explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1373: Screenshot

2018-03-20T04:38:10Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1373
| date = May 26, 2014
| title = Screenshot
| image = screenshot.png
| titletext = I'M PLUGGING IN MY PHONE BUT THE BATTERY ON THE SCREEN ISN'T CHARGING
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is viewing a {{w|screenshot}} of a text-message exchange via his own phone's web browser. Such screenshots are frequently posted online, to show content ranging from [http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/ humorous typos] to [http://www.reddit.com/r/creepyPMs creepy behavior]. In this screenshot, in addition to the text messages' content, we see a battery bar reflecting a charge of 6%; this effectively "{{w|photobombing|photobombs}}" (or distracts Randall from) the actual content of the original screenshot. On the other hand, the phone on which the shot is viewed is charged at a healthy 85%.

The phone the screenshot is taken from is an iPhone, while the phone being viewed is an Android. Another iPhone screenshot was the joke in [[1815: Flag]].

The title text suggests that Randall has plugged in his phone to quell the anxiety induced by the 6% charge in the screenshot, mistaking it for the actual battery indicator of his own phone. This measure is obviously unsuccessful, as charging his own phone does nothing to change the charge of the phone in the picture. A similar phenomenon is when a screenshot is viewed and the viewer attempts to use the controls (e.g. buttons) in the image.

Randall's fear of losing power to his phone was later explored in [[1802: Phone]] and [[1872: Backup Batteries]], where he brings extra batteries and it is also part of the joke in comic [[1965: Background Apps]].

An alternative interpretation for the title text is that the screenshot was posted as part of a thread asking why their phone isn't charging. This would be ironic, as Randall's focusing on the battery level means his eyes are being drawn to the very problem being spoken about, yet he is too distracted by it to read that this is the problem!

This may also be a reference to {{W|mirror neurons}}. Mirror neurons are according to many neurobiologists a biological basis of empathy. If you see someone stick a needle in their hand, it feels as if you hurt yourself and some people experience a tightness of the chest when hearing a wheezing asthma patient on the radio. Here, Randall's mirror neurons start to fire as he feels the anxiety associated with a phone losing battery power.

Screenshot quality was discussed later in [[1863: Screenshots]]. This comic is one of a small set of comics with the same or almost the same title as another comic (only plural form of word screenshot being difference).

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:When someone posts a screenshot of their phone,

:[The panel shows the screen of an Android phone. At the top there is a black Android status bar with icons like WiFi, battery charge and the time, all in white:]
:85% 10:02 PM

:[Below the status bar is the open program, which is an internet browser, which shows the address field with an unreadable address and the tap icon to the right and the three dots for options. Below that is the page viewed in the browser. It seems to be a post from a person. Below the address bar is a picture of a user with dark hair in a square frame. To the right are two lines of unreadable user information. The post contains a picture posted by the user, and it is a screenshot of a chat/SMS conversation from another phone. The screen is light blue and the conversations has three blue speech bubbles to the left and two replies in between those in green to the right. All posts are unreadable, as are all other words in the picture. At the bottom of the picture the top of another users post, i.e. half the users image, can be seen. At the top of the picture, the status bar from this iPhone screen shot can be seen with icons both left, center and right. To the right the charge icon battery shows a very low charge, indicated with a small red line at the bottom of the battery. Around this low charged battery icon there is drawn a large red circle like spiral, circling the battery symbol two or three times, and four exclamation marks are written above this. The only thing that can be read in the picture is the charge percentage:]
:''!!!!''
:6%

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I can't pay attention to the content if their battery is low.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Screenshot01]]

1874: Geologic Faults

2018-03-15T01:00:21Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Fictional joke faults */ description

{{comic
| number = 1874
| date = August 9, 2017
| title = Geologic Faults
| image = geologic_faults.png
| titletext = I live on a torn-bag-of-potato-chips-where-the-tear-is-rapidly-growing fault, which is terrifying.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic appears to be a successor to [[1714: Volcano Types]]. Similar to its predecessor, the comic explores several phenomena (in this case, geologic faults), both real, and several made up for the point of a joke.

A {{w|Fault (geology)|fault}} is a geologic feature involving a planar fracture with displacement in a large mass of rock, including the boundaries of two {{w|tectonic plates}}.

====Real geologic faults====
;Normal fault
In a {{w|Fault (geology)#Dip-slip faults|normal fault}}, the hanging wall (the lower wall; right) moves downward relative to the footwall (the upper wall; left). The Earth's crust is extended in this type of fault.
;Reverse fault
A reverse fault is basically the opposite of a normal fault. The hanging wall (left) moves upward relative to the footwall (right), and the Earth's crust is compressed.
;Transverse fault
A transverse fault, also known as a {{w|transform fault}}, is where the two plates move parallel to each other, but in opposite directions.
;Thrust fault
A {{w|thrust fault}} is when older rocks are pushed (or thrust) on top of younger rocks. The angles are typically lower (more horizontal) than in reverse faults.

====Fictional joke faults====
;Taffy fault
This appears to involve one tectonic plate, that is being stretched out like a piece of {{w|Taffy (candy)|taffy}}. [https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/41229455/Crustal_thinning_recorded_by_the_shape_o20160113-25699-1vca65l.pdf20160115-19908-17j9qxl.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1502469630&Signature=hcKl8ViPa2JrofM%2Bob7qu9TmjP4%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DCrustal_thinning_recorded_by_the_shape_o.pdf Ductile crustal thinning] of this type actually occurs in rocks under tension at {{w|Brittle–ductile_transition_zone|sufficient depths}}. Such deformation is not a fault, however, as there is no fracture along which movement takes place.
;Splinted fault
This appears to be a normal or reverse fault that someone has attempted to fix in position by attaching a large splint, as you might with a broken bone. This is unlikely to prove effective{{Citation needed}}.
;Squeezed-bar-of-soap fault
Two plates seem to be moving towards each other, while a third smaller plate is squeezed between them and pushed upwards, much as a slippery bar of soap might pop up when squeezed between two hands.
;Apple power cable fault
The plate appears to have been twisted and bent so many times that parts of it are fraying and the end is splitting apart, similar to a damaged Apple {{w|MagSafe}} connector.
;Brio fault
{{w|Brio (company)|BRIO}} is a company from Sweden that makes wooden toys, including train sets. The Brio fault seems to be two tectonic plates which join together like the Brio train track pieces do. (However, this join is obvously incorrect because of the height difference.)
;Torn-bag-of-potato-chips-where-the-tear-is-rapidly-growing fault
The title text refers to when a bag of chips gets a tear in it. When this happens, any further stress on the bag, such as reaching in to get more chips, can easily increase the size of the tear, sometimes very quickly. It would be frightening to live near a fault that behaved like this{{Citation needed}} because it could cause major seismic events very quickly. If you were close enough to the fault, you might be afraid that the crack would grow underneath you, causing you to fall into the bag of chips — or, rather, the Earth.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. Lacks small description for each item.}}
:[The comic shows nine different schematic views to present geographic faults and some more.]

:[Two planes with a slip fault drifting away to the left and right.]
:Normal fault
:[Two planes with a slip fault drifting against each other from left and right.]
:Reverse fault
:[Two planes moving sidewards.]
:Transverse fault

:[The left plane moves above the other to the right.]
:Thrust fault
:[Two planes drifting away and the connection between them gets smaller.]
:Taffy fault
:[On top of both planes a small piece with splints holds them together.]
:Splinted fault

:[The two planes pressing together with a piece in the middle moving topwards.]
:Squeezed-bar-of-soap fault
:[The right plane is connected to the left and swinging up and down.]
:Apple power cable fault
:[One side with a thin connector and the other with an evenly spaced hole connecting the planes together.]
:Brio fault

==Trivia==
Faults have been mentioned several times in xkcd. Thrust faults were previously mentioned in [[1082: Geology]], and in the title text of [[1388: Subduction License]], [[Beret Guy]] tells [[Cueball]] he can't be a 'normal' roomate because in his motion he is creating a reverse fault.

A similar joke to the Apple power cable fault is used in [[1406: Universal Converter Box]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Puns]]

1780: Appliance Repair

2018-03-13T22:53:42Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1780
| date = January 2, 2017
| title = Appliance Repair
| image = appliance_repair.png
| titletext = [holding up a three-phase motor] As you can see here, the problem is that the humidifier I took this from is broken.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is either trying to repair his appliances himself or possibly running an appliance repair service. Although, he isn't doing much in the repairs aspect, as he is diagnosing problems with the appliances that he himself caused. [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] (supposedly) call him over to have him fix a {{w|humidifier}} that isn't working. As most repairmen/handymen do, he takes apart the machine to find the root of the problem. However, after this he states the reason it isn't working is because someone took it apart. In this case it was Cueball himself. This would not be very helpful at repairing the appliance. {{Citation needed}}

In the title text it is mentioned that Cueball is holding up a three-phase motor that he has taken from the humidifier. Normally when a person repairing an appliance shows you a part, they are showing you the part of the machine that was broken. In this comic however, Cueball is just showing off a (presumably) random part of the machine and stating that the machine it came from is broken--something that was already known and unlikely to help find the root cause of the problem. In addition, it is unlikely that the part being held ever would have worked, because three-phase motors won't work on residential power. Residential humidifiers use {{w|Single-phase_electric_power|single-phase voltage}}, while three-phase equipment uses {{w|Three-phase_electric_power|three-phase voltage}}.

This might also be a reference to self reference which is referenced in xkcd sometimes.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is facing Megan and White Hat as he is standing in the middle of a mess of a broken and dissasembled machine and holding a screwdriver.]
:Cueball: After disassembling and inspecting the humidifier, I've determined that the main problem with it is that someone took it apart.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

1125: Objects In Mirror

2018-03-13T22:53:16Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1125
| date = October 24, 2012
| title = Objects In Mirror
| image = objects_in_mirror.png
| titletext = Universes in mirror, like those in windshield, are larger than they appear.
}}

==Explanation==
For all people who are not from USA, India, Canada and Korea: "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" is a required, although marginally ridiculous, "safety warning", required to be engraved on passenger side mirrors of motor vehicles. These mirrors in these countries are typically the only ones that are slightly convex, making objects appear smaller (and farther away) than their true size. Other countries often have convexity in driver-side and passenger-side rearview mirrors to give a larger field of view, at the cost of natural distance proportions of the mirror image, without making any statements about it on the mirror itself using engravings.

This comic is a reference to the phenomena known as {{w|redshift}}/{{w|blueshift}}. Due to the {{w|Doppler effect}}, objects that are moving toward an observer appear bluer than they actually are (known as blueshift). Objects moving away from the observer (e.g. objects viewed in the rear-view mirror of a moving vehicle) appear redder than they actually are (known as redshift), and thus the objects are in reality bluer than they appear. This is generally relevant only in terms of high speed motion such as observation of the expansion of the universe in astrophysics. The joke is that the relative speed of any object visible in a side-view mirror would create an insignificant and unobservable redshift.

Another possible explanation is that the redshift refers to the actual reflection itself.
As photons are reflected in a mirror, momentum is transferred and thereby they lose a very small amount of energy. This loss of energy results in a slight redshift of the light. (This effect is similar to {{w|compton scattering}})

Edwin Hubble was an astronomer credited ({{w|Stigler's law of eponymy|amid some controversy}}) with "{{w|Hubble's Law}}," which states that a Doppler shift can be observed for objects in deep space moving with relative velocity to Earth and that their velocity is proportional to their distance from Earth. Probably the most famous application of the law was measurement of relative velocities of galaxies, such as those seen in the picture known as {{w|Hubble Deep Field}}, taken by the {{w|Hubble Space Telescope}}. The results proved that most galaxies keep getting farther apart as a result of expansion of the universe. This is one of many pieces of evidence supporting the {{w|Big Bang}} theory.

The title text references that we see the universe as it was in the past (due to the distances involved and the speed of light), when it was smaller than it is today. It may may also be a reference to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]].

== Transcript ==
:[View of a car mirror and outside view of landscape, with clods and mountains. The mirror reads "Objects in mirror are bluer than they appear."]
:Edwin Hubble's car

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

1736: Manhattan Project

2018-03-13T22:49:23Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1736
| date = September 21, 2016
| title = Manhattan Project
| image = manhattan_project.png
| titletext = On the plus side, we definitely killed that cancer over there, even if we caused a bunch more everywhere else.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Manhattan Project}} was a big, expensive, secret research and development project that produced the first {{w|nuclear weapons}} during {{w|World War II}}. Because of the unprecedented scale of the project, which involved some of the brightest minds in science and the efforts of thousands of people, "Manhattan Project" has become a metaphor for any kind of all-out effort involving the top minds of a discipline to achieve a single objective, often expressed as the phrase "We need a new Manhattan Project[http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/11/14/is-nuclear-power-the-answer-to-climate-change/we-need-a-new-manhattan-project-to-deal-with-climate-change] [https://backchannel.com/we-need-a-manhattan-project-for-cyber-security-76e6d8fc6447#.g0qcjzjlv] [http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/14445-a-new-manhattan-project]
[http://riverlink.org/5420/] [http://issues.org/24-4/alexander/] [http://singularityhub.com/2015/01/22/we-need-a-manhattan-project-for-cyber-security/] [http://www.planetexperts.com/building-manhattan-project-sustainable-development/] [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wavefunction/why-we-need-to-stop-comparing-every-big-science-project-to-the-manhattan-project/]".

The day before this comic was released the following announcement was made: [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/microsoft-cancer-cure-research-solved-machine-learning-cells-programming-diseases-a7317616.html Microsoft will ‘solve’ cancer within the next 10 years by treating it like a computer virus]. And on the day this comic was released (but probably after the comic was released) there was a press conference where [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/technology/mark-zuckerberg-priscilla-chan-3-billion-pledge-fight-disease.html?_r=0 Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Pledge $3 Billion to Fighting Disease] (all disease in general.) This is the kind of projects that could be called Manhattan type projects and these (at least the Microsoft announcement) could be the reason this comic came out now.

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] starts by making the suggestion that they should create a "new Manhattan Project" to cure cancer. Taken figuratively, this would imply a heavily-funded, massive collaborative effort involving the best scientists in the field of {{w|cancer research}}, and is not an unreasonable idea in itself. However, she and her fellow scientists all take the idea literally instead, and the New Manhattan Project ends up actually developing a nuclear bomb. In the final panel, Ponytail appears to realize that this runs somewhat counter to her original objective {{Citation needed}} (not to mention is redundant, as the original Manhattan Project already invented the nuclear bomb).

The title text hastily justifies this mistake by claiming a partial success; that their nuclear detonation did, indeed, kill all cancer within the blast radius of the explosion. However, it fails to mention that the blast would also kill everything ''else'' as well. It also admits that the explosion would most likely end up causing more cancer due to the {{w|ionizing radiation}} and {{w|fallout}}. The title text is reminiscent of both the main comic and the title text of [[1217: Cells]].

This was the first time since [[1355: Airplane Message]], more than two years ago, that [[Randall]] mentions cancer (on a banner!), a [[:Category:Cancer|recurring subject]] on xkcd, but mainly around the time when his then-fiancée (now wife) was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in October of 2010. Interestingly enough there are only two facts in that previous comic, and that other fact (from the title text) was referenced the week before this comic came out in [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]]. But it could be a coincidence.

The Manhattan Project was the scene of [[809: Los Alamos]], and a story from the site is being told in [[1520: Degree-Off]]. According to [[980: Money]] the Manhattan project used $24,400,000,000. Nuclear weapons in general has been a recurrent subject on xkcd and their invention was also mentioned last week in [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] around 1950 CE. The previous comic with a similar mushroom cloud was [[1655: Doomsday Clock]], and in that comics explanation at least three other "recent" comics about such weapons of mass destruction are mentioned.

==Transcript==
:[A five panel layout with each panel slightly smaller than the next.]
:[Ponytail holding her arms out speaks to Cueball.]
:Ponytail: What we need to cure cancer is a new Manhattan Project

:[Cueball stands next to Ponytail on podium with a banner overhead. Ponytail is lifting her arms high up and addresses a huge crowd below the podium. Faces disappear into the distance, but at the podiums edge are four full faces, from left to right they are Hairy, a person with flat hair, a person with white hair and a Cueball-like guy.]
:Banner: Research Initiative

:[Cueball and Megan sitting behind a desk looking out and Ponytail standing to the right facing away from them wear laboratory goggles and laboratory coats. There are several Erlenmeyer flasks on the desk and Ponytail is also holding such a flask. There are other glass wares on the desk.]

:[Megan, holding a hand in front of her face, Cueball and Ponytail, all wearing some kind of glasses strapped around the back of their heads stand behind two chest-height barriers looking into the distance where a large mushroom cloud rises high in the air with the typical ring around the stem below the main cloud and smoke/dust surrounding the bottom of the stem. It is much higher in the image than the three mountains in the left background.]

