explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

276: Fixed Width

2022-05-04T19:37:48Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241140 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 276
| date = June 13, 2007
| title = Fixed Width
| image = fixed_width.png
| titletext = I wish I knew how to quit this so I wouldn't have to quit you.
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
Fixed width or {{w|monospaced font}} refers to the font used in old teletype terminals and some {{w|instant messaging}} clients (often {{w|Courier (typeface)|Courier}}).

For two text lines to have the same length, it's easier if they are in a monospaced font. For example, the following sentences are the same length in a monospaced font, but since we are using a {{w|proportional font}}, those lengths are not exact (the third line is noticeably wider):

:<rob> last night was nice
:<emily> the best i've had
:<rob> yeah it was AMAZING


The title is possibly a double reference, both to a monospaced font and to lines of the same length.

Initially, by mere chance, Emily's and [[Rob]]'s lines were exactly the same length. This made Rob want to continue the pattern.

That Rob feels forced to change what he wants to type to continue the pattern could be a symptom of {{w|obsessive–compulsive disorder}}.

Because of the monospaced font, any reply with 19 characters (including space) would have continued the pattern. In particular, "definitely for real" or "i'm in love with you" would have worked.

In the title text Rob continues to write a sentence: "I wish I knew how to quit this so I wouldn't have to quit you." He acknowledges that he has a problem, since he cannot quit his desire to keep the fixed width. If he could have quit this desire, then he would not have had to quit Emily. But since he felt he had to keep the fixed width, he involuntarily wrote something that felt for Emily as if he quit her. And he was too late out with his apology for her to read it.

==Transcript==
:[A man, Rob, is sitting at a computer. The text is an IRC-style transcript of a conversation, in a fixed-width font. He is text-messaging a girl he slept with named Emily; their messages read as follows:]
<pre>
<rob> hi
<emily> hey you
<rob> last night was nice
<emily> the best i've had
<rob> yeah it was AMAZING
<emily> ok, i have to ask
<emily> is this for real?
<emily> or is it just sex
<rob> definitely just sex
<emily> holy shit
<emily> are you serious?
<emily> you don't know how much that made
my stomach hurt
<emily> i want to cry
<rob> i'm sorry
<rob> i wanted to type 'i love you'
<rob> but our line lengths were syncing up
<emily> ...
<rob> and it would have broken the pattern
* emily has disconnected
</pre>

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

1010: Etymology-Man

2022-05-04T19:37:13Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240955 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1010
| date = January 30, 2012
| title = Etymology-Man
| image = etymology_man.png
| titletext = I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Aquaman were here instead--HE'D be able to help.
}}

==Explanation==
This became the first comic in a two comic series about the [[:Category:Etymology-Man|Etymology-Man]]. The second following two comics later in [[1012: Wrong Superhero]].

This comic is a take on the traditional appearance of a super hero when a disaster strikes. In this case, Etymology-Man arrives, who apparently has the power of {{w|Etymology}} — the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. As Etymology-Man is explaining the history of the words "{{w|tsunami}}" and "tidal wave", the water starts rising around them. As the waters continue to rise, he continues to only explain the words, rather than attempting to save them as a superhero should. The comic is a dig at academics who prefer to talk about issues when taking action is more appropriate.

Also, the title text is a play on how useless {{w|Aquaman}} is (perceived to be) compared to other superheroes, as his powers — breathing underwater, speed swimming, and communicating with sea life — are very difficult for writers to make relevant. Indeed, in the case of a flood, Aquaman and his aquatic allies would be able to assist with evacuations.

The irony of the situation comes from the fact that Etymology-Man ''also'' has the power of flight and could in fact save Cueball and Ponytail if he was not so busy talking about the origin of the word "tidal wave".

Inexplicable is the fact that Cueball and Ponytail both know exactly who this "superhero" is, and ergo presumably realize that what he is telling them is useless, but they don't even attempt to get to safety. There are few possible explanations for this: perhaps they are simply accepting their fate instead of trying to escape, or even that learning cool word facts takes precendence over saving their own lives, or they have been distracted by Etymology-Man's lecture and were caught by surprise by the fast tidal wave.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail are facing each other, with wavy lines around them to indicate they are experiencing the shaking of an earthquake.]
:Cueball: Earthquake!
:Ponytail: We should get to a higher ground - There could be a tidal wave.

:[A frame-less panel with Cueball and Ponytail, with Cueball taking a pedantic pose and raising a finger.]
:Cueball: You mean a tsunami. "Tidal wave" means a wave caused by tides.

:[A crash is heard, followed by Etymology-Man flying in while wearing a cape.]
:Etymology-man: You know, that doesn't add up.
:Cueball and Ponytail: Etymology-man!

:[Etymology-man takes a pedantic pose.]
:Etymology-man: What ''does'' "tidal wave" mean? There are waves caused by tides, but they're "tidal bores", and they're not cataclysmic.
:It can refer to the daily tide cycle, but that's obviously not what people mean when they say "a tidal wave hit".
:It's been obvious for centuries that these waves come from quakes. So why "tidal"?

:[Panel zooms in on Etymology-man.]
:Etymology-man: Remember that until 2004, there weren't any clear photos or videos of tsunamis. Some modern writers even described them rearing up and breaking like surfing waves [sic]
:Of course, in 2004 and 2011, it was made clear to everyone that a tsunami is more like a rapid, turbulent, inrushing tide - exactly what historical accounts describe.

:[Water begins to rush in. Etymology-man keeps his pedantic pose.]
:Etymology-man: Maybe those writing about Lisbon in 1755 used "tidal wave" not out of scientific confusion, but because it described the wave's form — a description lost in our rush to expunge "tidal wave" from English.

:[The water is now waist-deep. Etymology-man continues to drone on, but the others start to panic.]
:Etymology-man: "Tsunami" is now the standard, and I'm not trying to change that. But let's be a tad less giddy about correcting "tidal wave" - especially when "tsunami" just means "harbor wave", which is hardly...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Etymology-Man]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]

591: Troll Slayer

2022-05-04T19:36:46Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241145 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 591
| date = June 1, 2009
| title = Troll Slayer
| image = troll slayer.png
| titletext = We have met the enemy and he is us.
}}

== Explanation ==
{{w|Stephenie Meyer}} is the author of the {{w|Twilight (novel series)|Twilight novels}}, a series of {{w|vampire}} novels popular with young teens. It is a love it or hate it type of novel, with a large following and a large portion of haters as well.

In the comic, {{w|4chan}}, an {{w|imageboard}}, is featured. Imageboards such as 4chan have the feature to post anonymously. The users of 4chan launch an attack on a Twilight board and Stephenie Meyer asks them to stop. When they refuse, Meyer writes 4chan into her next novel, thereby drawing in a large number of fans of her novel as a counter-attack to what 4chan ran on the Twilight forum. This results in what the original 4chan users consider a ruined imageboard.

The title of the comic is drawn from the internet slang term {{w|troll (internet)|troll}}, which refers to actively attempting to get a rise out of a forum. In this instance, 4chan attempted to troll a Twilight board and Meyer acted against the troll, making her a "slayer" of them. Obviously the pimpled boy she chats with is very dismayed by this result, as there are now so many more vampire-book-fans than computer geeks on 4chan, and they cannot get through with any of their funny/evil plans anymore. There may also be a reference to the famous {{w|vampire slayer}} known as {{w|Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Buffy}}, seeing that Stephenie's main character vampires do not need to be slain, but she then turns on those who tries to do so in real life on the message board.

The pictures used on the two panels showing the 4chan imageboard tells a lot about their users. It is unclear what the text page refers to. And also what it is that [[Cueball]] is standing next to. But a black hat, as shown in the third picture is typical for an internet troll (see the xkcd version of [[Black Hat]]), and also the guy saying {{w|LOL}} is already laughing out loud at you before you read his text. He also LOL's in his comment about the angsty teens that reads the books, and whom he looks forward to trolling.

In the second 4chan panel all four images relate to ''Twilight''. The first picture most likely depicts {{w|Edward Cullen}} and {{w|Bella Swan}} (from the movies) standing with their backs against each other. This person enjoys being anonymous.
The second picture with the text ''Dawnz'' refers, in "plural" form, to the last book ''{{w|Breaking Dawn}}'' which was split into two films {{w|The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1|part 1}} and {{w|The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2|part 2}}. This person wish to know about peoples favorite vampire, exactly the kind of questions the trolls would have mocked on the Twilight board, now infesting their own site. The third picture is of a person who has tried to dress up like a {{w|goth}} vampire, even commenting on the darkness of the picture. The last picture depicts the cover of the last book ''Breaking Dawn'' with the two chess pieces. This fan seems to be searching for a date around Dallas...

The title text refers to {{w|Walt Kelly}}'s famous {{w|Pogo_(comic_strip)#.22We_have_met_the_enemy_and_he_is_us..22|saying}}. Kelly used it to refer to all of mankind, whereas here it refers to the users of 4chan, by bringing on the enemy of their forum themselves.

==Transcript==
:[A list of post comments alongside pictures on a website. The first picture shows a page from a book/website with a small black picture with a white feature in the upper left corner and text to the right and below it. The second picture shows Cueball in front of three people, with a unclear drawing to the right (is it a canon?). The third picture shows a man with a black hat holding up a sword to the left and a trumpet to the right. The fourth and last picture is cut off in the middle at the bottom of the frame. The visible top part shows a drawing of a mans face from the nose/ears and up. The man has black hair and says LOL].
:Text picture: Hey, let's troll the fuck out of the Twilight boards
:Cueball picture: I'm in. Should be fun
:Man with sword picture: Me too. Signing on now.
:LOL face picture: Lol angsty teens.

:[Stephenie Meyer is shown sitting facing right and chatting at her computer. She get's a reply from the screen. It looks like she actually speaks the lines of text to someone, but she only types it in via the keyboard. This becomes clear in in the next panel where the pimpled boy she talks to obviously types his reply on the keyboard. Across the top border of the frame is a smaller frame with a caption:]
:Hours Later:

:Stephenie Meyer (typing): Hi, it's Stephenie Meyer. Fine, you don't like my books. But please leave us alone.
:Pimpled boy (from computer): Show us your tits.
:Stephenie Meyer (typing): I asked politely. Don't make me get tough.

:[A boy with lots of pimples and black hair is sitting at his computer typing (facing the other way towards Stephenie in the previous panel). He writes his reply on the keyboard and receives a reply from Stephenie coming out of the computer.]
:Pimpled boy (typing): And what, call the internet police? You don't get it, do you? We've been trolling for years. We're all anonymous. There's nothing you can do to hurt us. We're the net's hate machine.
:Stephenie Meyer (from computer): Okay. Just remember, I gave you a chance. <code>*Disconnected*</code>.

:[A page from a book is shown lying slanted across the panel. Some of the text is thus cut off at the edges of the frame. The first eight lines can be read clearly, even though the last letter in both the 2nd and sixth line is partly cut-off. Below that there are four incomplete lines, where only the visible part will be transcribed, but a good guess at the missing text is written in square brackets. Across the top border of the frame is a smaller frame with a caption:]
:Six Months Later:

:Vampires! Book VI

:Edward ran a pale hand
:through his perfect golden-
:bronze hair, then signed
:on to 4chan.org, the darkest
:place on the internet, where
:all his vampire compatriots
:spent their time.
:Suddenly, there was [a]
:[sha]rp knock at the d[oor]
:[?] swept in [?]
:[?r?]ing [?]

:[Another list of post comments alongside pictures on the same website as in the first panel. The first picture shows a man with black hair and a woman with long hair standing with their backs against each other (probably Edward and Bella from the books). The second picture is just a white frame with the text Dawnz. The third picture shows a person from the chest and up. The person has black hair and black clothes, with some kind of collar. The fourth and last picture shows two chess piece a large one in front of the other. The picture is shown completely but the text message seems to be more than two lines long, but only the top two lines are shown. Across the top border of the frame is a smaller frame with a caption:]
:Shortly thereafter:

:Two people picture: OMG I love this place it's so edgy being anonymous
:Dawnz picture: Whos your favorite vampire
:Collared person picture: Check out my pic Im so dark just like this site
:Chess piece picture: Any Twilight fans in Dallas want to meet a lonely

:[Back to the boy with lots of pimples now sitting resigned at his computer without typing.]
:Hairy: Oh... Oh God.

