}s are a quick way of checking the type of a file, and this comic comments on how file extensions can tell us a few things things about the contents.

* {{w|.tex}} is for {{w|TeX}} and {{w|LaTeX}} source files; it's often used by academics, especially in mathematics and the hard sciences. .tex means serious business.
* {{w|.pdf}} is a document format by Adobe, frequently used for publication — a final product, a polished work.
* {{w|.csv}} is just a bunch of data delimited by commas, probably computer-generated and containing raw data (from, say, a scientific experiment).
* {{w|.txt}} is a plain text file; it's usually programmers who use these (e.g. README files).
* {{w|.svg}} is a vector graphics format used a lot for diagrams, such as on Wikipedia.
* {{w|.xls}} and {{w|.xlsx}} are Excel spreadsheets. Mostly these contain a mix of raw data (as with .csv) and calculations using that data. Excel is part of the Microsoft Office bundle.
* {{w|.doc}} is a rich-text document format, used by Word as part of the Microsoft Office bundle. Any clown with Windows could easily make one of these, which is probably why Randall doesn't trust it much.
* {{w|.png}} is a bitmap image format designed for the Internet. It is enjoying wide popularity for providing crisp, full-color images with lossless (invisible) compression.
* {{w|.ppt}} refers to a Microsoft Office Powerpoint file.
* {{w|.jpg}} or {{w|jpeg}} is a bitmap image format, excellent for storing photos, but not too good for most other things. This file format is prone to annoying compression artifacts; storing numerical or textual information in a JPEG file is typically a bad idea. Digital cameras use .jpg, so .jpeg means that the photo has been edited with a photo manipulation software or that the file doesn't contain a photo at all. Therefore, you can't trust the content of a .jpeg file. Further, there is also the ''possibility'' that [http://www.geek.com/news/updated2-new-virus-embeds-itself-in-jpg-images-549279/ viruses] can get embedded into jpeg files.
* {{w|.gif}} is a bitmap image format capable of short animations. It was once ''the'' Internet image file format until PNG gradually replaced it for many good reasons. It made a comeback in recent years, mostly for silly clips of cats falling into boxes. Since its the only common format for animated images, it's also the preferred format for blinking website ads that tell that you're the 100,000,000th visitor and have won a prize ([[570]] makes fun of this). It's also very popular in the online adult industry, both for content and for ads. In addition, because it can be animated, people will often make seemingly normal images that then have something pop out and startle you.

==Transcript==
:Trustworthiness of Information by File Extension
:[A bar graph charting this. No units or figures are given, but for ease of comprehension this transcript will arbitrarily designate the highest score as "+100"; subsequent scores are estimates based on the size of their bars.]
::.tex: +100
::.pdf: +89
::.csv: +85
::.txt: +67
::.svg: +65
::.xls/.xlsx: +49
::.doc: +21
::.png: +15
::.ppt: +14
::.jpg: +3
::.jpeg: -8
::.gif: -36

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