explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

964: Dorm Poster

2018-11-05T23:51:19Z

Pigsonthewing: Undo revision 165565 by Dgbrt (talk) So please create it

{{comic
| number = 964
| date = October 14, 2011
| title = Dorm Poster
| image = dorm poster.png
| titletext = I was going to record an album with that cover under the name "PINK FTFY", so it'd come after them on the store CD rack. But at this point music stores are just rooms where CDs are set out to age before they're thrown away, so probably nobody would see it.
}}

==Explanation==
The poster on the wall is the album artwork, by {{w|Hipgnosis}}, for {{w|Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd's}} album {{w|The Dark Side of the Moon}}. It shows a beam of light passing through a {{w|dispersive prism}} and separating into a rainbow. After thinking a bit, the new student makes a poster that uses a lens to reverse the rainbow into another prism, likely to mess with his new roommate. This idea actually isn't very innovative, because the original backside of the album contained the reverse rainbow and prism (but not the lens). The setup with two prisms was used by Isaac Newton to prove that white light is composed of different colors of light.

In the title text, Randall make's the joke that by recording a record under the name "Pink FTFY" (fixed that for you), the name of his band would come immediately after Pink Floyd alphabetically, so the album would be to the right of Pink Floyd's album for Dark Side of the Moon, allowing for the same image seen in the back of the dorm room to be on the shelves of the record store. Since the cover of his album would be catching the light from Pink Floyd's album and forming white light once again, Randall would be "fixing" the cover of Dark Side of the Moon. However [[Randall]] makes the crack that no one would see the joke, because of the fact music can be bought and downloaded online, which has decreased the traffic the record stores in recent years.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball finds dorm room.]

:[View into the dorm room. The left half is already occupied, and a roommate has filled his side with the normal accoutrements of dorm life. There is a Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster hanging on the far wall, offset and only on the roommate's side.]

:[Cueball has a bit of a ponder.]

:[Cueball leaves for a bit.]

:[Cueball returns with an item.]

:[View into the dorm room. Cueball is moving in, and has placed a second Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster modified with a lens in the rainbow's path. The poster is placed upside down on Cueball's side of the far wall to catch the rainbow, feed it back into the prism, and turn it back into a narrow stream of white light.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Pink Floyd]]
[[Category:Physics]]

1660: Captain Speaking

2018-11-05T20:32:55Z

Pigsonthewing: /* Explanation */ +

{{comic
| number = 1660
| date = March 25, 2016
| title = Captain Speaking
| image = captain_speaking.png
| titletext = Oh dang, you have to pay? Hey, has anyone else paid already? If so, can I borrow your phone for a sec?
}}

==Explanation==
At periodic intervals on a commercial flight, the captain of the plane will address the passengers with information about the flight. Typically this will begin with "This is your captain speaking..." and go on to describe the progress of the flight, expected arrival time and other information about the flight such as if or when refreshments will be brought to passengers.

This comic takes this cliché and inverts it. Instead of the captain providing information, the captain tells the passengers that he has apparently forgotten everything about the flight, even down to what kind of plane he is supposed to be flying – although he does think it is a {{w|Boeing}}. He at least discovers the flight number and then plans to use the consumer app {{w|Flightaware}} that is made for tracking flights. He thus hopes to be able to find out what the destination of “his” plane is. But Flightaware requires {{w|Wi-Fi}} access, so he goes on to ask the passengers if anyone know how to access the Wi-Fi. This app was earlier referenced in [[1363: xkcd Phone]].

This even gets worse in the title text where he realizes that you have to pay for using the on-board Wi-Fi, which means he is trying to access the same Wi-Fi that the passengers have access to instead of using the on-board Wi-Fi that must be in the cockpit (to which he is supposed to have free access). Instead of just paying he then asks the passengers if someone has already paid, because then he would like to borrow their smartphone so he can check the Flightaware app to find out where they are going.