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Twilight]]
[[Category:Internet]]

953: 1 to 10

2022-05-04T19:36:26Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241206 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 953
| date = September 19, 2011
| title = 1 to 10
| image = 1 to 10.png
| titletext = If you get an 11/100 on a CS test, but you claim it should be counted as a 'C', they'll probably decide you deserve the upgrade.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Binary number|binary numeral system}} refers to a counting system in base-2, which uses only the digits 0 and 1, as opposed to the more familiar base-10 decimal system, which uses the digits 0 through 9. In this case, the scale of 1 to 10 is using binary, so in decimal it would be a scale of 1 to 2. Since 4 in binary is "100" it doesn't fit into the range "1" to "10" in a binary system. And [[Megan]] doesn't even know the number "4" because she's only working on the binary system, this character does not exist for her.

It is also possible that Megan is using base-3 or base-4, both of which don't have a 4 (base-3 counts 1, 2, 10, etc., and base 4 counts 1, 2, 3, 10 etc.)

It should be noted that if Megan is indeed speaking out loud in such a way that confuses Cueball, she would be saying "ten" out loud; this would automatically indicate she is indeed using base-10 (or higher). The correct pronunciation of "10" in base-2 is "one zero".

The title text uses a similar joke. Since test scores are usually written as either a letter grade or a percentage, 11 correct questions out of 100 would be a failing score in decimal notation. However, 11/100 in binary translates to 3/4 in decimal, which would be 75%, accepted in most classes as a 'C' grade.

It could also be argued that a score of 11 should count as a "B", as 11 is B in hexadecimal, however this link is a bit more tenuous, as the whole score would then be interpreted as "B/256".

==Transcript==
:Megan: On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that this question is using Binary?
:Cueball: ...4?
:Megan: What's a 4?

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

713: GeoIP

2022-05-04T19:36:04Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240536 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 713
| date = March 12, 2010
| title = GeoIP
| image = geoip.png
| titletext = 'Meet hot young singles in your mom's basement today'? Man, screw you, GeoIP.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Geolocation|GeoIP}} is a service that converts IP addresses to their respective location on the Earth. This is done by looking up the IP address in a database maintained by various internet service providers. Advertisers often take advantage of the {{w|Keeping up with the Joneses|Jones effect}} by creating localized ads which misleadingly appear to be specific to your location, but are often simply stock photographs with the name of the nearest town superimposed on top.

The comic satirizes this phenomenon. The {{w|International Space Station}} (ISS) has a high speed data downlink, but no direct connection to the internet. But here, [[Cueball]] trolls the advertisers from on board the ISS, by inserting his actual location on {{w|low Earth orbit}} into the database under that IP address. He proudly presents his result to [[Ponytail]] where the advertisements claim that there are "local girls" in low Earth orbit; a distance of roughly 420 kilometers above the Earth surface, and thus at least that far away from all other girls in the world if they are not on the space station (or a nearby spacecraft, such as one bringing supplies to the space station).

The title text shows GeoIP has become so accurate that it can now pinpoint the user's location to his Mom's basement. In United States, an adult living with his parents is considered shameful for that person, since it means that the adult does not have a job and cannot support himself. The ads are typically of the form -- "Meet hot young singles in <user's location>" where the <user's location> part is filled in from GeoIP. In this case, the GeoIP is so accurate that it not just identifies that user is in his parents' house, but it also pinpoints the location that he's hiding in the basement, perhaps because he does not want to be seen by people visiting his parents. Thus GeoIP is unknowingly shaming the user by reminding him that he is in his mom's basement, and hence the "Screw you" response. However, this would also prove the false nature of these advertisements, as the user is unlikely to have not noticed any hot young singles currently sharing his mom's basement.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:[External view of a the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting the blue Earth below, shown with white clouds as stripes below and black sky above. Dialog, written in white on the black sky, comes from within the ISS.]
:Cueball (inside the ISS): ''Yes!''
:Ponytail (inside the ISS): What?
:Cueball (inside the ISS): I got our downlink into a GeoIP database.

:[Internal view of the satellite, Cueball and Ponytail are floating weightlessly around, Cueball is at a laptop style computer mounted to the wall. They are in a white room, with black around, but due to being weightless in space, the room is turned on edge as to not give any semblance of a given up/down direction.]
:Ponytail: Why?
:Cueball: To mess with advertisers. Check it out.

:[A zoom in on the computer screen is shown, it shows an ad on a pink background. The ad has a heading and then shows two photos of long haired girls in sexy poses each with captions below and a labeled button at the bottom. The location (as messed up by Cueball) is written in gray, the rest of the text is in black, to indicate that this part of the text has been inserted in the ad based on the location.]
:Meet local girls in
:Low Earth Orbit
:tonight!
:Tanya, 18
:Amber, 19
:Chat live

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

1009: Sigh

2022-05-04T19:35:34Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240954 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1009
| date = January 27, 2012
| title = Sigh
| image = sigh.png
| titletext = If you're annoying enough, you can get them to respond with an involuntary second sigh and get a rhythm going.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is mispronouncing the name of the British TV show, also available in the US, ''{{w|Downton Abbey}}''. Mispronouncing the title as DownTOWN Abbey causes Megan to sigh because it is such a common and stupid mistake to fans of the show. Mispronouncing the title changes the meaning from being about the eponymous {{w|Yorkshire}} {{w|Country Estate}} (pronounced ''doun''-tuhn ''ab''-ee /ˌdaʊntən ˈæbi/) to being about a monastery in the midst of a large city (incorrectly pronounced ''doun-toun ab''-ee /ˈdaʊnˌtaʊn ˈæbi/). In the UK the CBD, the Central Business District (the big middly bit), is simply called the "city centre".

{{w|LMFAO}} is a ubiquitous group in the US on radio, TV and even strange commercials with [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zJWA3Vo6TU rodents riding in cars with their song, Party Rock Anthem]. However, this comic is a reference to another one of their songs, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZgIYvFu-FQ "Sexy And I Know It."] The relevant lyrics are:

:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:ah-ah, I work out!

The title text is referring to the multiple uses of that lyric throughout the song, creating a steady rhythm.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing behind Megan, who's sitting and watching TV.]
:Cueball: Hey, is that ''Downtown Abbey''? What town is it in the downtown of, anyway?
:Megan: *siiiiiiigh*
:Cueball: —''girl look at that body.''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:We should thank ''LMFAO'' for giving us such a great way to respond to exasperated sighs.

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

1025: Tumblr

2022-05-04T19:35:11Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241024 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1025
| date = March 5, 2012
| title = Tumblr
| image = tumblr.png
| titletext = Dot Tumblr Dot Com, on the other hand, would be an awful name for a band, if only because of how hard it would be to direct people to your band's website.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Tumblr}} is a {{w|microblogging}} service, which has become a home for lots of animated {{w|Graphics Interchange Format|gif}}s and other internet {{w|Internet meme|memes}}, as well as other assorted novelties.

The phrase that [[Cueball]] used to use when he heard a random phrase was "would be a good name for a band." With the advent of Tumblr, his go-to response has shifted because of the proliferation of Tumblr blogs with strange names such as "pissvortex", "hardpee", "iguanamouth", and "internetslug".

In the title text he muses on the fact that ''Dot Tumblr Dot Com'' would be an awful band name. There could be several reasons for this, but he mentions that it would be hard to direct fans to the band's website. As an example, someone who hears "www.thedottumblrdotcom.com" might instead write it out as "www.the.tumblr.com.com" since '.' is often pronounced as "dot."[[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]] If the band's website was hosted on Tumblr, then their website would be "dottumblrdotcom.tumblr.com", but could be heard as ".tumblr.com.tumblr.com".

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are talking.]
:Megan: You know those weird noises from my attic?
:Megan: Turns out some raccoons got in and were operating this, like, raccoon sex dungeon.
:Cueball: ...dot tumblr dot com.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:For me, "...Dot tumblr dot com" has been gradually replacing "...would be a good name for a band."

==Trivia==
* Randall ''did'' register a tumblr page called "[http://raccoonsexdungeon.tumblr.com Raccoon Sex Dungeon]" to coincide with this comic. He had already done the same with [http://wetriffs.com Wetriffs.com] (archive [http://web.archive.org/web/20130518191217/http://wetriffs.com/ here]) to coincide with Megan registering that domain in [[305: Rule 34]]. The Raccoon Sex Dungeon website should not be confused with the similarly named 'Racoon Sex Dungeon'.

Raccoons also feature in a disgusting situation in [[1565: Back Seat]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]

1034: Share Buttons

2022-05-04T19:34:48Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240879 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1034
| date = March 26, 2012
| title = Share Buttons
| image = share_buttons.png
| titletext = The only post to achieve perfect balance between the four was a hilarious joke about Mark Zuckerberg getting caught using a pseudonym to sneak past the TSA.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a commentary on what sort of articles work best on different {{w|social networking services}}. From left to right the share buttons are: {{w|Facebook}}, {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|Google plus|Google+}}.

*Twitterers are often stereotyped as constantly trying to be funny; hence, the article on stand-up comedy is shared most on Twitter.

*{{w|Conspiracy theory}} articles play well on Reddit, especially if they are against the {{w|Christian Right}} and for {{w|Wikipedia}}, as there is a large and loud atheist community on Reddit.

*"Boycott Facebook" articles are ironically popular on Facebook. Google+, being semantically akin to Facebook, also had a significant anti-Facebook community. One of the punchlines is that Google+ was struggling and not used much, before being finally closed down in 2019.

*The last article gets almost no shares at all — not many want to admit they are reading an article about a {{w|RealDoll}}, a type of sex doll. (Also mentioned in [[Game AIs]] and [[Flying Cars]].) A custom ROM is an aftermarket distribution of the {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} operating system and are often targeted toward enthusiasts. This community exists primarily on Google+ (as Google is the main developer of Android), and was one of the few active communities on that social network. As Android is an operating system primarily aimed at {{w|smartphones}} and {{w|tablet computers}}, installing it on a RealDoll, whilst possible due to Android's {{w|open source}} nature, would be a very niche activity, and the low number of shares indicates that it only interests a small portion of the already-small (relative to other social networks) Google+ community.

The title text humorously combines appealing subjects for all four networks:

*''a hilarious joke'' – Twitter, same as above.
*''about {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}'' – founder of Facebook.
*''using a {{w|pseudonym}}'' – referencing a [http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218649/Google_works_to_soothe_users_over_real_name_controversyremember controversy] about real names on Google+.
*''to sneak past the {{w|Transportation Security Administration|TSA}}'' – Reddit, a conspiracy theory as above.

==Transcript==
:[A series of article titles with four share buttons underneath each: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Google+]

:Breaking Into Stand-up Comedy
:FB: 3, Twitter: 1,781, Reddit: 2, G+: 0

:How the Christian Right Threatens Wikipedia
:FB: 1, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 2,241, G+: 3

:Boycott Facebook Today!
:FB: 248k, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 74

:DIY: Installing a Custom ROM on a Realdoll
:FB: 0, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 2

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1036: Reviews

2022-05-04T19:34:27Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241163 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1036
| date = March 30, 2012
| title = Reviews
| image = reviews.png
| titletext = I plugged in this lamp and my dog went rigid, spoke a sentence of perfect Akkadian, and then was hurled sideways through the picture window. Even worse, it's one of those lamps where the switch is on the cord.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are shown shopping for lamps. In the first part of the comic (only first frame) it is at a time before online reviews could be looked up on a smartphone. They spot a lamp they like, check the price and agree to buy, end of story.

But the rest of the comic shows how difficult shopping has become after reviews have become easily accessible on smartphones while standing in the store. And now this takes up the final three panels, with the result that no lamps have been acquired and they decide to sit in the dark, using the claim that their living ''room looks fine in the dark'' to avoid buying a very expensive lamp which is the only one with perfect reviews (like 100% with 5 stars out of 5).