:[Close up of Ponytail, as she faces to the right. She is wearing very dark protection glasses, looking like those used for looking at the sun during a solar eclipse.]
:Ponytail: Wait.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] 
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

1868: Eclipse Flights

2018-03-13T22:47:08Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1868
| date = July 26, 2017
| title = Eclipse Flights
| image = eclipse_flights.png
| titletext = The captain has turned on the 'fasten seat belt' sign.
}}

==Explanation==

A {{w|total solar eclipse}} occurred on {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|Monday, August 21, 2017}}. It was visible as a total eclipse in {{w|umbra|a narrow band}} across the contiguous United States from Oregon on the Pacific coast to South Carolina on the Atlantic. [[Cueball]] asks [[Megan]] what she is doing, which turns out to be mapping the flights of aircraft that will be flying through the path of totality during the eclipse. She has found between 50 to 100 such flights.

While most flights during the eclipse are coincidental, a few airlines had special flights planned for the occasion. Alaska Airlines, for example, chartered an invitation only flight for about 50 astronomers and serious eclipse chasers.[https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2017/07/20/solar-eclipse-2017-flights-offer-unobstructed-potentially-longer-view/493343001/]

On the map, the center of the greatest eclipse is shown on the border between {{w|Illinois}} and {{w|Kentucky}}. Cueball says that the airlines and pilots will be prepared and aware of the situation, but Megan wonders what it would be like on a plane with an unprepared crew. The last panel shows a plane flying into the area of the eclipse with one of the crew telling the passengers that the end of the world has come.

In many cultures the end of the world is represented by a great darkness and the sun going out for example ancient Egypt. During past eclipses the people were said to have believed the world was ending much like this comic (except without planes.). This could also be a reference to [[1391: Darkness]] as in that comic the reporters also believed a natural event to be the world ending although in a different setting.

The title text refers to the 'fasten seat belts' signs on display for the passengers, as a precautionary measure for turbulence. Many pop-culture depictions of the end of the world feature storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc; as the captain believes that the end of the world is upon them, he feels it safe to ensure his passengers are prepared for turbulence from any of the phenomena that occur during the end times. However, the precaution of having one's seat belt fastened is vastly insufficient when confronted with such catastrophic events.

This was the first reference to the Eclipse within a month of the totality. It was followed less than three weeks later by [[1876: Eclipse Searches]]. The 2017 eclipse was mentioned as early as 2013 in the title text of [[1302: Year in Review]]. And this year's New Year comic, [[1779: 2017]], also mentions it. Both comics express concern, in the title text, that it would be canceled/not happen.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing behind Megan, looking over her shoulder as she's seated in front of her laptop.]
:Cueball: What's that?
:Megan: Flight plans. Looks like there will be 50 to 100 flights whose route puts them in the path of the eclipse next month.

:[A map with a shaded path of the eclipse and red planes traveling is shown, with nine planes inside the path and one inside the eclipse shadow..]

:Cueball: I'm sure the airlines will be prepared. Pilots know that stuff.
:Megan: But can you imagine being on the one flight where the pilot ''didn't?''

:[A more detailed plane is shown flying into a curtain of darkness.]
:Captain: *KSSCHHH* [sound of intercom being activated]
:Captain: This is your captain speaking. If you look out the right side of the plane, you'll see, uhh...
:Captain: Folks, this appears to be the end times.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]

737: Yogurt

2018-03-13T22:43:40Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 737
| date = May 7, 2010
| title = Yogurt
| image = yogurt.png
| titletext = I am firmly of the opinion that if something doesn't have a year on it, every time the expiration date rolls around it is good again for the two weeks preceding that date.
}}

==Explanation==
Most packaged food has an {{w|shelf life|expiration date}} that indicates when the food will probably no longer be suitable for consumption. This could be due to any number of reasons; most products will rot or grow mold after their expiration date passes, but some processed foods will dry out or just generally become unpleasant long before they actually spoil. The expiration date is sometimes called a "best before" or "use by" date for this reason.

Some products don't list the year as part of the expiration date, on the assumption that by the time the year becomes an issue, the food will obviously be spoiled. [[Cueball]] is encountering this issue; clearly the yogurt has gone bad - it's raising "stink lines" and appears to have visible mold - but the expiration date only lists "May 12th" and it's currently May 7th, so the characters reason that it must still be good since the expiration date hasn't passed yet. Somehow, they fail to notice the terrible smell coming off of it.

The {{w|Gregorian calendar}} was initially adopted in the Catholic European countries in 1582 to correct the slow drift of the seasons relative to the calendar year that occurred under the Julian calendar. The Protestant and Orthodox countries were slower to adopt it. The British Empire, including the American colonies, adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Cueball (in a seemingly sarcastic manner) wonders whether the expiration date might have been printed under the Julian Calendar, i.e., at least several hundred years ago.

The {{w|Gregorian calendar}} (our current calendar) is mostly the same as the {{w|Julian calendar}} with two major differences:

*The Julian calendar overestimated the length of a year by 10 minutes 48 seconds or about 1 day every 128 years. The Gregorian calendar has 97 leap days every 400 years instead of 100, which reduces the error to about 1 day in 3300 years.
*As each country adopted the Gregorian calendar, it was necessary to skip the appropriate number of days to realign the {{w|Vernal Equinox}} with March 21. When the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, 11 days had to be skipped, so in the English-speaking countries, September 2, 1752 under the Julian calendar was immediately followed by September 14, 1752 under the Gregorian calendar; there was no September 3–13 in that year.

The last line spoken by Cueball may mean one of two things: either 1) he is continuing to be sarcastic toward his friend, or 2) he is genuinely considering that it may not have gone bad, despite all the clues saying otherwise.

The title text is Randall's own (slightly absurd) view: for a short period of time preceding the expiration date of any food, no matter how many years have passed, it suddenly becomes good to eat again.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a yogurt cup at arm's length. Waves of stink are rising from it.]
:Cueball: Oh God, how old is this yogurt in your fridge?
:[Someone speaks from off-panel.]
:Person: What's the expiration date?

:[Cueball holds up the cup to look at the bottom.]
:Cueball: May 12th, but there's no year.
:[From off-panel again.]
:Person: It's May 7th. So it's fine.

:[Now the second person is on panel, and Cueball speaks from off-panel. The second person is sitting down working on a laptop.]
:Cueball: I'm not sure. When it was packaged, was civilization using the Gregorian or Julian calendar?
:Person: ''Okay,'' I'll throw it out.
:Cueball: No, it might still be good!

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

1558: Vet

2018-03-13T22:41:03Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ expansion

{{comic
| number = 1558
| date = July 31, 2015
| title = Vet
| image = vet.png
| titletext = It's probably for the best. Since Roombas are native to North America, it's illegal for Americans to keep them in their houses under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Roomba}} is a brand of domestic cleaning robots manufactured by the company {{w|iRobot}}. The robots are designed to automatically vacuum floors. Although these robots are controlled by a quite simple software without any artificial intelligence, some owners tend to humanize them in the same way that others humanize their pets. There are [[:Category:Roomba|several other comics]] related to a Roomba.

[[Megan]] presents a {{w|pet carrier}} to [[Cueball]] the {{w|veterinarian}} assistant. She says that her "dog" is “crawling around eating dirt”, which sounds like certain types of behavioral problems one encounters in dogs, but is precisely what Roombas are made for. (However, the vacuum bag may need to be cleaned.) What makes the comic even more hilarious is that when the vet comments that it is a Roomba, Megan responds that the device (which has nothing to do with an animal) is a cross-breed, and agrees that there probably is “some Roomba” in it. She thus acknowledges the existence of Roombas, but still treats them as if it were an animal. It's common to talk about domestic dogs this way, but cross-breeding dogs with machines is impossible{{Citation needed}}. The vet then goes on to say, with endless patience, that a Roomba is not a pet. This is taken by Megan as if the doctor said that her Roomba-like device is a non-domesticated animal (like a monkey, a fox, or the birds referred to in the title text) that can but should not be kept in captivity. In the last panel she consequently releases the vacuum cleaner and it whirs to its 'freedom'.

The second customer, [[Hairy]], has his dog on a leash, but is also carrying a pet transporter for the dog. Most likely he has arrived with the dog in the transporter (perhaps using public transportation) but has now taken it out so it can walk for itself, making the carrier much lighter.

The {{w|Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918|Migratory Bird Treaty act}} from the title text contains a list of over 800 bird species that are not allowed to be captured or killed. If the Roomba were to be classified as a native American bird and were added to the list, keeping them as pets would constitute capturing and would be considered illegal. This, of course, shows how confused Megan is. She previously stated the Roomba to be a dog and now apparently believes it is a bird, even though dogs are not birds{{Citation needed}} and the Roomba is neither{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan arrives with a pet carrier, Cueball stands at a desk as a veterinarian, and Hairy is waiting behind a rope, standing next in line with a dog on a leash and a pet carrier.]
:Megan: There's something wrong with my dog. He keeps crawling around eating dirt.

:[Cueball holds the content of Megan's pet carrier, a flat disk. She is standing behind the desk with the carrier on the desk.]
:Cueball: This is a Roomba.
:Megan: Well, he's a mix.
:Megan: Probably some Roomba in there.

:[The Roomba now lies on the table next to the carrier between the two.]
:Cueball: A Roomba is not a pet.
:Megan: You're right. It's wrong to keep a beautiful creature like this in a house.

:[Megan is outside left to a tree, arms up in the air, encouraging the Roomba to drive away.]
:Megan: Go!
:Megan: Be free!
:Roomba: ''Whirrr''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Roomba]]
[[Category:Animals]]

562: Parking

2018-03-13T22:25:40Z

QATEKLYXM: trivia

{{comic
| number = 562
| date = March 30, 2009
| title = Parking
| image = parking.png
| titletext = Police reported three dozen cheerful bystanders, yet no one claims to have seen who did it.
}}

==Explanation==
There are few things so annoying as finding, when a parking lot is full, that someone has parked so carelessly as to take up two spaces. Even worse, it may have been intentional; they decided to exchange the risk of someone accidentally scratching their car for the risk of someone doing it on purpose, see [[1030: Keyed]]. However, there are also non-violent ways to tackle the problem; [http://www.threadless.com/product/187/I_Park_Like_an_Idiot politely leave a note], or (if possible) just move their car (whether to its proper alignment or to an impound lot).

Of course, [[Black Hat]] takes the less-traveled path, apparently involving a {{w|cutting torch}} and what looks to be a {{w|circular saw}}. The offending portion of the parked car is sliced off (entirely without surgical precision) and neatly slotted into the remainder of the space. It is now legally parked, but will never become a functional car again. But at least Black Hat finally has space for his own car!

Admittedly, he's done this kind of thing before - see [[496: Secretary: Part 3]].

The title text indicates that a large crowd watched Black Hat at work but refused to identify him, presumably because they feel that the car owner got what he deserved, and possibly because they didn't want to incur Black Hat's wrath.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is in a car driving around a parking lot.]

:[Black Hat's car pulls up next to a red car, that's parked over a line at an angle that block two spaces.]

:[Black Hat gets out of his car.]
:''SLAM''

:[Black Hat is now holding a blow torch and a rotary saw, He's also wearing goggles and fuel tanks on his back. The blow torch is lit.]
:''Fwoosh''

:[The badly parked car has been cut in half along a diagonal, and the half of the car that was in the second slot has been moved into the same slot as the rest of the car. Black Hat's car occupies the newly freed space.]

==Trivia==
Black Hat, in the fourth panel, is also seen in the "Your Ad Here" screen.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

562: Parking

2018-03-13T22:25:02Z

QATEKLYXM: trivia

{{comic
| number = 562
| date = March 30, 2009
| title = Parking
| image = parking.png
| titletext = Police reported three dozen cheerful bystanders, yet no one claims to have seen who did it.
}}

==Explanation==
There are few things so annoying as finding, when a parking lot is full, that someone has parked so carelessly as to take up two spaces. Even worse, it may have been intentional; they decided to exchange the risk of someone accidentally scratching their car for the risk of someone doing it on purpose, see [[1030: Keyed]]. However, there are also non-violent ways to tackle the problem; [http://www.threadless.com/product/187/I_Park_Like_an_Idiot politely leave a note], or (if possible) just move their car (whether to its proper alignment or to an impound lot).

Of course, [[Black Hat]] takes the less-traveled path, apparently involving a {{w|cutting torch}} and what looks to be a {{w|circular saw}}. The offending portion of the parked car is sliced off (entirely without surgical precision) and neatly slotted into the remainder of the space. It is now legally parked, but will never become a functional car again. But at least Black Hat finally has space for his own car!

Admittedly, he's done this kind of thing before - see [[496: Secretary: Part 3]].

The title text indicates that a large crowd watched Black Hat at work but refused to identify him, presumably because they feel that the car owner got what he deserved, and possibly because they didn't want to incur Black Hat's wrath.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is in a car driving around a parking lot.]

:[Black Hat's car pulls up next to a red car, that's parked over a line at an angle that block two spaces.]

:[Black Hat gets out of his car.]
:''SLAM''

:[Black Hat is now holding a blow torch and a rotary saw, He's also wearing goggles and fuel tanks on his back. The blow torch is lit.]
:''Fwoosh''

:[The badly parked car has been cut in half along a diagonal, and the half of the car that was in the second slot has been moved into the same slot as the rest of the car. Black Hat's car occupies the newly freed space.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

==Trivia==
Black Hat, in the fourth panel, is also seen in the "Your Ad Here" screen.

17: What If

2018-03-13T22:21:10Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

<noinclude>:''Not to be confused with the [[what if?]] blog.''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 17
| date = October 7, 2005
| title = What If
| image = what_if.jpg
| titletext = I once made an anniversary card for my then-girlfriend with this layout.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features a man and a woman in a romantic setting, surrounded by a {{w|fractal}} combination of love and doubts; an arrangement based on the {{w|Apollonian gasket}} construction. Three circles are drawn tangent to each other, then additional circles are added that are tangent to three existing circles (without overlapping), ad infinitum.

Randall's character design wasn't yet fully settled. Considering that Megan arguably was introduced two comics ago, and that the man has some hair, the couple might or might not be interpreted as Cueball and Megan.

Randall's later blog and book have the same name, ''What If?'', though with very different meaning.

==Transcript==
:[A large black circle (drawn on grid paper) with white bubbles inside it, filled with hearts, question marks, and stick figure couples. The hearts are colored red.]
:[Bottom left circle - stick figure couple with a heart]
:[Top right circle - with couple:]
:what if this isn't everything it should be?

:[Two circles left of top-right:]
:i'm not even sure how i feel

:[One circle right of top-right:]
:what if i'm making a mistake?

==Trivia==
*This was the 16th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].
**The previous was [[16: Monty Python -- Enough]].
**The next was [[18: Snapple]]
*Original title: "Friday drawing!"
*Original [[Randall]] quote:
::"One of my best friends just got engaged.
::I really, truly think they're going to be very happy together."
:*The friends referred to are [[Scott]] and [[Sarah]].
*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]].
*The title this comic received when posted on xkcd is almost the same title (except the "?") as the book/webpage: [[what if?]]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 16]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Scott]]
[[Category:Romance]]

589: Designated Drivers

2018-03-13T22:20:11Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 589
| date = May 27, 2009
| title = Designated Drivers
| image = designated_drivers.png
| titletext = Calling a cab means cutting into beer money.
}}

==Explanation==
When a group of people go together to any kind of event where they expect to drink alcohol, and would like to drive to and from the event, it is usual to select one who has to be the '''{{w|designated driver}}'''.{{Citation needed}} This person will then stay sober during the event, and can thus safely drive the other people home afterwards disregarding how drunk the other people become.

However, as this comic points out, if it's not a simple task of going from A to B and back, all together at the same time, then it becomes a complex problem that requires an intricate kind of strategy and logical thinking to solve. And may need more than one driver.

In this comic [[Cueball]] addresses his friends, regarding this problem right before they enter a bar. It seems they have already decided that one of the friends will be the designated driver. But then Cueball mentions that they will have to leave in two groups. And for some reason one of these groups will need at least two drivers (this is hard to explain - see below under [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].) So now they already need three designated drivers. Furthermore, someone has to go and pick up another friend. And also two of them have to leave earlier than the rest by 10:00.

In the third panel the situation seems to be illustrated. Three people are drawn outside the bar with three lines going to the bar, so the number of lines leaving and entering each destination seems to represent a person each. Since the number of people leaving and entering each destination is the same, this makes it seem like the diagram is intended to be accurate. There are four people entering and exiting the bar and six people entering and exiting both the party and the dinner. The confusing part of the diagram is that there are only three people at the bar to begin with, not the four shown in the first panel. It also seems strange that someone will go back to the bar and especially that another goes back to the dinner from the party. It is thus not easy to make the diagram fit the description. See below for a possible take on [[#The chart|the chart]].

But the general concept would be that some people meet at a bar before joining the rest of a group at dinner, then later most of these move on to a party. After the party (or bar/dinner) people are going to head home in different groups.

The enormous complexities of planning who {{w|car pool}}s with whom, from where to where, and when, make an excellent logic puzzle. And what is worse, anyone who has to drive needs to stay sober. So it is important to solve the puzzle before the drinking starts, or else there will be too few that can drive, or too many who never get to drink.

