explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

469: Improvised

2024-02-24T21:27:33Z

Sure:

{{comic
| number = 469
| date = August 29, 2008
| title = Improvised
| image = improvised.png
| titletext = Oh, your brother is Luke. Sorry, should've mentioned that first.
}}

==Explanation==
In the second of the original ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' film ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back|Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back}}'' (abreviated "ESB" in the comic), just before {{w|Han Solo}}, portrayed by {{w|Harrison Ford}}, is frozen in carbonite, the following conversation occurs:
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I know.

The original script had Han Solo respond to {{w|Leia}} with "I love you, too," but Harrison Ford felt that the character would not give such a cliched response, even in the face of likely death. He and the director {{w|Irvin Kershner}} changed the line to "I know" before filming. They did, however, also film the scripted version, but it was the "I know" version that was actually used in the finished film.

This line is generally thought to be better than the original would have been. It was long thought that Harrison Ford ad-libbed the line. Others have even suggested it was because they had filmed the scene so many times, that Ford in exasperation at some point just blurted out the "I know" after hearing "I love you" so many times. But it has later been revealed that it was not ad-lib on the spot, although Harrison did suggest the I know line to the director. This has been described here: [https://uk.news.yahoo.com/the-empire-strikes-back-i-love-you-i-know-119550611107.html How the Famous 'I Love You/I Know' Scene From 'The Empire Strikes Back' Really Came Together].

The comic presents several alternative ad-libs that Ford could have made in that conversation, as well as at various points throughout the original trilogy. So in this situation, it is the actor Ford and not Han Solo who speaks the lines.

{| class="wikitable"
! Row
! Col
! Ad-Lib
! Further Detail
|-
| 1
| 1
| '''Well, duh.'''
| Here, Han ruins the mood [a dramatic confession] with a flippant statement.
|-
| 1
| 2
| '''Seriously? ...Christ.'''
| Another example of an out-of-tone ad-lib. The original line is "never tell me the odds," a nod to Solo's daredevil persona. In this ad-lib, however, he is hesitant to try anything dangerous. Additionally, Ford's use of "Christ" would be unfitting, as ''Star Wars'' takes place a long time ao, in a galaxy far, far away, where Christianity is completely unknown. (Still, considering that Solo [[890:_Etymology|named his ship after an Earth bird of prey...]])
|-
| 1
| 3
| '''Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.'''
| Another absurd, out-of-character answer to a serious remark, this time with Solo acting romantically oblivious [rather than forward, as he is usually].
|-
| 2
| 1
| '''I'm nailing your brother.'''
| So far, Leia doesn't know she has a brother (Luke). Also, since ''to nail'' means to penetrate, she may be surprised to learn that Han is currently engaged in a same-sex relationship (or at least an ongoing arrangement). This panel is referenced in the title text.
|-
| 2
| 2
| '''Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.'''
| The original line is "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid," a reference to Luke's force training and lightsaber use. In this ad-lib, Han turns a discussion about weapons into a [unusually formal] discussion about the game {{w|Rock-paper-scissors}}.
|-
| 2
| 3
| '''Cool. Listen, this thing is really, REALLY cold.'''
| Han is in a freezing chamber in this scene, which are often rather cold.{{Citation needed}} This remark indicates that he is not very interested in Leia's feeling at this moment since he is so cold.
|-
| 3
| 1
| '''Wowzers.'''
| ''Wowzers'' is an expression used by {{w|Inspector Gadget}}; another amusingly out-of-character ad-lib.
|-
| 3
| 2
| '''Barely. They're pretty drunk.'''
| The original response (from the sequel, ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi}}'') here is "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." In this ad-lib, Han responds to a serious situation [preparations for an important mission to bring down the Galactic Empire] with an un-serious response and an admission that he's allowing his crew to drink while on duty.
|-
| 3
| 3
| '''Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.'''
| The original response was "I can arrange that! You could ''use'' a good kiss!" In the original film, Leia's remark "I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee" is meant as an insult to Han, implying that he's no more attractive than a great hairy monster. In this ad-lib, though, Han takes her statement literally, and suggests that he is also interested in kissing a wookiee. Chewbacca is Han's wookiee copilot and fellow smuggler. Han's suggestion that he's interested in kissing Chewbacca is unexpected on many levels: firstly, Han's shown interest in Leia, secondly, Chewbacca is an entirely different species, and thirdly, Chewbacca is also male, and Han Solo is presumed by Leia to be straight.
|}

Note: although it's spelled "wookie" in the comic, the canonical spelling of Chewbacca's species is "{{w|Wookiee}}".

The title text continues the ad-lib in panel four. It refers to the plot twist that {{w|Luke Skywalker}} is Princess {{w|Princess Leia|Leia's}} brother, which would not be revealed until the next film in the series. How Harrison Ford knows this twist at this point in the story is unknown.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels:]
:Harrison Ford famously improvised his "I know" line in E.S.B. Here are a few of his less-successful ad-libs:

:[Harrison Ford as Han Solo (in all the panels) stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Well, duh.

:[Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.]
:C-3P0: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720 to 1!
:Han: Seriously? ...Christ.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I'm nailing your brother.

:[Han Solo standing in front of Luke Skywalker, who is holding a blast shield helmet and a lightsaber. The training droid hovers between them.]

:Han: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Cool. Listen, this thing is really, really cold.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Wowzers.

:[Han Solo sits with two others. General Madine approaches.]
:Madine: General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:Han: Barely. They're pretty drunk.

:[Han Solo and Princess Leia stand in an Ice Tunnel of Hoth.]
:Leia: I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
:Han: Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Homosexuality]]

1193: Externalities

2023-10-10T14:27:30Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1193
| date = April 1, 2013
| title = Externalities
| image = externalities.png
| titletext = Mouse over words and things to see where they come from. Different title text: This comic went up on April 1st, and the panels changed throughout the day in response to readers doing things like breaking hashes, edited a rapidly-shuffling set of target Wikipedia articles, and donating to Wikimedia Foundation. (The vandalism is over now and CMU won the hashing contest.) Different title text: Happy April 1st, Everyone! Different title text: uic has the third best hash. See the full standings at http://almamater.xkcd.com/best.csv Different title text: The dog gains a pound for every $10 donated to the Wikimedia Foundation via this link. Currently at $51135.33
}}
{{TOC}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The article should explain the comic in its current state in the "Explanation" section, while the different versions during the competition are below in their own section.}}
This was the fourth [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. This comic isn't a static image - even the title text changes depending on which part of the image you're hovering over. It presented a competition for students to see who could come closest to breaking a {{w|Skein (hash function)|Skein hash}} but also an aid appeal for the Wikimedia Foundation.