When shopping for anything via {{w|reviews}}, whether it be electronics or even something as simple as lamps like the comic demonstrates, one negative review can spoil a lot of positive reviews. That hits home even more if the review is specific, because humans attach more weight to anecdotes and specific stories. This comic points out the absurdity of paying attention to those reviews, by making the negative review itself absurd (a lamp making your cats go deaf and interfering with your taste buds would imply, at the very least, anomalous radiation, and would not be on store shelves long before some kind of serious recall).

The second part of the comic starts out normal. For the lamp Cueball think is pretty Megan finds ''lots'' of negative reviews which implies the product really isn't good after all, and it was even that specific brand of lamps in general that was to be avoided. But then this proceeds to get more and more absurd all the way to the title text. Cueball is for instance looking at a lamp that someone thinks looks like a {{w|uterus}}. As normal people do not really know what a uterus looks like, and if Cueball did not find this so himself, he should ignore one persons comment. On the other hand reading such a statement will maybe make you think of a uterus every time you see the lamp. So now it may be best not to buy it, but had he not read the comment it might have been a fine lamp for him.

In the final frame Cueball has found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews, but her lamps are very expensive, the most cheap are starting at 1,300 francs. {{w|Swiss franc|Swiss francs}} are the units of currency used in {{w|Switzerland}}. In 2012 when the comic was released a Swiss franc was worth a little more than one dollar ([http://www.exchangerates.org.uk/CHF-USD-30_03_2012-exchange-rate-history.html 1.1$ to a Swiss Franc]) making the cheapest lamp go for not much less than US$1450. For comparison, US$15 can get one a decent lamp at IKEA. Furthermore the lampmaker lives in the {{w|Swiss Alps}} and can only be reached via a {{w|ski lift}}. This either indicated that transportation will be very expensive on top of the high starting price or it may even indicate that they will have to go to the lampmaker personally to either acquire a lamp or maybe just to check out that they really do not look like a uterus or [http://gizmodo.com/5360742/penis-chandelieryes-penis-chandelier other parts] of the human reproductive system...

The title text is presumably the review of an another lamp. When this reviewer plugged in this lamp, supposedly his dog went rigid, delivered a line of perfect Akkadian, and then was hurled sideways out the picture window. {{w|Akkadian_language|Akkadian}} is an extinct {{w|Semitic language}} that was spoken in {{w|ancient Mesopotamia}}. Even if the dog actually did speak a sentence of perfect Akkadian, the chance that the owner would be able to recognize it as such is negligible. The final joke is that the worst part of this lamp, was not the above mentioned crazy effects on the dog, but that the lamp had, completely normally, the switch on the cord, as opposed to having it on the body of the lamp. A production argument about where to place such a switch, leading to someone getting fired, was part of the joke in [[1741: Work]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a store looking at a lamp that Cueball points at on a table in front of them. There is another table behind them with another lamp and next to it stands a box with a picture of yet a different type of lamp in the bottom right corner. Both lamps have a price tag dangling from their shade. Above them (and their spoken text) is a frame with a caption:]
:Shopping before online reviews:
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.
:Megan: And affordable.
:Cueball: Let's get it.
:Megan OK!

:[Exactly the same setting as above except now Megan holds up her smartphone in one hand looking down at it while typing on it with the other hand. Above them (and their spoken text) is a frame with a caption:]
:Shopping now:
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.
:Megan: It's got 1½ stars on Amazon. Reviews all say to avoid that brand.

:[To the left of Cueball there is another lamp on a table. But he is now looking at his smartphone instead. Megan has turned away from him but is also looking at her smartphones. There are no lamps next to her.]
:Cueball: This one has good reviews.
:Megan: Wait, one guy says when he plugged it in, he got a metallic taste in his mouth and his cats went deaf.
:Cueball: Eek.
:Cueball: What about- ...no, review points out it resembles a uterus.

:[Cueball is holding his smartphone up in front of his face, Megan, looking at him, is holding her smartphone but has her arms down. There are no lamps shown.]
:Cueball: OK, I found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews. Her lamps start at 1,300 Francs and she's only reachable by ski lift.
:Megan: You know, our room looks fine in the dark.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Online reviews]]

811: Starlight

2022-05-04T19:34:01Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241203 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 811
| date = October 27, 2010
| title = Starlight
| image = starlight.png
| titletext = Don't worry! From the light's point of view, home and your eye are in the same place, and the journey takes no time at all! Relativity saves the day again.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] talks with [[Beret Guy]] about the journey of light through the universe from its source to our eyes. In Megan's opinion, it is very sad that this journey is pointless - light's travel ends only with us seeing "pretty dots" - stars in the sky. Beret Guy then tries to return light to its birthplace by using a mirror, which reflects light back to its source.

In reality, this would not work. Only a tiny fraction of the photons emanating from a star will reach the mirror and, even if the mirror is held at the perfect orientation, with dispersion (even if the mirror is perfectly smooth, the atmosphere is not) the probability that even one photon will make it back 'home' is effectively nil.
However, if Beret Guy decides to exhibit another one of his [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]], it is possible that he can find a way to actually find a way to reflect starlight back to 'home'.

The title text is a reference to {{w|special relativity}}, which states that from the {{w|Frame of reference|point of view}} of a light particle, the distance is zero because it is moving at the speed of light, so it takes no time to go anywhere. Note that the title text says that relativity saves the day ''again''. This could be a reference to a previous comic [[660: Sympathy]] in which a socially inept physicist touches upon using some consequences of special relativity to save a friend's deceased brother.

==Transcript==
:[The comic consist of six black panels with white drawings. There are stars above the characters in all panels.]

:[Megan and Beret Guy stares at a starlit sky. The text is written above the stars and the sentence continues into the next frame. First here it becomes apparent that it is Megan who speaks the entire comment.]
:Megan: The starlight falls on our eyes after a journey across trillions of miles-

:[Zoom in on Megan and Beret Guy. The continued text is shown to come from Megan via a speech line.]
:Megan: dying here at last, so far from home, all so we can see some pretty dots.

:[Beret Guy think for a moment]

:[Beret Guy runs away]

:[Beret Guy comes back with a mirror under his arm, the starry sky can also be seen in the mirror.]

:[Beret Guy reached Megan, and holds it up above his head pointing it towards the stars.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1000: 1000 Comics

2022-05-04T19:33:10Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241059 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1000
| date = January 6, 2012
| title = 1000 Comics
| image = 1000 comics small.png
| titletext = Thank you for making me feel less alone.
}}
A [http://xkcd.com/1000/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com which can as always be accessed by clicking on the comic number above. It can also be found here: [[Media:1000 comics.png|1000 comics]].

==Explanation==

This comic is the 1000th comic shown on xkcd containing 1000 characters from previous comics arranged in the shape of the number "1000". [[Megan]] is clearly excited as she screams "Woooo!", 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 during programming, base-2 is used more often than base-10, making milestones 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). Binary is also referenced in the "Connect the Dots" puzzle, explained below.

In the 1000 comic [[Randall]] included [[404: Not Found]], see why in the explanation for this comic. This comic strengthens the fact that Randall did indeed count 404 as a "real" comic.

===The 1000 characters===
Each of the characters/drawings is numbered on this page:
*[[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]]
About 2/3rds are described on this page:
*[[1000: 1000 Comics/1000 characters]]

===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 a 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. There are several comments amongst these 1000 but here are only written the text that can be read from the small version shown above.]
:1000
: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]]

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] 
[[Category:Public speaking]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Squirrels]] 
[[Category:Kites]] 
[[Category:Hamster Ball]] 
[[Category:Fiction]] 
[[Category:Electric skateboard]] 
[[Category:Star Wars]] 
[[Category:Boomerangs]] 
[[Category:American football]] 
[[Category:Soccer]]

287: NP-Complete

2022-05-04T19:32:17Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241105 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 287
| date = July 9, 2007
| title = NP-Complete
| image = np_complete.png
| titletext = General solutions get you a 50% tip.
}}

==Explanation==
Another entry in the "[[My Hobby]]" series of comics. [[Cueball]] is embedding {{w|NP-complete|NP-complete problems}} in restaurant orders. Specifically, he is ordering appetizers not by explicitly stating the names, but by the total price of them all. This is a simplified example of the {{w|Knapsack problem|knapsack problem}}. This is a problem in combinatorial optimization, as follows: If you have a knapsack (backpack or rucksack) that can hold a specific amount of weight, and you have a set of items, each with its own assigned value and weight, you have to select items to put into the knapsack so that the weight does not exceed the capacity of the knapsack, and the combined value of all the items is maximized.

In {{w|Computational complexity theory|computational complexity theory}}, NP stands for "nondeterministic polynomial time," which means that problems that are NP take polynomial running time (i.e. the time a CPU would take to run the program would be polynomial in the input size) to verify a solution, but it is unknown whether finding any or all solutions can be done in polynomial time. Polynomial time is considered efficient; exponential and higher times are considered unfeasible for computation. NP-complete problems are ones that, if a polynomial time algorithm is found for any of them, then all NP problems have polynomial time solutions. In short, particular guesses in NP-complete problems can be checked easily, but systematically finding solutions is far more difficult.

The waiter's problem is NP-complete, since a given order's price can be found and checked quickly, but finding an order to match a price is much harder. This causes the order to effectively be an {{w|application layer}} {{w|denial-of-service attack}} / {{w|algorithmic complexity attack}} on the waiter, similar to {{w|Slowloris (computer security)|Slowloris}} or {{w|ReDoS}}. (Formal proofs of the NP-completeness of the knapsack problem can be found at the above link.) The most straightforward way for a human to find a solution is to methodically start by first listing all the (6) ways of choosing one appetizer, and their total costs, then list all the (21) ways of choosing two appetizers (allowing repeats), and then list all the (56) ways of choosing three appetizers, and so forth. As any combination of eight appetizers would be more than $15.05, the process need not extend beyond listing all the (1715) ways of choosing seven appetizers.

Another famous NP-complete problem is the {{w|Travelling salesman problem|travelling salesman problem}}, mentioned by Cueball at the end, referring to the waiter's claim that he has 6 more tables to get to. (see also [[399: Travelling Salesman Problem]]).

The title text refers to the fact that NP-complete problems have no known polynomial time general solutions, and it is unknown if such a solution can ever be found. If the waiter can find an efficient general solution to this, he will have solved one of the most famous problems in mathematics. This problem is one of the six remaining unsolved {{w|Millennium Prize Problems}} stated by the Clay Mathematics Institute in 2000, for which a correct solution (including proving that such a solution doesn't exist) is worth US$1,000,000. A 50% tip is slightly less than fair.

For those curious, there are exactly two combinations of appetizers that total $15.05 and solve the problem posed in the comic strip:
#A combination of two orders of hot wings, one order of mixed fruit, and one sampler plate
#Seven mixed fruit orders (this solution was not intended - see [[#Trivia|trivia]] below)

==Transcript==
:My Hobby:
:Embedding NP-Complete problems in restaurant orders
:[A menu is shown.]
:'''Chotchkies Restaurant'''
:Appetizers
::Mixed Fruit 2.15
::French Fries 2.75
::Side Salad 3.35
::Hot Wings 3.55
::Mozzarella Sticks 4.20
::Sampler Plate 5.80
:Sandwiches
::Barbecue 6.55
:[Megan, another person, and Cueball are sitting at a table. Cueball is holding the menu as well as a thick book and is ordering from a waiter. Megan is facepalming.]
:Cueball: We'd like exactly $15.05 worth of appetizers, please.
:Waiter: ...Exactly? Uhh...
:Cueball: Here, these papers on the knapsack problem might help you out.
:Waiter: Listen, I have six other tables to get to—
:Cueball: —As fast as possible, of course. Want something on traveling salesman?

==Trivia==

*"Chotchkies" (slightly misspelt) is Yiddish slang for little accessories and trinkets. It is also the name of the restaurant in the 1999 Mike Judge-directed comedy ''{{w|Office Space}}''.