Options for explaining this scenario are:
#The "captain" is not a genuine pilot, but has somehow found himself in the position of being in charge of an airplane (this could be a reference to this earlier comic: [[726: Seat Selection]]).
#The captain has genuinely fallen asleep and has forgotten what plane he is on...but he has thus also forgotten how to navigate, determine his flight plan, or communicate with air traffic control. In the USA (where xkcd cartoons are normally set), there is normally at least a first officer and a flight attendant on the plane to support the captain.
#The captain has been drugged and shanghaied onto the plane. He is now expected to fly and land it for his "employer", but he has chosen to disclaim this fact to his passengers in the least reassuring manner possible.
#After taking-off, the captain enters a {{w|dissociative fugue}} state losing his personal identity.
#This may be in the future, where auto-pilot is so smart and do so much of the previous job of the pilot that future pilots might forget how to fly altogether.
#The captain knows exactly where he is and where they are going, and is playing a [[Black Hat]]-style prank on his passengers.
#It's just a joke

Seeing as how planes cannot take off on {{w|auto-pilot}} (nor can they taxi, but some can actually land), and require a skilled, awake human at the controls, it is unlikely that this captain was responsible for take-off; which must mean this auto-pilot is much more advanced than current models, likely a future model, or that his first officer took off and then went away or asleep. In the event a pilot falls asleep, on medium sized planes, ground- or proximity-, radar would set off an alarm waking the captain if they are on a collision course.

Whilst it is normal for the captain to sleep part of a long flight, this can only occur if there are multiple pilots on the plane. Most flights are on auto-pilot for hours at a time, and the pilots serve primarily for takeoff, landing, and emergencies. He is completely clueless, having to use a consumer app and asking the passengers to get flight details, instead of radioing for help as he probably should. He would easily be able to get the information of where they are going by just asking any of the passengers though.

The fact that the captain is not sure of the flight number is not hard to imagine. Commercial pilots fly multiple flights per day and the numbers all run together after a while. Every radio communication starts with the flight number, but if the captain has been out of commission for some time, the flight number could easily be forgotten. However, he would probably know the aircraft type, as commercial pilots are type-rated for a specific aircraft type and with rare exceptions (e.g. Boeing 757/767) the type is specific to an airframe type. This makes it more likely that he is not professionally qualified, although he could just be rated for so many types of aircraft that it takes him a moment to determine which one is at hand (though such a veteran pilot would be unlikely to have slept through takeoff or forget how to look up flight information from the cockpit).

Three weeks later another plane related joke was released with [[1669: Planespotting]] where it is also an open question if the plane in the comic is actually a Boeing...

==Transcript==
:[The text is written above a large commercial passenger airplane seen from below as it turns left. The text emanates from the cockpit.]
:Captain: This is your captain speaking.
:Captain: Gonna be honest-I just woke up and have no idea where I am. Looks like a Boeing of some kind?
:Captain: Oh, hey, it says the flight number here.
:Captain: Okay, I'm gonna check FlightAware to figure out where we're going.
:Captain: Anyone know how to get on the wifi?

==Trivia==
*Real World Parallels:
**This comic coincided with [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-man-goes-out-for-quiet-drink-in-essex-wakes-up-in-barcelona-a6951756.html a newspaper story] of British man, Alex Caviel, who after a night out had a vivid dream of being on a plane only to wake up to find himself on a plane landing in Barcelona.
**The comic was also published shortly after the [https://www.rt.com/news/337113-flydubai-scandal-leaks-fatigue/ Flydubai scandal], in which many pilots and former pilots accused the airline of overworking its pilots and causing massive fatigue and stress, shortly after the crash of the flight FZ981. These claims were later waged against the FlyDubai airline. The comic could portray a scenario in which one of the fatigued pilots wake up mid-flight, still suffering from lack of sleep.
**The comic was released a year and a day after the {{w|Suicide by pilot|suicide by pilot}} crash of {{w|Germanwings Flight 9525}} on 2015-03-24. This is probably a coincidence as there is no real relation to a pilot that forgets where he is, and then one that deliberately decides to crash a passenger plane killing 150 people, himself included. But for this particular flight the first officer, who crashed the plane, was left alone in the cockpit by the captain, and this was what enabled him to commit the deed. This event thus lead many companies to adopt a rule that there should always be at least two people in the cockpit at all times. But this was not always the case before, and this could explain the situation of the captain in this comic being alone in the cockpit when he "wakes" up.