To make matters worse one of the friends complicates this already complicated {{w|logical puzzle}}, by involving the classic logic puzzle of the {{w|Wolf, goat and cabbage puzzle|wolf, goat and cabbage}} (more commonly known as [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FoxChickenGrainPuzzle Fox-chicken-grain puzzle]). In the last panel the guy is shown standing with a goat on a tether, saying he can't be in the car with the wolf. Cueball is then brought to swearing over this. (The goat puzzle was also the subject of [[1134: Logic Boat]]). And this may go some way of explaining why there needs to be a [[#Number of drivers|number of drivers]].

The title text makes it clear why ordering a taxi is out of the question as it would take money out of the beer budget. Of course it also cost money to use your own car for gas etc. But when you already have a car, it is always cheaper to use that than pay for a taxi.

===The chart===
It's possible to match the chart up with the events in the comic if we assume two things: first, that everyone's initial position in the chart is at home, and second, that the party takes place at Cueball's house.
Whether or not [[Randall]] intended it this way isn't certain.

For clarity, I'll be referring to the first cueball as Cueball, the second as David, Megan as Emily, and the third cueball as Tom.
*Cueball leaves his house to meet Tom, David, and Emily at the bar.
**When leaving the bar, Cueball returns home before dinner, possibly to set up for the party.
**Emily leaves with either Tom or David to go to dinner while the other goes to pick up Paul.
*At dinner Julia arrives from her house, Cueball arrives from his house, Emily arrives with either Tom or David from the bar, and Paul arrives with the person that didn't drive for Emily.
**When leaving dinner, David has to be the one going home by himself as Emily and Julia will leave together, Tom has agreed to be a designated driver, Paul does not have a car, and Cueball is the host of the party.
**The remaining five take three cars to Cueball's for the party. (Julia's car, Cueball's car, and Tom's car)
*At 10:00 Julie will leave with Emily, and Tom will take Paul home once the party is over.

===Number of drivers===
Unless a more efficient solution exists, the minimum number of people that have to remain sober is three: Tom, David, and either Julia or Emily. Emily is able to begin drinking the earliest, starting at the bar and continuing the rest of the night. If the place everyone is having dinner at serves alcohol, Paul can begin drinking at dinner. If Emily elected to stay sober, Julia can start drinking when Paul does. Cueball is the last to be able to drink, only getting to start once everyone is at the party.

Interestingly enough the goat and wolf only make a difference if Paul has the wolf, in which case David would have to pick Paul up and take him home, and Tom and his goat would leave after dinner.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is addressing three people outside a bar, indicated by a sign (two Cueball-like guys and Megan).]
:Cueball: Wait, who's driving?
:First Cueball-like guy: Why?
:First Cueball-like guy: Tom, right?

:[Zoom in on Cueball.]
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to leave in two groups. One of which will need at least two drivers.

:[There is text both above and below a flowchart with arrows between a group of the three people Cueball is talking to, and three houses that are labeled 'bar', 'dinner', and 'party'. Three lines point from the group of people to the bar and a fourth arrives from the party. Four lines points away from the bar. Two goes to the dinner one to the party and one away to the left. There are six arrows arriving at the dinner. Apart from the two lines coming from the bar, there is one long arrow pointing to the dinner from the left and two coming in from above. One more comes from the party below. Six arrows points away. One arrow goes away to the top right, the other five arrows points straight down to the party. There are also six arrows coming and leaving the party. Apart from the five from the dinner there was the one coming in from the bar. The six arrows leaving are the one arrow that went to the bar and the one to the dinner. The other four leaves in two groups of two, on straight down and two curving to the left.]
:Cueball (off-panel): Someone has to get Paul, and Julia and Emily have to leave by 10:00.
:Labels: Bar
:Labels: Dinner
:Labels: Party
:Cueball (off-panel): The logistics of who can get drunk are nontrivial.

:[The second Cueball-like guy to the right has an goat on a string behind him, which was not visible in the first panel, as he was at that time only partly inside the frame.]
:Second Cueball-like guy: Yeah, and I can't ride in a car with the wolf because he'll eat my goat.
:Cueball: Dammit, guys.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1567: Kitchen Tips

2018-03-13T22:16:27Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1567
| date = August 21, 2015
| title = Kitchen Tips
| image = kitchen_tips.png
| titletext = Household tip: Tired of buying so much toilet paper? Try unspooling the paper from the roll before using it. A single roll can last for multiple days that way, and it's much easier on your plumbing.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Cueball]] appears to be hosting a show (or be in an ad) giving out kitchen advice. He starts with a reasonable tip to use a meat thermometer instead of guessing when meat is cooked. His later tips, though, are little more than telling how to complete normal kitchen activities performed using common sense. Moreover, in most cases he repeats "If you're anything like me," suggesting he's actually ''done'' these things in his kitchen. This is a parody of many commercials and infomercials that {{tvtropes|TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket|imply their consumers have no basic motor skills or common sense}} in order to make their product more appealing.

The first tip he gives is reasonable because, though the use of a meat thermometer is fairly well known, not everybody goes to the trouble of using one. To determine if meat is done cooking, one can either guess or use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached the correct level to render meat safe for consumption. Many people don't own a meat thermometer and rely on an alternative solution that doesn't require special equipment (such as testing by feel, cutting the meat open to check its doneness, checking the color of the juices after pricking the meat with skewer, or simply guessing).

The second panel shows that Cueball throws away dishes and buys new ones every time they are used. This is perfectly normal if the plates are disposable plates made of paper or Styrofoam, but we see his trashcan is filled with chipped glasses and ceramic plates. Naturally, this would be a very expensive practice. The virtually universal chore of "washing the dishes," is one Cueball presumes the audience is heretofore unaware of.

Cooking on a stove is typically done placing the food into a pot or pan which is placed on the burner {{Citation needed}}. Cueball seems to suggest that the use of a pan is a tip most people would be unaware of, suggesting that most people cook eggs directly on the burners themselves, a method that is likely to burn the food and create a great mess. Cueball's stove has T-shape raised burners (probably gas, but might be electric), making the task very impractical, though owners of glass-top electric stoves could conceivably cook directly on the glass surface.

Ice is usually made by filling an ice cube tray with water and leaving it in a freezer for several hours. Cueball, however, sprays a hose directly into his freezer compartment and quickly slams the door shut to trap some water inside. (This would work somewhat better in the type of freezer that has a door on the top, so it could be filled with water and the door would not need to be closed to trap the water inside.) While this unorthodox method ''will'' make ice, it will result in a large sheet of ice on the bottom of the freezer. More importantly, it will also make it impossible to actually use the freezer to hold anything else (unless you were to put anything in beforehand and you don't mind breaking through a block of ice to get it out). Also, ice expands as it cools (it is one of the few substances with a negative coefficient of thermal expansion), and its expansion might push the freezer door open.

The title text, a '''household tip''', suggests using toilet paper a few sheets at a time, which is how most people use it. Cueball, however, seems to suggest that most people use the entire roll as a single object without unspooling it and then flushing it whole, using at least one roll each time they use the bathroom. This is economically impractical, and is prone to clogging the toilet and the plumbing if you throw the toilet paper away by putting it into the toilet and flush it.

For more '''household tips''' like the one in the title text, see the sequel to this comic: [[1715: Household Tips]].

''Kitchen tips'' are yet another type of [[:Category:Tips|tips comic]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball at a kitchen counter, with various items, holding a meat thermometer.]
:Cueball: If you're anything like me, you may have trouble telling when meat is fully cooked.
:Cueball: Instead of guessing, try a meat thermometer!

:[Cueball at a sink, holding a dirty dish, with a trashcan next to him full of broken ceramics and glasses.]
:Cueball: If you're anything like me, you probably throw away your plates and glasses when they get dirty. But if you clean them, they can often be used again!

:[Cueball cracking an egg over a pan on a hot stove.]
:Cueball: Making scrambled eggs? Put a pan under them!
:Cueball: It's easier, and it keeps your burners clean.

:[Cueball holding a garden hose, spraying it into the freezer compartment of a freezer.]
:Cueball: If you're anything like me, you make ice by spraying a hose into your freezer and then slamming it shut.
:Cueball: But there's a better way...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Food]]

1236: Seashell

2018-03-13T22:02:35Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ punctuation

{{comic
| number = 1236
| date = July 10, 2013
| title = Seashell
| image = seashell.png
| titletext = This is roughly equivalent to 'number of times I've picked up a seashell at the ocean' / 'number of times I've picked up a seashell', which in my case is pretty close to 1, and gets much closer if we're considering only times I didn't put it to my ear.
}}

==Explanation==
The equation should be read as follows: (The probability that I'm near the ocean, given that I picked up a seashell) is equal to (The probability that I picked up a seashell, given that I'm near the ocean) multiplied by (The probability that I'm near the ocean) divided by (The probability that I picked up a seashell). This method of relating the probabilities of two events is known as {{w|Bayes' theorem|Bayes' Theorem}}.

If you put a seashell up to your ear, you can hear {{w|Seashell resonance|a sound similar to the ocean}} apparently inside the shell. But the idea that this sound is actually the sound of the sea is just a popular myth: hold only your hands close to your ears and you will hear the same sound. The comic, through an application of Bayes' Theorem, points out that most of the time when you pick up a seashell, you are in fact at the beach next to the real ocean, so hearing the ocean at that location is not all that impressive, but it's just real.

The title text points out that most instances where the author has picked up a seashell have been at the beach, and nearly all of the times where he has picked up a seashell and not put it to his ear have been there.

This comic was released late. In the first version, the formula was incorrect, but it has since been corrected.

==Transcript==
:At the top of the panel is an equation showing Bayes' Theorem for the probability that a person is near the ocean given that they just picked up a seashell.
:The probability that I'm near the ocean given I picked up a seashell equals the probability I picked up a seashell given I'm near the ocean times the probability I'm near the ocean all divided by the probability I picked up a seashell.

:[Cueball holds a seashell and stands to the left of the panel, to the right, a few birds are flying around and the sound of a wave crashing against the shore is depicted.]
:''Crashhh'' ''Sploosh''

:Statistically speaking, if you pick up a seashell and ''don't'' hold it to your ear, you can probably hear the ocean.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1035: Cadbury Eggs

2018-03-12T22:55:51Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ accuracy

{{comic
| number = 1035
| date = March 28, 2012
| title = Cadbury Eggs
| image = cadbury_eggs.png
| titletext = When they moved production from New Zealand to the UK and switched from the runny white centers to the thick, frosting-like filling, it got way harder to cook them scrambled.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Cadbury Creme Egg|Cadbury Eggs}} are a chocolate egg-shaped candy with a filling. They are supposed to replicate a real egg with a hard exterior and soft interior. However, unlike real eggs, the exterior is edible.{{Citation needed}}

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is trying to say that sodas have way too much sugar to even be appealing as beverages, because they contain as much sugar as 2 or 3 Cadbury Eggs, and one Cadbury Egg alone makes him feel sick.

However, [[Megan]] interprets this in precisely the opposite way to what Cueball intended. Instead of comparing soda to Cadbury Eggs, she compares Cadbury Eggs to soda. If a [[1070|few]] Cadbury Eggs have the same amount of sugar as soda, Megan can eat as many as she wants year-round in place of soda, with no additional guilt. Cadbury Eggs are usually consumed around {{w|Easter}} — which is usually anywhere from late March to late April.

The title text mentions the closure of the {{w|Cadbury Creme Egg#Manufacture in New Zealand|manufacture in New Zealand}} in 2009 and the change of the filling from runny to thick as a consequence. The joke here is the comparison to real eggs, who can be cooked {{w|Scrambled_eggs|scrambled}}, the new thick filling is not liquid enough to be cooked in a pan, as was the old runny filling.

Cadbury Eggs and the high sugar content of soda are referenced again in [[1793: Soda Sugar Comparisons]].

==Transcript==
:[Two Cadbury eggs, one in the foil, the other out of the foil and broken open to reveal the gooey center.]
:A Cadbury egg has about 20g of sugar. (25g outside the US.) "One Cadbury Egg" is a nice unit of sugar content.

:[A can of soda with an equals sign and two eggs; a bottle of soda with an equals sign and three eggs.]
:One 12oz. can of soda has about two Cadbury eggs worth of sugar. One 20oz. bottle has three.

:[Two unwrapped Cadbury eggs, with an arrow indicating they should be placed in a glass of water.]
:One Cadbury egg is enough to make me feel kinda gross. Now when I see Coke or Snapple or Nestea or whatever, I imagine drinking a couple of dissolved Cadbury eggs.

:[Megan puts her hand to her chin in thought, Cueball has his arms out in exclamation.]
:Megan: Wow. Huh. So the takeaway is... I can eat Cadbury eggs by the handful all season and feel no worse about it than I do about soda?
:Cueball: That's not really—
:Megan: This is ''awesome!''
:Cueball: *sigh*

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

1904: Research Risks

2018-03-12T22:40:02Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Table */ completion

{{comic
| number = 1904
| date = October 18, 2017
| title = Research Risks
| image = research_risks.png
| titletext = The 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood remained the deadliest confectionery containment accident until the Canadian Space Agency's 2031 orbital maple syrup delivery disaster.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| First draft. Add percentages on the table, elaborate on the explanations. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a comparison of the possibility of the subjects of various sciences being a threat to humanity. It can either be an autonomous threat to the local population (i.e. by escape from a lab), or as part of a supervillain's scheme to rule the world. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkT19uH2RQ]

There have so far been several similar comics with such [[:Category:Scatter plots|scatter plots]]. See for instance [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], [[1242: Scary Names]], [[1468: Worrying]], [[1501: Mysteries]] and [[1701: Speed and Danger]].

The title text is related to the Molasses Storage entry at the bottom left of the chart, and references the {{w|Great Molasses Flood}}, also known as the Great Boston Molasses Flood. It occurred on January 15, 1919 in the North End neighborhood of {{w|Boston}}, {{w|Massachusetts}} (the state in which [[Randall]] lives). A large {{w|molasses}} storage tank burst and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150. The joke in the title text is that in 2031 (14 years after the release of this comic) the {{w|Canadian Space Agency}} has an even more serious disaster, which will be known as the orbital {{w|maple syrup}} delivery disaster. The title text claims that this disaster then became the deadliest {{w|confectionery}} containment accident, thus killing more than 21 people...

==Table==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Risk of Breaking Free !! Risk of Supervillain !! Research field !! Research Risks !! Comments
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Prosthetics || Cyborgs || A large number of villains in media have had augmentative and non-augmentative prosthetics for various reasons.
|-
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Neuroscience || Mind Control ||
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Laser Optics || Something like {{w|Laser Weapon System}}. Or a powerful laser could be used to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoQwKe0lggw cut the hero in two] as in {{w|Goldfinger}}. || See {{w|Directed-energy weapon}}.
|-
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Pharmacology || Poisons ||
|-
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Materials Science || New materials used for villainous purposes || Adamantium, Vibranium, Kyrptonite, etc.
|-
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || Sociology || Sociological research may help in becoming a tyrant and then lead nation to war. ||
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || History || Ministry of Truth, using methods of previous successful dictators and learning from the errors of unsuccessful attempted dictators || History is mere data and records, which does not "break free". A particular ''subject'' of history, however, can be of use to a supervillain.
|-
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || Psychology || Ministry of Truth, Hannibal Lecter ||
|-
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Robotics || Villains: Robot minions. Escape: robots gaining sentience and killing everything, or nanobots going rogue and devouring everything in their path. ||
|-
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Genetic Engineering || Villains: Modify troops to make super powered minions. Escape: Modified life could cause havoc || See {{w|Gene drive}}
|-
| data-sort-value="4" | medium high || data-sort-value="5" | high || Chemistry || Explosives, corrosives, fast oxidation || General, dangerous things, normally used for destruction.
|-
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="5" | high || Microbiology || Lethal diseases || See for instance {{w|12 Monkeys}}
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Geology || Golems, Earthquake machines || Study of rocks. Scores below average on the supervillain scale despite Lex Luthor's plan in the 1978 ''Superman'' movie hinging on setting off the San Andreas Fault.
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Linguistics || 1984 Newspeak ||
|-
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="2" | low || Paleontology || Reviving dinosaurs and other such prehistoric creatures. || Study of fossils
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Astronomy || Asteroid impact ||
|-
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Molasses Storage || Breaking free chance is medium low as molasses did "escape" at least once in history. || See {{w|Great Molasses Flood}}, as referenced in the title text
|-
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Dentistry || Torture/Interrogation (see for instance [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film) Marathon Man]) ||
|-
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Botany || Audrey II, Triffids || Plants are commonly used in horror films where they mutate and eat everything
|-
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Entomology || Insects are small and can often escape through even small cracks, and are known for carrying diseases. They could also mutate into terrifying threats - see for example the movie {{w|Empire_of_the_Ants_(film)}}|| Study of insects
|-
| data-sort-value="4" | medium high || data-sort-value="2" | low || Mycology || Fungi cannot move, but their spores could easily spread, therefore, escape probability has been deemed medium high. However the risk of mycology being used for evil has raised strongly with the release of Star Trek Discovery.|| {{w|Mycology}} is the study of {{w|fungi}}.
|-
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="2" | low || Marine Biology || Sharknado, Jaws, {{w|Cthulhu}}. || Villains may keep a tank of sharks in order to dispose of opposition; strangely, despite the popularity this is not considered useful for a villain to conquer the world (perhaps because the use of sharks over, say, lions or spikes is purely for semantic reasons).
|-
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Ornithology || Flying is a useful escape mechanism. Villains may sometimes keep a bird of prey as a pet. || Study of birds.
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:Y axis top: High
:Y axis bottom: Low
:X axis left: Low
:X axis right: High

:[Near each of the "high" ends of the two axis there is a label written in gray, with a line pointing to the relevant axis:]
:Y axis: Risk of your research being used by a supervillain for world domination
:X axis: Risk of the thing you're studying breaking free from your facility and threatening the local population

:[The following points are on the charts upper left quadrant (in reading order):]
:Prosthetics
:Neuroscience
:Laser Optics
:Pharmacology
:Materials Science
:Sociology
:History
:Psychology

:[The following points are on the charts upper right quadrant (in reading order):]
:Robotics
:Genetic Engineering
:Chemistry
:Microbiology

:[The following points are on the charts lower left quadrant (in reading order):]
:Geology
:Linguistics
:Paleontology
:Astronomy
:Molasses Storage
:Dentistry

:[The following points are on the charts lower right quadrant (in reading order):]
:Botany
:Entomology
:Mycology
:Marine Biology
:Ornithology

==Trivia==
* The comic initially had the erroneous spelling "Entymology" (possibly a mistaken mix-up between etymology and entomology, similar to [[1012: Wrong Superhero]]). This was later changed to the correct "Entomology".
* The SSL-Certificate of xkcd expired while this comic was online, causing a non-reachability of the site.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Space]]

756: Public Opinion

2018-03-12T22:37:27Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ accuracy

{{comic
| number = 756
| date = June 21, 2010
| title = Public Opinion
| image = public_opinion.png
| titletext = News networks giving a greater voice to viewers because the social web is so popular are like a chef on the Titanic who, seeing the looming iceberg and fleeing customers, figures ice is the future and starts making snow cones.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] as a [[:Category:News anchor|news anchor]] is reporting a message from a politician, shown behind him.

