explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1714: Volcano Types

2016-08-02T06:44:54Z

Oblivion: Minor edit by a passing grammar nazi. Nothing to see here, move along.

{{comic
| number = 1714
| date = August 1, 2016
| title = Volcano Types
| image = volcano_types.png
| titletext = It's hard living somewhere with antlions, because every time you find one of their traps, you feel compelled to spend all day constructing a tiny model of Jabba's sail barge next to it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a table of 12 different types of volcano. Split into 3 rows, the first 4 are authentic types of volcano; while the remaining 8 are parodies, one not even trying to represent a volcano but shows a real animal in its inverted trap cone.

Volcanoes have featured in many comics, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d5/1608_Entire_Volcano_plateau_zoom_out_extra.png most prominently] in the left part of the world (the Lord of the Rings section) of [[1608: Hoverboard]]. This comics volcano looks like it could soon turn into a Somma volcano...

===Real volcanoes===
* {{w|Cinder cone}}: small, steep-sided volcano formed of {{w|scoria}} and ash.
* {{w|Shield volcano}}: wide, rounded volcano formed of solidified lava flow.
* {{w|Stratovolcano}}: large volcano formed of layers (strata) from multiple eruptions.
* {{w|Somma volcano}}: new volcanic cone in the middle of an old collapsed volcanic crater.

===Joke volcanoes===
* Metasomma volcano: nested layers of new volcanoes formed inside of old ones. "Meta" is a prefix that often denotes recursion.
* {{w|Waffle cone}}: type of pastry that ice cream is served in, wholly unrelated{{Citation needed}} to volcano cones.
* Science fair cone: common elementary science experiment that is often used as a project for science fairs. A structure is built to resemble a model volcano and is filled with a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and sometimes food coloring. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar quickly produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, creating a foam that overflows and mimics a volcanic eruption. In this picture, there are people running away from the volcano that are much smaller than it. This is likely a reference to [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]], either the scale-model people on the first volcano, or real people running from the baking soda supervolcano (in this case two [[Cueball]]-like guys and [[Megan]]).
* [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skull-trumpet Doot] cone.
* {{w|Antlion}}: burrowing insect that digs a conical hole to catch prey at the larval stage. Maybe a reference to {{w|Formica Leo}}, a small volcanic crater in the Reunion island named after the antlion.
* Inverse Volcano: as the name implies, a regular volcano but reversed. A real volcano consists of solid rock on the outside, magma on the inside and spewing lava from the top.
* Ghost Vent: cone with ghosts coming out of it. It may be a reference to {{w|Scientology}}, where part of the faith states that the souls of aliens were stored in a volcano from which they later escaped. The ghosts could also refer to the {{w|Pac-Man}} video game.
* Pedant's Bane: the joke is that people sometimes confuse magma and lava, which are different names for the same heated liquid rock. Magma becomes lava when it emerges from a volcano. Pedant's Bane is therefore impossible by definition but if it were possible, then a pedant correcting someone's description of it would be wrong. Alternatively, the illustration itself could be Pedant's Bane because a pedant would be lured into pointing out how wrong it is. This is a direct reference to the pedant in [[1405: Meteor]].

The title text refers to a famous scene in ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi}}'' where {{w|Jabba the Hutt}} intends to feed {{w|Luke Skywalker}} to the {{w|Sarlacc|sarlacc}}, an underground creature that builds a huge funnel trap similar to that of an antlion. [[wikia:c:starwars:Khetanna|Jabba's distinctive sail barge]] features prominently in that scene, and when Randall comes upon an antlion he can't help himself starting to build a scale model next to the antlions inverted cone. Given how small antlions are, this will be very difficult to do, see for instance [[878: Model Rail]].

==Transcript==
:[Twelve drawings in four rows of different "volcano" types, the first four real, and some not even volcanoes of any sort, real or fake. Below each panel is a caption with the name of the drawn volcano. Some of the volcanoes have labels or sound written inside the panel. Each of the volcanoes has a baseline for the ground going straight a short distance over the bottom of each panel. All 11 volcanoes lie on top of this line, but some show the inside of the volcano going further into the ground.]