{{comic discussion}}

Category:Doctor Who

2018-11-05T19:36:30Z

Pigsonthewing: "

{{w|Doctor Who}} is a famous British science fiction television program, started in 1963 and still continued at these days.

A problem with the series is that the lead is just called "The Doctor" and not "Doctor Who", which has given rise to many misunderstandings and has also been the subject of some of the xkcd comics referring to Doctor Who, which are listed here below:

[[Category:Fiction]]

1879: Eclipse Birds

2018-11-05T19:05:31Z

Pigsonthewing: removed Category:Animals; added Category:Birds using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 1879
| date = August 21, 2017
| title = Eclipse Birds
| image = eclipse_birds.png
| titletext = 'Hey! Put her down!' 'No, it's ok! The next chance for me to be carried to a blood cauldron isn't until 2024!'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the fourth of five consecutive comics with a {{w|solar eclipse}} as the topic. This comic was released in the morning on Monday, {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|August 21, 2017}}, when later a total solar eclipse was visible within a band across the {{w|contiguous United States}} from west to east. The other comics are [[1876: Eclipse Searches]], [[1877: Eclipse Science]], [[1878: Earth Orbital Diagram]], and [[1880: Eclipse Review]].

During an eclipse birds and other animals show atypical behavior like they do in the case of the darkness in the night and a following sunrise. Birds stop singing during totality, then greet the return of the sun with a "dawn chorus". Owls, however, become active as do mosquitoes. But it's not easy to find studies about this behavior because the main focus lies mostly on the eclipse itself. And total solar eclipses are rare -- roughly every 18 months and then mostly not in the same region of this world. A nice article can be found here: [https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article-pdf/42/4/4.4/436602/42-4-4.4.pdf Effects of the 2001 total solar eclipse on African wildlife]. Hippos were so confused that their daily routine even on the next day was not back to normal. Baboons stopped feeding and a sun squirrel that fed in the afternoons didn't do so, while other larger animals like crocodiles, zebras, or lions were not affected. Butterflies settled and did not restart flying, mosquitoes appeared and settled before reappearing in the evening. Also bees moved into a hive and didn't came out until the next morning.

After the 2017 eclipse NASA published some [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/2017-solar-eclipse-highlights highlights]. A video presents chirping crickets in Jefferson City, Missouri. The California Academy of Sciences supports a citizen science project about [https://www.calacademy.org/citizen-science/solar-eclipse-2017 life responds].

In this comic, [[Cueball]] tells [[Megan]] that this will happen. However, instead of just cheeping and screeching in a different pattern than birds actually do during an eclipse, in the comic, the birds begin to prepare to make a sacrifice to appease their gods, similar to how ancient cultures like the {{w|Aztecs}}, [//www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/18/16078886/total-solar-eclipse-folklore are said to have acted]. Megan remains strangely nonchalant, offering only an clichéd admiration of nature as the birds around her use fluent English to set up a sacrificial ritual.

In the title text, it turns out that the birds are about to sacrifice Megan, and Cueball tells them to stop. But Megan tells him it is OK as she wants to try experience of being carried to a blood cauldron as she won't get another chance until the next eclipse in the US on {{w|Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024|8th of April, 2024}}. (A small region around Carbondale, Illinois [//nationaleclipse.wordpress.com/2016/06/28/x-marks-the-spot-two-total-solar-eclipses-in-seven-years/ will experience] two total eclipses in 7 years).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan standing together looking to the right.]
:Cueball: I heard that during an eclipse the birds all freak out.
:Megan: I guess we'll see!

:[Beat panel, the white background sky turns at the top slightly darker.]

:[As the sky turns to dusk sounds can be heard. It's written above Cueball and Megan inside squiggly bubbles.]
:Chirp Chirp!
:Chirp!
:Peep peep peep!
:Squawk!