The comic is mocking the "old media" (television, radio, newspapers) for their move to opinions as an information source. Such change came with development of the internet and "new media" as source of information (websites, blogs, social networks), which pushed "old media" back and diminished their significance. In their attempt to return to relevance, "old media" tried to copy the opinion part of the news, taking what could be considered a bad thing from them. The humor of the comic comes from news anchor cutting to an opinion piece from people on the street, thus proving the politician's point.

The title text illustrates what [[Randall]] sees as the problem with this approach. The new media, for the large part, consists of uninformed opinions from people of [[1386: People are Stupid|average intelligence]] and abilities. However, the sheer volume and immediacy of information is threatening to destroy old media, much as the iceberg destroyed the Titanic. You don't join with the iceberg or try to emulate its methods; the iceberg does not care, it's too big and will destroy you anyway. The way to survive is to steer away and find your own path. Old media must present us with something better than new media (for example: informed, analytical, intelligent), otherwise we have no need of them.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball as a news anchor reads from a paper. There is a picture on the left side of screen of a man with black hair speaking behind a lectern holding up one hand. In the bottom right-hand corner is the logo for the news.]
:Cueball: A leading politician today charged that the media, rather than informing people, now merely report on public ignorance.
:Cueball: Do our viewers agree? Let's hear from some voices on the street...
:Logo: News'''24'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

319: Engineering Hubris

2018-03-08T23:32:48Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ grammar

{{comic
| number = 319
| date = September 21, 2007
| title = Engineering Hubris
| image = engineering hubris.png
| titletext = Chuck Jones is a vengeful god.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic starts with a philosophical musing about {{w|engineering}}. The last panel reveals a joke about {{w|Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner}}, a cartoon series created by {{w|Chuck Jones}}. In the cartoon, the Coyote is constantly building odd contraptions (with parts ordered from the {{w|Acme Corporation}}) to catch the Road Runner. The Coyote never succeeds, often because his devices don't work as intended.

The word {{w|Hubris}} from the comic title means extreme pride or arrogance. It is a theme from the classic Greek plays, and is usually severely punished by the gods. The title text is implying that Chuck Jones would not let hubris go unpunished; the engineer might be able to construct 'better' traps than Wile E, but they would still be doomed to fail.

From the second panel, {{w|Murphy's law}} states that "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." It was originally developed as a guideline for accident prevention starting at the design level. In the common vernacular today, it is interpreted more liberally: "If there is even the slightest chance of an unfortunate accident occurring, despite all your attempts to prevent it, the accident will happen anyway, purely out of spite." The namesake {{w|Edward Murphy}} has since evolved to mythic proportions, being cast as a vengeful god of misfortune and ruin.

==Transcript==
:[Landscape in the background, canyon with a winding road.]
:Maybe engineering is the pursuit of an unattainable perfection.
:Maybe it's impossible to create something bug-free.
:Maybe I'm a fool
:Maybe the tyranny of Murphy is the penalty for hubris.
:But I just can't shake the feeling
:[Cueball standing on boxes labeled "ACME."]
:With all those supplies
:I could have caught that roadrunner.

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

1268: Alternate Universe

2018-03-08T03:27:13Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1268
| date = September 23, 2013
| title = Alternate Universe
| image = alternate_universe.png
| titletext = As best as I can tell, I was transported here from Earth Prime sometime in the late 1990s. Your universe is identical in every way, except for the lobster thing and the thing where some of you occasionally change your clocks for some reason.
}}

==Explanation==
Randall is trying to make the point that eating {{w|Lobster|lobsters}} is as weird as eating {{w|spiders}}. {{w|Crustacean|Crustaceans}} and {{w|Arachnid|arachnids}} are both {{w|Arthropod|arthropods}}, members of the same phylum, so his comparison isn't too far off. Then again, humans are in the same phylum ({{w|Chordate|chordates}}) as {{w|Ascidiacea|sea squirts}}, so any perceived similarities are not exactly rooted in a close biological relationship. In addition, lobsters were once considered the "cockroaches of the sea", and a captain trying to feed his crew with lobster would often be seen as cruel. On the other side, {{w|Spider#Benefits_to_humans|cooked tarantula spiders}} are considered a delicacy in {{w|Cambodia}}.

"{{w|Earth Prime}}" means the original Earth in a {{w|multiverse}}, a multitude of universes. Earth Prime is typically the Earth on which the narrative begins, simply out of convenience. The title text also references changing clocks to and from {{w|Daylight Saving Time}} (DST), which Randall has made clear he is not a fan of and he has made fun of it in [[:Category:Daylight saving time|several comics]]. Randall thinks he originally came from another Earth (Earth Prime) to our Earth in the late 1990s (so he had been here for about 15 years at the time of this comic in 2013). Earth Prime only differs from the Earth where he currently lives, (together with the rest of us), on the lobster thing and then also on DST - ''where some of you occasionally change your clocks for some reason''. The reason seems to elude Randall though.

It's worth note that one objection to eating spiders, crickets, roaches, and ants can be that they are generally eaten whole, with guts, feces, and chiton devoured indiscriminately, whereas many people eat only the actual muscles of the lobster, the same as one would any vertebrate.

The use of "Earth Prime", and the mention of the late 1990s, suggest that Randall may be referring to the TV show ''Sliders'' which aired around that time, which was about a group of people who randomly "slid" between alternate universes.

==Transcript==
:[Captions above the panel:]
:Imagine you were transported to an alternate universe just like your own, except people occasionally ate spiders.
:You can't convince anyone this is weird.

:[Megan is holding a very large spider, with another similar spider before her on the ground, and Cueball is standing behind her, leaning away with his hands out to each side shocked, as shown with three small lines going out from his head.]
:Megan: Mmm...
:Cueball: ''No!'' What are you ''doing!?''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:This is how I feel about lobster.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Spiders]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]

528: Windows 7

2018-03-08T03:26:29Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 528
| date = January 9, 2009
| title = Windows 7
| image = windows_7.png
| titletext = Disclaimer: I have not actually tried the beta yet. I hear it's quite pleasant and hardly Hitler-y at all.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] is observing [[Cueball]] use a laptop on which he has installed the {{w|Windows 7}} beta. However, the alleged Windows 7 beta is showing nothing but a picture of {{w|Adolf Hitler}} and Cueball is unable to do anything. Cueball then presses {{w|Control-Alt-Delete}} (the well-known Windows Secure Attention Sequence which opens Task Manager or displays a list of options which includes 'Shut Down' and 'Restart') as suggested by Megan, but {{tvtropes|AdolfHitlarious|only manages to make the picture's eyes flash}}.

The fourth panel shows Megan commenting that this {{w|Windows 7}} beta is better than {{w|Windows Vista}}, to which Cueball agrees. The joke is that Megan deems a mostly non-functional and vaguely sinister OS better than {{w|Windows Vista}}, which had problems that were mocked in Apple Mac OS TV commercials.

The title text is a disclaimer stating that [[Randall]] has not tried the beta at the time this comic was written, but what he has heard about it he regards as at least mildly positive. However, he also damns it by faint praise, referring to it as hardly Hitler-y at all, a statement that could raise warning flags, as one would not generally expect an operating system to be able to be described as Hitler-y to any degree at all. "Hitler-y" is implied to mean pertaining to or having qualities similar to Adolf Hitler, the late German Nazi Party leader.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing behind Cueball sitting at a desk using his laptop.]
:Megan: What are you doing?
:Cueball: Trying the Windows 7 beta.
:Megan: Why is it showing a picture of Hitler?
:[The laptop's screen is shown with Adolf Hitler's face on it, drawn in regular ''xkcd'' style.]
:Cueball: I don't know. I can't get it to do anything else.
:Megan: There's no UI?
:Cueball: No, just Hitler.
:[Return to the original scene, except Megan is now scratching her head in confusion.]
:Megan: Did you try Ctrl-Alt-Delete?
:Cueball: It just makes Hitler's eyes flash.
:Megan: Huh.
:[Scene remains basically the same, except Megan is no longer scratching her head and Cueball is no longer typing on the laptop.]
:Megan: Well, it's better than Vista.
:Cueball: True.

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

1187: Aspect Ratio

2018-03-08T03:25:33Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1187
| date = March 18, 2013
| title = Aspect Ratio
| image = aspect ratio.png
| titletext = I'm always disappointed when 'Anamorphic Widescreen' doesn't refer to a widescreen Animorphs movie.
}}

==Explanation==
Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height of an image (and in this case, a video) and is denoted in a ratio of <width>:<height> - usually either in lowest common denominator, or with a decimal width to a height of "1". Up until the 1990s, all televisions and most computer monitors (CRT tube and LCD) were in the standard 4:3 aspect ratio, called "fullscreen" (meaning the width is 4/3 or 1.33... times the height). When HDTV was developed, the standard for television screens changed to 16:9 (width being 16/9 or 1.77... times the height), called "widescreen" (although widescreen can also refer to a number of even wider ratios used in feature films). Computer monitors are now available in widescreen ratios, though fullscreen remains common as well.

Letterboxing is a process whereby an image which does not fully fill a screen is expanded to fill the screen by the addition of further material (mattes). Usually this is done with the addition of black bars in the empty space. One example of why this was necessary was widescreen films on VHS cassette. VHS could only record and play back 4:3 images. Thus, in order to display a widescreen film, the rest of the VHS's 4:3 image had to be filled with horizontal black bars at the top and bottom of the image. Those bars were part of the video information recorded on the cassette.

When DVDs were introduced, many DVDs also had letterbox bars on the DVD's full screen image. With the increased popularity of widescreen televisions, DVD players were improved to offer {{w|anamorphic widescreen}}, in which the full widescreen image is horizontally rescaled (shrunk) into a 4:3 size, which the player then was able to display stretched horizontally back to the proper widescreen aspect.

With the advent of Blu-ray, video is generally encoded in whatever its proper aspect ratio is intended to be, and the player itself is left to appropriately matte the image.

The problem with letterboxed video (such as a 16:9 video letterboxed for 4:3) is that if one tries to watch the video on a 16:9 widescreen, where the image ''should'' fill the whole screen, instead the 4:3 letterboxed image fills part of the screen with further vertical mattes on the left and right of the image, thus producing an image much smaller than it needs to be, with mattes on all four sides. Some TVs or media players can zoom to help resolve the issue, although the video resolution usually suffers. By encoding only the video itself and allowing the player to do the matting, the video can be seen as large as possible on any given screen.

''{{w|Animorphs}}'' is a late-90's to early-00's young adult book series about shape-shifting teens who turn into animals to fight body-snatching aliens. Sony held the rights to create a film, but never made use of them, beyond creating URLs for a proposed movie on December 11, 2012. Animorphs has since been mentioned in the title text of [[1360: Old Files]] as well as being the main joke in [[1380: Manual for Civilization]] and [[1817: Incognito Mode]].

In this comic, Randall appears to be complaining about the issue of widescreen videos which have been rescaled to 4:3 by "squashing" the video horizontally to make it narrower, and in the process causing everything to appear thinner/taller than it really is. This is akin to the car crushing Randall depicts in the comic, which Randall uses as {{tvtropes|DisproportionateRetribution|disproportionate retribution}}.

A note is that, if someone managed to "expand" the car, the car would not be "un-crushed" and probably even weakened even more, referencing the bigger damage done when "squashed" video is attempted to be "expanded" to its original ratio, distorting the video quality.

==Transcript==
:[A gray car is crushed in a large black clamp.]
:Whenever someone uploads a letterboxed 16:9 video rescaled to 4:3, I do this to their car.

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

827: My Business Idea

2018-03-08T03:18:00Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 827
| date = November 29, 2010
| title = My Business Idea
| image = my_business_idea.png
| titletext = We didn't believe you at first, but we asked like three people who were at that party. They not only corroborated your story, but even said you totally mentioned wanting to start a company someday. Sorry! If this isn't enough money, let us know.
}}

==Explanation==
Many people have shared [[Cueball]]'s experience of seeing someone else make profit from an idea that they themselves had. This comic plays with the thought of what would happen if {{w|intellectual property}} thinking was taken to an extreme, and if companies or people were more keen on "setting things right" than money. The title text is an extension of the comic with increasingly extreme thinking.

In reality, having a great idea alone of course does not create a profitable business; there must generally be an enormous amount of work and effort (not to mention risk-taking) put in to create a business from scratch, popularize it, and keep it standing. Cueball, having done none of this, would probably not deserve close to the "30% cut" he claims even if intellectual property did work the way it is presented here.

The delivery guy is from {{w|FedEx}}. [[960: Subliminal]] is about hidden messages in their logo.

This comic originally shared name with [[1721: Business Idea]], but then this comic was renamed. There were no other relations between the ideas for the two comics, see [[#Trivia|Trivia]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk, pointing at his laptop.]
:Cueball: Dude! I had this idea like five years ago, and some company just got rich doing it! - I want my cut.

:[Cueball starts typing.]
:Person off-screen: That's not how it works.
:Cueball: Sure it is. I'm applying for my share now.
:Person: Wait, what?

:[A browser window with the title 'Department of Ideas'. It has a series of text boxes.]
:Date you had the idea:
::Like five years ago.
:Proof you had it:
::I told my friend Mike - you can ask him! I was all "you know what would make a great business idea?" and he was all...
:Their profit so far:
::$20,000,000
:Share you deserve (be fair!):
::[Drop-down.]
:::25%
:::'''30%'''
:::35%
:Mailing address:
::137 Ash Tree Ln

:[Cueball still at the laptop, above him is a SUBMIT button, and it shows a pointing hand cursor.]
:CLICK

:[Last panel set slightly lower than the rest.]
:[Cueball is in front of an open box full of cash, with cash in his hand. A FedEx delivery guy is on the other side of the box with his PDA and pen.]

==Trivia==
*This comic was originally called "Business Idea" but Randall renamed it to fix a conflict on xkcd when he released [[1721: Business Idea]] about five years later (as in the comic).
**This comic was thus also renamed on this page.
**It gave quite some turbulence on the release day as can be seen in the [[1721: Business Idea#Trivia|trivia section]] of the new comic.
**The delivery address is to Ash Tree Lane, and as shown in [[472: House of Pancakes]], Randall knows how to mess with people who've read House of Leaves.
**20,000,000$ x 30% = 6,000,000$- a lot of cash for doing nothing but having an idea.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Business Idea]]

608: Form

2018-03-06T22:08:28Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ accuracy

{{comic
| number = 608
| date = July 10, 2009
| title = Form
| image = form.png
| titletext = 'This space intentionally left blank' is less immediately provocative but more Hofstadterially confusing.
}}

==Explanation==
Application forms, examination papers, etc. sometimes instruct applicants to avoid writing in blocked out areas of the page, as those areas are intended for administrative, office, or internal usage or processing.