:[Standard cone shaped volcano, with straight sides sloping up to a triangular shape, but with the tip of the cone cut off to form the central jagged edged crater. White smoke rises straight up and then drifts to the left forming three separate clouds.]
:Cinder Cone

:[Flat rounded shaped volcano, as a part of a circle. There is not a real crater visible but from the center a thin plume of smoke rises up, drift drifts to the left and forms a small white cloud.]
:Shield Volcano

:[This is the largest volcano. The tip of this volcano is similar to the first volcano, but with more uneven slopes and a bit smaller. The tip is clearly separated from the bottom section by a thin jagged line, and below the sides of the volcano decreases their slope, so they are less steep than the tip. Black smoke rises straight up from the crater and then drifts to the left in four thin lines.]
:Stratovolcano

:[A wide volcano spans the entire panel, with a large central crater, with a bottom baseline far above the ground level. Just left of the middle of this crater is a standard smaller volcano cone, very similar to the shape of the tip in the previous panel. Even the smoke from this cones small crater is similar to the previous panels.]
:Somma Volcano

:[The central part of this volcano is the same shape as the previous panel. This could be a zoom out, revealing that the large crater, is at the center on an even larger crater, which again is at the center of a crater that spans the panel. A plume of black smoke rises from the centeral cones crater, and drifts left as five white clouds.]
:Metasomma Volcano

:[A perfect cone-shape, triangular and steep, with checkered ice cone waffle texture, even with a line indicating where the waffle has been a folded. It looks like a road up the volcano. Black smoke drift up from the sharp tip, no crater, and drifts left forming a small cloud separated from the rest of the smoke lines.]
:Waffle Cone

:[Standard cone as in the first, but zoomed in so it fills the panel from left to right. The volcano's top has been cut much further down leaving a wide crater from which lava is pouring down the sides in large rivers of different width and length. To the left one long river has almost reached the ground. Cueball is running down the left side, and Megan is running after another Cueball with his arms up on the right side. There is a label with an arrow pointing to the lava:]
:Label: Baking soda and vinegar
:Science Fair Cone

:[Standard cone like the previous, but with more jagged sloped and crater. This volcano erupts with a large explosion with fire and smoke coming out in all directions above the crater. A large sound is written above the explosion:]
:Sound. <big>'''Doooooot'''</big>
:Doot Cone

:[This is not a volcano, but the inverse, a cone down into the ground, the ground level no above the center of the panel. The slope down into this cone hole is straight, the ground above is more jagged. At the bottom of the hole sits a small animal with six legs and an open mouth piece sticking up out of the hole. Its fat body is hidden under the ground along with its legs.]
:Antlion

:[Standard volcano cone like the previous volcano. It erupts and the central part shows how the erupting material comes up from below ground level (below the line at the bottom in which the cone it self stands). The erupting material is white rocks on black background. At the top several rocks is blown out of the crater top. The sides of the volcano is filled with blobs small and large, and stones rolling down the sides. There are two labels, each with two arrows. The first labels arrows points to the side of the volcano, the second labels arrows points to the erupting material inside and outside the volcano:]
:First label: Lava
:Second label: Solid rocks
:Inverse Volcano

:[Standard cone like the doot cone, with a crater that bends down in the middle. From this crater eight white ghosts with two black eyes are rising, like the smoke, drifting left. The highest ghost is just reaching the edge at the top left of the panel. The lowest ghost is still inside the crater with its wavy lower parts.]
:Ghost Vent

:[A standard cone like the doot cone. At the top there is lave over the outer edges, some of it running down the side. The inside of the volcano has been drawn like in the inverse volcano, so it is clear that the magma inside the volcano comes up from below ground level (below the line at the bottom in which the cone it self stands). There are two labels that contradicts the description above. The top label outside the volcano points to the lava with an arrow, and the bottom label inside the volcano points to the magma:]
:Top label: Magma
:Bottom label: Lava
:Pedant's Bane

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Food]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Geography]]

1653: United States Map

2016-03-10T19:17:56Z

Oblivion: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1653
| date = March 9, 2016
| title = United States Map
| image = united_states_map.png
| titletext = It would be pretty unfair to give to someone a blank version of this map as a 'how many states can you name?' quiz. (If you include Alaska and Hawaii, you should swap the Aleutian Islands with the Hawaiian ones.)
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List how the states are swapped around using the table}}

The comic is a map with the (rough) outline of the {{w|Contiguous United States|mainland}} of the {{w|United States of America}}. At first it looks like the real map, but actually all the states have been shuffled around in it. It seems that [[Randall]] took all of the states (minus {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}}, the two states that are not part of this map and are only mentioned in the title text, see below), and then reassembled them in the style of a jigsaw puzzle, with the end result being a map with a similar outline to the original [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png unaltered mainland state map]. They can thus be reassembled into the real map as can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/88/1653-rearranged.png here] (see also the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]).