:[The sky is now nearly dark, more at the top of the panel. The sounds continue, written in similar bubbles.]
:Chirp!
:'''Clank clank clank'''
:The time is upon us!
:Peep!
:'''Kachunk'''
:Prepare the blood cauldron!
:Cueball: Wow.
:Megan: Isn't nature amazing?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Birds]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2018-11-05T19:04:37Z

Pigsonthewing: /* Transcript */ spacing

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across many different languages and websites. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums where users have asked where birds go when it rains, with at least nine languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on. Cueball expresses delight at the idea that this question is the one to which everyone wants to know the answer; worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us".

Later in the comic, a bird in the rain is also searching on the Internet for where birds go when it rains. This is humorously implying that a significant set of these questions are being typed by birds looking for a dry place after being caught in the rain, and not humans. This makes Cueball wrong; worrying about birds getting wet does not unite us. In reality, as the comic states, birds look for shelter so they can stay dry. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

In the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent ''is'' Superman, so you never observe both Clark Kent and Superman simultaneously. By analogy, the title text whimsically suggests that a possible inference from the observation that you never see birds and rain together is that birds ''are'' the rain. Perhaps birds are an unknown {{w|Phase (matter)|phase}} of water. In addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water has more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}} and {{w|Supercritical fluid|supercritical gases}}; why not birds?

The title text imbues the question with more philosophical significance than it warrants (prompted, perhaps, by Cueball's earlier hyperbole), and points up the irrationality of the implication that a question must be deep simply because a lot of people ask it, and that such questions demand a complex, radical answer.

===Websites shown in image===
*English
**https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
**http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
**http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
**http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
**http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
*Non-English
{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?<ref>In proper German, all nouns should be capitalized. The author leaves them uncapitalized, characteristic of lazy/hurried typing.</ref>
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?<ref>In proper Spanish, the word "donde" in this context should have an accent (dónde). This is a rule that even some newspapers manage to get wrong.</ref>
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|When it rains, where do birds go to hide?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|When it rains, where do the little birds go?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|When it rains, why do birds not fall down from getting soaked?
|-
|Japanese
|[http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136533586764388601 【雑学】暴風雨の時、鳥はどこに避難してるの？]
|Miscellaneous Knowledge: Where do birds take shelter during a rainstorm?
|-
|Malay (Indonesian)
|[https://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101215231444AAAVxSM Burung Dapat Bertahan Terbang Berapa Lama Disaat Hujan ?]
|How Long Can Birds Survive Flying In the Rain ?
|}
<references/>

==Transcript==
:[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third.]

:;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer.]
:Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.
:Megan [off screen]: Why?

:Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.
:[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer.]

:Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

:;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets.]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

:[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

:[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

:[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]: Where do birds go when it rains?

:[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

:[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

:[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

:[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

:[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

:[http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847 from eNature.com]: '''Storm shelter''' ''In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms?'' Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

:[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

:[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

:[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

:[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

:[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

:[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

:[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

:[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

:[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/] '''为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?''' 刚刚下很大的雨,却还看到有几只鸟一直在天上飞.为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来? '''补充'''：有照片的加分

:[http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?147357-Where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains from speed guide forums]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' Do they just sit in their trees as it rains getting drenched? Or do they seek shelter?

:[http://books.google.com/books?id=c9gTAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false from Google books]: '''Where Do All The Birds Go When It Rains?''' By Misty Hoopman

:[Screen snippets begin to noticeably fade to white at this point.]

:[http://vimeo.com/54433164 from vimeo]: '''WHERE DO BIRDS GO WHEN IT RAINS?''' One young magpie will give its own story. Barring the thunder and heavy rain, all the sounds on this movie are from this one young maggie. Amazing

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071130121113AA0IjwA from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go during wind and rain storms?''' Where do birds go during wind and rain storms?

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080609181529AAid1nN from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' I mean, they can't keep dry in their nests...They have to go somewhere.

:[https://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101215231444AAAVxSM from Yahoo! Answers]: Burung Dapat Bertahan Terbang Berapa Lama Disaat Hujan?