The comic references multiple times {{w|Baidu}}, a large Chinese Internet services company. Baidu controls the predominant Internet search provider of China and is sometimes called the "Google of China" for the similar services it provides. Baidu Search results follow the censorship dictates of the Chinese authorities, causing it to return censored responses to searches for politically sensitive terms when executed by web browsers in China. Megan's reply "But nothing about Tiananmen Square." in the first panel is a reference to the {{w|1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre}} that killed hundreds of civillians. "It takes great minds to stifle other great minds." and "Let's block Canada" in the second panel are also references to the arbitrary government censorship of Baidu and other Chinese companies

The blank regions in the above image are dynamically generated from various sources.
*The university that is being recruited changes depending on which university is winning the hash finding competition in the fifth panel.
*The company doing the recruiting is randomly selected from a pool of companies. It was formerly the first NASDAQ-100 company mentioned on a varying Wikipedia page.
*The text in the second panel may vary: See [[1193: Externalities#Second Panel|this section]].
*The text in the third panel may vary: See [[1193: Externalities#Third Panel|this section]].
*The text in the fourth panel may vary: See [[1193: Externalities#Fourth Panel|this section]].
*The text in the fifth panel [[1193: Externalities#Fifth Panel|changes]], depending on which university is currently in third place in a hash finding competition. Clicking on the panel takes you to [http://almamater.xkcd.com/ a webpage] where people can enter their school's domain name and hash data, and ranks schools on how close their students can come to matching a Skein 1024 1024 hash value.
*The text in the top half of the sixth panel may vary. See [[1193: Externalities#Sixth Panel|this section]]. The second half of the panel is always the same.
*The last panel varies with the amount donated to the Wikimedia Foundation via [https://donate.wikimedia.org/?utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=xkcd_april1 this link]. For past images, see [[1193: Externalities#Seventh Panel|this section]].

===Hashing Competition===
For the two days until comic 1194 appeared, a competition was underway to see who could come closest to breaking a {{w|Skein (hash function)|Skein hash}}. The first text line of the first panel contains a link to http://almamater.xkcd.com. This page contained the text:

:Currently looking for Skein 1024 1024 input matching
<pre>5b4da95f5fa08280fc9879df44f418c8f9f12ba424b7757de02bbdfbae0d4c4fdf9317c80cc5fe04c6429073466cf29706b8c25999ddd2f6540d4475cc977b87f4757be023f19b8f4035d7722886b78869826de916a79cf9c94cc79cd4347d24b567aa3e2390a573a373a48a5e676640c79cc70197e1c5e7f902fb53ca1858b6</pre>

On this page, users were invited to enter "Your school's domain name" — presumably intended to be their college alma mater. (At least in the beginning, only a few top-level domains were accepted.) If the user entered an acceptable domain (by xkcd's rules, which apparently changed during the 48 hours of the competition), they could then enter data values one at a time. For each data value entered, xkcd returned a hash value and the number of bits by which it differed from the target value. The object was to achieve the lowest possible number of differing bits, ideally zero.

A ranking page showed the lowest value achieved for each domain name entered, but not the data that achieved it. The first name on the list was substituted in various panels, and the third-place school showed in panel five. No data values were reported by xkcd, but various results were posted by users of the xkcd forums and on other websites, leading to copycat submissions, so that occasionally large numbers of institutions would show the same moderately low value.

After the end of the contest, the data submission page vanished, replaced by the final list of rankings, which shows that Carnegie Mellon University achieved the best score with 384 bits incorrect out of 1024. The rankings only show a few hundred out of the several thousand domains submitted—presumably Randall chose to chop the copycat submissions off the end of the list, retaining only honestly obtained results.

===First Panel===
In some cases, Megan's reply seems to correspond to the company.
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you applied to [company] yet?
:Megan: The recruiter hasn't emailed me back in over three minutes.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you applied to [company] yet?
:Megan: The recruiter hasn't emailed me back in over an hour!
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: I'm not that good at math.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: What do they even do?
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: I don't like monopolies.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: Only in my darkest moments.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Be part of the Apple experience!
:Megan: I'm not really a fan of turtlenecks.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Come work at Microsoft!
:Megan: I only came to this tech talk for the xbox giveaway.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Y U No Work Yahoo?
:Megan: I like working from home!
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Become a partner at Starbucks!
:Megan: But green's not my colour.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Come work in the Amazon!
:Megan: I don't have to actually move to South America, do I?
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: Not after that presentation.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Thought about working for Intel?
:Megan: I'm not that great at division.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Dude, you should work at Dell!
:Megan: That catchphrase is so old.
|-
|
:Ahoy, carnegie melonites!
:Have you thought of a career at [company]?
:Megan: Not after that presentation.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Have you looked for a job at Kraft Foods?
:Megan: I'm allergic to sugar
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:How about working for Whole Foods?
:Megan: Could I afford the food if I did?
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Come work at EBay!
:Megan: Maybe if they made a good bid.
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students!
:Come work for Activision... er... Blizzard... er...
:Megan: Activision Blizzard?
|-
|
:Hey, [university] students! <nowiki>|</nowiki> Ahoy. Carnegie Melonites!
:Come find your future at Baidu!
:Megan: But nothing about Tiananmen Square.
|}