Nonetheless, a person might write in the blocked out section out of an urge to defy authority, as does [[Cueball]] in the comic. Consequences for flouting these instructions are typically trivial (e.g. perhaps the form may not be processed correctly). However, Cueball's disregard for the rules prompts the preparations for an armed response by some sort of law enforcement or private security organization, presenting a serious consequence for Cueball.

The title text refers to {{w|Douglas Hofstadter}}, an author associated with the philosophical concept of self-reference. "This space intentionally left blank" is "Hofstadterially confusing" because if a space on a form contains the words "This space intentionally left blank", then the space is not, in fact, left blank.

Douglas Hofstadter is also the subject of the comic [[917: Hofstadter]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a sheet of paper, with a series of check boxes. A white rectangle is the focus.]
:Do not write in this space

:[Cueball is standing with a pencil, looking at the page.]

:[Cueball writes something on the page.]

:[A group of people with helmets, black goggles, and rifles look at display screens. There is a radar system on a table between them.]
:[The screens show sheets of paper. On one screen, it shows Cueball writing on one.]
:[One of the men arms his weapon.]
:''Cha-click''

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

1162: Log Scale

2018-03-06T22:04:19Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Trivia */ whatif

{{comic
| number = 1162
| date = January 18, 2013
| title = Log Scale
| image = log scale.png
| titletext = Knuth Paper-Stack Notation: Write down the number on pages. Stack them. If the stack is too tall to fit in the room, write down the number of pages it would take to write down the number. THAT number won't fit in the room? Repeat. When a stack fits, write the number of iterations on a card. Pin it to the stack.
}}

==Explanation==
Uranium is stated to have 76 million MJ/kg, while the next highest material shown on the graph (gasoline) has 46 MJ/kg. Thus the uranium graph should be taller by a factor of 76,000,000/46 = 1.652 million. So, if the gasoline graph were 9mm in height, the uranium graph should be a bit more than 14.868 million mm tall, or nearly 15 km (9.2 miles) tall. Thus the need to fold the paper.

It should be noted that the method of extracting energy from the first 4 materials ({{w|combustion}}) is completely different from the method used with uranium ({{w|nuclear fission}}). If the technology existed to use {{w|nuclear fusion}}, then the first 4 materials would yield a higher energy density than uranium.

A {{w|Logarithmic scale|log scale}} is a way of showing largely unequal data sizes in a comprehensible way, using an exponential function between each notch on the y axis of a graph. So for example the first on a Y axis of a graph using a log-10-scale would be 1, then 10, then 100 and 1000 for the fourth. A {{w|logarithm|log/logarithmic function}} is the {{w|inverse function|inverse}} of a corresponding {{w|Exponential growth|exponential function}}. A log-scale version of the chart in the comic would look like this:

[[File:Log_Chart_1162.png]]

The log scale can also be abused to make data look more uniform than it really is. On a log scale the energy density of uranium looks larger than that of the other materials, but not dramatically so. The joke is that if one wanted to make their point "properly," they would go ahead and use ridiculous amounts of paper to show the difference between bars using a linear scale; this method would focus more on the shock factor of the differences in question, and less on actual communication/representation of data. Cueball seems to be passionate about the MJ/kg of uranium, so he would rather demonstrate the grandeur of the data than use a more efficient scale.

See {{w|Logarithmic scale#Common usages|these examples}} for well known day-to-day measurements which are measured on a log-scale.

The Science tip is quite possibly related to the protip comics.

The title text mentions computer scientist {{w|Donald Knuth}}; the fictional notation is a parody of {{w|Knuth's up-arrow notation}}. Using paper thickness as the basis for a log scale would probably give the exponential function a very large base. However, it can be noted that Knuth's up-arrow notation can handle numbers far, far larger than this paper stack notation; for example the number 3↑↑↑3, very compact in up-arrow notation, would require a number of iterations pinned to the stack on the order of several trillion. 3↑↑↑↑3 would require a number of iterations that is not only too large to write down, but attempting to write that number using the same paper stack notation would require printing off a ''second'' stack of several trillion iterations just to hold the ''number'' pinned to the first stack.

It should be noted that Randall has used log scales in past comics.

==Transcript==
:[A bar chart showing fuel energy density of different materials in megajoules/kg.]
:Sugar: 19, Coal: 24, Fat: 39, Gasoline: 46, Uranium 76,000,000
:[The uranium bar on the chart goes off the page onto a huge strip of paper folded up into a stack slightly taller than Cueball.]
:Science Tip: Log scales are for quitters who can't find enough paper to make their point ''properly''.

==Trivia==
This comic was seen in the [[What If?]] book, taken from "a certain webcomic".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Bar chart]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]

1519: Venus

2018-03-06T22:02:31Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Trivia */ grammar

{{comic
| number = 1519
| date = May 1, 2015
| title = Venus
| image = venus.png
| titletext = The sudden introduction of Venusian flowers led to an explosive growth of unusual Earth pollinators, which became known as the "butterfly effect."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Miss Lenhart]] is [[#Trivia|teaching]] a class on science about the planet {{w|Venus}}.

In the first panel we see her teaching the history of Venus. Venus may have had water on its surface billions years ago, but if that's true all hydrogen since then was eventually lost due to dissociation. However, there is no evidence that Venus ever had fields of flowers, or Venusians, or any other form of life.

The {{w|runaway greenhouse effect}} on the second panel is a play on words. Miss Lenhart uses the term literally and claims the existence of sentient greenhouses that actually ran away. In reality, the effect caused Venus to develop a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which raised its temperature above to approx. 460 °C (860 °F), hotter than daytime on Mercury. This eventually destroyed all evidence of anything that had been on the surface of Venus billions of years ago.

The third panel ties the previous distortion of Miss Lenhart into the very real {{w|Tulip mania|historic reputation}} of the Netherlands as {{w|Netherlands#Agriculture|flower growers}} and as a further fabrication by Miss Lenhart the Dutch flower industry was in fact started by the Venusians.

In the final panel we learn that she is a month away from retirement and doesn't care about relaying accurate information anymore. She just wants to have a laugh at the expense of the naive school children. Although it is clear that [[Science Girl]] in the front row was not fooled.

The title text jokes about the {{w|butterfly effect}}, the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan can cause a Tornado in the U.S.. In this case the {{w|Butterfly|butterflies}} would just help pollinate the flowers. The butterfly effect is a term coined by {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who had the comic [[1350: Lorenz]] named after him due to its chaotic nature.

Although Miss Lenhart was supposed to retire a month after this comic she seems to return a year later for a math course at university level, in [[1724: Proofs]], where she continues the trend from this class.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart is standing in front of an image, presumably a temperate Venus, with greenhouses, grass, flowers and a river flowing into a sea.]
:Miss Lenhart: Venus once was temperate. It had seas and rivers, and Venusians cultivated vast fields of beautiful flowers.

:[The image is now zoomed out to see the entirety of Venus, with continents and oceans. The greenhouses are shown fleeing ("running") away from Venus.]
:Miss Lenhart: Until their greenhouses fled the planet due to the runaway greenhouse effect.

:[Miss Lenhart is now standing in front of a classroom and addressing the students, we see one of these Science Girl with her hair in a bun, sitting at a desk.]
:Miss Lenhart: The Venusians pursued their greenhouses to Earth, settling in the Netherlands and kickstarting the Dutch floral industry. Any questions?

:Offscreen student (presumably Science Girl from previous panel): Because you're retiring in a month, do you just not care what you say anymore?
:Miss Lenhart: ''What?!'' I '''''ride the skies''''' atop a screaming bird of truth! Also, yes, I do not.

==Trivia==
*It is not directly mentioned that it is Miss Lenhart teaching, but her looks and profession fits this character well enough to make this deduction.
*Similarly, the girl knowing she is being cheated fits the description of [[Science Girl]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Space]]

1198: Geologist

2018-03-06T21:53:54Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1198
| date = April 12, 2013
| title = Geologist
| image = geologist.png
| titletext = 'It seems like it's still alive, Professor.' 'Yeah, a big one like this can keep running around for a few billion years after you remove the head.'
}}
[[File:Alces_alces_elan_trophee_chateau_Tanlay.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| Moose head and deers antlers mounted as hunting trophies. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{w|Geology}} is the study of the physical and chemical makeup of the Earth and geologists are called rock hunters, sometimes derisively.

Hunters, after killing an especially difficult or rare beast, sometimes remove its head and hang it up on a wall as a {{w|Trophy hunting|trophy}}. [[Cueball]], as a geologist, "kills the Earth" by shooting at it. He removes its "head," a chunk of rock, and hangs it up on his office wall.

The title text is probably a reference to a chicken running around with its head cut off. A few billion years (7,600,000,000 years) is also about how much longer the Earth is expected to last, assuming {{w|Future of the Earth#Red giant stage|it gets swallowed up by the expanding Sun}} at the {{w|Sun#After core hydrogen exhaustion|end of the Sun's life}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is wearing earmuffs and goggles, armed with a gun and a rock hammer. There are rocks nearby. There is a van in the background labeled "Dept. of Geology".]

:[Cueball shoots three holes in the ground.]
:BLAM BLAM BLAM

:[Cueball hacks away at the top of a nearby rock.]
:Clink Clink

:[Cueball in his office, with various items on the wall. Among them is a rock, labeled "Earth" and "4,500,000,000 BCE - April 12, 2013".]

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

545: Neutrality Schmeutrality

2018-03-06T03:16:39Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 545
| date = February 18, 2009
| title = Neutrality Schmeutrality
| image = neutrality schmeutrality.png‎
| titletext = 'Hey, everyone, you can totally trust that I didn't do a word count on MY edit!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Wikipedia}} is an online encyclopedia with content developed and submitted by volunteers around the world. In fact, its slogan is "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit." Most articles on the site can be altered by anyone with access to Wikipedia.

Wikipedia has set some standards for its operation, which it refers to as the "{{w|Wikipedia:Five pillars|Five pillars of Wikipedia}}". One of these pillars is titled "Wikipedia is written from a {{w|Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view}}."

{{w|Pro-life}} and {{w|pro-choice}} refer to two opposing viewpoints in the debate of the moral and legal rights concerning {{w|abortion}}. For many on both sides, it is a very emotional topic.

[[Black Hat]], like the smartass he is, has decided to prove that you can create an article which fundamentally cannot remain neutral. Since his charitable donation is determined by the word count of the article, any submission to Wikipedia must result in supporting either pro-life or pro-choice. And with a reward of one million dollars, it is unlikely that either side would allow an article to remain unedited which supported its opponent.

The title of the comic references an old (read, "pre-Internet") meme, possibly of Yiddish origin, known as {{w|shm-reduplication}}. The speaker replaces the initial consonant cluster (have it 0, 1 or even 2+ consonants) with the cluster "schm", read /ʃm/, and says the new word after the unadulterated word, as in the title where it is "N" that has been replaced. This denotes an active apathy or an intentional disregard of the authority (for it is usually an authority or someone in a similar position) being mocked. In this case, Black Hat is disregarding Wikipedia's neutrality doctrine with his {{w|word count}} dependent donation rule.

The title text is a statement from the Wikipedia author in an attempt to assert the neutrality of the submission, claiming no word count was performed before posting (an unlikely scenario).

==Transcript==
:[Above the frame:]
:Trivia: It's possible to create events
:which Wikipedia cannot cover neutrally
:[Black Hat is at a press conference in which he is making an announcement in front of a large crowd mainly of Cueballs but also some Megans.]
:Black Hat: In a week, I will be donating $1,000,000 to a recipient determined by the word count of the Wikipedia article about this event. If it's even, the money goes to pro-choice activists. If it's odd, pro-life.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

1470: Kix

2018-03-06T03:07:16Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1470
| date = January 7, 2015
| title = Kix
| image = kix.png
| titletext = My parents sent me to several years of intensive Kix test prep.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic may be a commentary about the uselessness of brainstorming sessions or the bad ideas that come out of them, as they are often started with the phrase “there are no bad ideas”. As the brainstorming session continues the original meaning of the slogan is lost, much like a game of telephone, and the session becomes less productive.

The slogan for {{w|Kix (cereal)|Kix}}, "Kid tested, Mother approved," is meant to suggest that children generally enjoy the cereal and their mothers, who are naturally concerned about the health of their children, approve of its ingredients. However, in this brainstorming session, the word "Approved" has apparently not yet been considered. A number of possible words and phrases for the ending have been presented and {{w|Strikethrough|stricken out}}, indicating that they were rejected; each one causes the slogan to be subject to increasingly absurd and comedic interpretations:

#'''Selected''': This word may have been chosen as a {{w|slant rhyme}} of "Tested". This word shares a definition with "Approved", and states that mothers specifically choose this cereal over others. This phrase could also suggest that one mother ''herself'' had been chosen for some unstated purpose.
#'''Perfected''': It's likely that the previous word inspired someone in the brainstorming session to find a similarly positive word that rhymes with "Selected". It states that one or more mothers were directly involved in developing and refining the cereal's composition to a high degree. Much like with "Selected", this could also suggest that the mother was somehow improved to perfection during the test.
#'''Not Notified''': Relates to the world of experimental research and clinical trials. This phrase suggests that the children who tested the cereal did not obtain the required consent, which would generally involve notifying and getting permission from both parents.
#'''Watching Helplessly''': Again we can see that in a brainstorming session such the previous option may trigger this one as it is related to the dangers of testing. This phrase suggests that mothers were forced to watch their children test the cereal, and that the cereal or the test is unhealthy or dangerous.
#'''Infected''': This may be intended to show the group dynamic of the brainstorming session as it is inspired by option one and two, as infected rhymes with both selected and perfected, and by the third option as both relate to dangerous testing. This slogan states that an infectious agent was passed to the mother as a result of the test. This could also be interpreted as the mother having introduced the infectious agent into the cereal or testing environment.
# '''Consumed''': Continuing the trend of dark slogans this slogan says that the mothers were ''themselves'' consumed, perhaps by their children (by virtue of the mother being an ingredient in the cereal), the cereal itself, or something otherwise related to the test. Another possible interpretation is that the mother ate the cereal after the kid tested it, possibly because the kid did not enjoy the taste.
#'''Fucker''': This expletive is often paired with "Mother" to form the compound word "Motherfucker". In this case, the slogan changes to {{w|vocative case}}: "[This cereal has been] Kid Tested, Motherfucker!". This appears to be an "elephant" - a ponderous ending of a joke that contrasts sharply with the refined and mild humor of the previous options. The phrase itself basically only states that a child tested the cereal and implies that nothing else matters.

The title text conflates the phrase "Kid tested" with college entrance exams such as the {{w|Standardized Aptitude Test}} (SAT) or the {{w|ACT (test)|ACT}}. Instead of stating that a child tasted the cereal and gave his or her opinion on its quality, the cereal itself is an academic subject on which the child was tested. Randall, referring to how some parents enroll their children in special {{w|test prep|classes or schools}} to prepare them to score well in this type of test, states that his parents extensively prepared him for a college entrance exam about Kix cereal.

Cereal advertising has previously been referenced in [[38: Apple Jacks ]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail, Megan, and Cueball are standing around a whiteboard, holding markers. The whiteboard on easel reads:]
:'''Kix'''
:Slogan ideas
:Kid Tested, Mother...

:<strike>Selected</strike>
:<strike>Perfected</strike>
:<strike>Not notified</strike>
:<strike>Watching helplessly</strike>
:<strike>Infected</strike>
:<strike>Consumed</strike>
:<strike>Fucker</strike>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Food]]

1516: Win by Induction

2018-03-06T00:06:41Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Trivia */ description

{{comic
| number = 1516
| date = April 24, 2015
| title = Win by Induction
| image = win by induction.png
| titletext = This would be bad enough, but every 30th or 40th pokéball has TWO of them inside.
}}
==Explanation==
In the ''{{w|Pokémon}}'' franchise, human characters called Trainers capture fantastical creatures from the wild, the titular Pokémon (a shortened form of "Pocket Monsters"), and train them to battle one another. Pokémon are captured and stored in devices called Poké Balls, which shrink the creatures down to pocket size (hence "Pocket Monsters"). The anime's English dub has enshrined the phrase "''<Pokémon's name>'', I choose you!" into popular culture memory. When Trainers do battle, they often shout this phrase while throwing the ball to the ground, releasing the Pokémon at full size.

In this comic, a Pokémon chosen at some point was a {{w|Pikachu}} (the "poster child" for Pokémon, and the most publicly-known type), which does not intend to engage in the battle himself. Instead, the Pikachu chooses another Pikachu to fight for him. This process then repeats itself. Behind the Pikachu with the Pokéball is a long line of other Pikachu, suggesting that this process has been going on for a while.

Nearby stands [[Cueball]], holding a closed Pokéball, and [[Megan]], looking at her watch. This suggests that Cueball intends to have his own Pokémon fight the Pikachu, but is waiting to see which enemy his Pokémon must face before the battle can actually begin (waiting in vain, if the above described process repeats indefinitely), while Megan is growing impatient with the delay. Given that Cueball is holding a closed Pokéball he has not deployed yet, Megan cannot herself be his Pokémon. She could be his opponent, or a spectator.

