explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2197: Game Show

2019-09-03T11:05:18Z

Patrickmcdonald: Undo revision 178989 by Patrickmcdonald (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2197
| date = September 2, 2019
| title = Game Show
| before = [[2198: Throw]] is up --> Delete this line when the buttons work again!
| image = game_show.png
| titletext = Eventually they agreed to "an auto-retracting dog leash with one end clipped to your house, so you can press the button on the handle and water-ski home."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an UNHAPPY STATUE OF LIBERTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many shows have situations where the participants are asked hypothetical questions. A common hypothetical question asked to ascertain someone's values and problem solving skills is the one item they would take to a deserted island.

[[Black Hat]] is on such a game show, and he does his best to undermine the point of the system, listing various things, (see [[#List of Black Hat's items|below]]), that would either bring him back home from the deserted island (e.g. a boat, a plane), thereby undermining the point of the question, or would be nearly impossible to obtain (e.g. Amelia Earhart's skeleton, the Atlantic Ocean).

The title text reveals that the game show has ultimately acquiesced to one of Black Hat's wishes in a way: the dog leash mentioned would allow him to water-ski home, though such a dog leash is implausible (for example, a dog leash from San Francisco to Hawaii would be over 2000 miles long and therefore difficult to manufacture).

==List of Black Hat's items==
* A '''boat''', so he could sail home.
* A '''plane''', so he could fly home.
* '''{{w|Amelia Earhart|Amelia Earhart's}} plane''' or '''skeleton'''. She was a female U.S. aviator who went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an attempt to circumnavigate earth. There have been many claims of the rediscovery of Earhart's remains, but it is unlikely that a game show would expend the energy to give their contestant either Earhart's plane or her skeleton; and even if they did, it wouldn't be in an appropriate condition for getting back. With the plane he could fly home. What he wants to do with the skeleton is anyone's guess.
* '''The internal structure of The {{w|Statue of Liberty}}''' was designed by Gustave Eiffel, best known for his work on the Eiffel Tower. It would be near impossible, not to mention illegal, to even remove the support frame, let alone get it onto a remote island.
* '''The {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}''' are ceremonial objects owned by the kings and queens of the UK. The items are kept under heavy guard and are valued at about $4 billion; it would therefore be difficult for Black Hat to get them onto a deserted island with him.
* '''The entire television audience for the show''' . If this is a popular channel/show, this could potentially be millions of people. Then at least it would no longer be a desert island, but of course it would be even more difficult to survive...
* '''The {{w|Greenland ice sheet}}''' is the body of ice covering the island of {{w|Greenland}}. As the second largest ice sheet on Earth, it would not quite fit on a deserted island.
* '''Earth's {{w|north magnetic pole}}''' is the point on earth that all compasses point towards because of the magnetohydrodynamic ([[1851: Magnetohydrodynamics|magic]]) forces in the earth's mantle; presumably Black Hat wants the pole to be at his deserted island, though the north magnetic pole is rather difficult to adjust.
* '''The {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}''' is the ocean left behind by the split of North America and Afroeurasia; It is of course not possible to move this anywhere. Anyway if it could somehow be poured over a deserted island in the pacific, the water would just run right back as all Earth's oceans are connected. He did say he only wished for it if his island was in the Pacific...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, Black Hat, and Megan are game show contestants standing behind lecterns with Hairy standing in front of them as the game show host. Black Hat, standing in the middle of the three is holding a finger up while speaking.]

:Black Hat: A boat. A plane. Amelia Earhart's plane. Amelia Earhart's ''skeleton''. The Statue of Liberty's internal support frame. The Crown Jewels. This show's entire television audience. The Greenland ice sheet. Earth's north magnetic pole.
:Black Hat: Am I in the Pacific Ocean?
:Black Hat: If so, the Atlantic Ocean.