===Second Panel===
The text in the second panel is based on the company in the first panel:
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|
:When the Singularity happens, it will happen here.
:Ponytail: [Company] has outgrown us.
:Men: It is time.
|-
|
:Think of ways to make things smaller and smaller!
:Ponytail: I'm worried mine is too big.
:Men: Yeahhh
|-
|
:Think of ways to make things smaller and smaller!
:Ponytail: But will it blend?
:Men: Yeahhh
|-
|
:You'll be part of a dynamic research team envisioning the future.
:Ponytail: It probably looks cool.
:Men: Yeahhh
|-
|
:You'll be creating the future of commerce platforms!
:Ponytail: More recommendations.
:Men: Yep.
|-
|
:You'll be an insignificant cog in our giant machine
:Ponytail: We should improve Notepad
:Men: Nah
|-
|
:We can't tell you what you'll be working on.
:Ponytail: [Confidential]
:Men: [Redacted]
|-
|
:You'll be an insignificant cog in our giant machine
:Ponytail: Needs more Bob.
:Men: Nah
|-
|
:You'll help set the future of the company
:Ponytail: Wait. You hired a college grad as the CFO?
:Men: Yeahhh
|-
|
:At Qualcomm, we know you're born mobile.
:Ponytail: Born mobile!
:Men: Texting!
|-
|
:Short or tall, we've got a grande job for you!
:Ponytail: How many job openings are there?
:Men: Ele-venti or so.
|-
|
:You'll help direct the future of nutrition
:Ponytail: Microwaveable toast
:Men: Delicious
|-
|
:Help us find and provide the best healthy, local, and sustainable products.
:Ponytail: Hey guys, how about kale cookies?
:Men: Sounds great!
|-
|
:We're the Classmates.com to Facebook's Craigslist.
:Ponytail: Maybe we should use game theory.
:Men: Why Bother?
|-
|
:Whatever. Come create the future of gaming!
:Ponytail: Call of Duty 14.
:Men: That's genius!
|-
|
:It takes great minds to stifle other great minds.
:Ponytail: Let's block Canada
:Men: Sounds good.
|}

===Third Panel===
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|
:We're a convenient four hour drive from New York City (15,000 hours by Roomba)
|-
|
:Only a short commuter flight away!
|-
|
:Travel to us by Roomba, we're *that* close!
|-
|
:We're so close you can get to us by Roomba.
|-
|
:Free Roomba rides every morning while you have coffee.
|-
|
:Your Roomba comes in black & slate, or white & silver
|-
|
:Just a short Roomba ride up the coast, try not to fall off.
|-
|
:We know what everyday life is like for your generation:
|}

===Fourth Panel===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainlinks table-padding"
|-
|
:Our recruiting team is on the lookup for promising young [university] graduates.
|-
|
:We hired a new recruiting startup to help us hire [university] students.
|-
|
:We borrowed the botanical gardens' net to catch promising recruits.
|-
|
:We prefer to recruit from [university] students, of course.
|-
|
:Our recruiters are on the hunt for unaware [university] graduates.
|}

===Fifth Panel===
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|
:Or students from [university], if they're clever with their applications
|-
|
:Possibly [university] grads, if their form-filling startup works out.
|-
|
:Or [university] graduates, provided any of them manage to fill out the application correctly.
|-
|
:Or [university] graduates, if they manage to fill out the application correctly.
|}

The text in the form varies independently of the text at the top, sometimes related to the organization in 3rd place:

{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
!Organization
!Name
!Email
!Education
!(Explanation)
|-
|MIT
|Oliver Smoot
|pgp encrypted
|have you ever really looked at the fourier
|As an undergrad at MIT in 1948, Smoot was used to measure the Harvard Bridge during a fraternity prank. This led to the introduction of "{{w|smoot}}" as an unusual unit of length.
|-
|
|Wheeeee
|ford.com
|stealing lunches from startups
|-
|CMU
|leeroy jenkins
|me@car
|I can cut up melons
| Le(e)roy Jenkins is an internet meme originating from a 2006 'Let's Play' video of World of Warcraft
|-
|CMU
|pittsburgh
|me@car
|I can cut up melons
|-
|
|SEGMENTATION FAULT
|save trees
|Contra dancing.
|-
|Cambridge
|I'm applying
|cam.gov
|on going problems with birds
|-
|
|certainly
|elephant
|An excellent year in the Sahara
|-
|Stanford
|Stanford
|ford.com
|Stealing lunches from startups
|-
|Stanford
|Yes Please
|@twitter
|Are you Stanford?
|-
|
|Applying
|For a job
|I would like to work at you
|-
|St.Olaf
|Me olaf
|You Helga
|Hunting wooly mammoths
|-
|Ohio State
|Oh!
|IO
|O HAI O
| A joke on the pronunciation of Ohio.
|-
|
|FOLLOWBACK
|TOTALLY.EDU.US
|CONVENIENT US DOMAIN REDIRECTS
| .edu is a website suffix mostly used for (American) university websites.
|-
|
|Mancher
|Outlook
|Made a collage out of macaroni
|-
|Stanford
|Yes Please
|ford.com
|Are you Stanford?
|-
|Michigan
|ANN
|SOUTH DETROIT
|HUNT LIKE A WOLVERINE
|University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor; the mascot is the Wolverine. "South Detroit" is referenced in the song {{w|Don't Stop Believin'}}, which is notable because there is actually no such city or neighborhood; rather, Detroit is one of the only places in the contiguous United States where you can drive south and wind up in Canada, namely in the city of {{w|Windsor, Ontario}}. Michiganders therefore often object to the bad geography in the song.
|-
|
|christopher
|POBox 12532
|p.s. ill find my frog
|PO Box 12532 is located at Pyramid Lake in Nevada.
|-
|Oxford
|Bond, James
|Righto
|We're better than Cambridge
|-
|
|Which one
|Forget it
|Riding the L all night long
|-
|Kit
|Kat
|Oh dear
|Something something sleep
|-
|Google
|My G+ handle?
|Any
|I'm feeling lucky
|G+ stands for Google+, Googles social network. I'm feeling lucky is the second option under the searchbar on Google.
|-
|UIC
|Which one
|Forget it
|Riding the L all night long
|Presumably University of Illinois at Chicago. "Which one" could be a reference to other institutions with the same initials, or people who confuse "UIC" with "U of C" (University of Chicago, a different institution altogether). The rapid transit system in Chicago is called the 'L'.
|-
|MY JOB NOW
|@
|SAVE DOCUMENT AND SEND
| Could be Randall saying most jobs are just sending e-mails (@).
|}

===Sixth Panel===
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|
:At [company], you'll work at a scale you won't find anywhere else
|-
|
:Explore the depths of expensive and undocumented tools!
|-
|
:At Apple, we believe in pushing the boundary of perfection.
|-
|
:At Microsoft, you just need to relax and embrace the machine
|-
|
:Yahoo management aren't just suits. We code too!
|-
|
:At [company], you'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects.
|-
|
:At Amazon, you'll be shaving the most cutting-edge of yaks.
|-
|
:You get to bid first on any auction, and use other experimental tools!
|-
|
:At QUALCOMM, Device driver code quality is job #1
|-
|
:Make use of our powerful in-house game creation tools.
|-
|
:We're even working on some experimental biotechnology
|}