The joke in this comic comes from analogy with the mathematical {{w|proof by induction}}, which is a proof about a base case, followed by a never ending sequence of steps, each step leading to the next. Induction proves an assertion is true for one case, and then infers that it must also be true for all related cases. The title suggests that the process of Pikachu choosing Pikachu will never end, effectively postponing the battle indefinitely. But the title is '''win''' by induction, by which Randall implies that we have been given enough information to reason logically whether Megan or Cueball will win. We have here turned mathematical induction on its head: part of the humour in the comic is that the logic of induction doesn't work in reverse. We cannot reason about an initial case by inferring something from a related case whose proof is dependent on knowledge about the initial case. Or perhaps the "win" referred to is precisely that the battle is indefinitely postponed.

The name "induction" comes from logic and discrete mathematics, and is thus unrelated to the physical phenomena of {{w|electromagnetic induction}}; but the fact that Pikachu is an "Electric-type" Pokémon could be a word play connecting the two ideas.

If there were always only a single Pikachu in each Pokéball, this would spawn an unlimited number of Pikachu growing at a constant rate. Since, as the title text notes, there are occasionally two of them in a Pokéball, this would lead to exponential growth assuming each of the spawned Pikachu in this case is bearing a Pokéball!

Pikachu was used in one of the storylines of [[1350: Lorenz]]. See all the attack moves it made [[1350: Lorenz#Pok.C3.A9mon|here]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a long queue of Pikachu extending out of the frame to the left. They are all just out from their ball, at least the last eight Pikachu's open balls lie in two parts on the ground at their feet. They are standing in front of Megan and Cueball. Cueball is holding a closed pokéball while Megan checks the time on her watch. The frontmost Pikachu, holding a closed pokéball, speaks.]

:Pikachu at the front: Pikachu, I choose ''you!''

==Trivia==
*For some reason Pikachu is drawn without its lightning shaped tail, and Pikachu having a sizeable body mass.
*In Pokémon canon, Pokémon are only allowed to hold on to an ''empty'' Pokéball when stored in a Pokéball.
*In Pokémon canon, only one Pokémon can exist in a Pokéball, contrary to the title text.
*Randall has drawn the Pokéballs with the button that opens them in the middle of the red half. Whereas in actual (modern) Pokéballs the button is located where the two different halves meet. However, in the Pokémon canon, earlier Pokéballs are shown with buttons or timers on top, though it is doubtful this is the intention, unless the infinite line of Pikachus has been continuing for over thirty years.
*The open Pokéballs are shown broken in two. While early Pokémon games occasionally stated Pokéballs could break, they are now always shown to be connected by a hinge. It is an uncommon visualization that the two halves are fully separate.

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

419: Forks and Spoons

2018-03-06T00:05:45Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 419
| date = May 5, 2008
| title = Forks and Spoons
| image = forks and spoons.png
| titletext = Their biggest mistake was bringing Rachael Ray and Emeril to tour the lab and sign off on the project. That's when Spielberg caught wind of it.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic shows scientists testing a new technology to blend species.

They show that their new technology allows them to cross a {{w|spork}} (an even mix{{Citation needed}} between a spoon and a fork) with a spoon to make a new implement that is three quarters spoon and one quarter fork. By blending these new fork-spork hybrids and their results together, the scientists could create any mix between a spoon and a fork. (Obviously, regular genetics cannot apply to non-living items such as metal cutlery).

In the second panel, the amounts of spoon and fork are shown with fractions, the number on the left representing the amount of fork and the right the amount of spoon. The numbers for the cross product below is arrived at by summing each side and dividing by two: (0+1/2)/2 = 1/4 and (1+1/2)/2 = 3/4.

The breeding scheme between the second and the third panel shows at the top how to create a spork from a spoon and a fork, then how this spork could both be bred with either a spoon (as in panel two) or a fork (as shown in the lower right part).

The {{W|binary}} "fork-spoon spectrum" in between the third and fourth panels shows the complete spectrum of sporks from fork to spoon with some of the intermediate steps labeled, the numbers representing how much fork each contains. Since it is a binary spectrum only fractions with a denominator that is a power of 2 will be possible i.e. 2^n with n any integer. So in the middle is a spork with 1/2 fork, in between the spork and the spoon there is only 1/4 fork and in between that and the spoon only 1/8 fork and so on. Also 3/4 fork is marked, whereas 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8 fork is only indicated on the ruler by a small marks. For instance they could breed a 3/8 fork-spork by mixing a 1/4 fork-spork with a spork.

The comic begins like standard sci-fi fare, where amoral scientists request funding from mysterious benefactors. The dialogue of "You're toying with powerful forces here" and "We know what we're doing" is a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow classic trope], foreshadowing that things will soon [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoneHorriblyWrong go horribly wrong]. It inevitably leads to the humorous incongruity of a sentient spork on a murderous rampage.

{{w|Rachael Ray}} and {{w|Emeril}}, mentioned in the title text, are celebrity chefs, and {{w|Steven Spielberg}} is a famous movie director. The joke seems to be that if the laboratory hadn't hired the two renowned chefs, Spielberg wouldn't have heard about the project and would not have made a movie about it - in which the two scientists are killed off horribly (it is probably the scientist from the first panel, [[Megan]], and her friend, [[Cueball]], or the actors hired to portray them in the film). The plot in the comic is very similar to the story in Spielberg's {{W|Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurassic Park}}.

==Transcript==
:Megan: A spoon crossed with a fork is a spork.
:Off-panel Megan's voice: Our lab has successfully crossed a spork with a spoon. [Diagram showing the fractions of fork and spoon in each item.]
:[Chart showing possible combinations of spoons a forks.]
:Megan, facing audience: With your funding, we could create hybrids in proportions corresponding to ''any binary fraction''.
:[Fork-Spoon Spectrum.]
:Audience member: You're toying with powerful forces here.
:Megan: We know what we're doing.
:Two weeks later:
:[Picture of a destroyed lab, with scientific poster and lab equipment.Two dead bodies, blood everywhere and a spoon-fork hybrid hopping away can be seen.]
:''Hop hop hop.''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

460: Paleontology

2018-03-06T00:04:16Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ formatting

{{comic
| number = 460
| date = August 8, 2008
| title = Paleontology
| image = paleontology.png
| titletext = Dinosaurs totally jumped the ichthyosaur when they got rid of Brontosaurus.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is essentially a set up for a pun: "Underground" can mean "under the ground" (buried in the dirt) or "non-mainstream." In this case, [[Ponytail]] is whining that she had been doing paleontology before {{w|Jurassic Park}} kicked paleontology into the mainstream with living reproductions of dinosaurs, thus apparently undermining the hard work paleontologists had done. In other words, this comic is also poking fun at hipsters.

Of note is the fact that {{w|Acrocanthosaurus}} is misspelled in the third panel as "'''arco'''canthosaur." Assuming this isn't merely a spelling mistake on [[Randall]]'s part, Ponytail's incorrect pronunciation further undermines her self-proclaimed superiority over all the Jurassic Park-inspired "bandwagon" paleontologists.

The title text refers to both the phenomenon called '{{w|jumping the shark}}' and the controversy having the ''Brontosaurus'''s scientific name changed to ''{{w|Apatosaurus}},'' despite that ''Brontosaurus'' had already made a name for itself in the mainstream. [[636: Brontosaurus]] also references the ''Brontosaurus'' name change. An ''Apatosaurus'' also appears in [[15: Just Alerting You]], and [[650: Nowhere]]. {{w|Ichthyosaur}}s are marine reptiles with bodies resembling sharks or dolphins, which lived alongside dinosaurs during the {{w|Mesozoic}} era.

Another interpretation: Both 'brats' have taken Jurassic Park literally and not as a fantasy story. So "under ground" refers to them, that the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park would have been there indeed and not only in fantasy.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail in a museum, near a reconstructed dinosaur fossil and a display cabinet.]
:Ponytail: Man, paleontology sucks these days.
:Cueball: Why?
:Ponytail: ''Jurassic Park'' came out 15 years ago.
:Cueball: So?
:Ponytail: Today's grad students got into dinosaurs after seeing it as kids. They don't care about fossils. Brats.
:[A woman in a hat exploring a barren landscape.]
:Ponytail: Before they had living dinosaurs handed to them by Hollywood, I was out in Texas digging up Arcocanthosaur teeth.
:Cueball: So, you were into dinosaurs when they were still underground?
:Ponytail: Exactly!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Apatosaurus]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Puns]]

460: Paleontology

2018-03-06T00:03:38Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ elaboration

{{comic
| number = 460
| date = August 8, 2008
| title = Paleontology
| image = paleontology.png
| titletext = Dinosaurs totally jumped the ichthyosaur when they got rid of Brontosaurus.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is essentially a set up for a pun: "Underground" can mean "under the ground" (buried in the dirt) or "non-mainstream." In this case, [[Ponytail]] is whining that she had been doing paleontology before {{w|Jurassic Park}} kicked paleontology into the mainstream with living reproductions of dinosaurs, thus apparently undermining the hard work paleontologists had done. In other words, this comic is also poking fun at hipsters.

Of note is the fact that {{w|Acrocanthosaurus}} is misspelled in the third panel as "'''arco'''canthosaur." Assuming this isn't merely a spelling mistake on [[Randall]]'s part, Ponytail's incorrect pronunciation further undermines her self-proclaimed superiority over all the Jurassic Park-inspired "bandwagon" paleontologists.

The title text refers to both the phenomenon called '{{w|jumping the shark}}' and the controversy having the ''Brontosaurus'''s scientific name changed to ''{{w|Apatosaurus}},'' despite that ''Brontosaurus'' had already made a name for itself in the mainstream. [[636: Brontosaurus]] also references the ''Brontosaurus'' name change. An ''Apatosaurus'' also appears in [[15: Just Alerting You]], and [[650: Nowhere]]. {{w|Ichthyosaur}}s are marine reptiles with bodies resembling sharks or dolphins, which lived alongside dinosaurs during the {{w|Mesozoic}} era.

Another interpretation: Both 'brats' have taken Jurassic Park literally and not as a fantasy story. So "under ground" refers to them, that the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park would have been there indeed and not only in fantasy.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail in a museum, near a reconstructed dinosaur fossil and a display cabinet.]
:Ponytail: Man, paleontology sucks these days.
:Cueball: Why?
:Ponytail: Jurassic Park came out 15 years ago.
:Cueball: So?
:Ponytail: Today's grad students got into dinosaurs after seeing it as kids. They don't care about fossils. Brats.
:[A woman in a hat exploring a barren landscape.]
:Ponytail: Before they had living dinosaurs handed to them by Hollywood, I was out in Texas digging up Arcocanthosaur teeth.
:Cueball: So, you were into dinosaurs when they were still underground?
:Ponytail: Exactly!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Apatosaurus]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Puns]]

1879: Eclipse Birds

2018-03-05T23:59:39Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ bold

{{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 a typical 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:Animals]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Total Solar Eclipse 2017]]

970: The Important Field

2018-03-05T23:57:21Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ expansion

{{comic
| number = 970
| date = October 28, 2011
| title = The Important Field
| image = the important field.png
| titletext = I hear in some places, you need to fill one form of ID to buy a gun, but two to pay for it by check. It's interesting to see who has what incentives to care about what mistakes.
}}

==Explanation==
It is very common that online input forms demand that one's email address or password is typed twice, and also quite common that pasting into the second field is disabled, so that there is no escape. If a form asks for some information that is really much more crucial, and this standard routine thoughtlessly isn't used for those fields too, it would comically seem that the form-makers consider your email address to be ''hideously'' important, maybe even more important than the location where a missile is programmed to land. In the comic, the impression is that it is less important that the wrong city is not accidentally wiped out, than that the boss knows who to blame afterwards.

The title text suggests a real world parallel to this. [[Randall]] ''has heard'' about differing priorities of identifying who is purchasing a firearm (the state/locality requires one form of identification) and ensuring the payment (the store requires two forms of ID, to properly document the person, in case the check is fake or is rejected by the bank). The point is that people often care a lot about money, but a gun in the wrong hands is a potential disaster bigger than a few hundred missing dollars.

This is the only comic so far to feature Green Hat. It appears that the green hat means that he is part of the military.

==Transcript==
:[Green Hat sitting at a computer.]
:Computer: Welcome to the missile launch interface!
:''Click''
:Computer: Enter the target's coordinates.
:''Type Type''
:Computer: Enter your email address for our records.
:''Type Type''
:Computer: Enter your email again, to ensure you typed it correctly.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Email]]
[[Category:Computer security]]

User:QATEKLYXM

2018-03-05T23:55:24Z

QATEKLYXM: userpage

Hi. So, my author bio: I spend time on xkcd reading, commenting and editing. I just use the random page generator to move around and edit pages. I have a comment alias, Klyxm, the shortened form of my username, QATEKLYXM (pronounced cataclysm) which makes it easier for others to spell.

I also own a copy of Randall Munroe's "What If", as well as "Thing Explainer". Been reading since 460. I first found this site at around 1800, and started editing at 1850. My talk page is for if you would like to ask me questions, and I will accept suggestions to change my userpage. Right now I need to make summary edits a habit (I keep forgetting).

Notes:

-I ramble quite often, one of my examples was in the "Code Golf" description, which was (thankfully) edited out. The large paragraph can still be seen.

-I have only one recorded case of being charged with unsigned work, by the Comment Police. I have resolved this problem, and I don't plan to encounter them again!

My major edits:

[[1963: Namespace Land Rush]], the transcript

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: Should I make a table for site visits? What size should the table increments be? Comment on my talk page!

455: Hats

2018-03-05T23:53:38Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 455
| date = July 28, 2008
| title = Hats
| image = hats.png
| titletext = ...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]] encounters a person who is wearing not one, but two black hats. Black Hat is not a person to be trifled with, but from his reaction, he apparently believes that Two Black Hats represents a considerable danger to him.

If a black hat is assumed to be akin to a badge of rank, then Two Black Hats certainly is superior to him in the capacity and willingness to do evil. Alternatively, and even more worrying, Two Black Hats could be someone who has the desire and the ability to acquire black hats, which he then wears like a badge of honor. With all this in mind, Black Hat edges away, keeping Two Black Hats in sight at all times.

This comic is also a metatextual joke about xkcd itself. Because of the comic's simplistic art style and characterization, Black Hat has only one defining physical trait, his hat, and one defining personality trait, his malevolence. Randall then implies that the two traits must be correlated, so that a black hat signifies malevolence, and accordingly two hats must signify even more malevolence -- an idea that wouldn't make any sense in real life, where a person with two hats would just be making an odd fashion choice.

The title text is simply "..."
This may represent the slow-motion pause during which Black Hat's nefarious life flashes before his eyes, as he considers his impending doom. It may also emphasize how the usually witty Black Hat is, for once, speechless.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is walking.]

:[Black Hat stops in front of another man with two Black Hats, the uppermost hat titled backwards.]

:[After two panels, the original Black Hat steps backward, shuddering slightly.]

==Trivia==

The title text is similar to that in [[412: Startled]], where Black Hat also becomes the little one (and with much focus on the black hat, as in this comic). As mentioned there, such a short title text could be due to the fact that it's a somewhat surreal comic, and any further commentary might have detrimentally brought it down to Earth. See also [[82: Frame]], with the same title text, but no relation to black hats.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]

1639: To Taste

2018-03-05T23:45:41Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 1639
| date = February 5, 2016
| title = To Taste
| image = to_taste.png
| titletext = Look, recipe, if I knew how much was gonna taste good, I wouldn't need you.
}}

==Explanation==
The imprecision of {{w|recipes}} is often a source of frustration to culinary novices, especially the more analytically-minded. [[Cueball]] expects a recipe to provide instructions precise enough that by following them carefully, a cook can create a dish exactly as the recipe author intended. Unfortunately, exact replication is impossible in cooking because of the natural variation of ingredients as well as differences in equipment. In addition, most home cooks lack the tools needed to make precise measurements, such as scales and thermometers. Thus, a recipe for strawberry {{w|smoothies}} might read "add sugar '''to taste'''" because the recipe-writer can't specify precisely how ripe the strawberries are to begin with. In addition, a smoothie recipe would typically specify imprecise quantities of fruit such as "1 banana" or "1 cup of strawberries" (much less precise than specifying the weight). Thus, it is impossible for the cook to determine the correct amount of {{w|sugar}} without actually tasting the drink.

The instruction "to {{w|taste}}" can also be used for ingredients that alter a simple aspect of the food's flavor, such as {{w|sweetness}}, {{w|Taste#Sourness|sourness}}, {{w|Taste#Saltiness|saltiness}} or {{w|Taste#Bitterness|bitterness}} without affecting the quality of the overall dish. Individual preferences can vary wildly and it's not possible for a recipe's author to predict how much the reader will want. Specifying any exact amount in these cases will inevitably lead to the food being too {{w|Bland diet|bland}} for some, while being too {{w|Pungency|strong}} for others.