:[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm from vogel.info]: '''Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?''' Zunächst mal, was sie nicht machen: Sie verkriechen sich nicht etwa in ihr Nest, denn das Vogelnest dient der Brutpflege, es ist nicht etwa eine Wohnung. Es stellt sich aber ja auch die Frage, was eigentlich unter schlechtem Wetter zu verstehen ist: Es gibt Vögel, die leiden unter zuviel Sonne und[...]

:[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel from gutefrage.net]: '''Wohin gehen Vögel?''' Hallo zusammen! Heute als es so richtige Gewitter gab, hab ich mir überlegt wohin alle Vögel verschwinden. Haben alle Vögel Nester in die sie sich zurückziehen können? [link to view complete question.]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080808130433AAE8b3B from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' Well, yesterday it was raining...I was bored so i started staring out the window, and i say a empty birds nest and i was wondering, where do birds go when it rains?

:[http://diolungroup.com/blog/2014/02/19/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-or-snows/ from Diolún Designs Blog]: Where do Birds go when it rains or snows?

:[http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2014/04/05/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from The Andalusia Star-News]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' I haven’t fed birds in my back yard for a long time, but I still enjoy the few I see perching on top of poles, an electric wire, tree branches, or scooting across the [...]

:[http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/12/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-and.html from Bird Ecology Study Group (blog)]: '''Where do birds go when it rains? And what do they do then?''' It has been raining on and off these few weeks and the birds have not been around. Have you ever wondered what happened to them when it

:[http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136533586764388601 from Naver Matome]: '''【雑学】暴風雨の時、鳥はどこに避難してるの？''' 人間が歩くのも困難な暴風雨。その時、一番影響を受けるのは空を飛んでいる鳥達ですよね。彼らはどのように風雨を凌いでいるのか？ずーっと気になっていた事を調べてみました！

:[At this point, at the bottom of the section, screen snippets are extremely faded.]

:[http://dailyapple.blogspot.com/2010/01/apple-431-birds-in-rain.html from The Daily Apple]: '''Apple #431: Birds in the Rain'''
:Forgot until late tonight that I meant to make a new post. Since I didn't leave [...]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140522193215AAawPNF from Yahoo! answers]: Where does birds go when it rains?

:;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence.]
:[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling.]

:[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire.]

:[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity.]

:[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more.]

:[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object.]

:[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing.] W... H... E... R... E...   D... O...   B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Birds]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2018-11-05T19:01:22Z

Pigsonthewing: removed Category:Animals; added Category:Birds using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across many different languages and websites. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums where users have asked where birds go when it rains, with at least nine languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on. Cueball expresses delight at the idea that this question is the one to which everyone wants to know the answer; worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us".

Later in the comic, a bird in the rain is also searching on the Internet for where birds go when it rains. This is humorously implying that a significant set of these questions are being typed by birds looking for a dry place after being caught in the rain, and not humans. This makes Cueball wrong; worrying about birds getting wet does not unite us. In reality, as the comic states, birds look for shelter so they can stay dry. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

In the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent ''is'' Superman, so you never observe both Clark Kent and Superman simultaneously. By analogy, the title text whimsically suggests that a possible inference from the observation that you never see birds and rain together is that birds ''are'' the rain. Perhaps birds are an unknown {{w|Phase (matter)|phase}} of water. In addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water has more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}} and {{w|Supercritical fluid|supercritical gases}}; why not birds?

The title text imbues the question with more philosophical significance than it warrants (prompted, perhaps, by Cueball's earlier hyperbole), and points up the irrationality of the implication that a question must be deep simply because a lot of people ask it, and that such questions demand a complex, radical answer.

===Websites shown in image===
*English
**https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
**http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
**http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
**http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
**http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
*Non-English
{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?<ref>In proper German, all nouns should be capitalized. The author leaves them uncapitalized, characteristic of lazy/hurried typing.</ref>
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?<ref>In proper Spanish, the word "donde" in this context should have an accent (dónde). This is a rule that even some newspapers manage to get wrong.</ref>
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|When it rains, where do birds go to hide?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|When it rains, where do the little birds go?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|When it rains, why do birds not fall down from getting soaked?
|-
|Japanese
|[http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136533586764388601 【雑学】暴風雨の時、鳥はどこに避難してるの？]
|Miscellaneous Knowledge: Where do birds take shelter during a rainstorm?
|-
|Malay (Indonesian)
|[https://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101215231444AAAVxSM Burung Dapat Bertahan Terbang Berapa Lama Disaat Hujan ?]
|How Long Can Birds Survive Flying In the Rain ?
|}
<references/>

==Transcript==
:[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third.]