Previously Randall has played with the shapes of the united states in [[1079: United Shapes]]. In that map he did two separate drawings for {{w|Michigan}} with a mitten in the {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|lower part}} and an eagle in the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan|upper part}}. Once again in this version he has split Michigan in two, the lower main part, the mitten just labeled ''Michigan'', is on the west coast on part of {{w|California|California's}} location, but the upper part is located on the east coast over {{w|New York|New York's}} location and has been labeled ''MI (upper)''. So even without Hawaii and Alaska, there are 49 "states" in this map, consisting of 47 states plus the two halves of Michigan. In the [[#Table|table]] below all 49 states in the map has been listed to indicate where the puzzle pieces have been moved to.

It seems at a first glance that the names have been written on the states as they would appear in a normal map, and that they have all then been rotated with the rotation of the states. But this is not the case for all states. For instance it seems like {{w|Utah}} has hardly been moved at all, and with the name written normally this may be intentionally to deceive the readers. Because Utah has been turned upside down, and according to how for instance {{w|Texas}}, clearly turned upside down, has it's name written upside down as well, Utah should thus also have been written like that.

It seems likely that this could be a trick by Randall, to see if anyone spots that Utah has actually been moved. But it could of course be a mistake, as seems more likely with {{w|Montana}} where the same "error" has occurred, but since this state has been moved far from it's real position there would be no sport in doing so (see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]). Of course there is the possibility that "Utah" was on purpose and Montana by mistake. With 47 of 49 ending up rotated as expected on the map and only two exactly upside down, there can be no doubt that it was on purpose that the the names are written according to the states rotation for the 47. Note that for instance the state California has been rotated, but in a way so the text is written normally. But due to the direction of the state, it is normal to write the name tilted down along the state, which just coincidentally ends up being rotated normal in the position it has in the comic.

Other states that have not been moved a lot include California which has only been pushed down the length of the west border of the US (and thus rotated acordingly), so the top part still overlaps with the bottom part California, but also {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. {{w|Maine}} has only been rolled left (i.e. turned upside down) to just outside its normal position. {{w|Colorado}} has been moved up a state to where {{w|Wyoming}} usually is, and Wyoming has then just been shifted right. But both have been turned 90 degrees, whichever way would be impossible to say for these rectangular states. But the text, if you dare believe in that, seems to indicate they have been turned counter clockwise. {{w|Wisconsin}} has only been shifted down below its usual position but then turned upside down.

The title text mentions how it would be unfair to use a [http://i.imgur.com/Mvi8j9s.jpg blank version] (already created by a user) of this shuffled-up map as a quiz for knowledge of U.S. geography; most people recognize states primarily by their relative locations, not their shape (and especially not their shape after being rotated). It also suggests a corresponding mean trick to play if you include Alaska and Hawaii, which are not present in the comic itself, namely to interchange the volcanic island of Hawaii (consisting of 8 main island and hundreds smaller ones) with those of the {{w|Aleutian Islands}}, also a chain of volcanic islands (14 large and 55 smaller) that partly belongs to the US partly to Russia. The island extends from the {{w|Alaska Peninsula}}. It would thus be possible to even make it difficult to correctly name these last two states, even though it would be obvious to begin with that it must be the two not belonging to the mainland.