*In [http://www.maa.org/mathhorizons/MH-Sep2012_XKCD.html an interview] with the Mathematical Association of America, Randall said that the trivial answer to this problem was a mistake.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

327: Exploits of a Mom

2022-05-04T19:31:56Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240719 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 327
| date = October 10, 2007
| title = Exploits of a Mom
| image = exploits_of_a_mom.png
| titletext = Her daughter is named Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Mrs. Roberts]] receives a call from her [[Little Bobby Tables|son]]'s school. The caller, likely one of the school's administrators, asks if she really named her son <code>Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--</code>, a rather unusual name. Perhaps surprisingly, Mrs. Roberts responds in the affirmative, claiming that she uses the nickname "Little Bobby Tables." As the full name is read into the school's system's databases without {{w|Data sanitization#SQL injection|data sanitization}}, it causes the "Students" table in the database to be dropped, meaning it gets deleted.

The title of this comic is a pun. ''Exploit'' can mean an accomplishment or heroic deed, but in computer science, the term refers to a program or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability in other software. In fact, one could say that her exploit is to exploit an exploit (her achievement is to make use of a vulnerability). The title can also refer to her choice of name for her son, which is rather extraordinary.

In {{w|SQL}}, a database programming language, commands are separated by semicolons <code>;</code>, and strings of text are often delimited using single quotes <code>'</code>. Parts of commands may also be enclosed in parentheses <code>(</code> and <code>)</code>. Data entries are stored as "rows" within named "tables" of similar items (e.g., <code>Students</code>). The command to delete an entire table (and thus every row of data in that table) is <code>DROP TABLE</code>, as in <code>DROP TABLE Students;</code>.

The exploited vulnerability here is that the single quote in the name input was not correctly "escaped" by the software. That is, if a student's name did indeed contain a quote mark, it should have been read as one of the characters making up the text string and not as the marker to close the string, which it erroneously was. Lack of careful parsing is a common SQL vulnerability; this type of exploit is referred to as {{w|SQL injection}}. Mrs. Roberts thus reminds the school to make sure that they have added data filtering code to prevent code injection exploits in the future.

For example, to add information about Elaine to a data table called 'Students', the SQL query could be:
 <code>INSERT INTO Students (firstname) VALUES ('Elaine');</code>

However, using the odd name <code>Robert');DROP TABLE Students;-- </code> where we used "Elaine" above, the SQL query becomes:
 <code>INSERT INTO Students (firstname) VALUES ('Robert');DROP TABLE Students;-- ');</code>

By insertion of the two semi-colons in the odd name, this is now three well-formed SQL commands:
 <code>
INSERT INTO Students (firstname) VALUES ('Robert');

DROP TABLE Students;

-- ');
</code>

The first line is valid SQL code that will legitimately insert data about a student named Robert.

The second line is valid injected SQL code that will delete the whole Student data table from the database.

The third line is a valid code comment (<code>-- </code> denotes a comment), which will cause the rest of the line to be ignored by the SQL server.

For this to work, it helps to know the structure of the database. But it's quite a good guess that a school's student management database might have a table named <code>Students</code>.

Of course, in real life, most exploits of this kind would be performed not by engineering a person's name such that it would eventually be entered into a school database query, but rather by accessing some kind of input system (such as a website's login screen or search interface) and guessing various combinations by trial and error until something works, perhaps by first trying to inject the <code>SHOW TABLES;</code> command to see how the database is structured.

To correctly and harmlessly include the odd name in the Students table in the school database the correct SQL is:
 <code>INSERT INTO Students (firstname) VALUES ('Robert<nowiki>''</nowiki>);DROP TABLE Students;-- ');</code>

Note that the single quote after Robert is now sanitized by doubling it, which changes it from malicious code to harmless data, and the full first 'name' of the student <code>Robert';DROP TABLE Students;--</code> is now stored correctly.

It should be noted that while data sanitization can mitigate the risks of SQL injection, the proper prevention technique is to use {{w|Prepared statement}}s.

Noting the difference between the "actual" name using the word TABLE and the child's nickname being Bobby Tables, one could argue that there's an implied reference to one of the most argued topics of database naming conventions - should table names be singular or plural.

The title text references that Mrs. Roberts' daughter is named "Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory". This is a play on how if someone is stuck and forced to work in a manufacturing factory/plant, then they will write on the product {{tvtropes|HelpHelpTrappedInTitleFactory|"Help I am trapped in a ____ factory"}} in order to tell people on the outside. Having this name would cause any police officer who pulls her over to show some concern. And getting the license in the first place would likely be difficult. The idea of inserting a help message like this was already used in [[10: Pi Equals]].



==Transcript==
:[Mrs. Roberts receives a call from her son's school on her wireless phone. She is standing with a cup of hot coffee or tea (shown with a small line above the cup) facing a small round three-legged table to the right. The voice of the caller is indicated to come from the phone with a zigzag line.]
:Voice over the phone: Hi, This is your son's school. We're having some computer trouble.

:[In this frame-less panel Mrs. Roberts has put the cup down on the table turned facing out.]
:Mrs. Roberts: Oh, dear – did he break something?
:Voice over the phone: In a way –

:[Mrs. Roberts is now drinking from the cup again looking right. The table is not shown.]
:Voice over the phone: Did you really name your son <code>Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--</code> ?
:Mrs. Roberts: Oh, yes. Little Bobby Tables, we call him.

:[Mrs. Roberts holds the cup down.]
:Voice over the phone: Well, we've lost this year's student records. I hope you're happy.
:Mrs. Roberts: And I hope you've learned to sanitize your database inputs.

==Trivia==

This comic has become rather famous, spawning a site at http://bobby-tables.com about preventing SQL injection and also at the official [https://docs.python.org/2/library/sqlite3.html Python SQLite documentation]. Noted security expert {{w|Bruce Schneier}} (who often quotes xkcd) [https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/10/pen-and-paper_s.html mentioned a similar attack] that happened in the 2010 Swedish general elections, and [https://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/03/color-survey-results/ several people tried it on Randall's color survey].

In [[1253: Exoplanet Names]], someone (presumably Mrs. Roberts) attempts to perform a similar trick, submitting the name <code>e'); DROP TABLE PLANETS;--</code> to the IAU.

It is later revealed in [[342: 1337: Part 2]] that the daughter's middle name is [[Elaine]] (full name: ''Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory Elaine Roberts''). This is thus the first time Elaine is mentioned. Seems like this comic was a setup for the "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series where both this exploiting mom's kids are shown for the first time.

This comic is available as a signed print in the [https://store.xkcd.com/products/signed-prints xkcd store].

In 2020 this happened in real life: [https://www.engadget.com/compan-changes-name-over-website-hack-risk-215412415.html Company made to change name that could be used for website hacks].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Little Bobby Tables]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Elaine Roberts]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

156: Commented

2022-05-04T19:31:33Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241061 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 156
| date = September 13, 2006
| title = Commented
| image = commented.png
| titletext = Your IDE's color may vary.
}}

==Explanation==
When [[Cueball]] asks [[Black Hat]] for a favor, he seems to be making a {{w|Obscene gesture|rude gesture}}, by lifting {{w|The finger|a finger}} towards Cueball. However, the word he says, ''Commented!'', does not seem to fit with the shorter {{w|Fuck#Modern_usage|four letter word}} usually combined with such a gesture.

Cueball also fails to understand this, but as it turns out, as the panels move around Black Hat and zooms in on his fingers, he is not making this rude gesture, but is instead actually lifting two fingers toward [[Cueball]], forming a double slash and thereby ignoring both him and his question for a favor, by commenting him out programming style, even to the point where Black Hat sees the commenting out slashes, Cueball, and anything he says in the color for ignored parts of the program (or real world in this case).

In certain {{w|Programming language|programming languages}} (including but not limited to C (since C99), C++, C#, Java, Javascript, PHP, and Scala), inserting a double slash (<code>//</code>) in a line marks everything after the double slash in the line as a "{{w|Comment (computer programming)|comment}}," i.e. something for humans to read that generally helps them understand the code better, rather than something for the computer to execute. Since all comment lines are ignored when a program is run or compiled, it is possible to simply put a double slash in front of any line of code to skip that line. This is known as "commenting out" the line. For example:

printf("This line of code will be compiled and executed.");
//printf("This line of code will be ignored, because it has been 'commented-out' by the two slashes.");

An {{w|Integrated development environment|Integrated Development Environment}} (IDE for short) is an application that programmers use to write, compile, execute, and debug code. Many IDEs color-code text to make reading the code easier. In IDEs like Eclipse and Microsoft Visual Studio, a line that is commented out will be colored green; however, the color may vary depending on which IDE you use, and can usually also be customized. The title text refers to this variation among IDEs' color schemes.


==Transcript==
:[Cueball calls out to and Black Hat while they are some distance apart as seen from the side. Black Hat is holding an arm out towards Cueball making a gesture and speaking one word.]
:Cueball: Hey, can you do me a favor?
:Black Hat: Commented!

:[The same setting seen from behind Black Hat with Cueball drawn much smaller in the background.]
:Cueball: Huh?

:[Black Hat's hand is shown in close up. He is holding his first and second fingers parallel and at an angle towards the "small" Cueball to the left of the hand. The two fingers, as well as Cueball and his next line, are green.]
:Cueball: Wait, what does that gesture even mean?

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]

131: Fans

2022-05-04T19:31:20Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240797 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 131
| date = July 21, 2006
| title = Fans
| image = fans.png
| titletext = It's not going to break the fan, bouncing a rubber ball off the wall isn't going to dent it, and the roof can hold me just fine. You LIED!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is probably best understood by someone with young kids who explore everything in their household, and the fear that the kids will damage something expensive. Some parents issue harsh warnings to their children when they so much as touch an expensive item, which can be frustrating to children who feel that they don't have the freedom to explore.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] lets go of these frustrations as he finally owns his own place. He buys an oscillating fan and grabs its head, locking the mechanism that rotates it. As it attempts to turn, a release stub on the motor clicks to alleviate pressure and prevent damage to the fan. Cueball enjoys the clicking sound that the fan makes, without having to worry about his mother stopping him.

This shares a theme with [[357: Flies]].

The title text gives more falsehoods that his mother told him: that bouncing a ball against a wall will dent the wall, or that the roof is too weak to hold his weight.

==Transcript==
:BEST THING ABOUT HAVING MY OWN APARTMENT: Holding fans in place so they twitch helplessly and make that clicking sound without my mom yelling at me.
:[Cueball holding fan in place.]
:''click click''

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

750: Book Burning

2022-05-04T19:30:49Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241135 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 750
| date = June 7, 2010
| title = Book Burning
| image = book_burning.png
| titletext = Of course, since their cautionary tale was reported in a print newspaper, no one read it.
}}

==Explanation==
A group of people wanting to hold a {{w|book burning}} find themselves in a conundrum when they only have one book. Going to an online retailer reveals that the {{w|Amazon Kindle|Kindle}} edition of the book is considerably less expensive than the hardcover edition. Unfortunately for the book-burners, the burning of a Kindle proves fatal because of the toxic fumes from the burning of its plastic shell, internal electronics, and/or the lithium polymer battery that powers it.

One purpose of book burning is to destroy heretical material and thus prevent the spread of those ideas. In this case, where a Kindle version downloaded and the device is burned, no heretical material is destroyed as the electronic version is still available for distribution. Those who survived the incident will then find that their actions did not prevent the spread of the heretical ideas, they have lost dear friends, and have to purchase new electronic devices.

Another purpose for a book burning is to have a public demonstration in protest of the ideas presented in the book. This may have been the purpose of the book burning mentioned in the comic, but this plan failed, as indicated by the title text, because it was reported in the newspaper, which no one reads.

In the past there were many {{w|List of book-burning incidents|book-burning incidents}}.

There is also a subtle pun in that "{{w|Firelighting|kindle}}" means "to start a fire".

The title text further drives home the point that electronic media is becoming the norm, while print is being supplanted by inventions like the Kindle.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a book aloft, displaying it to his two friends.]
:Cueball: This book is full of heresy!
:Friend: Let's hold a book burning!
:[They confer more, then one friend runs off.]
:Cueball: I only have one copy.
:Friend #1: I guess we could buy more.
:Friend #2: I'll look online.
:[A screenshot from an online retailer's page displays pricing for the hardcover ($17.99) and Kindle ($9.99) editions of the mentioned book.]