:;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer.]
:Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.
:Megan [off screen]: Why?

:Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.
:[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer.]

:Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

:;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets.]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

:[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

:[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

:[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]: Where do birds go when it rains?

:[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

:[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

:[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

:[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

:[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

:[http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847 from eNature.com]: '''Storm shelter''' ''In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms?'' Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

:[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

:[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

:[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

:[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

:[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

:[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

:[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

:[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

:[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/] '''为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?''' 刚刚下很大的雨,却还看到有几只鸟一直在天上飞.为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来? '''补充'''：有照片的加分

:[http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?147357-Where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains from speed guide forums]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' Do they just sit in their trees as it rains getting drenched? Or do they seek shelter?

:[http://books.google.com/books?id=c9gTAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false from Google books]: '''Where Do All The Birds Go When It Rains?''' By Misty Hoopman

:[Screen snippets begin to noticeably fade to white at this point.]

:[http://vimeo.com/54433164 from vimeo]: '''WHERE DO BIRDS GO WHEN IT RAINS?''' One young magpie will give its own story. Barring the thunder and heavy rain, all the sounds on this movie are from this one young maggie. Amazing

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071130121113AA0IjwA from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go during wind and rain storms?''' Where do birds go during wind and rain storms?

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080609181529AAid1nN from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' I mean, they can't keep dry in their nests...They have to go somewhere.

:[https://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101215231444AAAVxSM from Yahoo! Answers]: Burung Dapat Bertahan Terbang Berapa Lama Disaat Hujan?

:[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm from vogel.info]: '''Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?''' Zunächst mal, was sie nicht machen: Sie verkriechen sich nicht etwa in ihr Nest, denn das Vogelnest dient der Brutpflege, es ist nicht etwa eine Wohnung. Es stellt sich aber ja auch die Frage, was eigentlich unter schlechtem Wetter zu verstehen ist: Es gibt Vögel, die leiden unter zuviel Sonne und[...]

:[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel from gutefrage.net]: '''Wohin gehen Vögel?''' Hallo zusammen! Heute als es so richtige Gewitter gab, hab ich mir überlegt wohin alle Vögel verschwinden. Haben alle Vögel Nester in die sie sich zurückziehen können? [link to view complete question.]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080808130433AAE8b3B from Yahoo! Answers]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' Well, yesterday it was raining...I was bored so i started staring out the window, and i say a empty birds nest and i was wondering, where do birds go when it rains?

:[http://diolungroup.com/blog/2014/02/19/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-or-snows/ from Diolún Designs Blog]: Where do Birds go when it rains or snows?

:[http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2014/04/05/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from The Andalusia Star-News]: '''Where do birds go when it rains?''' I haven’t fed birds in my back yard for a long time, but I still enjoy the few I see perching on top of poles, an electric wire, tree branches, or scooting across the [...]

:[http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/12/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-and.html from Bird Ecology Study Group (blog)]: '''Where do birds go when it rains? And what do they do then?''' It has been raining on and off these few weeks and the birds have not been around. Have you ever wondered what happened to them when it

:[http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136533586764388601 from Naver Matome]: '''【雑学】暴風雨の時、鳥はどこに避難してるの？''' 人間が歩くのも困難な暴風雨。その時、一番影響を受けるのは空を飛んでいる鳥達ですよね。彼らはどのように風雨を凌いでいるのか？ずーっと気になっていた事を調べてみました！

:[At this point, at the bottom of the section, screen snippets are extremely faded.]

:[http://dailyapple.blogspot.com/2010/01/apple-431-birds-in-rain.html from The Daily Apple]: '''Apple #431: Birds in the Rain'''
:Forgot until late tonight that I meant to make a new post. Since I didn't leave [...]