In this comic, Cueball is shown as having no idea how to cook (or having a ridiculously large sweet tooth), and the suggestion that he is going to add large crates of sugar to a small pot is, of course, silly. This would ruin the dish, as whatever was in the pot would be drowned out by the sugar. Alternatively, he could simply bring in enough sugar to make sure he will not run out of this particular ingredient before it reaches the correct level of sweetness for his taste. This too would display a complete lack of understanding about what it is to cook; even a beginner cook should be able to logically deduce that this is far too much sugar.

Another possible explanation would be that Cueball plans to add as much sugar as possible to the dish and eat it, so that he can sue the recipe book's writer for any ill effects he receives as a result. Needless to say, this would be a complete waste of effort - he would probably lose the lawsuit, and even if he won and received compensation money, he would not be able to enjoy it thanks to his ill health.

The title text is [[Randall|Randall's]] (and Cueball's) personal comment on what he thinks a recipe should do to fulfill his needs. If he knew how much of each ingredient would be appropriate for a given dish, then he would not need the recipe in the first place. The title text actually scolds the recipe for being imprecise. In his view, mixing in imprecise or "use your own judgment" language makes it less of a "recipe" for the dish, and thus less suitable for those looking for the specific instructions to make the dish because they either have no cooking experience, feel they don't have the expertise to make their own decisions, or simply want to follow clearly defined steps without any decision making required.

This is the second comic this week that concerns one of the basic {{w|condiments}} for food, and also regards one of the five {{w|Taste#Basic_tastes|basic tastes}}. The first one, about salt, was [[1637: Salt Mine]]. Lately Randall has made several [[:Category:Food|food related comics]].

==Trivia==
This is the official transcript of 1639, as of March 31, 2016, valid for [[1637: Salt Mine]].
:[Three women and a (stick) figure stand in a salt mine. There's a control panel with two benches in the centre, and two piles of salt to the right. Two figures are talking, and two are shovelling salt into their mouths.]
:Woman 1: So you've build this particle detector in a salt mine to block out cosmic rays?
:Woman 2: Yes. That is definitely why.
:Woman 3 and figure: <<Homf nomf nomf>>

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing near a stove holding a pot just above it. He is looking away from the stove, reading the recipe from a piece of paper he is holding in the other hand.]
:Recipe: ...And add sugar to taste.

:[Cueball has placed the pot on the stove looking at it while holding the paper down along his side.]
:Cueball: ??

:[Cueball leaves the pot and stove to walks off-panel left with the recipe.]

:[Cueball returns backing up to the stove with a dolly loaded with three crates, labeled "sugar". The bottom crate is still not fully inside the panel and the first letter cannot be seen.]
:Sugar
:Sugar
:ugar

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

352: Far Away

2018-03-05T23:44:18Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ description

{{comic
| number = 352
| date = December 3, 2007
| title = Far Away
| image = far_away.png
| titletext = Sometimes an impulsive 2:00 AM cross-country trip is the only solution.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are in a long-distance relationship; in order to overcome the distance which separates them, they're keeping in touch with an instant messenger. Because their contact is limited to text, they have to write out the actions they wish to enact. Cueball is frustrated with the limitations of these place-holding phrases and longs for physical contact, going so far as to imagine himself hugging Megan in the messenger window.

In the title text, Cueball suggests that, sometimes, the only way to end his frustration is to travel across the country and see her face-to-face.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball hugging Megan in the messenger window of an early Microsoft Windows version.]
:Cueball: Meh.
:Cueball: Some nights, typing "*hug*" just doesn't cut it.

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

582: Brakes

2018-03-05T23:43:10Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ doublepress

{{comic
| number = 582
| date = May 11, 2009
| title = Brakes
| image = brakes.png
| titletext = It was the funniest 6.5 seconds of my life, although as usual like 80% of it was just Tom and Ray's gasping, hacking laughter.
}}

==Explanation==
A car's brakes fail on a winding mountain road. As a response, the driver calls a live radio phone-in show, overlooking the fact that he is in immediate danger and has no time to gather outside advice before improvising a solution. The driver loses control of the car and plunges over a cliff.

If this ever happens to you,
*Try pumping the brakes, it may rebuild enough pressure to slow you down
*Downshift into second and then first gear, which should limit your vehicle's speed
*Use your "emergency brake", it's not just for parking (this can damage it, but it's better than dying)
*Otherwise, find a safe place to coast to a stop, if possible, or else
*Try to wreck your car in a way that won't kill you or your passengers. Aim for something that will slow you down before stopping you, like a gravel turnout or a stand of bushes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-a-Car-with-No-Brakes

The title text refers to {{w|Tom and Ray Magliozzi}} who were the co-hosts of the weekly radio show {{w|Car Talk}}. It was a car advice/comedy radio show often aired on {{w|NPR}} stations. While there is some actual advice given on the radio show, it's presented as a comedy/entertainment show. Much of the show did involve the hosts "gasping and hacking" as they ask non-relevant questions of the callers and add their own commentary or relate other personal asides and stories.

Since he claims that he has 6.5 funny seconds, he must have connected with them way before going over the cliff. Because in 6.5 seconds a car would fall approximately 200 m (½*g*t^2, with g = 9.81 m/s^2, and t the time in seconds. This will give 207 m, but there will be a lot of air resistance). It is clear from the drawing that the car is still going almost straight out into the air, so it is still almost at the height where it left the road at quite a high speed (to get this far away without turning the engine down towards earth yet.) And the front of the car is just about 5 car lengths to the ground, which would make this a 10-15 m drop only (which would take less than 2 seconds to fall). But according to the comic it seems like he first connected with the show, just when the car has left the road...

==Transcript==
:Of the potential responses to my brakes' failure, I did not choose the best.
:[A cliff is visible, with a car flying off it, and trees below.]
:Voice from car: Hello, you're on Car Talk.

==Trivia==
* NPR made a shirt out of this comic; it can be seen at [http://shop.npr.org/products/car-talk-cartoon-t-shirt shop.npr.org].

{{comic discussion}}

582: Brakes

2018-03-05T23:41:12Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 582
| date = May 11, 2009
| title = Brakes
| image = brakes.png
| titletext = It was the funniest 6.5 seconds of my life, although as usual like 80% of it was just Tom and Ray's gasping, hacking laughter.
}}

==Explanation==
A car's brakes fail on a winding mountain road. As a response, the driver calls a live radio phone-in show, overlooking the fact that he is in immediate danger and has no time to gather outside advice before improvising a solution. The driver loses control of the car and plunges over a cliff.

If this ever happens to you,
*Try pumping the brakes, it may rebuild enough pressure to slow you down
*Downshift into second and then first gear, which should limit your vehicle's speed
*Use your "emergency brake", it's not just for parking (this can damage it, but it's better than dying)
*Otherwise, find a safe place to coast to a stop, if possible, or else
*Try to wreck your car in a way that won't kill you or your passengers. Aim for something that will slow you down before stopping you, like a gravel turnout or a stand of bushes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-a-Car-with-No-Brakes

The title text refers to {{w|Tom and Ray Magliozzi}} who were the co-hosts of the weekly radio show {{w|Car Talk}}. It was a car advice/comedy radio show often aired on {{w|NPR}} stations. While there is some actual advice given on the radio show, it's presented as a comedy/entertainment show. Much of the show did involve the hosts "gasping and hacking" as they ask non-relevant questions of the callers and add their own commentary or relate other personal asides and stories.

Since he claims that he has 6.5 funny seconds, he must have connected with them way before going over the cliff. Because in 6.5 seconds a car would fall approximately 200 m (½*g*t^2, with g = 9.81 m/s^2, and t the time in seconds. This will give 207 m, but there will be a lot of air resistance). It is clear from the drawing that the car is still going almost straight out into the air, so it is still almost at the height where it left the road at quite a high speed (to get this far away without turning the engine down towards earth yet.) And the front of the car is just about 5 car lengths to the ground, which would make this a 10-15 m drop only (which would take less than 2 seconds to fall). But according to the comic it seems like he first connected with the show, just when the car has left the road...

==Transcript==
:Of the potential responses to my brakes' failure, I did not choose the best.
:[A cliff is visible, with a car flying off it, and trees below..]
:Voice from car: Hello, you're on Car Talk.

==Trivia==
* NPR made a shirt out of this comic; it can be seen at [http://shop.npr.org/products/car-talk-cartoon-t-shirt shop.npr.org].

{{comic discussion}}

1081: Argument Victory

2018-03-05T23:39:58Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ wikipedia

{{comic
| number = 1081
| date = July 13, 2012
| title = Argument Victory
| image = argument victory.png
| titletext = Really, the comforting side in most conspiracy theory arguments is the one claiming that anyone who's in power has any plan at all.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is arguing with a {{w|conspiracy theorist}}, who is sitting in front of his computer talking back. They are probably using {{w|Skype}}, {{w|FaceTime}}, or another video calling service, as Cueball later asks him to watch closely, holding his phone up to show the other guy what he is doing.

Cueball's opponent seems to ignore all reliable sources, like {{w|Snopes}} and {{w|Wikipedia}} on top of several {{w|Academic journal|journals}}, instead preferring sources that are seemingly not credible (but that do agree with him). These conspiracy ".net" pages typically just have a black background and uses several different sizes of fonts, the larger (and probably also in bright colors), the more convincing, seems to be the belief, and Cueball cannot take these kind of sources seriously. ".net" websites can be made by anyone and have little limitations. The maker of a ".net" does not need to show sources of information, or even their name. As such, ".net" websites are notoriously unreliable and often have viruses or other malware. [http://zapatopi.net/blackhelicopters/ The Truth about Black Helicopters] is an example of one such website, supposedly explaining the truth behind
government "Black Helicopters".

The conspiracy theorist insists that by trusting reliable sources, Cueball is simply buying in to the cover-up. Cueball says he can win the argument, and will show him how, and then ceases to argue further in favor of going down a {{w|waterslide}} while holding up the phone to show the other guy how to have a good time. Since conspiracy theorists tend to be [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intransigent intransigent], Cueball sees himself as the victor after ceasing to argue with a guy who cannot be argued with, and instead decides to have some fun. This is even improved by the fact that it makes his opponent angry.

The joke here is also in the title of the comic which is ''[http://imgur.com/EKkAXgR Argument Victory]'' something that is very hard to achieve by on the web... Cueball won this victory not by arguing but by stopping this argument he was having with someone that could/would not be argued with, such as going down a waterslide.

The title text points out that belief in a conspiracy presupposes that those with the power to carry out the conspiracy actually have a plan, a situation which might be found more "comforting" than the alternative that those in power are just muddling through with no plan at all. This concept is revisited in [[1274: Open Letter]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, looking right, is talking at his smartphone while holding it up in front of his head using both hands.]
:Cueball: I can't believe you're so wrong. I'm backed by Snopes, Wikipedia, and a half-dozen journals. You're citing .net pages with black backgrounds and like 20 fonts each.

:[A conspiracy theorist is sitting in front of this lap top at his desk looking left. He has his hair combed down. He is talking to Cueball via his laptop, probably Skyping.]
:Conspiracy theorist: It's sad how you buy into the official story so unquestioningly.
:Conspiracy theorist: Guess some people ''prefer'' to stay asleep.

:[Back to Cueball who has lowered his phone a bit. The reply from the conspiracy theorist is shown to come out of the phone with a jagged arrow and likewise speech bubble.]
:Cueball: Watch closely— I'm about to win this argument.
:Conspiracy theorist (reply from phone): How?

:[Cueball is sitting at the very top of a waterslide preparing to descend.]
:Cueball: By ''going down a waterslide''.

:[A split panel, with a close-up of the conspiracy theorist above and below Cueball is sliding down the waterslide with both hands above his head, water splashing up behind him as he holds his smartphone above the water in one hand.]
:Conspiracy theorist: So? What does that prove?
:Cueball: ''Wheee..''

:[Another split panel, this time a smaller part is used for the close-up of the conspiracy theorist above and below Cueball has more of this panels space for sliding down to the bottom of the waterslide with both hands above his head, water still splashing up behind him as he continues to keep his smartphone above the water in one hand.]
:Conspiracy theorist: You didn't win the argument!
:Cueball: ''...eeee!''
:Cueball: ''Sploosh!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Internet]]

390: Nightmares

2018-03-05T23:37:10Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 390
| date = February 29, 2008
| title = Nightmares
| image = nightmares.png
| titletext = Well, *I* think I'm real. Look at me. Look at my face. Cut me and I'll bleed. What more do you want? Please don't go.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows [[Cueball]]'s plight with {{w|nightmare}}s. Since he's gotten used to normal nightmares, his subconscious has begun giving him dreams where he sees his loved ones imploring him to not wake up, lest they perish, as they only exist in his dream. This would mean that Cueball is conscious when he is asleep.

The title text continues this, with [[Megan]] claiming that she is really real, and begging Cueball to stay with her.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:When I got used to the regular nightmares, my subconscious got creative.

:[Megan is standing with her hand on Cueball's shoulder.]
:Megan: Please don't wake up. I don't want to die.

==Trivia==
*This is the first comic posted on a Leap Day ({{w|February 29}}), which fell on a Friday in 2008.
**It was the first leap year after xkcd began in 2005.
**The two next years with leap day also had an xkcd release:
**[[1023: Late-Night PBS]] was released on a Wednesday in 2012.
***Interestingly enough this also has a theme about strange dreams.
**The third leap day after xkcd began again fell on a Monday in 2016 and [[1649: Pipelines]] was released then.
**If the current M-W-F schedule continues, the next such comic will not happen before 2036 when the leap day once more falls on a Friday.
**Interesting to note that the first three leap years after xkcd began (in just over 10 years) all fell on a release day, then followed by a break of 20 years.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Dreams]]

876: Trapped

2018-03-05T23:36:04Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 876
| date = March 23, 2011
| title = Trapped
| image = trapped.png
| titletext = Socrates could've saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just brought a flashlight, tranquilizer gun, and a bunch of rescue harnesses.
}}

==Explanation==
The 911 operator references {{w|Allegory of the Cave|Plato's cave}}. This is a reference to an allegory by {{w|Plato}} in which he creates a world in which prisoners are chained against a wall and know only the shadows that cross the wall and how they create their own reality from those shadows. They would create words for the things they were seeing, but that would only correspond to the shadows and not the physical things themselves.

[[Cueball]]'s brain seems to be unaware it is in his body, and is freaked out by the fact that all the information it receives is through Cueball's sensory organs. The brain has no means of verifying that the information received from the senses indeed corresponds to the actual outside world, and is thus in Plato's cave.

The title text continues with the Plato's cave and takes it literally; [[Randall]] is saying that {{w|Socrates}}, Plato's teacher, should have just gone into the cave and brought the prisoners out instead of dealing with the extended allegory. The {{w|tranquilizer gun}} is for the prisoners, so they don't completely freak out while being taken out of the cave.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is on a corded wall phone.]
:Cueball: Hello? 911? I'm trapped!
:Cueball: It's dark and I can't see anything except these two distorted splotches of light!
:Cueball: Help!

:[Ponytail, a 911 operator is in an office, wearing a headset.]
:Ponytail: Splotches of light? Your... eyeballs?
:Cueball (over phone): I think that's what they are! There's meat everywhere!

:[Focus on Ponytail's head.]
:Ponytail: ...so you're a brain.
:Cueball (over phone): Yes!
:Ponytail: Yeah, we all are. You're not trapped. Use your body to walk around and experience reality.

:Cueball: But everything's just signals in my sensory cortices! How can I be sure they correspond to an external world?!
:Ponytail (over phone): I'm sorry, but we can't send a search-and-rescue team into Plato's cave.

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

876: Trapped

2018-03-05T23:35:33Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 876
| date = March 23, 2011
| title = Trapped
| image = trapped.png
| titletext = Socrates could've saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just brought a flashlight, tranquilizer gun, and a bunch of rescue harnesses.
}}

==Explanation==
The 911 operator references {{w|Allegory of the Cave|Plato's cave}}. This is a reference to an allegory by {{w|Plato}} in which he creates a world in which prisoners are chained against a wall and know only the shadows that cross the wall and how they create their own reality from those shadows. They would create words for the things they were seeing, but that would only correspond to the shadows and not the physical things themselves.

[[Cueball]]'s brain seems to be unaware it is in his body, and is freaked out by the fact that all the information it receives is through Cueball's sensory organs. The brain has no means of verifying that the information received from the senses indeed corresponds to the actual outside world, and is thus in Plato's cave.

The title text continues with the Plato's cave and takes it literally; [[Randall]] is saying that {{w|Socrates}}, Plato's teacher, should have just gone into the cave and brought the prisoners out instead of dealing with the extended allegory. The {{w|tranquilizer gun}} is for the prisoners, so they don't completely freak out while being taken out of the cave.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is on the phone.]
:Cueball: Hello? 911? I'm trapped!
:Cueball: It's dark and I can't see anything except these two distorted splotches of light!
:Cueball: Help!

:[Ponytail, a 911 operator is in an office, wearing a headset.]
:Ponytail: Splotches of light? Your... eyeballs?
:Cueball (over phone): I think that's what they are! There's meat everywhere!