===Seventh Panel===
{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
|[[File:externality-dog1.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog2.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog2A.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog3.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog4.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog5.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog6.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog7.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog8.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog9.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog10.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog12.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog13.png]]
|-
|[[File:externality-dog14.png]]
|}

===Title Text===
The title text documents the different sources of data in the comic. The different title texts are:

{| class="wikitable table-padding"
|-
!Comic region
!Title text
|-
|Most of the comic, during the competition.||Mouse over words and things to see where they come from.
|-
|Most of the comic, after the competition ended||This comic went up on April 1st, and the panels changed throughout the day in response to readers doing things like breaking hashes, edited a rapidly-shuffling set of target Wikipedia articles, and donating to Wikimedia Foundation. (The vandalism is over now and CMU won the hashing contest.)
|-
|The part of the first panel (text and drawing) which is not a link. There is no title text at all over the part where the link is active||Happy April 1st, Everyone!
|-
|Fifth panel.||[University] has the third best hash. See the full standings at http://almamater.xkcd.com/best.csv (University = uic after competition)
|-
|Last three panels (only within a frame that would just fit around all three of them).||The dog gains a pound for every $10 donated to the wikimedia foundation via this link. Currently at [amount donated] (Amount = $51135.33 after competition).
|}

===Current Version===
Now that the competition is over, the comic is currently frozen. As such, what follows is the explanation of the comic in its final state.

==Transcript==
:[This was a dynamic image where the text changed during April 1st. The main title text also changed after the dynamic part was finished, and there are even different title text for different part of the comic. This transcript is of the final version of the comic, (no longer dynamic or changing), as displayed at present on xkcd, there are still four different title texts for specific panels. These four title text are for that reason included here in the transcript.]

:[The basic title text for the entire comic is: "This comic went up on April 1st, and the panels changed throughout the day in response to readers doing things like breaking hashes, edited a rapidly-shuffling set of target Wikipedia articles, and donating to Wikimedia Foundation. (The vandalism is over now and CMU won the hashing contest.)" The other three title text are only active over certain panels.]

:[The first panel with the caption and Megan below has its own title text. A part of that panel is a link, and in the section where this link is active there is no title text at all. The title text for the rest of the first panel is: "Happy April 1st, everyone!"]

:[A panel with only text is above the first drawing. There is a link on the top part of the text to <nowiki>http://almamater.xkcd.com/</nowiki> (the link is now broken).]
:Ahoy, carnegie melonites!
:
:Come find your future at Baidu.

:[Below, not in a frame, is Megan.]
:Megan: But nothing about Tiananmen Square.

:[Caption floating above the frame of the next panel:]
:It takes great minds to stifle other great minds.
:[Ponytail sits at a desk, hand to her chin, with two Cueball-like guys with their hands on the table.]
:Ponytail: Let's block Canada
:Cueball-like guys: Sounds good.

:[Ponytail crouches on a moving Roomba (labeled) with a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a smartphone in the other. Above her is a caption. The Roomba makes a noice]
:We're a convenient four hour drive from New York City (15,000 hours by Roomba.)
:''Whirrrrrrr''
:Roomba

:[Ponytail and Hairy corners Cueball as he walks out of a door, and a black haired ponytailed girl is moving towards him wielding a giant butterfly net. There is a caption above them:]
:Our recruiters are on the hunt for unaware CMU graduates

:[The fifth panel has its own title text only active within (or very close to) the frame. It is: "uic has the third best hash. See the full standings at <nowiki>http://almamater.xkcd.com/best.csv</nowiki>" (The link is now broken)]

:[There is a caption above a website application. There is three fields to be filled, with each their caption and text:]
:or uic graduates, provied any of them manage to fill out the application correctly.
::Name which one
::Email forget it
::Education Riding the L all night long

:[Caption floating above the frame of the next panel:]
:At Baidu, Inc., you'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects.
:[Cueball sits at a computer.]
:Cueball: What does "make dog" do?
:Off-screen voice: Experimental dog generator. Don't click on it; the default size isn't set, so-
:'''*click*'''

:[The last three panels has their own title text, only active within a frame that could contain all three panel. Outside that "frame" (all the way around) is the other title text. Within the title text is: "The dog gains a pound for every $10 donated to the Wikimedia Foundation via this link. Currently at $51135.33."]

:[Small insert panel, going in above the next larger panel: Cueball stares at the screen.]
:''Kzzzt''
:''*bip*''
:Off-screen voice: Uh oh.

:[A giant dog looks down at the desk where the computer once was, now only the wires are left. Cueball, leaning way back in his office chair, holding his hand to his mouth, stares up at it.]

:[Again a smaller insert panel above the large one with the dog. A graphic showing two sliders and a dog (similar to the one in the previous panel). Next to the dog with arrows pointing to it are a thermometer graphic and an equation. Below is an e-mail type text and finally a caption. There are arrows over and under "God" and "dogs" between the g and d's.]
:d(x)=R
:careers@baidu, Inc.
:'''Play God with dogs.'''TM

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Dogs]]
[[Category:Roomba]]
[[Category:Butterfly net]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

2072: Evaluating Tech Things

2023-02-07T23:58:17Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2072
| date = November 14, 2018
| title = Evaluating Tech Things
| image = evaluating_tech_things.png
| titletext = Also known as the Black Mirror-Mythbusters scale.
}}

==Explanation==

Many things are possible today thanks to technology, and while often the "wow factor"—how cool it is that we can do that—kicks in right away, there can also be deep potential longer term consequences for humanity. Things like {{w|atomic fission}}, the {{w|Internet}}, {{w|CRISPR}} technology, are amazing things we have learned how to do, but they also have the potential, in some cases already realized, of massively affecting human life (e.g. nuclear annihilation, instant wide-scale communication, elective genetic engineering), both for the better and for the worse.

Here [[Cueball]], upon hearing of a cool idea he hadn't thought of before, mentally measures it on a scale to decide if he can be excited about it, or should be worried about how it might affect humanity. The design of the scale is somewhat similar to the New York Times' live election night forecast which was mentioned in a recent comic, [[2068: Election Night]], and used in the 2018 midterm elections 8 days prior. After weighing it out, he decides it's just plain cool and it will not adversely affect humanity at all. In the comic, it appears this mental decision took awhile, judging by the multiple panels showing him thinking, ambivalently rubbing his chin as the dial oscillates left and right, before he gives his response.