==Table==
*This table lists all states in the order of the transcript. But it can be sorted alphabetically.
*Its purpose is two fold:
**To list the rotation of the state compared to the real orientation of the state in the real world map
**To list which state/states the states, in this comics map, have been moved over/inside.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State
! Orientation
! Moved to
! Note
|-
| {{w|Ohio}} || Upside down || Washington ||
|-
| {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}} || Upside down || Oregon ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (lower part)}} (as {{w|Michigan}})|| Upside down || Northern California|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one on each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Maryland}} (as MD) || Upside down || Central California (Southern Bay Area) ||
|-
| {{w|California}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern California, Southern Arizona, Southern New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Kansas}} || Upside down || Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Pennsylvania}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Oregon, Idaho ||
|-
| {{w|Oklahoma}} || Rotated clockwise || Idaho, Montana ||
|-
| {{w|New Mexico}} ||None || Nevada, Northern California ||
|-
| {{w|Nebraska}} || Upside down || Northern New Mexico, Northern Arizona||
|-
| {{w|South Dakota}} || None || Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Colorado}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western Wyoming ||
|-
| {{w|Wyoming}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Eastern Wyoming || Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Utah}} || Upside down || Utah, Northern Arizona || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Montana. Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Alabama}} || None || Western Colorado ||
|-
| {{w|Massachusetts}} (as MA) || Rotated counter clockwise || Central New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Virginia}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Arizona}} || Rotated counter clockwise || North Dakota ||
|-
| {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western Iowa, Eastern South Dakota, Eastern Nebraska ||
|-
| {{w|Montana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Colorado, New Mexico and Texas || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Utah.
|-
| {{w|New York}} || None || Westernmost tip of Texas || Missing Long Island.
|-
| {{w|Minnesota}} || Upside down || Minnesota || Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Texas}} || Upside down || Missouri, Arkansas, Western Kansas, Iowa, Southern Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|Connecticut}} (as CT) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and New Mexico border ||
|-
| {{w|Mississippi}} (as Missi-ssippi) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and Oklahoma border ||
|-
| {{w|Nevada}} || None || South Western Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Idaho}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Texas, Southern Louisiana ||
|-
| {{w|South Carolina}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southernmost Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Missouri}} || Upside down || Eastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, Michigan's upper peninsula, Lake Superior ||
|-
| {{w|Wisconsin}} || Upside down || Illinois || Very deformed, loses its Western indentation
|-
| {{w|Kentucky }} || Rotated clockwise || Western Wisconsin, Western Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|North Dakota}} || Rotated clockwise || Mississippi ||
|-
| {{w|Florida}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern Michigan, Northern Ohio ||
|-
| {{w|North Carolina}} || Rotated clockwise || Southern Michigan, Eastern Indiana ||
|-
| {{w|Indiana}} || None || Alabama ||
|-
| {{w|Rhode Island}} (as RI ) || Unclear rotation, perhaps counter clockwise || Louisiana (New Orleans area) ||
|-
| {{w|Oregon}} || Rotated clockwise || Ohio, West Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|Iowa}} || None || Western North Carolina, South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Tennessee}} || Upside down || Northern Florida (Panhandle), Southern Alabama, Southern Georgia ||
|-
| {{w|Illinois}} || None || Florida ||
|-
| {{w|Maine}} || Upside down || Northern New York, Vermont ||
|-
| {{w|New Hampshire}} (as NH) || None || Western Pennsylvania ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (upper part)}} (as MI (upper))|| Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise || Pennsylvania and New York|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one at each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Arkansas}} || None || Eastern Maryland, Eastern Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|New Jersey}} (as NJ)|| None || Eastern South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Louisiana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Maine ||
|-
| {{w|West Virginia}} || Rotated 45 degree clockwise || Southern New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Delaware}} (as DE) || Rotated counter clockwise || Connecticut, Rhode Island ||
|-
| {{w|Vermont}} (as VT) || Upside down || Either New Jersey or Delaware (unclear) ||
|}

==Transcript==
:[A white map with an outline that closely resembles that of the mainland of the United States of America with gray all around the black border. But on closer inspection most of the states do not look right. The 48 mainland states are all there, however, with their name or abbreviations written on them as a label in gray text. But they have all been shuffled around and then reassembled as a jigsaw puzzle in the same shape as USA. The name labels for most of the states have been rotated, often to follow the new rotation of the state in the map. So some are written upside down or have been rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise or even somewhere in between. One state, Michigan, has even been split up in two so there are 49 instead of 48 labels. For the states that have been named only with state abbreviations the full name is written in brackets behind the transcript of the abbreviation. Here below all the states are listed approximately in columns going from the top left and down and then moving right to the next column across the map. Any rotation of the text from normal is noted in brackets behind the name.]
:Ohio [Upside down]
:Georgia [Upside down]
:Michigan [Upside down – but only bottom part]
:MD [Upside down - Maryland]
:California [Text not rotated, but state is rotated counter-clockwise]
:Kansas [Upside down]
:Pennsylvania [Rotated clockwise]
:Oklahoma [Rotated clockwise]
:New Mexico
:Nebraska [Upside down]
:South Dakota
:Colorado [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Wyoming [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Utah [Text normal, but state is upside down, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:Alabama
:MA [Rotated counter clockwise – Massachusetts]
:Virginia [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Arizona [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Washington [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Montana [Rotated clockwise - but the state is rotated counter clockwise, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:New York
:Minnesota [Upside down]
:Texas [Upside down]
:CT [Rotated clockwise –Connecticut]
:Missi-
::ssippi [Rotated clockwise - text split with hyphen]
:Nevada
:Idaho [Rotated clockwise]
:South Carolina [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:Missouri [Upside down]
:Wisconsin [Upside down]
:Kentucky [Rotated clockwise]
:North Dakota [Rotated clockwise]
:Florida [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:North Carolina [Rotated clockwise]
:Indiana
:RI [Label below in the ocean –Rhode Island]
:Oregon [Rotated clockwise]
:Iowa
:Tennessee [Upside down]
:Illinois
:Maine [Upside down]
:NH [New Hampshire]
:MI (upper) [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise – Michigan but only upper part]
:Arkansas
:NJ [New Jersey]
:Louisiana [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise - but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:West Virginia [Rotated 45 degree clockwise]
:DE [Rotated counter clockwise – label to the right in the ocean – Delaware]
:VT [Upside down –Vermont]