:[Focus on Ponytail's head.]
:Ponytail: ...so you're a brain.
:Cueball (over phone): Yes!
:Ponytail: Yeah, we all are. You're not trapped. Use your body to walk around and experience reality.

:Cueball: But everything's just signals in my sensory cortices! How can I be sure they correspond to an external world?!
:Ponytail (over phone): I'm sorry, but we can't send a search-and-rescue team into Plato's cave.

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

748: Worst-Case Scenario

2018-03-05T23:22:50Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ wikipedia

{{comic
| number = 748
| date = June 2, 2010
| title = Worst-Case Scenario
| image = worst_case_scenario.png
| titletext = To get serious analyses of hurricanes and oil slicks, see Jeff Masters' blog. To get serious discussions of worst-case scenario thinking, see Bruce Schneier's blog. To get enough Vitamin D, don't read any blogs and go outside instead.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a reference to the {{w|Deepwater Horizon}} oil spill that happened in the {{w|Gulf of Mexico}}. {{w|Top kill}} is a reference to a procedure used as a means of regaining control over an oil well that is experiencing an uncontrolled eruption of crude oil. {{w|Michael Bay}} is an American film director known for his over the top special effects and plots, for example, the movie franchise {{w|Transformers}}.

Should the proposed firestorm actually happen, residential areas and hundreds of square miles of sensitive vegetation would be fouled by the mix of oil and sea water. A firestorm would certainly make the bad situation worse, and would certainly make a great scene in a typical Hollywood disaster movie. Lightning could set an oil slick on fire, in regions where the oil is most dense and very fresh. About 50-70% of the evaporation of oil's most flammable volatile compounds occurs in the first 12 hours after release, so fresh oil is the most likely to ignite. However, the winds of a hurricane are so fierce that any surface oil slick of flaming oil would quickly be disrupted and doused by wave action and sea spray. Heavy rain would further dampen any lightning-caused oil slick fires. So Michael Bay's firestorm would not actually happen in real life. However, if he decides to direct a new movie...

This comic is a commentary on the state of broadcast journalism and how they are always looking for speculation and voyeurism rather than facts. That they ask if Mr. Bay's proposed firestorm will have any effect on the then-upcoming congressional elections just serves to underline how little the journalists actually care about the damage that has actually been caused.

James Carville is a political commentator who was born and lives in Louisiana, and thus relates to media, politics, and Louisiana at once.

The title text has a reference to Jeff Masters, who is director of meteorology at Weather Underground and Bruce Schneier, who is a world-renowned security expert and has a [https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html/ blog] and several books. Vitamin D is a vitamin that the human body can synthesize with the aid of direct sunlight; the joke, "go outside", is Randall accusing us of all being shut-ins.

==Transcript==
:[Two reporters, Cueball and Ponytail, point microphones toward a scientist, Megan.]
:Ponytail: Dr. Scientist! The "Top Kill" has failed! What's the worse-case scenario for the gulf?
:Megan: The worst-case scenario is what's happening now.

:Ponytail, out of frame: Yes, but is there any way it could get worse?
:Megan: Sure, but there are real disasters happening now, and you're substituting speculation and voyeurism for the investigative journalism we—
:Ponytail: Screw this! Let's ask Michael Bay.

:[The reporters, now joined by a camerawoman, approach Michael Bay with their microphones.]
:Michael Bay: The worst case? A hurricane tracks into the gulf, whipping the surface of the spill into a frothy mix of oil and air.

:[An alligator-filled conflagration atop a massive ocean wave approaches land.]
:Michael Bay, narrating: As the storm surges through the bayous, sparking power lines ignite the fuel air mixture into a roiling, alligator-filled wall of flame.

:[A map of the gulf coast of Louisiana and southwest Mississippi is depicted with the current routes of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers highlighted. An arrow indicating a new primary flow of the Mississippi's waters into the Atchafalaya points toward southern Louisiana.]
:Michael Bay, narrating: Plowing northward, the fire hurricane destroys the Old River Control Structure in Concordia, rerouting the Mississippi westward and sweeping Morgan City and the heart of cajun country out to sea.

:Michael Bay: James Carville emerges from the conflagration riding a burning alligator...
:Ponytail, out of frame: Will this affect the midterm elections?
:Michael Bay: ''Massively''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

152: Hamster Ball

2018-03-05T23:21:17Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 152
| date = September 3, 2006
| title = Hamster Ball
| image = hamster_ball.png
| titletext = Reportedly, double-walled inflatable balls like this exist somewhere. Now to find that place.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts with a {{w|genie}}, who, having been freed from a magical lamp, grants the owner three wishes; this isn't unusual, since the {{w|Genie in popular culture|idea of a genie}} who does this is a very [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenieInABottle common trope] in the fantasy genre.

[[Cueball]] asks for a human-sized {{w|hamster ball}}, and when he gets it, he starts to roll around in it, obviously entertained.
The genie then asks what he would like for his [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeWishes other two wishes], to which, having already being granted his heart's desire, he states that he wouldn't need the other wishes for anything.

The title text refers to the activity of {{w|Zorbing}}. Later, [[Randall]] found out where to get one and went on a [[211: Hamster Ball Heist|hamster ball heist]], and hamster balls have been a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Hamster_Ball recurring theme] on xkcd since this comic.

Genies (or magic lamps) are mentioned in at least three other comics:
*[[532: Piano]]
*[[879: Lamp]]
*[[1391: Darkness]]
In the first two, Randall manages to use the concept to make penis-related jokes. 
In the third, the issue of number of wishes is discussed, from the perspective of wanting more than three wishes. The issue of wishing for more wishes is also the subject of [[1086: Eyelash Wish Log]], so it is not always enough with one or even three wishes!

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands by a genie, whose lower body becomes smoke and trails down to an old-fashioned lamp.]
:Genie: You have awakened me from the lamp. You may have three wishes. What does your heart desire?
:Cueball: I'd like a human-sized hamster ball.

:[A hamster ball appears; Cueball is inside it, arms outstretched.]
:Cueball: Sweet!

:[Cueball steps to left; the ball rolls that way.]

:[He does the same thing to his right.]

:[Cueball comes to rest in the centre of the panel.]

:Genie: And your other wishes?
:Cueball: Why would I need other wishes?

==Trivia==
*For some unknown reason, this comic is one of four comics that have been [[:Category:Sunday comics|released on a Sunday]].
**The Monday release was then skipped, and the next comic came out Wednesday.

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

1946: Hawaii

2018-03-05T23:20:07Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ clarity

{{comic
| number = 1946
| date = January 24, 2018
| title = Hawaii
| image = hawaii.png
| titletext = Ok, I've got it, just need to plug in my security key. Hmm, which way does the USB go? Nope, not that way. I'll just flip it and-- OH JEEZ IT FELL INTO THE VENT.
}}

==Explanation==

On January 13, 2018, the state of Hawaii {{w|2018_Hawaii_false_missile_alert|sent out an emergency alert}} warning of an incoming {{w|ballistic missile}} attack. The message was specifically noted to NOT be a drill. This caused widespread panic and fear amongst the island residents, and there were follow-up confirmations from local entities who thought the original warning was real. It was eventually determined that the alert was sent in error -- the explanation being that a technician accidentally sent out the "real" version when they were supposed to be testing the system during an end-of-shift changeover -- but the fact that it took half an hour for the correction to be sent drew widespread criticism. On January 23, [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html it was revealed] that the governor of Hawaii knew the alert was a false alarm only two minutes after it was sent, but couldn't notify the public because he had forgotten the login information for his Twitter account.

The proliferation of online services requiring authentication, together with variations in security requirements, various flavours of {{w|Multi-factor authentication}}, a variety of password retrieval methods, and security advice not to re-use passwords across services, has resulted in the management and memorisation of passwords becoming a major headache for many people. This comic shows Cueball, representing the governor, frantically trying to retrieve his log in to Twitter and encountering a number of common frustrations:
* He has a number of passwords that he uses, likely for multiple services, but none of them seem to be working. Often people will use subtly different variations of one or more password(s) for different logins since logins may require different password requirements. In a situation where they've forgotten the relevant password, this can lead to them cycling through all the possible variations, and struggling to keep track of which they have and haven't tried.
* He's requested a password reset, but doesn't know where to go to activate it. Many services allow users to reset a password using a link or information sent to them in an email. However, as many people have multiple email accounts, this can be unhelpful and frustrating if it simply indicates that 'you have been sent an email'.
* He expects the password to have been saved somewhere, but can't work out where. Many devices and browsers now have the facility to save and/or sync passwords entered through them, in an attempt to simplify their management by providing centralised storage. However, the very number of these available leads to a re-fragmentation.
Off-panel, another person is adding to the stress of his situation by screaming at him that people are beginning to panic and warning sirens are going off, underscoring the need to get the correction out as fast as possible. As the caption under the comic indicates, Randall has had a nightmare along these (very specific) lines, and is amused to find someone experiencing that nightmare in the real world.

The alt-text refers to USB security keys, physical USB devices that act as tangible 'passwords' for various accounts or devices. (A traditional key of shaped metal is literally a tangible password, with each digit of the password releasing one tumbler of a physical lock; Electronic keys replace the key-and-tumbler password system with a digital password signal.) In the context of this comic, the governor attempts to sign into his Twitter account using one such key, but can't insert it into his computer correctly (as USB devices are infamous for needing to be inserted in a particular orientation despite having a symmetrical outer appearance; also known as [https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+superposition USB superposition].) Trying to flip the key around, Cueball drops it into a vent - similar to what happens in [[1518: Typical Morning Routine]].

== Trivia ==
The Hawaii emergency agency also might have password problems. In a news article from June 2017 there was a photo showing an agency employee standing beside his own computer, which sports a password on a sticky note. [http://uk.businessinsider.com/hawaii-emergency-agency-password-discovered-in-photo-sparks-security-criticism-2018-1?utm_content=buffer1f883&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti&r=US&IR=T This caused further criticism of the agency security practices].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is standing, slightly crouched, at a desk with one hand on a laptop and the other holding his phone.]
:Off-screen voice: '''''Hurry!'''''
:Cueball: It keeps saying "Wrong Password!" I've tried everything it might be!
:Off-screen voice: '''''The clock is ticking!'''''
:Cueball: I requested a reset but haven't gotten it! Which email did I use?!
:Off-screen voice: '''''Sirens are going off!!'''''
:Cueball: It's not in my password manager! Is it in a browser? Which browser? Is Autofill synced to my phone??
:Off-screen voice: '''''OH MY GOD THE SCREAMING!!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I feel bad for everyone in Hawaii, but when the governor couldn't get into his Twitter account, he lived out one of my very specific nightmares in real life.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

269: TCMP

2018-03-05T23:18:56Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Explanation */ quote

{{comic
| number = 269
| date = May 28, 2007
| title = TCMP
| image = tcmp.png
| titletext = A big obstacle in experimenting with the mind's dream-simulation-engine is holding onto the details as you wake up. With TCMP you can bring back any information you want.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] trained himself to type while asleep, so he could communicate from inside his dreams. He calls this ''Trans-Consciousness Messaging Protocol'', or '''TCMP'''.

He succeeds in using this system to send a message from inside his dream, but his friends, [[Megan]] and another Cueball-like guy, are disappointed when that first message is a {{w|troll (Internet)|trollish}} "F1rst p0st!!", in this case, "trans-reality trolling", instead of something constructive. This cliche comment is typed by people on the internet after they discover a previously not commented post or creation, such as this experience. Most social media sites display comments in chronological order so that the oldest comments are at the top and the newest are at the bottom. Most people only read the topmost posts, thus giving [[Cueball]]'s post the most views. See also [[1019: First Post]] and [[1258: First]] and regarding trolling [[493: Actuarial]].

"Bell & Watson" refers to {{w|Alexander Graham Bell}} and his assistant {{w|Thomas A. Watson}}. Bell is traditionally credited with inventing the {{w|telephone}}, because he was awarded the patent for it, although {{w|Elisha Gray and Alexander Bell telephone controversy|that is still controversial}}. His first phone call was to Watson in another part of their lab.

The title text explains how this protocol, if real, would be of great value in dream research, since you then would not have to worry about forgetting the dreams after waking up like as in [[430: Every Damn Morning]]. You can relay the dreams as you experience them.

However, in order for this to work, the dream has to be {{w|Lucid dream|lucid}}, where the dreamer is aware that he or she is dreaming. This type of dream is very fascinating to [[Randall]], as mentioned in the title text of [[203: Hallucinations]]. But thus this could never work for normal dreams. And lucid dreams are probably easier to remember anyway.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stand with a keyboard next to a bed. The keyboard is connected with a wire to a computer on a desk to the right. He talks to Megan and a Cueball-like friend.]
:Cueball: Hey, help me test the Trans-Consciousness Messaging Protocol.
:Friend: What's that?
:Cueball: I've been training myself to keep my fingers moving slightly as I fall asleep. So I can type from inside dreams.

:[Cueball sits with the keyboard on the bed.]
:Cueball: I'm going to sleep now. My computer will relay my messages to you as I explore the dream world.

:[Cueball stand with the keyboard in a forest with tall trees. The leaves are not visible; they are above the top of the drawing. At the top, there is a frame with text:]
:In the dream:
:Cueball (thinking): So strange to think none of this is real.
:Cueball (thinking): And yet I have this lifeline to the internet back home.

:[Cueball places the keyboard on a stone, bends down, and types.]
:Cueball (thinking): A chance to speak from one reality to another.
:Cueball (thinking): I feel like Bell & Watson. I get to write the inaugural TCMP message.
:Cueball (thinking): Let's see...
:Keyboard: *Type type type*

:[Megan is at the computer, and the Cueball-like friend behind her looks at his message from the dream. At the top, there is a frame with text:]
:Outside:
:Megan: "F1RST P0ST!!"?
:Friend: Great. He's jumped straight to trans-reality trolling.

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

610: Sheeple

2018-03-05T23:09:55Z

QATEKLYXM: /* Transcript */ information

{{comic
| number = 610
| date = July 15, 2009
| title = Sheeple
| image = sheeple.png
| titletext = Hey, what are the odds -- five Ayn Rand fans on the same train! Must be going to a convention.
}}

==Explanation==
The people in this comic think of each other as sheep, who blindly follow direction without thinking for themselves. The word "sheeple" from the title has been used before in xkcd in the phrase "[[:Category:Sheeple|Wake up Sheeple]]!" In this comic, each person on the train considers themselves to be the ''only'' individual mind and everyone around them as "sheep". Ironically, the reader can see that although each of them thinks about how individual they are, they are all collectively thinking exactly the same thing, meaning that they are all sheeple. The comic can also be taken as a warning to not assume that you have more consciousness than someone else, since for all you know they could think the same about you.

{{w|Ayn Rand}} was a Russian-born American {{w|novelist}} and activist whose most famous books include, ''{{w|Atlas Shrugged}}'', ''{{w|Anthem (novella)|Anthem}}'', and ''{{w|The Fountainhead}}''. She developed a philosophy known as {{w|Objectivism}}, which promotes individual fulfillment (or so-called "rational self-interest") at the expense of collective goals and undertakings. Sheeple coordinates with Ayn Rand's novel, ''Anthem'', set in the distant future in which the word "I" has been abolished and the evils of the communal values have created a new dark age.

A possible further irony can be found in the title text. Rand enthusiasts would seek individualism and independence from social pressures; however, a convention could be interpreted as a social collective of people who have similar interests in a subject. These ideas could arguably be construed to be opposites of each other. However, similar interests does not mean lack of individualism: this can be seen in Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged", which features a society of like-minded people centered around the concepts of individualism and {{w|neoliberalism}}.

==Transcript==
:[A thought bubble is shared between the five occupants (four Cueballs and one Ponytail), and their bags of a subway car.]
:All: Look at these people. Glassy-eyed automatons going about their daily lives, never stopping to look around and think! I'm the only conscious human in a world of sheep.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

User:QATEKLYXM

2018-03-05T23:06:47Z

QATEKLYXM: userpage notes

Hi. So, my author bio: I spend time on xkcd reading, commenting and editing. I just use the random page generator to move around and edit pages. I have a comment alias, Klyxm, the shortened form of my username, QATEKLYXM (pronounced cataclysm) which makes it easier for others to spell.

I also own a copy of Randall Munroe's "What If", as well as "Thing Explainer". Been reading since 460. I first found this site at around 1800, and started editing at 1850. My talk page is for if you would like to ask me questions, and I will accept suggestions to change my userpage. Right now I need to make summary edits a habit (I keep forgetting).

Notes:

-I ramble quite often, one of my examples was in the "Code Golf" description, which was (thankfully) edited out. The large paragraph can still be seen.

-I have only one recorded case of being charged with unsigned work, by the Comment Police. I have resolved this problem, and I don't plan to encounter them again!

-My page to mess about with things and to check inaccuracies:[[QATEKLYXM's Workshop]]

My major edits:

[[1963: Namespace Land Rush]], the transcript

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: Should I make a table for site visits? What size should the table increments be? Comment on my talk page!