The title text refers to this mental weighing also being known as the ''Black Mirror''–''Mythbusters'' scale. ''{{w|Black Mirror}}'' and ''{{w|Mythbusters}}'' are both TV shows that explore science and technology. ''Black Mirror'', on the one end of the scale, explores the unintended and often dire consequences of many of our more influential technologies—the horrible stuff that can happen—whereas ''Mythbusters'', on the other end of the scale, explores the fun side of technology to see what kinds of cool things can or cannot be done.

Worrying about the effect that technology has on our lives is a theme that has been explored before, in [[1215: Insight]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball talking.]
:Megan: Sooner or later, someone is going to fly a drone into a tornado and post the footage to YouTube.

:[Zoom in on Cueball imagining a semicircular dial with a moving pointer currently fixed vertically in the mid value. The left-most value indicating his opinion to be "This raises big questions about technology and society" and the right-most being "Haha, cool!"]

:[Panel with just Cueball and the imaginary dial above his head, the pointer having shifted a small amout to the right.]

:[Same panel with Cueball, his right hand pensively on his chin, the pointer having shifted an equally small amount to the left of the mid value.]

:[Panel with Cueball, Megan and the imaginary dial above, the pointer now all the way to the right.]
:Cueball: Haha, cool!

{{comic discussion}}

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

2068: Election Night

2023-02-07T23:57:53Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2068
| date = November 5, 2018
| title = Election Night
| image = election_night.png
| titletext = "Even the blind—those who are anxious to hear, but are not able to see—will be taken care of. Immense megaphones have been constructed and will be in use at The Tribune office and in the Coliseum. The one at the Coliseum will be operated by a gentleman who draws $60 a week from Barnum & Bailey's circus for the use of his voice."
}}

==Explanation==
This is the third comic in a row that deals with elections in the United States; the trio has been published in the week before the {{w|United States elections, 2018|US midterm elections held on November 6, 2018}} and it compares media coverage on election results in 1896 and 2018. During this time the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] of xkcd was also changed three times, including on the release days of both this and the previous comic, to help people go and vote. See more in the [[#Election related header texts|trivia section]].

While elections and voting have been a public staple for generations, election coverage by the media can result in {{w|voter fatigue}}. While voter fatigue is considered a major criticism of things like {{w|First-past-the-post_voting|first past the post}} voting systems, media outlets will also contribute.

The time traveler from 1896, wearing a {{w|top hat}} (the typical hat used at that time), presents [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] a method how the latest news --over the night-- is published to the public. No broadcasting television or even radio existed then and most newspapers, reaching the readers on the next morning, were printed in the evening before the election results were certain. For the [https://www.270towin.com/1896_Election/ election referenced in this clipping], Republican candidate {{w|William McKinley}} (assigned the color Blue) won in a close race against Democrat-Populist candidate {{w|William J. Bryan}} (assigned the color Red).

Here, [[Randall]] is taking a unique opportunity to point out that unlike our recollection of history (which is usually modified by the {{w|misinformation effect}}, where we perceive the past as being easier and find a source to blame for the election night jitters) that in fact, in the past, a bombardment of fireworks every hour was used to convey the hour-by-hour play of the election night, a significantly more jarring effect that couldn't even be turned off. We have progressed, in some ways, to a more opt-in system, rather than the {{w|opt-out}} system of the past, where you had to leave Chicago to avoid the news.

The part about the "jiggling needle" is likely a reference to the [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/the-new-york-times-election-needle-is-back-with-a-few-new-safety-features New York Times' 2016 presidential election results] webpage. It displayed a "needle" representing a live election night forecast of the results of the presidential election between then-candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, jiggling to reflect uncertainty. The position of the needle was initially set based on pre-election polls, pointing heavily toward Hillary Clinton, but as election results from around the country -- and from individual counties within states -- started coming in it changed to reflect those results. In the 2018 midterm elections, the needle was once again used.

The title text explains that in 1896 even blind people were taken care of, as enormous megaphones were installed to convey the news equally unavoidably to those who couldn't (or didn't want to) see the color bombs. This is in fact true but was intended for those in the Coliseum, not all of Chicago.

==Transcript==

:[Megan and Cueball face each other while talking on the left of the panel]
:Megan: Ugh, I'm just going to hide out for election night. We'll know the results the next day anyway. The drama is so unnecessary.
:Cueball: Yeah. The internet and the 24-hour news have turned elections into a continuous, inescapable media onslaught.
:[A man in a top hat appears on the right side of the panel with a "Poof"]

:[Panel with just the man in a top hat, holding a newspaper]
:Man in a top hat: Hi! I'm a time traveler from 1896. Let me tell you about '''''our''''' election night coverage.
:Man in a top hat: *Ahem*
:Man in a top hat: From the ''Chicago Tribune''

:[Zoom in on the head of the man in a top hat]
:Man in a top hat: "Once every hour from the roof of the Great Northern Hotel a series of bombs, which will ascend for several thousand feet, will be fired. Two colors will be used, blue and red."
:Man in a top hat: "Blue to indicate McKinley's election, red to indicate Bryan's election."
:Man in a top hat: "The bombardment of the skies will commence at 7 o'clock and will be repeated hourly."
:[Grey citation]: Chicago Tribune, Oct 30th & Nov 1st, 1896

:[Megan and Cueball on the left looking at the man in the top hat on the right]
:Megan: Yeah, well, we have a ''needle,'' though.
:Man in a top hat: A needle.
:Megan: It jiggles!
:Man in a top hat: Sounds awful.
:Cueball: Listen, you had to be there.

==Trivia==
*The character with the large black top hat is wearing a typical hat worn by wealthy men in the late 19th and early 20th century and should not be mixed up with [[Black Hat]]...
**Though the fact that he appears from nowhere just to tell total strangers why they're wrong IS somewhat suspect - he could be one of Black Hat's ancestors.