==Trivia==
*Using two A3 printouts of both the [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png real map] from Wikipedia and this comic, is approximately the same scale it was possible to reassemble US putting the states in their correct place.
**The result displayed surprisingly accurate drawings of the states, although it is clear that on the borders between states that are not drawn by a ruler, they cannot be correct for both states in all cases.
**From this map it becomes clear that not only Utah but also Montana has the text written upside down according to the correct position of the state.
[[File:1653_United_States_Map_49_piece_jigsaw_solved.jpg]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Maps]]

1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T07:11:39Z

Oblivion: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1549
| date = July 10, 2015
| title = XKCD Phone 3
| image = xkcd_phone_3.png
| titletext = If you're not completely satisfied with the phone after 30 days, we will return you to your home at no cost.
}}

{{Incomplete|First draft}}

==Explanation==
This is a follow up to [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]]. It parodies common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features to a fictional phone.

*'''Ear screen''': A strange phrase as the word screen refers to a visual artifact while the ear process sound. It may refer to the loudspeaker.
*'''Heartbeat accelerator''':
*'''MobilePay money clip''': While mobile pay is a form of payment involving electronic transfers via cellphone, this model includes a money clip; a way of holding physical bills together, which beats the purpose of electronic payment. whether this is a clip that transfers money digitally or the phrase mobile pay is just a marketing tag is unknown.
*'''Siri, or whoever it was we put in here''': A joke on intelligent personal assistants. It also jokes that Siri and the like are actually people, trapped inside of phones.
*'''Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through''':
*'''theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random''':
*'''Fingerprint randomizer''': Presumably randomises the user's finger print, which may or may not be inconvenient depending on the intent of the user. It is not clear whether the device will change the person's fingerprint into a human-like fingerprint that is randomly selected from all possibilities, or if it completely mangles the fingerprint of the user.
*'''USB E (hotswappable)''':
*'''waterproof, but can drown''': Perhaps a reference to Siri or the person trapped in the phone drowning, but the phone itself staying functional.
*'''Foretold by prophecy''': Likely mocking people on the internet who attempt to predict when Apple will release their next device.
*'''Runs Natively''':All software in the phone will run specifically to the capabilities of the internal hardware. This would make the phone incapable of running most widely used applications from app stores, which would render it useless to most people.
*'''Wristband''': Probably mocking trending smart watches
*'''Wireless discharging''': Many modern cellphones feature wireless charging, which uses electromagnetic induction to charge the battery of the device. This model, apparently uses the same technology to discharge the battery; which, of course is something undesired, as one needs the battery's energy to run the phone.
*'''Magnetic stripe''': A data storage method used by devices such as credit cards and key cards to hold and transfer smalls amounts of information like key codes. Usually cellphones don't have them as they utilize more robust and protected ways to store and transmit data. The magnetic stripe shown would also be very annoying as it seems to block part of the screen. It's also likely unusable with current magnetic stripe readers due to the phone's thickness, in contrast to that of regular cards.
*'''2 AA batteries (not included)''': A phrase usually shown on small low powered electronic devices like remote controllers, and not on cellphones; which need to be constantly recharged for continuous use.
*'''boneless''': Reference to meat products being boneless, i.e. having all the bones removed, making it convenient to cook or eat. Unclear why a phone would be boneless since it is mostly inedible, perhaps a reference to the person trapped inside having their bones removed to make them easier to fit inside.

