https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=ReasonableApprox 2026-04-16T16:12:17Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1578:_Squirrelphone&diff=101904 2015-09-16T08:53:53Z

<p>ReasonableApprox: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1578<br /> | date = September 16, 2015<br /> | title = Squirrelphone<br /> | image = squirrelphone.png<br /> | titletext = After a while, the squirrel starts making that beeping noise and doesn't stop until it hops back up onto the stump.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> In this comic, we see a squirrel pretend to be a telephone, only to bite [[Cueball]] who tries to pick it up and use it as one. This is humorous because a living squirrel is not an appropriate creature to maintain a phone call{{Citation needed}}. This could be seen as an example of mimicry in Nature, or parasitism where one creature gains a benefit from another.<br /> <br /> The sounds the squirrel makes correspond to the tones that the terminals made when you used the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) in the US:<br /> * When someone else called you and the receiver of your phone was hanged up, the phone made loud and long &quot;riiing riiiing&quot; tones. --- This is the case in the first frame of the comic.<br /> * When you picked up, the phone call was established and no noises were made.<br /> * When no phone call was established and you picked up, a continous &quot;riiiiiiiiiiing&quot; tone was heard, meaning the service was up and you could dial someone else's number.<br /> * When no phone call was established but dialling was not possible, short &quot;bip bip bip bip&quot; tones were heard. This happened either when an existing call ended or was interrupted or you had had the receiver too long (about half a minute) picked up without dialing --- This is the case in the title text of the comic ---. In this case, you should hang up again to be able to pick up and dial.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball is approaching a stump with a squirrel perched on it. A ringing noise is coming from the squirrel's back.]<br /> :Squirrel: Riiiiing<br /> :Squirrel: Riiiiiing<br /> <br /> :[Cueball has picked up the squirrel and is holding it to his left ear]<br /> :Cueball: Hello?<br /> <br /> :[The squirrel bites Cueball's head]<br /> :Squirrel: Chomp!<br /> :Cueball: Ow!<br /> <br /> :[Cueball holds his hand to his cheek while the squirrel leaps away, fleeing]<br /> :Cueball: ???<br /> <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Squirrels]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

ReasonableApprox