===Election related header texts===
*On election day the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] changed once more to [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-11-06|help people to vote]]. This time including an entire comic with links on what to do to vote and nudging people to go nudge family and friends to go voting.
**It was the third time up to the election that Randall changed the Header text on that account.
*** The first time was about two weeks before the election, on [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-10-22|2018-10-22]], when [[2061: Tectonics Game]] was up on the front page. Here a link was given on how to register for voting.
***Second time was the Friday before the election, on [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-11-02|2018-11-02]], four days before the election. On that day the comic [[2067: Challengers]] tried to help people decide who to vote for. A second link was added to the first helping people to know what was on their local voting ballot. Both these links were also present in the election day header text.
**After election day the header text returned to the standard: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

1159: Countdown

2023-01-21T16:33:47Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

<noinclude>:''For the header text countdown, see [[Countdown in header text]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 1159
| date = January 11, 2013
| title = Countdown
| image = countdown.png
| titletext = For all we know, the odds are in our favor.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic shows a {{w|seven segment display}} (aka [http://www.ece.mtu.edu/labs/EElabs/EE2304/pages/bcd_to_seven_segment_TAversion.html calculator-style numbers]) with a countdown. [[Black Hat]] explains that it is a countdown, maybe to a {{w|supervolcano}} eruption. However, an unfortunately placed picture blocks view of the full display. Due to the form of a seven-segment display, the first digit could be 0, 6, or 8, and five digits are completely blocked by the picture. [[Cueball]] is worried and asks him to move the picture, but Black Hat lazily or teasingly refuses to move it.

He has already teased that he doesn't know what the countdown is for. His reply can either be understood as if he does not know which one of the ({{w|Supervolcano#VEI_8|seven potential}}) supervolcanos it is counting down to, or to which other {{w|Global catastrophic risk|cataclysmic event}} it is a countdown for (such as a {{w|Impact event|meteor strike}} or global {{w|Nuclear warfare|nuclear war}} for instance - it could also just be a general {{w|Doomsday Clock}}). Since it seems to be Black Hat's countdown, it is safe to assume that he knows both what it counts down to and when it stops, but he just likes to mess with peoples' minds.

The fully visible part starts at 2409, and based on the pace of the scene, it seems to be in seconds. Thus, it is unclear when the eruption might occur. If the obscured digits are '899 999', there's another 2.85 million years to go. On the other hand, if they are all 0s, it could be as soon as 40 minutes.

The choice of the picture is probably also interesting. The image is distorted enough that you can imagine it as being two very different images.
#It could depict a setting sun either reflecting in an ocean or with a river (possible also a lake) running out of the picture. But if it is a sun it is not very circular, although there do appear lines to indicate it is shining. This could maybe be explained with atmospheric interference.
#Alternatively it depicts an exploding volcano, a mountain with lines away from it to indicate the explosion or the eruption, and lava flowing away from it or collecting in lakes.
In either case, it could make sense. If it is a volcano, the supervolcano clock makes sense. On the other hand, we are talking about the possible end of the world as we know it, so the sun setting upon humanity could be a great metaphor.

The title text: "For all we know, the odds are in our favor" could imply the assumption that since we can't see the digits behind the picture, we can treat them as random. If so, chances are only 1 in 300 000 they are all zeros. However, because of statistical principles such as {{w|Benford's law}}, the digits are not entirely random.

In an alternative view, the strip is not about pondering at distributions of digits on an oracle countdown. It's more of a grim view of our natural disaster prediction capabilities. As they say – the question is not if it will happen but when it will happen. "Move the picture" would mean investing in research and warning systems - that would correspond to shifting the picture to the left. If we disregard the 40 minutes, but instead think of it as an arbitrary interval of interests, minuscule as we folks have them, say - one's lifetime; or grimmer yet - some {{w|term of office}}. Because, hey, year after year passes and no apocalypse has been observed - the empirical odds are low indeed. An interesting question is what we would use the knowledge of the timing of our impending doom, if it is an event we can do nothing about, such as stopping a supervolcanic eruption or a large asteroid with a direct impact course on Earth. Would we not have lives more happily for our remaining years, how few that might be, while not knowing... On the other hand, if the event is something we might prevent given enough time to plan (and the funding resources such knowledge would ensure), then it may have saved us if we moved the picture just in time!

Using a countdown theme for comic #1159 could be a subtle joke, as 11:59/23:59 is one minute to midnight (on the Doomsday clock!).

Supervolcanos were also referenced in the title text of [[1053: Ten Thousand]] and it is the subject of in [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]].

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is sitting with his laptop on a desk when Cueball, standing behind him, looks up on the wall and asks him about the large digital countdown timer with red numbers which is hanging high up on the wall. It has a white frame around the black display with the red numbers. Most of the left part of the counter is covered by a framed picture that hangs on a string attached to a nail above the counter. The picture depicts either a setting sun reflecting in an ocean or an exploding volcano with lava flowing away from it. The picture does not block the left-most part of the frame around the counter, and it is also possible to see the two left-most lines of the first digit on the countdown, so they are both turned on. This proves that the numbers go all the way to the left end. The next five digits are covered by the picture. Then one digit is only partly covered, as only the two most left lines are not visible. From the visible lines, it is though clear that this digit shows a 0. The next seven digits are fully visible, giving eight discernible digits.]
:
:'''00002409'''
:
:Cueball: What's that?
:Black Hat: Countdown.
:[Same picture, but Cueball is looking at Black Hat. The counter counts down.]
:
:'''00002400'''
:
:Cueball: To what?
:Black Hat: Supervolcano, I think. I forget which one.
:[Cueball looks up again for about 18s (between 2nd and fourth image) - beat panel.]
:
:'''00002396'''
:
:[Cueball looks at Black Hat again.]
:
:'''00002382'''
:
:Cueball: Maybe we should move that picture?
:Black Hat: Too hard to reach. It's probably fine.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Time]]

1674: Adult

2022-03-23T19:20:54Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1674
| date = April 29, 2016
| title = Adult
| image = adult.png
| titletext = (1) That shopping cart is full of AirHeads, and (2) I died at 41 from what the AirHeads company spokesperson called 'probably natural causes.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Cueball]] performs several mundane '''adult''' tasks, namely shopping for groceries, buying furniture, and applying for a mortgage. In each instance thought bubbles show his apparent surprise or amusement at the fact that he is behaving like an adult.

In the last panel [[Megan]] is reading Cueball's will. Instead of containing standard language, it expresses Cueball's feelings at the fact that he was actually creating a will. This is such an adult thing to do, that Cueball's mind boggles and he cannot believe he is doing so. As is revealed in the title text, Megan reads this to his family because Cueball died early, but when he wrote it, he probably did not envision that it was needed any time soon, and thus also explains why he cannot believe he is writing a will already.

