explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1161: Hand Sanitizer

2013-01-17T08:27:14Z

Rbtfrog: spelling correction

{{comic
| number = 1161
| date = January 16, 2013
| title = Hand Sanitizer
| image = hand sanitizer.png
| titletext = Hipster CDC Reports Flu Epidemic Peaked Years Ago
}}

==Explanation==
The number of germs that would be left after using the hand sanitizer is 200 million times 0.01%. 0.01% is equivalent to .0001 decimal, so the simple equation is 200000000 x .0001. That equals 20 thousand germs, which is still a surprisingly large number of germs.

Side note - Recently scientists have shown that it only takes 20 virus particles to infect someone [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2257098/Larry-projectile-vomiting-robot-helping-British-team-learn-stop-spread-norovirus.html] (with analyzed virus: not all germs are equally effective).

"Hipster CDC" is a combination of the acronym for the {{w|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}}, an organization dedicated to studying infectious diseases and limiting their spread, with the label {{w|Hipster (contemporary subculture)|hipster}}. Hipsters form a cultural group associated with a distaste for popular culture; they stereotypically talk about how bands, authors, etc... were better before they went "mainstream" and proclaim that they liked a certain thing "before it was cool".

In this case, the period when the flu epidemic was "better" is probably 1918, when a {{w|1918 flu epidemic|world-wide flu epidemic}} killed tens of millions..

The humor (if a worldwide disaster can be said to be humorous) is in the dual use of the word "epidemic". The current mainstream news media is making a big thing of an up-surge in flu cases this season, sometimes calling it an "epidemic". The comic points out that, in reality, the worldwide flu epidemic is an on-going, multi-year thing, and the current seasonal up-surge is tiny and uninteresting in comparison to previous surges.

==Transcript==
:Poster: An invisible sneeze droplet can contain ''200 million'' germs!
:Product label: Our hand sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs!
:Cueball (thinking): 200 000 000 × 0.01% =
:Cueball: Ew.

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

1161: Hand Sanitizer

2013-01-16T22:01:40Z

Rbtfrog: Add reference to 1918 flu, and why it's funny.

{{comic
| number = 1161
| date = January 16, 2013
| title = Hand Sanitizer
| image = hand sanitizer.png
| titletext = Hipster CDC Reports Flu Epidemic Peaked Years Ago
}}

==Explanation==
200 million times .01% (or the remainder of germs that would be left after using the hand sanitizer; .01% is equivalent to .0001 decimal, so the simple equation is 200000000 x .0001. That equals 20 thousand germs, which is still a surprisingly large number of germs.

Side note - Recently scientists have shown that it only takes 20 virus particles to infect someone [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2257098/Larry-projectile-vomiting-robot-helping-British-team-learn-stop-spread-norovirus.html] (with analyzed virus: not all germs are equally effective).

"Hipster CDC" is a combination of the acronym for the Centers for Disease Control and prevention: an organization dedicated to studying infectious diseases and limiting their spread, with the label hipster: a cultural group associated with a distaste for popular culture often talking about how bands, authors, etc... were better before they went "mainstream" and proclaiming that they liked a certain thing "before it was cool"

In this case, the period when the flu epidemic was "better" is probably 1918, when a world-wide flu epidemic killed tens of millions.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu]

The humor (if a worldwide disaster can be said to be humorous) is in the dual use of the work "epidemic". The current mainstream news media is making a big thing of an up-surge in flu cases this season: sometimes calling it an "epidemic". The comic points out that, in reality, the worldwide flu epidemic is an on-going, multi-year thing, and the current seasonal up-surge is tiny and uninteresting in comparison to previous surges.

==Transcript==
:Poster: An invisible sneeze droplet can contain ''200 million'' germs!
:Product label: Our hand sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs!
:Cueball (thinking): 200 000 000 × 0.01% =
:Cueball: Ew.

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

1092: Michael Phelps

2012-08-08T08:50:22Z

Rbtfrog: /* Description */

{{comic
| number = 1092
| date = August 8, 2012
| title = Michael Phelps
| image = Michael_phelps.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = [shortly] ... he ate ALL of it!?
}}

== Description ==
[[Wikipedia:Michael Phelps|Michael Phelps]] is an [[Wikipedia:American|American]] [[Wikipedia:Olympics|Olympic]] swimmer, and has won several medals in the [[Wikipedia:2012 Summer Olympics|London 2012]], [[Wikipedia:2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing 2008]], and [[Wikipedia:2004 Summer Olympics|Athens 2004]] Olympics. In the comic, Cueball and Megan comment on why Michael Phelps is swimming around their pool. Trying to get him to leave, they find they can't catch him, as he's too fast of a swimmer. Cueball then resorts to Jello powder, which could create [[Wikipedia:Jello|Jello]], a [[Wikipedia:Gelatin|gelatin]] product, when mixed with the pool water. The jello would be too difficult to swim through quickly, although the title text references Phelps eating all the jello. This is a reference to the fact that Olympic athletes need to eat ''LOTS'' of calories to keep up with their strenuous exercise regimens.

{{Comic discussion}}

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

88: Escher Bracelet

2012-08-06T06:36:42Z

Rbtfrog: /* Description */

{{ComicHeader|88|April 12, 2006}}

[[File:Escher_wristband.jpg]]

== Image Text ==
The only downside is that it would be a little uncomfortable.

== Description ==
Escher here refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher], a Dutch graphic artist best known for his “impossible in reality” drawings, such as a pair of hands drawing each other on paper and multidimensional buildings that have stairs and/or water both running horizontal and vertical while using the same gravity. Escher's work was partly inspired by impossible objects, such as the Penrose tribar.

Depicted here is a variation of such an impossible object: a bracelet that is solid (without any breaks) but has one horizontal turn of the material used. In spite of the above mentioned tribar, this object is possible in real life. (due to the equal shadowing Randall used). The image text references this, stating that it would be possible to create such a bracelet, but the wearer would have to bear the turn cutting into the skin. The phrase "the only downside" is a reference to the fact that such a bracelet only has one side -- in this case, the downside.

The "WWED" (What would Escher do?) references a bracelet with the acronym “WWJD” (What would Jesus do?). This popular item is used by Christians to remind them to behave as Jesus would do to be a good person. The bracelet could also refer to the type of rubber bracelet popular around the time of this comic's release (popularized first by biker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Amstrong Lance Armstrong]’s anti-Cancer “Livestrong” yellow rubber bracelets).

[[Category:Comics|0088]]