:Hairy: Uhh.
:Hairy: Our producers are going to need some time on this one.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The game show realized that they should have added some restrictions to their "take any item to a deserted island" challenge, but it was too late.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2197: Game Show

2019-09-03T11:02:50Z

Patrickmcdonald: 2198 is up

{{comic
| number = 2197
| date = September 2, 2019
| title = Game Show
| image = game_show.png
| titletext = Eventually they agreed to "an auto-retracting dog leash with one end clipped to your house, so you can press the button on the handle and water-ski home."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an UNHAPPY STATUE OF LIBERTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many shows have situations where the participants are asked hypothetical questions. A common hypothetical question asked to ascertain someone's values and problem solving skills is the one item they would take to a deserted island.

[[Black Hat]] is on such a game show, and he does his best to undermine the point of the system, listing various things, (see [[#List of Black Hat's items|below]]), that would either bring him back home from the deserted island (e.g. a boat, a plane), thereby undermining the point of the question, or would be nearly impossible to obtain (e.g. Amelia Earhart's skeleton, the Atlantic Ocean).

The title text reveals that the game show has ultimately acquiesced to one of Black Hat's wishes in a way: the dog leash mentioned would allow him to water-ski home, though such a dog leash is implausible (for example, a dog leash from San Francisco to Hawaii would be over 2000 miles long and therefore difficult to manufacture).

==List of Black Hat's items==
* A '''boat''', so he could sail home.
* A '''plane''', so he could fly home.
* '''{{w|Amelia Earhart|Amelia Earhart's}} plane''' or '''skeleton'''. She was a female U.S. aviator who went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an attempt to circumnavigate earth. There have been many claims of the rediscovery of Earhart's remains, but it is unlikely that a game show would expend the energy to give their contestant either Earhart's plane or her skeleton; and even if they did, it wouldn't be in an appropriate condition for getting back. With the plane he could fly home. What he wants to do with the skeleton is anyone's guess.
* '''The internal structure of The {{w|Statue of Liberty}}''' was designed by Gustave Eiffel, best known for his work on the Eiffel Tower. It would be near impossible, not to mention illegal, to even remove the support frame, let alone get it onto a remote island.
* '''The {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}''' are ceremonial objects owned by the kings and queens of the UK. The items are kept under heavy guard and are valued at about $4 billion; it would therefore be difficult for Black Hat to get them onto a deserted island with him.
* '''The entire television audience for the show''' . If this is a popular channel/show, this could potentially be millions of people. Then at least it would no longer be a desert island, but of course it would be even more difficult to survive...
* '''The {{w|Greenland ice sheet}}''' is the body of ice covering the island of {{w|Greenland}}. As the second largest ice sheet on Earth, it would not quite fit on a deserted island.
* '''Earth's {{w|north magnetic pole}}''' is the point on earth that all compasses point towards because of the magnetohydrodynamic ([[1851: Magnetohydrodynamics|magic]]) forces in the earth's mantle; presumably Black Hat wants the pole to be at his deserted island, though the north magnetic pole is rather difficult to adjust.
* '''The {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}''' is the ocean left behind by the split of North America and Afroeurasia; It is of course not possible to move this anywhere. Anyway if it could somehow be poured over a deserted island in the pacific, the water would just run right back as all Earth's oceans are connected. He did say he only wished for it if his island was in the Pacific...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, Black Hat, and Megan are game show contestants standing behind lecterns with Hairy standing in front of them as the game show host. Black Hat, standing in the middle of the three is holding a finger up while speaking.]

:Black Hat: A boat. A plane. Amelia Earhart's plane. Amelia Earhart's ''skeleton''. The Statue of Liberty's internal support frame. The Crown Jewels. This show's entire television audience. The Greenland ice sheet. Earth's north magnetic pole.
:Black Hat: Am I in the Pacific Ocean?
:Black Hat: If so, the Atlantic Ocean.

:Hairy: Uhh.
:Hairy: Our producers are going to need some time on this one.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The game show realized that they should have added some restrictions to their "take any item to a deserted island" challenge, but it was too late.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]