[[Randall]] frequently addresses the issue of growing up and being expected to be an adult, despite still seeing oneself as a child in many ways. In this strip, Cueball finds himself performing tasks that he's used to thinking of as things that grown-ups have to worry about, from shopping for food to preparing for one's own death. In each case, he treats the situation as if he were a child suddenly finding himself taking on adult responsibility, which seems to be how he sees himself.

Randall also frequently addresses the issue of finding oneself in adulthood, despite feeling unprepared and immature. In some, he points out that this can be freeing, because it allows us the power to redefine adulthood on our own terms (see [[150: Grownups]] and [[219: Blanket Fort]]). In others (as in this case), he addresses the surprise that comes with realizing that adult responsibilities belong to you, and fear about his ability to handle them (see [[441: Babies]], [[905: Homeownership]], and [[616: Lease]]).

In the title text we learn that the shopping cart is filled with {{w|AirHeads}}, a tangy, taffy-like, chewy candy, predominantly known for its sweet taste and texture. The title text thus suggests that Cueball still retains some more childish instincts, namely using the freedom of adulthood to indulge in AirHead candies, to fatal consequences, explaining why they already read out his will in front of his family in the last panel. It also suggests that the candy company would be quick to portray that death as "natural causes", to downplay the involvement of their product in someone's death.

Randall has previously made a comic displaying what happened to him when he suddenly was able to freely make or buy the kind of food his parents would have limited his access to in [[418: Stove Ownership]], where it was bacon in the comic and Frosting (or icing) in the title text.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding onto a shopping cart more than half filled with items looking quite similar. Above his head is a large thought bubble.]
:Cueball (thinking): Haha, look at me grocery shopping! I'm such an adult.

:[Cueball is standing, arms in his sides, in front of a sofa with a price tag. He is thinking again, this time the frame of the panel is the lower part of the thought bubble, as there is no frame around the text in the "bubble".]
:Cueball (thinking): Buying a sofa! Ooh, look how domestic I am!

:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair. at a desk, leaning in over it while writing something. The desk is filled with office items, and on the opposite side of the desk sits a man with a wisp of hair in another office chair. Cueball is thinking again with the text in a large thought bubble above their heads.]
:Cueball (thinking): Applying for a mortgage! As if I'm a real grown-up.

:[Megan is reading out loud from a piece of paper, while standing in front of a long table, where Hairbun, Hairy, and White Hat are sitting. White hat sits at the end of the table in an office chair.]
:Megan: ...And I, being of sound mind and body, am totally writing a will right now!
:Megan: Can you believe this?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Food]]

2382: Ballot Tracker Tracker

2022-01-22T02:27:33Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2382
| date = November 6, 2020
| title = Ballot Tracker Tracker
| image = ballot_tracker_tracker.png
| titletext = Good luck to Democrats in the upcoming Georgia runoff elections, and to the Google Sheets SREs in the current run-on elections.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic was posted 3 days after the 2020 election day in the United States (November 3, 2020). As of the date of posting, the {{w|2020 United States presidential election}}, between President {{w|Donald Trump}} and former Vice President {{w|Joe Biden}}, still had not been "called" for either candidate by most news outlets (called
refers to projecting the results of the election). This was atypical for most US presidential elections, which were "called" either on election day or on the morning following.

A major reason for the delay in determining the results of the election was the greatly increased use of {{w|mail-in ballot}}s, caused by social distancing concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in ballots in some states were counted after the in-person voting, which caused delays in the vote-counting, and thus the projection of the winner.

As of the date of posting, the electoral vote counts - as called by most major news organizations - were 253-214 in favor of Biden, with 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. Six states were considered "too close to call", with no determined winner until more ballots were counted. Biden was winning the popular vote by about 4 million.

Cueball in this comic has created an app, doc, or website that tracks in real time how quickly "ballot trackers" update. A ballot tracker is a web page provided by a news organization that reports updated vote counts as they are published by the states. The news organizations use these counts as the major input to the "decision desks", which are their staff who analyze the ongoing vote results to decide when to declare a projected winner for a state. (See [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/upshot/network-race-call-tracker.html "Tracking Which News Outlets Have Called the Presidential Race in Each State"]) Cueball (representing Randall) is anxiously awaiting resolution to the long election season. He is not only anxiously checking to see if the race has been decided, he is also predicting how close the race is to being decided by constantly checking the ballot trackers to see how they change, as well as keeping track of which sources of tracking information most quickly show updated information on which to base those predictions.

The last line of dialogue in the comic, where Cueball says, "I will breathe when they call it", may refer to the idea that many people "[https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hold-one-s-breath hold their breath]" when waiting for an important result, so people may hold their breath until the Presidential race is called. However, since this time around the announcement could have taken days if not weeks longer, literally holding one's breath until the winner was announced would not be possible.{{Citation needed}} As it happens, the election was called for Biden the morning after this comic was published, about 3½ days after the election, although Trump was still attempting to challenge the results in court, which would make holding one's breath until all appeals and recounts are complete an even worse idea than if he had conceded.

In the title text, Randall wishes good luck to the Democrats in the state of Georgia who are running in later run-off elections. Two Senate seats were being voted on in the state of Georgia in 2020, but no candidate achieved over 50% of the vote in either race. It is highly likely that these runoffs will determine control of the Senate. By law in the state of Georgia, these two races will be decided in "runoff" elections, where the top two candidates from each of the races run against only each other, on January 5, 2021. In the end, both Democrats were elected to the Senate. Randall also wishes good luck to the SREs ({{w|Site Reliability Engineer}}s) of Google Sheets, an online spreadsheet program, who are in charge of maintaining the Google infrastructure while people like him are constantly refreshing their sheets and pulling data. Randall is comparing Georgia's upcoming "runoff" election to the current election, calling it a "run-on" for how long it is taking.