:[The front page of a newspaper, titled "News", is shown above the fold. The first article's headline reads "Eight dead from toxic fume inhalation" and a picture is shown depicting three bodies strewn around a massive plume of tar-black smoke.]

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

118: 50 Ways

2022-05-04T19:30:37Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241039 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 118
| date = June 21, 2006
| title = 50 Ways
| image = 50_ways.png
| titletext = I woke up to find that I had scrawled the last line of this sleepily on a sheet of paper on my desk. I shouldn't have listened to the 70's hit marathon on the way home from work the night before.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic provides alternate lyrics to the chorus of the 1975 song "{{w|50 Ways to Leave Your Lover}}" ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABXtWqmArUU Video]) by American artist {{w|Paul Simon}}. Both the original and alternate lyrics provide a textual hook because the name at the end of the line is rhymed with the word before it (back/Jack, plan/Stan, go/Joe).

[[Randall]], we learn from the title text, heard Simon's song during a '70s hit marathon, went to sleep, and while being sleepy replaced "lover" by "hover" while writing the last line of the song's chorus. Thus changing this line from ''to leave your lover'' into ''to learn to hover''. Clearly, this amused him so much that he decided to create a comic where people learn how to hover, rather than leave their lover.

==Transcript==
:[Two figures stand around a levitating person.]
:You gotta let go, Joe
:Just rise off your feet, Pete
:Just stay in the air, Claire
:Gotta levitate, Kate
:There must be 50 ways
:To learn to hover.

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

667: SkiFree

2022-05-04T19:29:50Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241115 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 667
| date = November 25, 2009
| title = SkiFree
| image = skifree.png
| titletext = And from that day on, I wore this little 'F' key pendant everywhere I went.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|SkiFree}}'' is a video game released in 1991 which enjoyed popularity on the desktop computers of the time. In the game, you're a downhill skier who attempts to ski down a hill while avoiding obstacles which cause you to crash (which slows you down). At the start of the game, you can choose to go down three different timed/scored courses, or ignore them all and ski freely. Beyond the end of the courses you can continue skiing downhill. You can also move (slowly) uphill and sideways.

If you ski too far down the hill a monster similar to one in the comic will begin to chase you; contact with the monster ends the game. Since it's much faster than you normally, you'll get caught. The monster also appears if you travel too far in the sideways or upwards directions.

One of the lesser known commands in SkiFree is the 'F' key, which speeds you up, even faster than the monster. A second monster appears slightly further down the hill but by skiing downhill diagonally with the F key it is possible to evade both.

The joke here is that [[Megan]] has thought long and hard about the concept of the monster, relating it to the inevitability of death, and is nonplussed by the revelation that there is a simple mechanism that may allow her to escape it.

The title text refers to pendants or talismans that are worn to protect us from harm or to remind us of important truths. Megan, seeing that the F key allowed her to evade inevitable death in the game, comes to believe that the F key confers some sort of immortality.

==Transcript==
:[A screenshot of SkiFree, with the abominable snowman running towards the player.]

:[Megan is sitting at her computer with her hands on the keyboard and thinking to herself:]
:Megan (thought bubble): I've always thought of the SkiFree monster as a metaphor for the inevitability of death.

:[Cueball comes up behind her in a frameless panel.]
:Cueball: SkiFree, huh? You know, you can press "F" to go faster than the monster and escape.

:[The screenshot again. The player is zooming away from the monster.]

:[Megan sits at her computer in silence, with her hands now down to to her side.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Video games]]

873: FPS Mod

2022-05-04T19:29:17Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241123 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 873
| date = March 16, 2011
| title = FPS Mod
| image = fps mod.png
| titletext = Wait, that second one is a woman? ...wait, if that bothers me, then why doesn't... man, this game is no fun anymore.
}}

==Explanation==
FPS stands for {{w|First-person shooter|First Person Shooter}}, which is a type of video game (like ''{{w|Halo (series)|Halo}}'' or ''{{w|Duke Nukem}}'') in which you are looking at the world from the first person perspective of the character you are controlling. [[Randall]] notes in the caption that no one liked his FPS mod (short for "modification" of the FPS game), and in the title text it is clear that [[Cueball]] who played this modified version no longer enjoys the game.

FPS games are controversial for their (supposed) quality of encouraging violence such as killing (especially other human beings). One point of the controversy is that, while virtual enemies are just pixels on a screen, real enemies have actual lives, emotions, and the like. In the games, there is a disconnect between the act of killing and its emotional cost, thus leading to the controversy that FPS games encourage wanton killing (or violence in general) to solve problems instead of considering the other party. Randall makes reference to this by adding a mod that gives biographical snippets of the enemy you shoot in the game, thus giving Cueball the perspective of the enemy he just shot, and causing emotional consequence and remorse by removing the disconnection between pixel and life.

The comic can also be a reference towards making games more realistic. Giving the enemies a life above being mere targets definitely makes the game more realistic, but such a game may not be that enjoyable. This has been explored previously in [[772: Frogger]].

Having lots of unread e-mails was mentioned in [[2389: Unread]]. The third comment ("take care of the plants back at base") may be referring that many FPS videogames have some sort of base that you must defend or start the game in. These games do not usually feature any way to take care of plants.{{Citation needed}}

The title text talks about how gender is portrayed in games. For some people it is more emotionally affecting to kill a woman, as women are considered biologically "weaker" than men by many societies, and societal norms state that men must protect them. Gender equality is a highly debated topic with many different viewpoints, where one's conscious reasoned views may sometimes stand at odds to subconscious feelings. When a player becomes aware that killing women bothers one more than killing men, it exposes an inconsistency in the player's own logic, one that's very uncomfortable to confront.

In the 1993 post-apocalyptic novel'' {{w|The Fifth Sacred Thing}}'', the eco-pacifist residents of San Francisco defeat an invading army using a similar tactic. Rather than engage in armed defense, the family and friends of each dead San Franciscan speak directly to the soldiers who killed them, saying, "My wife was the mother of five children, and I loved her dearly," or "My cousin liked baseball." Eventually the soldiers suffer psychological breakdowns and defect ''en masse'', rather as Cueball seems to do in the title text.

Amusingly, the 2014 game ''{{w|Watch Dogs}}'' does something quite similar to this; the in-game "Profiler" provides a brief summary of a targeted enemy, and if the enemy does not have a gameplay-relevant feature (i.e. "Can call for backup"), it will mention their hobbies or interests.

Like most other games in the ''{{w|Sniper Elite}}'' series, the 2017 Third Person Shooter ''{{w|Sniper Elite 4}}'' allows the player to track and see brief overviews of any visible enemy by "Tagging" them with binoculars. However, ''Sniper Elite 4'' has the distinction of also being very similar to Randall's mod in that it displays [//sniperelite.fandom.com/wiki/Sniper_Elite_4_Allied_Intelligence short character bios] in the "Allied Intelligence" section of the overviews when Tagging in the campaign mode. They range from the mundane (year of conscription, former occupation) to the dark (Sapper Oswald Sander's brutal murder of a cowering fifteen year old makes even his fellow soldiers suspect him) to the comedic (Ewald Amsel regularly steals chocolate from his best friend Wolfram Wasser; Wolfram Wasser wonders who's stealing his supply of chocolates and has sworn to kill them).

The 2012 Third Person Shooter ''{{w|Spec Ops: The Line}}'' also has a section where one of the antagonists will chide you with radio message when you kill one of the enemy soldiers, often with short sympathetic descriptions of the enemy you just killed (although he'll sometimes admit he didn't actually know or like that particular person). As this game is a deconstruction of the military-style shooting games of its time and their portrayal of violence, evoking a negative emotional response in the player when killing these enemies is very much intentional.

The game ''{{w|Borderlands 2}}'' directly references this comic with the Morningstar, a unique aftermarket talking Hyperion sniper rifle which berates the user in a nagging, whiny voice any time they reload, kill an enemy, swap weapons, or score a critical hit. The weapon is obtained from the mission Hyperion Contract 873 (a reference to this comic being comic number 873) and is referred to as "the Hyperion ex-K seedy experimental weapon" upon completion of the mission.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in a chair in front of his TV holding a gamepad while playing a video game. Every time he shoots the sound is written inside a ring of small curved lines to indicate the noise. Text on the screen is noted after each round of blasts with a zigzag line from the screen and between each entry.]
:''Blam''
:Game: He once built a treehouse.
:''Blam''
:Game: She has 110 unread emails that she was hoping to get to tonight.
:''Blam blam''
:Game: He was the only one who took care of the plants back at base.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:No one liked my FPS mod that gives you three-second snippets from the bios of people you shoot.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]

104: Find You

2022-05-04T19:28:49Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241075 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] climbing on a rope in a cavern. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is his partner.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor, gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds them.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. Cueball is climbing onto a rope that is dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

== Trivia ==
For technical reasons (see discussion, below) the image may display inverted.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Terminator]]

599: Apocalypse

2022-05-04T19:28:07Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240799 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 599
| date = June 19, 2009
| title = Apocalypse
| image = apocalypse.png
| titletext = I wonder if I still have time to go shoot a short film with Kevin Bacon.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic begins with the beginning of the {{w|Apocalypse}}, hence the title. It is depicted, properly, with a very dystopian color picture with several yellow burning {{w|meteors}} striking down from the blood red sky, towards a black, red, orange and yellow ground. The way the panels are drawn below makes a transition from this dark image to a normal comic, with the first normal panel being superimposed on the dark image.

In this image [[Beret Guy]] shouts out '''The apocalypse!''' And then he continues to explain what this will mean: ''The skies burn, the seas turn to blood, and the dead walk the earth!''

All three sentences are attributed to the apocalypse, but it seems that the first one about the sky burning, actually comes from a translation of one of the {{w|Nostradamus}} predictions which has, amongst others, been used to "{{w|Nostradamus_in_popular_culture#September_11.2C_2001|predict 9/11}}". In {{w|Revelation 16}} from the Bible about the {{w|Seven bowls}}, which are a set of seven plagues of God's wrath poured over the wicked towards the Apocalypse, the {{w|Seven_bowls#Second_Bowl|second bowl}} describes that ''{{w|Revelation_16#Structure|The Sea Turns to Blood}}''. The {{w|Universal resurrection|resurrection of the dead}} is from the biblical version of the Apocalypse, the {{w|Last Judgment}}.

After Beret Guy has announced this, he runs into [[Cueball]] who has heard part of this, but he is only interested in the last part and asks to check if he understood correctly that the dead will walk the earth. When this is confirmed Cueball becomes very busy.

He runs to his office and quickly writes a scientific math paper, then runs as fast as he can to the math department and get his colleagues to sign it. Then he runs to a cemetery where the dead are rising, finds the one he searched for, and asks the resurrected {{w|zombie}} if he is Erdős. When confirmed that he is indeed Erdős, Cueball asks him to sign the math paper.

{{w|Paul Erdős}} (26 March 1913 – 20 September 1996) was a Hungarian mathematician who (according to Wikipedia) published more papers than any other mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. His grave is in the Kozma Street Cemetery in Budapest.

There is an in-joke developed among mathematicians called the {{w|Erdős number}} (similar to a Bacon number for film actors, referenced in the title text, see below). By definition, Erdős has an Erdős number of 0. Everyone who has co-written a mathematical paper with Erdős has an Erdős number of 1. Everyone who collaborated with them (but not Erdős himself) is assigned an Erdős number of 2. In general, if ''k'' is the minimal Erdős number of all the people you've [https://paperell.com/ written papers] with, your Erdős number is ''k'' + 1. The Erdős number is the length of the shortest "chain" from you to Erdős.

Thanks to collaboration between mathematicians and other researchers, many people in science and medical research now have Erdős numbers. Not everyone has an Erdős number, though; people without any chain linking them to Erdős have an undefined Erdős number. For example, most people who are not mathematicians or scientists do not have Erdős numbers. Nor do mathematicians and scientists whose publications were written by themselves only with no collaborators.