:[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140522193215AAawPNF from Yahoo! answers]: Where does birds go when it rains?

:;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence.]
:[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling.]

:[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire.]

:[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity.]

:[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more.]

:[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object.]

:[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing.] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Birds]]

1211: Birds and Dinosaurs

2018-11-05T19:00:09Z

Pigsonthewing: added Category:Birds using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 1211
| date = May 13, 2013
| title = Birds and Dinosaurs
| image = birds and dinosaurs.png
| titletext = Sure, T. rex is closer in height to Stegosaurus than a sparrow. But that doesn't tell you much; 'Dinosaur Comics' author Ryan North is closer in height to certain dinosaurs than to the average human.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Bird}}s are commonly considered to be a separate {{w|class (biology)|class}} of {{w|tetrapods}}. However, this classification is false according to {{w|phylogenetic taxonomy}}. Taking into account that birds developed around {{w|Late Jurassic|150 million years ago}} out of small {{w|theropod}} dinosaurs, birds along with crocodiles are indeed the remaining representatives of the {{w|Archosaur|archosaur clade}}. This premise appeared also in comic [[867: Herpetology]].

This relation between birds and dinosaurs is depicted in the comic in a {{w|cladogram}} which shows that ''{{w|Tyrannosaurus rex}}'' is more closely related to the common {{w|sparrow}} than to ''{{w|Stegosaurus}}''. Not only do the former share a phylogenetic branch, but ''T. rex'' also lived around 80 million years ''after'' ''Stegosaurus''. The concurrence of both species in popular culture is a widespread error. ''T. rex'' is also much more alike to modern birds than to other dinosaurs in terms of physiognomy. This relationship was pointed out on the [http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6133/690 Science] journal the week of the comic.

The comic draws the conclusion that if birds must in fact be considered modern dinosaurs, the hunting practice of birds of prey (specifically, the {{w|Peregrine Falcon}}) is consequently a dinosaur fight. For an inveterate dinosaur aficionado like [[Randall]], this fact must make the modern world much more attractive.

The line "This is a good world." could also possibly refer to a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc famous scene] from the {{w|Serenity (Firefly episode)|pilot episode}} of the television series ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}'' featuring two plastic dinosaurs in a somewhat philosophic dialogue. Randall is known to be a {{w|Browncoat|fan of the series}}.

The title text is a sidesweep to the webcomic ''[http://www.qwantz.com Dinosaur Comics]'' drawn by {{w|Ryan North}}, who stands 6'6.5" (199 cm) tall. At that page the title text of the comic [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 strip] from the same day refers to Randall and ''[[xkcd]]''.

The conclusion of this comic is referenced in the title text of the last image in the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/101/ Plastic Dinosaurs] What if?

==Transcript==
:By any reasonable definition, ''T. rex'' is more closely related to sparrows than to ''Stegosaurus''.
:[Diagram showing that ''Stegosaurus'' came earlier than ''T. rex'', along with it showing that ''T. rex'' came closer in time to sparrows. Evaluation criteria "separation by time", "phylogenetic distance" and "physical similarity" are highlighted in red.]
:Birds aren't ''descended'' from dinosaurs, they ''are'' dinosaurs.
:Which means that the fastest animal alive today is a small carnivorous dinosaur, ''Falco peregrinus''.
:[A picture of two birds is shown.]
:It preys mainly on other dinosaurs, which it strikes and kills in midair with its claws.
:[In red:] This is a good world.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Birds]]

964: Dorm Poster

2018-11-05T18:36:19Z

Pigsonthewing: /* Explanation */ Hipgnosis

964: Dorm Poster

2018-11-05T18:35:40Z

Pigsonthewing: /* Explanation */ Hypgnosis

{{comic
| number = 964
| date = October 14, 2011
| title = Dorm Poster
| image = dorm poster.png
| titletext = I was going to record an album with that cover under the name "PINK FTFY", so it'd come after them on the store CD rack. But at this point music stores are just rooms where CDs are set out to age before they're thrown away, so probably nobody would see it.
}}