The title text is a joke on guarantees and customer service. Usually the advertisement says that if the customer is not satisfied with the product, they'll refund the money and take the product back at no additional cost. In this case they guarantee the customer they'll send him/her home without charge; implying they wont fix or refund anything.

==Transcript==
:Ear screen
:Heartbeat accelerator
:MobilePay money clip
:Siri, or whoever it was w put in here
:Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through
:theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random
:Fingerprint randomizer
:USB E (hotswappable)
:waterproof, but can drown
:Foretold by prophecy
:Runs Natively
:Wristband
:Wireless discharging
:Magnetic stripe
:2 AA batteries (not included)
:boneless

:Introducing
:The XKCD phone 3
:we made another one

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

1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T07:09:45Z

Oblivion: /* Explanation */ typo fix -- yeah, sorry, grammar nazi alert

{{comic
| number = 1549
| date = July 10, 2015
| title = XKCD Phone 3
| image = xkcd_phone_3.png
| titletext = If you're not completely satisfied with the phone after 30 days, we will return you to your home at no cost.
}}

{{Incomplete|First draft}}

==Explanation==
This is a follow up to [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]]. It parodies common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features to a fictional phone.

*'''Ear screen''': A strange phrase as the word screen refers to a visual artifact while the ear process sound. It may refer to the loudspeaker.
*'''Heartbeat accelerator''':
*'''MobilePay money clip''': While mobile pay is a form of payment involving electronic transfers via cellphone, this model includes a money clip; a way of holding physical bills together, which beats the purpose of electronic payment. whether this is a clip that transfers money digitally or the phrase mobile pay is just a marketing tag is unknown.
*'''Siri, or whoever it was we put in here''': A joke on intelligent personal assistants. It also jokes that Siri and the like are actually people, trapped inside of phones.
*'''Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through''':
*'''theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random''':
*'''Fingerprint randomizer''': Presumably randomises the user's finger print, which may or may not be inconvenient depending on the intent of the user. It is not clear whether the device will change the person's fingerprint into a human-like fingerprint that is randomly selected from all possibilities, or if it completely mangles the fingerprint of the user.
*'''USB E (hotswappable)''':
*'''waterproof, but can drown''': Perhaps a reference to Siri or the person trapped in the phone drowning, but the phone itself staying functional.
*'''Foretold by prophecy''': Likely mocking people on the internet who attempt to predict when Apple will release their next device.
*'''Runs Natively''':All software in the phone will run specifically to the capabilities of the internal hardware. This would make the phone incapable of running most widely used applications from app stores, which would render it useless to most people.
*'''Wristband''': Probably mocking trending smart watches
*'''Wireless discharging''': Many modern cellphones feature wireless charging, which uses electromagnetic induction to charge the battery of the device. This model, apparently uses the same technology to discharge the battery; which, of course is something undesired, as one needs the battery's energy to run the phone.
*'''Magnetic stripe''': A data storage method used by devices such as credit cards and key cards to hold and transfer smalls amounts of information like key codes. Usually cellphones don't have them as they utilize more robust and protected ways to store and transmit data. The magnetic stripe shown would also be very annoying as it seems to block part of the screen. It's also likely unusable with current magnetic stripe readers due to the phone's thickness, in contrast to that of regular cards.
*'''2 AA batteries (not included)''': A phrase usually shown on small low powered electronic devices like remote controllers, and not on cellphones; which need to be constantly recharged for continuous use.
*'''boneless''': Reference to meat products being boneless, i.e. having all the bones removed, making it convenient to cook or eat. Unclear why a phone would be boneless since it is mostly inedible, perhaps a reference to the person trapped inside having their bones removed to make them easier to fit inside.

The title texts is a joke on guarantees and customer service. Usually the advertisement says that, if the customer is not satisfied with the product, they'll refund the money and take the product back at no additional cost. In this case they guarantee the customer they'll send him/her home without charge; implying they wont fix or refund anything.

==Transcript==
:Ear screen
:Heartbeat accelerator
:MobilePay money clip
:Siri, or whoever it was w put in here
:Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through
:theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random
:Fingerprint randomizer
:USB E (hotswappable)
:waterproof, but can drown
:Foretold by prophecy
:Runs Natively
:Wristband
:Wireless discharging
:Magnetic stripe
:2 AA batteries (not included)
:boneless

:Introducing
:The XKCD phone 3
:we made another one

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