By this trick Cueball thinks that he and his colleagues will now all have an Erdős number of 1. The joke is that he would be using his last few hours in this life to write a math paper just to improve his and his friends' Erdős numbers.

There are, however, many problems with his idea, even assuming the dead will walk the earth on that day. First of all, just having your name on a piece of paper with Erdős's signature does nothing for your Erdős number. It needs to be a {{w|Scientific_literature#Scientific_article|scientifically valid paper}}, published in a {{w|peer reviewed}} {{w|scientific journal}}. And given that the apocalypse is happening, there seems no time, chance or reason to publish any more math papers.

Even if there were time, it would not count for much to have someone sign a math paper they haven't even read, let alone had anything to do with the actual writing and research. The same would be true for the other five mathematicians who signed it. But of course many papers have coauthors who did not do much more than work in the same department as the person who actually wrote the paper (a sad but true fact). Presumably Cueball's friends assume that nobody will investigate whether they, or Erdős, truly participated in the writing and research of Cueball's paper.

Furthermore, even if it did count, they will not be able to take the paper with them into the afterlife (although since nobody has ever returned from the afterlife{{Citation needed}} we can't be certain of this), and thus since no one would have had time to read the paper, no one would know they had an Erdős number of 1. In the afterlife they could all say that they had such a number, but then again everyone else with such an interest could do the same, since no one could prove otherwise. Of course if you end up in the same part ({{w|Heaven}} or {{w|Hell}}) of the {{w|afterlife}} as Erdős he could confirm or deny the claim, but that would probably not help Cueball and his friends, since he could tell the truth about their paper. (Erdős was known for using an idiosyncratic set of slang terms, in which he described people who had stopped doing mathematics as having "died", whereas people who had died had "left".)

That the whole comic is about the Erdős number, and not just Erdős signature, is made clear in the title text which refers to a similar (and less esoteric) meme called "{{w|Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon}}", or simply Bacon numbers. This time, the chain's center is actor {{w|Kevin Bacon}}, and the links are formed by two people appearing in the same movie. Unlike Erdős, Kevin Bacon is not dead, so those of you wishing to get a Bacon number of 1 still have a chance.

In the title text Cueball thus wonders if there is still time for him to make a short film with Kevin Bacon, now he has used so much time on improving his Erdős number. Again, if the film hasn't been shown to the public it would not count for anything...

One of the mathematical scribbles appearing in panel 5 shows the square root of 163, which may be a reference to {{w|Ramanujan's constant}}.

[[403: Convincing Pickup Line]] has a parody of the Erdős collaboration graph.

Zombies are a [[:Category:Zombies|recurring theme]] in xkcd, particularly zombie scientists, which has also occurred both before with {{w|Richard Feynman}} in [[397: Unscientific]] and after with {{w|Marie Curie}} in [[896: Marie Curie]].

==Transcript==
:[The first panel is very large and shows a dark scene with one large meteor in front and four smaller in the background showering the darkened earth. They are all five black with yellow fire around them and a fire trail behind them, and all are flying from the top left corner and down towards right. The sky at the top is pitch black, but then the sky turns blood red under dark clouds. Two large mountain peaks, one almost pyramid shaped, are shown to the left and to the right there are two smaller peaks towards the distant horizon. The mountains and the ground around them are mainly black, but with red, orange and yellow streaks spread all over the black area beneath the mountain peaks, maybe indicating fire or lava, or reflections in water or blood. At the bottom right corner a normal white panel is superimposed on this apocalyptic image.]

:[The smaller panel at the bottom of the first is halfway over the first panel, haflway below, and only to the right of the middle of the first panel. Beret Guy is running towards left, with his arms raised in the air.]
:Beret Guy: The apocalypse! The skies burn, the seas turn to blood, and the dead walk the earth!

:[From here a normal sequence of panels in three rows begin beneath the second panel. This leaves a gap between the apocalyptic panel and the first row of regular panels, on the left side where the 2nd panel did not reach over. In this panel Beret Guy (coming from the right) finds Cueball.]
:Cueball: The dead what?
:Beret Guy: Walk the earth!

:[Cueball running right in a thin panel.]
:Cueball: I have to go.

:[Cueball sitting on a chair at a table scribbling vigorously and noisily with a pen on a paper. Mathematical symbols appear above Cueball's head, including a summation from i=0 to n, a logarithm of n and the square root of a number.]
:<big>∑</big>ni=0ik1/i log(n)
:√163
:''Scribble''
:''Scribble''

:[Cueball running right again, in a thin panel, pen and paper in hand.]

:[Cueball opening door with label:]
:Math Dept
:Cueball: The dead return!
:Cueball: Everyone, quick, get your names on here!

:[Cueball stand on the left side of a table looking left over his shoulder. Five people are lining up to sign the paper lying on the right side of the table. The first who signs with a pen is Blondie, then in line follows Megan, a Cueball-like guy, Ponytail and another Cueball-like guy who stand with one hand to his chin looking right, away from the other.]
:Blondie: At last!
:Guy looking right: I hope there's time!

:[Cueball running right in yet a thin panel, with pen and the paper flowing behind him.]

:[Cueball walks right with the paper and pen in his hand as he arrives at at a cemetery as revealed by an old worn sign. Scary sounds appear off-panel right.]
:Sign: Cemetery
:Rising dead (off-panel): ''Hurrghhh''

:[Cueball, still going right, arrives at a grave, pen in hand and the other hand almost outside the panel, but with a corner of the paper just visible. The grave has a large gravestone to the right and in front of it there is a Cueball-like guy rising up from the ground using his arms to push up on the base of the stone and the small pile of earth towards Cueball. The guy looks very worn, with dirt on his head and scratches on his cheek.]

:[Cueball bends a little down and offers pen and paper to the raised dead man who looks up at him when he is addressed.]
:Cueball: Paul Erdős?
:Erdős: Yes?
:Cueball: We need you to sign this.

==Trivia==
*This version of [[Blondie]] seems to be employed at a mathematical department on a university. It could thus also be [[Miss Lenhart]], but there is no proof that she is a teacher...

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Zombies]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]
[[Category: Research Papers]]

888: Heaven

2022-05-04T19:27:48Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240623 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 888
| date = April 20, 2011
| title = Heaven
| image = heaven.png
| titletext = If you've never had sex, this is what it feels like. Complete with the brief feeling of satisfaction, followed by ennui, followed by getting bored and trying to make it happen again.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows the popular video game ''{{w|Tetris}}'', in which you use different shaped pieces to fill in lines to score points. Filling multiple lines by adding a single piece results in bonus points. Normally all pieces are made up of four small squares. This has also been the case for all the pieces at the bottom of the game; however, some parts of some blocks have been erased when a line has been deleted because it was full.

Heaven, in ''Tetris'', is when you get the perfect piece that fills out all the other pieces on the board. The falling piece here is really odd, but it fits the 18 bare spaces exactly to make it possible to remove 6 lines in a row—compared to the four that is normally possible using the tall brown piece. On top of the heavenly feeling of getting a piece that fits—the top score is also about to be smashed, as the player was at the moment only one point til reaching it!

The next piece, shown to the right, which shall come after the special one, is much taller than the normally possible straight brown piece—a normal one can be seen at the bottom right of the game. This next piece seems to be ten tall, which when rotated fits the cleared bottom of the well perfectly.

The title text compares this experience with sex, complete with an {{w|orgasm}} and the feelings you get right after sex. After "the brief feeling of satisfaction" from the orgasm you are bored, {{w|ennui}} means a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from {{w|satiety}} or lack of interest, but at the end you want more.

A fan has made a modified version of the classic ''Tetris'' game, where at a certain frequency, a heavenly perfectly-fitting block comes along. The game can be found [http://www.gudmagazine.com/games/heaven/ here](Flash game, no longer works).

Also see comic [[724: Hell]], which presents an opposing situation in which the game is designed to be impossible to play.

Choosing to post a comic called Heaven as number {{w|888_(number)#Symbology_and_numerology|888}} is not a coincidence—as in Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus and in Chinese numerology it represents triple fortune.

==Transcript==
:[The panel shows the display of a Tetris game. A large oddly shaped piece is falling towards the board. The piece fits into the gaps exactly to complete six rows at once. The next piece is simply a very long brick. All the pieces at the bottom are made from possible tetris pieces.]
:Next
:Top
:0002187
:Score
:0002186
:Level
:5
:[Below the panel:]
:Heaven

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

114: Computational Linguists

2022-05-04T19:26:52Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 240775 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 114
| date = June 12, 2006
| title = Computational Linguists
| image = computational linguists.png
| titletext = Chomskyists, generative linguists, and Ryan North, your days are numbered.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] has become bored with attacking {{w|Emo}} kids, a cultural and, particularly, musical phenomenon characterised by introversion and angst. This has become a common target of mockery for its tendency to claim that 'no one understands me,' when in fact such feelings are common amongst teenagers, which is probably why he now feels that they are too easy a target for him.

Instead, Black Hat has chosen to attack {{w|computational linguistics}}, an interdisciplinary field that combines theoretical linguistics, artificial intelligence, statistics, and other areas of study, to attempt to create a rule-based model of language. This has given rise to a number of competing theories, some of which may appear to contradict each other. He may be associating the two groups, suggesting that computational linguists are constantly bemoaning that their 'field is so ill-defined,' and that this has similarities to the emos' refrain above, or he may just be taking a swipe at them by suggesting that they think themselves above normal scientific methods.

Linguistics itself is still a hotly debated subject, as is seen by the various conflicting theories on the origin of languages like the forms of {{w|Proto-Indo-European}} language.

The title text is a reference to some of the people who contributed to language theory:
*{{w|Noam Chomsky}} is an influential American psychologist and linguist who, based on cross-cultural studies, proposed a still-disputed theory that the human brain is unique from that of other species in that it includes a fundamental Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that is pre-programmed with basic rules of grammar and syntax: thus, language is innate to humans.
*{{w|Generative linguistics}} is a term within linguistics that is used in several ways, some of which are contradictory. This may be why it is chosen as a target by [[Black Hat]].
*{{w|Ryan North}} is the author of the webcomic ''{{w|Dinosaur Comics}}'', and has a degree in computational linguistics.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is standing next to a large badge that says FUCK Computational Linguistics.]
:Black Hat: And the dumbest thing about emo kids is that... I... You know, I'm sick of easy targets. Anyone can make fun of emo kids. You know who's had it too easy? Computational Linguists. "Ooh, look at me! My field is so ill-defined, I can subscribe to any of dozens of contradictory models and still be taken seriously!"

==Trivia==
Ryan North later teased [[Randall]] in the title text of [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 this comic].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]

1876: Eclipse Searches

2022-05-04T19:25:59Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 241108 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1876
| date = August 14, 2017
| title = Eclipse Searches
| image = eclipse_searches.png
| titletext = There were traffic jams for the eclipses in 1970 and 1979, and that was *before* we had the potential for overnight viral social media frenzies.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the first of five consecutive comics published in the week before and during the {{w|solar eclipse}} occurring on Monday, {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|August 21, 2017}} which was visible as a total solar eclipse within a band across the {{w|contiguous United States}} from west to east and visible as a partial eclipse across the entire contiguous United States and beyond. The other comics are [[1877: Eclipse Science]], [[1878: Earth Orbital Diagram]], [[1879: Eclipse Birds]], and [[1880: Eclipse Review]].

[[Cueball]] comes to tell [[Megan]] about a cool map showing that searches on Google on the word Eclipse trace the same path across the USA as the totality band does, implying that those living in the zone are more interested than the rest of the US population.