==Explanation==
The poster on the wall is the album artwork, by {{w|Hypgnosis}}, for {{w|Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd's}} album {{w|The Dark Side of the Moon}}. It shows a beam of light passing through a {{w|dispersive prism}} and separating into a rainbow. After thinking a bit, the new student makes a poster that uses a lens to reverse the rainbow into another prism, likely to mess with his new roommate. This idea actually isn't very innovative, because the original backside of the album contained the reverse rainbow and prism (but not the lens). The setup with two prisms was used by Isaac Newton to prove that white light is composed of different colors of light.

In the title text, Randall make's the joke that by recording a record under the name "Pink FTFY" (fixed that for you), the name of his band would come immediately after Pink Floyd alphabetically, so the album would be to the right of Pink Floyd's album for Dark Side of the Moon, allowing for the same image seen in the back of the dorm room to be on the shelves of the record store. Since the cover of his album would be catching the light from Pink Floyd's album and forming white light once again, Randall would be "fixing" the cover of Dark Side of the Moon. However [[Randall]] makes the crack that no one would see the joke, because of the fact music can be bought and downloaded online, which has decreased the traffic the record stores in recent years.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball finds dorm room.]

:[View into the dorm room. The left half is already occupied, and a roommate has filled his side with the normal accoutrements of dorm life. There is a Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster hanging on the far wall, offset and only on the roommate's side.]

:[Cueball has a bit of a ponder.]

:[Cueball leaves for a bit.]

:[Cueball returns with an item.]

:[View into the dorm room. Cueball is moving in, and has placed a second Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster modified with a lens in the rainbow's path. The poster is placed upside down on Cueball's side of the far wall to catch the rainbow, feed it back into the prism, and turn it back into a narrow stream of white light.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Pink Floyd]]
[[Category:Physics]]

964: Dorm Poster

2018-11-05T18:32:01Z

Pigsonthewing: Pink Floyd

{{comic
| number = 964
| date = October 14, 2011
| title = Dorm Poster
| image = dorm poster.png
| titletext = I was going to record an album with that cover under the name "PINK FTFY", so it'd come after them on the store CD rack. But at this point music stores are just rooms where CDs are set out to age before they're thrown away, so probably nobody would see it.
}}

==Explanation==
The poster on the wall is the album artwork for {{w|Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd's}} album {{w|The Dark Side of the Moon}}. It shows a beam of light passing through a {{w|dispersive prism}} and separating into a rainbow. After thinking a bit, the new student makes a poster that uses a lens to reverse the rainbow into another prism, likely to mess with his new roommate. This idea actually isn't very innovative, because the original backside of the album contained the reverse rainbow and prism (but not the lens). The setup with two prisms was used by Isaac Newton to prove that white light is composed of different colors of light.

In the title text, Randall make's the joke that by recording a record under the name "Pink FTFY" (fixed that for you), the name of his band would come immediately after Pink Floyd alphabetically, so the album would be to the right of Pink Floyd's album for Dark Side of the Moon, allowing for the same image seen in the back of the dorm room to be on the shelves of the record store. Since the cover of his album would be catching the light from Pink Floyd's album and forming white light once again, Randall would be "fixing" the cover of Dark Side of the Moon. However [[Randall]] makes the crack that no one would see the joke, because of the fact music can be bought and downloaded online, which has decreased the traffic the record stores in recent years.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball finds dorm room.]

:[View into the dorm room. The left half is already occupied, and a roommate has filled his side with the normal accoutrements of dorm life. There is a Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster hanging on the far wall, offset and only on the roommate's side.]

:[Cueball has a bit of a ponder.]

:[Cueball leaves for a bit.]

:[Cueball returns with an item.]

:[View into the dorm room. Cueball is moving in, and has placed a second Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" poster modified with a lens in the rainbow's path. The poster is placed upside down on Cueball's side of the far wall to catch the rainbow, feed it back into the prism, and turn it back into a narrow stream of white light.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Pink Floyd]]
[[Category:Physics]]