The "[https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2017/08/eclipse.png cool map]" is hosted by ''{{w|The Washington Post}}'' and sourced from {{w|Google Trends}} data. The link shown in the comic is here: [http://wapo.st/2vkgIBv wapo.st/2vkgIBv] (subscription required); an archived version is available [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814171105/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/01/the-path-of-the-solar-eclipse-is-already-altering-real-world-behavior/ here] at archive.org

Since the eclipse searches are outpacing the {{w|2016 United States elections|2016 election}} searches now, this is saying the eclipse popularity is going to rocket upwards just before the eclipse. Cueball is thus warned by Megan that the extreme amount of social media interest in the eclipse may lead to massive traffic jams, as last days frenzy regarding the eclipse will cause an enormous amount of people to decide to go to the eclipse in the last moment, causing huge traffic jams. (These traffic jams may be analogous to long lines at the polls or traffic jams caused by people trying to get to the polls.) Also as soon as people driving on the freeway enters the totality zone it has been seen happening that people just stop their cars and get out blocking the roads. This time also the eclipse-viewers will wish to post their content on the social media which might also cause a cyber traffic jam, in which users may find that they experience delays in sending or receiving data due to a high demand on telecommunications infrastructure. Megan tells Cueball to bring water if he is on the road during the totality, the implication being that people who are on the road may be stuck in their vehicles for long periods of time, and thus need refreshments.

In the graph charting interest in the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016|2016 US presidential election}}, November 8 is an important date as it was the day the election was held. August 21, 2017 refers to the date of the then upcoming solar eclipse.

The title text refers to the total eclipses from {{w|Solar eclipse of March 7, 1970|1970}} and {{w|Solar eclipse of February 26, 1979|1979}} which were also visible in the US, but both only for a few states. The traffic jams will be worse than those caused by previous eclipses, as we did not have viral social media in the 1970s, and also much less traffic on the roads.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks up to Megan while holding his smartphone up in his hand. Megan sits in an office chair in front of her desk with an open laptop on it. She turns her head towards him. A footnote to Cueball's speech is at the bottom right of the panel.]
:Cueball: Have you seen this cool map* showing how Google searches for "eclipse" trace the eclipse's path?
:Megan: Yeah!
:Megan: But you know what else I noticed?
:Cueball: What?
:Footnote: *wapo.st/2vkgIBv

:[Two panels are on top of each other. In the smaller top panel a colored graph is shown with a blue growing graph and a steeper growing red graph above it. Both are labeled. The x-axis (a black line) has labels and arrows below it in red and blue to indicate time periods. Text above the graph:]
:Searches for "eclipse" in the weeks before the eclipse are outpacing searches for "election" in the weeks before the 2016 election.
:Red line: Eclipse
:Blue line: Election
:Red x-axis labels: 2017 →|← July →|← August → 
:Blue x-axis labels: 2016 - September →|← October →|← 

:[Behind the top panel is a second larger panel slightly lower end more to the right. The visible part at the bottom of this panel is showing the same line graphs with the one from the election going past the election day. The x-axis labels ranges over a later time. The blue graph has a huge peak at the election day, visible in the part of the panel to the right of the top panel) and this date is written in a blue dot on the label. Similar the date of the Eclipse is written in a red dot. The red graph above the blue still ends in dots before the expected peak, as it is in the future.]
:Red line: Eclipse
:Blue line: Election
:Red x-axis labels: 2017 - July →|← August 21 → 
:Blue x-axis labels: 2016 - October →|← November 8 → 

:[Megan with her hands on the laptop and Cueball are both looking at the laptop. Beat panel.]

:[Cueball stands again and Megan has taken her hands down from the laptop.]
:Cueball: This is gonna be bad, isn't it?
:Megan: If you're planning to be on the road next Monday, bring water.

==Trivia==
*This is the second reference to the Eclipse within a month, the first was in [[1868: Eclipse Flights]]. The 2017 eclipse was mentioned as early as 2013 in the title text of [[1302: Year in Review]]. And this years ''New Year'' comic [[1779: 2017]] also mentions it. Both comics joking in the title text that it may be canceled or not happening.
*It was the first time in about four months [[Randall]] made a reference about the presidential election from 2016, compared to [[Sad_comics|several comics]] released withing the first half year after the election, with some kind of relation the the election.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]

2282: Coronavirus Worries

2022-05-03T23:38:04Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 233189 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2282
| date = March 18, 2020
| title = Coronavirus Worries
| image = coronavirus_worries.png
| titletext = Offscreen, bottom left: Whether the custom :coronavirus: Slack react emoji you just added was public domain or whether you should have put a Creative Commons credit somewhere
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the eighth comic in a row in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] about the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

[[Randall]] has created a {{w|scatter plot}} graph showing "more common" worries versus the "more healthy" worries. Presumably, "more healthy" refers to more important things to worry about concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. From this graph, Randall notes that the "more healthy" concerns are not necessarily the ones that are the most common.

On the left side of the graph, signifying "less common" worries/concerns are concerns relating to the drinking of water, and resting. Drinking water (staying hydrated) and getting enough sleep each night are important ways to fight off disease, and they're things that almost everyone can take direct action on, so this is marked as one of the most healthy things to worry about. In [[2281: Coronavirus Research]], [[Megan]] shows signs that she (like many) has not been taking care to get enough sleep. However, not drinking enough water and not sleeping enough are not likely to cause coronavirus specifically, so that particular worry is marked as one of the least healthy.

In the middle of the graph are "medium common" worries/concerns. The "most healthy" or vital concerns are being able to stay home and the ability for friends and family to stay home. Across much of the world, public gatherings have been discouraged, including requiring many workers to {{w|telecommute}}. This is following the principle of {{w|social distancing}}, to slow the spread of COVID-19. These are considered very healthy concerns to be having.

Below these two concerns is concerns about the government response, specifically if the government is "reacting wrong". Many world governments have been criticized for inadequate responses to the pandemic. However, even if the government's response (or lack of response) is incorrect, it is not something that most people can control directly, nor should it prevent people from taking care of the more healthy concerns about staying home and staying well-hydrated and well-rested, which is why this worry is marked as being only moderately healthy. Even less important than the government response is worrying about the reactions of random people featured in news stories (who are most likely featured specifically because their behavior is extreme or aberrant) or {{w|Internet trolls}} or people who have different opinions to you in the story's comments section.

A more common concern listed is "whether you are getting enough work done". Telecommuting (working from home) may be less productive than working at the normal office, so Randall or others may be concerned about their work productivity. For people working in industries that directly affect the health and well-being of others, such as medicine, this is a fair concern (and many of the event cancellations and other responses are intended to make their jobs easier), but in general, this is a much less healthy concern than staying home and well-rested.

The most common and least important concern according to Randall is "whether you have the virus just because you just coughed and last week you touched a doorknob". Though it is an important to be concerned about catching the coronavirus, simply coughing a few times or "touching a doorknob" are unlikely reasons to suspect having COVID-19. Most cases of COVID-19 do include a cough, and the disease can be latent for over a week before showing symptoms, but also include other symptoms, including fever and difficulty breathing.

The title text lists an uncommon, unimportant concern: the copyright status of a "coronavirus emoji" on {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}} (a business instant messaging software). The {{w|Creative Commons license}} is a license allowing for fair use of published work (and presumably emojis) that are otherwise copyrighted. Something that is in {{w|public domain}} has no copyright protection on it, and can be used freely. Presumably, this is a concern that only Randall has, making it uncommon. It is also relatively unimportant in the greater scheme of the COVID-19 pandemic.

==Transcript==
:[A scatter-plot, with 8 labeled dots. Both axis are labeled with text beneath the X-axis and to the left of the Y-axis. Arrows are pointing to the right from the X- axis and up from the Y-xis. The dots are scattered from left to right and top to bottom, but there are some grouping of the labels with two to the left, four in the middle and two to the right. But the dots they belong to are more scattered than this. Here below all labels are given, first for the axis, and then for each dot in approximately normal reading order from the left column to the right column:]
:Y-axis: More healthy
:X-axis: More common

:[Top left]: Whether you're remembering to drink water and rest
:[Very bottom, near left]: Whether forgetting to drink water or rest will make you get the coronavirus
:[Very top, near right]: Whether you're able to stay home
:[Top leaning, right]: Whether your friends and family are able to stay home
:[Middle, leaning right]: Whether your government is reacting wrong
:[Very bottom center]: Whether random people in a news story are reacting wrong
:[Toward bottom right]: Whether you're getting enough work done
:[Very bottom right]: Whether you have the virus because you just coughed and last week you touched a doorknob

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2022-05-03T23:29:47Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 232836 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(
}}

== Explanation ==
In the first three comics of the series, the character explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, plus the title text and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of barrel boy's story, imply that the character's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have come to some harm.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] who is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character was in the barrel in parts 1-3.

After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on xkcd, it has been clear that the original [[Ferret]] story should also be included as part of the barrel series.

The full series can be found [[:Category:Barrel|here]]. But below they are listed in the order Randall has put them in his collection linked to above:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

== Transcript ==
:[The barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

==Trivia==
*This was the 26th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[37: Hyphen]].
**The next was [[26: Fourier]].
*The original title of this comic was "Monday's Drawing".
*There were no original [[Randall]] quote for this comic.
**However, three hours after posting the comic, he made a new post with the following statement:
:::'''''Barrel series'''''
:::By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:
:::[https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html] [This is an archived version of the page. The original link is dead. This text is not included in the statement.]
:::I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.
:::I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.
:::Oops.
*Since this was not (as he stated in the [[37: Hyphen#Trivia|previous comic]]) the last in the [[:Category:Barrel|barrel series]], the last comic must later have been included.
**Since this last barrel comic [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] involved the [[:Category:Ferret|ferret]], the previous ferret story [[20: Ferret]] must also have been included then.
**Thus making the original ferret a "real" part of the barrel story.
**Randall also confesses that he changed the appearance of the 2nd Barrel comic.
***At this time, that must have referred to the one called [[11: Barrel - Part 2]], although Randall in the page above has moved this to after the first ferret comic.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explains why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey

2022-05-03T23:29:08Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 232918 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{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==
At the time [[xkcd]] was created, [[Randall]] was working 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, [http://philosopherdeveloper.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/devilsangels.jpg fractals], and so on. The form of this strip resembles one of his [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/Escher,_Metamorphosis_II.jpg Metamorphosis etchings].
** {{w|Johann Sebastian Bach}} was a German composer and musician from the {{w|Baroque Period}}, famous for numerous works such as the ''{{w|Brandenburg Concertos}}.

* Kurt Halsey is a comic artist from {{w|Oregon}}. His work often contains introspective philosophical musings. At least one phrase in the letter is attributed to Halsey, "The past is just practice".

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 behatted guy is [[Black Hat]], as Randall hadn't standardized his character designs yet, though the sarcastic comment suggests that it is. If it is, then this would be his first appearance. (He also appears in [[12: Poisson]], but that comic was released about 3 months later, but the numbering did not follow the release day on [[LiveJournal]] when the comics were transferred to xkcd - see the [[12: Poisson#Trivia|trivia]] for that comic.) Actually due to the order of release on LiveJournal, this, being number 6, was the first releases to use both stick figures, [[Cueball]], Black Hat and [[Megan]], as well as [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Multiple Cueballs]]! See the [[#Trivia|trivia]] below.

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

The philosophy of Kurt Gödel is also a theme in [[468: Fetishes]].

==Interpretations==

* 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 loses 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 therefore the strip's structure) seem to lose their sense to Randall as they collapse 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) number of small bubbles.
* The quote stating "There's too much. And so little feels important." tells 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 he feels that 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?".
* The structure of the strip has some abstract connections with the structure of the book. The beginning, middle, and end sequences reflect back on themselves; the strip displays some symmetry. In the book, there's an interplay of contributions from the artist, the musician, and the mathematician; some of this is present in the strip [Lots of citations missing].
* The biggest bubble is expanding, and on it is a fractal arrangement of articles describing various scientific and philosophical discussions. A subjective interpretation is that the fractal nature of the excerpts is a comment on the unending attempt to rationalize and justify the unchanging nature of humanity. The largest bubble bursts, leaving the two figures on a shred of what once was. The final question is, "What do you do when the bubble bursts?" It seems that his answer is to find someone and love them; in the end, that's all that matters. The rest is just air.

==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 a darker circle in the lower right corner.]

:(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 ...
:be obvious to one-s ... your great intellectual achievements ... Tortise. Why ... you give this old Tortise ...

:[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.]

:Cueball: 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 was the 6th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[1: Barrel - Part 1]].
**The next was [[13: Canyon]].
*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.
::
::The whole series is here. "
*The last word "here" is a now broken link: <nowiki>http://www.xkcd.com/comic/comic.html</nowiki>
**It was the first time Randall posted a link to the xkcd.com site (so the xkcd page was already active when he posted his first comics to LiveJournal).
**The link indicates that the image posted on LiveJournal was only part of this strip.
**Unfortunately, both the image of this strip and the link posted on LiveJournal are broken (also in the archive).
**So it is not known if there is even more to this strip than now posted on xkcd or if the original post only covered a small part of this very long strip. In that case, the link would take the user to the full comic, the one here, which was later posted on xkcd.
**If anyone knows which of the above is true, please make a comment here. (Do edit, but make sure to indicate that this is a fact then).
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday, September 30, 2005.
**Since it was at that time number 6 (not 24) and the current number 6, [[6: Irony]], was number 9, then this comic is actually the first Randall posted that used [[Cueball]]. So in principle this comic was the first to use stick figures as well as Cueball!
***It is also the first with [[Megan]], whose first now is [[16: Monty Python --_Enough]], number 16 on LiveJournal.
***First with [[Black Hat]], whose first now is [[12: Poisson]], not even released on LiveJournal.
***As well as the first with [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Multiple Cueballs]].
***See also these trivia on the [[6:_Irony#Trivia|Irony]], [[16:_Monty_Python_--_Enough#Trivia|Monty Python]] and [[12:_Poisson#Trivia|Poisson]] pages.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explains why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 06]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 06]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

23: T-shirts

2022-05-03T23:27:37Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 233190 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 23
| date = October 26, 2005
| title = T-shirts
| image = t-shirts.jpg
| titletext = It's depressing how many of these are real shirts
}}

==Explanation==

This comic satirizes the plethora of "snarky" phrase T-shirts that exist today. In the top-left, the character wears a typical (and real) snark shirt, "I see dumb people" (suggesting that the wearer thinks everyone else is dumb, while being a parody of the phrase "I see dead people" from the movie ''{{w|The Sixth Sense}}''). Other shirts shown also suggest that the wearer is better than everyone else, and perhaps the shirts increasingly suggest that the wearer is anti-social moving from top to bottom. Near the bottom of the screen, the T-shirts no longer attempt to be witty and simply have straightforward phrases like "go away" and "die". These are exaggerations of the message that the other more-realistic shirts broadcast.

The final three shirts are also exaggerated shirts that suggest [[Randall]]'s view that people who wear snarky shirts are overcompensating for the fact that they are already alone or perhaps putting up a tough exterior to conceal their sadness that no one would talk to them anyway. Most notably "maybe if this T-shirt is witty enough, someone will finally love me" sums up what Randall thinks snarky shirts really say. There are shirts with this or a similar message, although it is unclear whether they were created before this comic or as a tribute to this comic.

In the title text, Randall says that it's depressing how many of the shirts in the comic actually exist in real life, further underlining the point that these shirts are overly arrogant, to the point where one might believe that Randall made them up. This highlights the inadequacy of substance within these T-shirts and the terror they invoke in Randall's mind.

==Transcript==
:[A collection of phrases on T-shirts. The first and the last on actual black T-shirts worn by the same person, whose facial expression is more sad on the last one.]
:I see dumb people
:As a matter of fact the world <big>does</big> revolve around me
:I can only please one person per day / today is not your day.
:You know what your problem is? You're stupid.
:Get a clue
:Do I look like a people person?
:Your village called / they want their idiot back
:Go away
:I hate you all
:Die.
:Help.
:Maybe if this T-shirt is witty enough, someone will finally love me.
:Oh God I'm so alone.

==Trivia==
*This was the 24th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[22: Barrel - Part 3]].
**The next was [[37: Hyphen]].
*Original title: "Wednesday's Drawing"
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "I saw the 'problem' t-shirt (upper right) on campus a few days ago and suddenly felt so sad."
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].
*This is one of the few, early comics that contains a non-[[stick figure]] character.
*The last phrase of the comic was made into an actual T-shirt called "[https://store.xkcd.com/products/witty Witty]" sold at the xkcd store (as "maybe if this shirt is witty enough, someone will finally love me").
*Real shirts are: 'I see dumb people', 'As a matter of fact, the world '''does''' revolve around me', 'You know what your problem is? You're stupid.', 'I can only please one person per day//This is not your day.', 'Do I LOOK like a people person?', 'Get a clue', 'Your village called//They want their idiot back', 'Go away', 'Die.', 'Help', and 'Maybe if this t-shirt was witty enough, someone will finally love me.'
*'I hate you all' doesn't exist, but 'Hate you all' and 'I hate you' does. 'Oh god//I'm so alone' also doesn't exist, but 'Oh god I'm gonna die alone' and 'Oh god I am so alone in my world' does.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 24]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

22: Barrel - Part 3

2022-05-03T23:27:03Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 234313 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 22
| date = October 24, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 3
| image = barrel_whirlpool.jpg
| titletext = A whirlpool!
}}

==Explanation==
In the first two comics in the Barrel series, the boy is floating in the ocean in a barrel, making fairly innocent points about life's uncertainty. In this comic, the view has zoomed out considerably, and the boy is seen to be on the edge of a gigantic {{w|whirlpool}}. Thus, there is now a palpably heightened sense of danger, though the boy's reaction continues to be innocent wonder.

The comic's visual composition is reminiscent of {{w|File:Maelstrom-Clarke.jpg|a classic 1919 illustration}} by {{w|Harry Clarke}}, made for {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}'s 1841 short story "{{w|A Descent into the Maelström}}." In the short story, the main character escapes from drowning by using a barrel to escape The Maelström.

This is the third in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] who is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character is in a barrel.

After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on xkcd, it has been clear that the original [[Ferret]] story should also be included as part of the barrel series.

The full series can be found [[:Category:Barrel|here]]. But below they are listed in the order Randall has put them in his collection linked to above:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[A large and deep vortex is in the center; spinning water covers the whole panel. A boy in a floating barrel is near the edge, apparently about to be sucked in.]
:Boy: wow!

== Trivia ==
*This was the 23rd comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[40: Light]].
**The next was [[23: T-shirts]].
*Original title: "Monday's Drawing"
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "The saga of the boy and his barrel continues! ([[1: Barrel - Part 1|Part 1]] and [[11: Barrel - Part 2|Part 2]])"
**There are links to the pictures of the two first parts.
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 23]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Barrel|04]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 04]]

21: Kepler

2022-05-03T23:26:35Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 232669 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 21
| date = October 17, 2005
| title = Kepler
| image = kepler.jpg
| titletext = Science joke. You should probably move along.
}}

==Explanation==
A Cueball-like guy asks [[Cueball]], the store manager, how they keep the store so clean, and he is told that they have hired Kepler, a hard worker who doesn't mind the monotony and sweeps out the same area every night.

{{w|Johannes Kepler}} was a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer, best known for his laws of planetary motion. By using {{w|Tycho Brahe}}'s observations of our solar system (Brahe gave Kepler the job of observing and explaining the motion of the planet Mars), Kepler was able to deduce that planets in the system do not move in a circular orbit around the Sun, but rather in an elliptical one.
In doing so, he directly contradicted Brahe's own conviction that the Earth was the centre of the universe.

According to {{w|Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion#Second_law|Kepler's Second Law}}, "A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time," somewhat akin to sweeping a broom over the floor.

In the comic, the janitor Kepler also sweeps the same area, although in this case, "area" is used in the sense of "surface" (of floor) rather than in the purely mathematical sense. It is also very monotonous, like a planet's set orbit, but Kepler doesn't mind this.

The comic could also be seen as a subtle reference to the Kepler space telescope that was searching for exoplanets (planets outside the Solar system) from March 2009 to August 2013, by looking at exactly the same spot in the night sky over and over again. Even though the telescope was not launched until 4 years after this comic was published, the details of Project Kepler had been disclosed by NASA press releases [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_107AR.html as early as 2001].

The title text assumes that the reader is scientifically illiterate and won't understand the joke, which is ironic, considering how xkcd came to be known for embracing STEM fields and nerdiness in general.

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand in an aisle in a store.]
:Cueball: Nice store. How do you keep the floors so clean?
:Store manager: Oh, we hired this dude named Kepler, he's really good. Hard worker. Doesn't mind the monotony. Sweeps out the same area every night.

==Trivia==
*This was the 20th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[20: Ferret]].
**The next was [[44: Love]].
*Original title: "Monday's drawing"
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "Another one which, if you don't get, you're probably better off."
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.
**This is the same day that NASA announced the delay of Project Kepler due to budget cuts.
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 20]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

998: 2012

2022-05-03T23:25:42Z

Pandacron: Undo revision 233950 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

<noinclude>:''This page refers to the comic named "2012". For comic #2012, see [[2012: Thorough Analysis]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 998
| date = January 2, 2012
| title = 2012
| image = 2012.png
| titletext = To compensate for this, I plan to spend 2013 doing nothing but talking about Mayans. My relationships with my friends and family may not fare well.
}}

==Explanation==
This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]] is in reference to the fact that the {{w|Maya civilization|Mayans}}, an ancient civilization in the {{w|Central America|America}}s, created a calendar that ends (or, more accurately: restarts) on December 21, 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the calendar used by the Mayan culture. Knowing this, some thought that the world was going to end on that date.

Consequently, a lot of people were talking about the Mayans, concerned that the world might end. After December 21, 2012 passed uneventfully, everyone was less concerned about the Mayans, because the world didn't end{{Citation needed}}. It is worthy of note that this comic was published nearly a year ''before'' the "significant" date and that Randall predicted both the hype and the aftermath perfectly.

There is a measure of irony to be had in how the Mayans who still exist today were largely ignored by the doomsayers. "Or acknowledging that huge city-building ancient American civilizations existed at all."

In the final frame, [[Megan]] parodies the phrase, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it," applying a twist to suggest an academic context. In most American schools, a Grade Point Average is computed by assigning numeric value to each letter grade: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0; receiving high marks (all A's) thus yields a 4.0 GPA. However, if you "Fail to learn from History" — that is, get a failing grade, F, and had at least 3 other classes (not an unusual course load) — you would still get a 3.0 with A's in those other classes. With a more common workload of eight courses per year, GPA as high as 3.5 can actually be reached in those circumstances. She is making the callous — if roundabout — observation that failing to grasp history, while no doubt troubling, isn't an academic show-stopper. Her comment may also be taken to suggest that people who feared the Mayan "prediction" of the end of the world would come to pass had failed to appropriately extrapolate from the numerous other faulty {{w|List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events|predictions of the end of the world}}. In fact the Mayans never actually predicted the end of the world with their calendar, those who failed to learn from history jumped to conclusions yet again.

The title text jokes that to make up for the lack of Mayan discussion, Randall plans to spend 2013 talking solely about Mayans. For obvious reasons{{Citation needed}}, people would probably get sick of this very quickly, hence his comment that his relationships might not fare well. Thankfully, as of 2014, not a single published xkcd comic of 2013 featured any Mayans, so we're pretty sure this promise wasn't kept.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking.]
:Cueball: Well, it's 2012.

:[Cueball and Megan in frameless panel.]
:Megan: Yup.
:Megan: Only 354 days left until everybody abruptly stops talking about Mayans.

:[Cueball and Megan in wide panel to fit longer text content.]
:Cueball: Or thinking about Mayans.
:Cueball: Or acknowledging that huge city-building ancient American civilizations existed at all.
:Megan: You know what they say — those who fail to learn from history can still manage a 3.0 if they ace their other subjects.

==Trivia==
*December 21 is the 355th day of the year (and the 356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar and because this comic was released on January 2 and 2012 was a leap year there were exactly 354 days left.
*Two years later another New Years comic with just the new years number as the title was released: [[1311: 2014]]. But actually the content of that comic was more related to the previous comic before this one [[997: Wait Wait]], which is also a New Year comic, that took a look at what could happen in 2012, just as 2014 does for 2014... In 2016 a comic, with only the new year as the name theme, occurred again [[1624: 2016]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|2012]]
[[Category:Calendar]]