The theme of recursive naming is a recurring one in xkcd, most recently with the "contact tracer tracing program" in [[2376: Curbside]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting behind a desk, pointing at a laptop. White Hat is standing behind him. Crumpled up papers are strewn across the ground. ]
:Cueball: And this tab is my ballot tracker tracker, which tracks how quickly other ballot trackers update.
:White Hat: You should add a tracker for how often you breathe so you don't forget.
:Cueball: '''''I will breathe when they call it.'''''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]

2380: Election Impact Score Sheet

2022-01-22T02:24:22Z

Sure: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 2380
| date = November 2, 2020
| title = Election Impact Score Sheet
| image = election_impact_score_sheet.png
| titletext = You might think most people you know are reliable voters, or that your nudge won't convince them, and you will usually be right. But some small but significant percentage of the time, you'll be wrong, and that's why this works.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic was published the day before {{w|Election day in the United States}} (November 3, 2020), which features a contentious {{w|2020 United States presidential election|presidential election}} between the incumbent, President {{w|Donald Trump}}, and the challenger, former Vice President {{w|Joe Biden}}. The United States does not elect presidents by popular vote, but instead uses an {{w|United States Electoral College|electoral college}} system, with each state getting a predetermined number of electoral votes, and a majority of electoral votes needed to win an election. The previous presidential election in 2016, which involved Trump and {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, was won by Trump, who lost the popular vote by 2 percentage points, but won the electoral vote 304-227 (270 was needed to win the election).

Electoral college votes are distributed based on the number of congressional representatives of each state, with the most populous state, California, receiving 55 votes, and the least populous states which are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming receiving 3 votes each, along with the District of Columbia, which as of the writing of this comic was not a state. Because the United States Congress has two legislative houses, with only one (the House of Representatives) apportioning representatives to the states based on their percentage of the US population and the other (the Senate) allocating two senators to every state regardless of population, smaller states have a higher ratio of electoral college votes to population than larger states do.

Additionally, most states (all but Nebraska and Maine) give all of their electoral college votes to whoever earns the most votes in their state. This means that a small change in the percentage of voters who favor one party's candidate over another within a state doesn't make a difference on the final outcome unless that change tips the scales between the two candidates. Therefore, it's easy to predict the final electoral college votes of many states where one party has a clear lead. Other states, including some of the ones listed by Randall, are considered "{{w|swing state}}s", as they are competitive to both of the two major parties, the {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party}} and the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party}}.

Together, these factors make voting in some states - "swing states" with smaller populations - much more likely to influence the outcome of the election than others. Randall in this comic is encouraging his readers to "{{w|get out the vote}}" and encourage voting among their friends and family who live in these nineteen states which are most likely to affect the outcome of the election. The rest of the 31 states (and, presumably, the District of Columbia) are grouped under the "all other states" bucket, presumably as their election outcome is "safely" for Biden or Trump.

Per many analysts, the state of {{w|Pennsylvania}} is considered an absolute necessity for Trump, and considered very important for Biden. This is why Pennsylvania is weighted the most heavily in Randall's comic.

Of course, just because a state may be a clear win for one party does not mean the votes of anyone who votes for the other party are wasted. A higher percentage of voters voting for the losing candidate sends a signal that the state is more competitive than assumed, which forces representatives to compromise and could make future voters more likely to show up because they believe their vote is more likely to matter. Additionally, many "down-ballot" races, like races for governorships, US Congress, state legislatures, and county governments, may be more competitive than the presidential race, and may have just as much or more impact on most people's lives. Randall accounts for some of these local races in deciding how to rank the states on the scoresheet.

The text at the bottom says to post your scoresheet with ''#Hashtag''. The "#" symbol (pronounced "hash") denotes a {{w|hashtag}} on platforms like Twitter, used to tag one's post as relating to the topic named following the symbol. However, this hashtag (said out-loud as "Hashtag Hashtag") would relate a post to the topic of hashtags rather than elections or votes, and so for the scoresheet is nonsensical and doesn't describe anything useful. It also refers to Nate Silver's famous election forecast model at {{w|FiveThirtyEight}}. Randall closes by urging people to contact Nate Silver to tell him to adjust his model to account for the added votes they have caused, but as the form doesn't indicate which candidate the filler has voted for or plans to vote for, never mind the people contacted, there's no way for him to know what sort of update to make. Perhaps the flurry of posts bearing the hashtag "#Hashtag" and indicating an effort to increase civic engagement will be a heartwarming surprise on a day that will probably be very busy and stressful for him.

The title text explains that even if one thinks that their family and friends always vote, or that their reminder to vote won't work, they should do so anyway because of the chance they may be wrong.

As shown in previous comics ([[1756: I'm With Her]] and others), Randall was a supporter of 2016 candidate {{w|Hillary Clinton}} (who ran against Trump), but this announcement should be equally applicable to supporters of either of the two main candidates in the current presidential race.

The comic includes a link for a printable version: https://xkcd.com/2380/election_impact_score_sheet.pdf

===Table===
{| class = "wikitable"
! State
! Bonus
! Electoral votes
! Explanation
! Actual Effect
|-
|Pennsylvania
|x5
|20
|Pennsylvania is considered an absolute necessity for Trump, and considered very important for Biden. Pre-election polling showed Biden leading by 3 points.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Maine
|rowspan="3"|x4
|4
|Maine is worth 4 electoral votes, but awards 2 based on the statewide popular vote and 1 vote each for the winners of its 2 congressional districts. Polls also suggested a competitive Senate race.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state and the first congressional district; President Trump won the second.
Susan Collins (R) defeated challenger Sara Gideon (D)
|-
|Arizona
|11
|Arizona is not typically a swing state, as it usually votes for the Republican Party candidate. However, it is considered a swing state this year, with Joe Biden leading by 2 percentage points in pre-election polling. Additionally, polls predicted a high likelihood of a Senate seat flipping from the Republicans to Democrats.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
Challenger Kelly (D) defeated Senator McSally (R).
|-
|Nevada
|6
|Nevada has historically been considered a "bellwether" state, with a similar distribution of voters to the nation as a whole. The state went to Clinton in 2016, reflecting the popular vote, while the Electoral College went to Trump.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Alaska
|rowspan="3"|x3
|3
|
|President Trump won the state.
|-
|Montana
|3
|Polls showed a possibility of a Senate seat flipping from the Republicans to the Democrats.
|Senator Daines (R) defeated challenger Bullock (D).
|-
|New Mexico
|5
|
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Wisconsin
|rowspan="7"|x2
|10
|Wisconsin was surprisingly won by Trump in 2016, as pre-election polling had him trailing by 6-7 percentage points. Polling for the 2020 election favored Biden by 7 percentage points.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Minnesota
|10
|Minnesota was won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, but by a close margin of 1.5 percentage points. Polling for 2020 has Biden favored by 7 percentage points.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Iowa
|6
|Polling showed a very close race between Biden and Trump, as well as a close Senate contest.
|President Trump won the state.
Joni Ernst (R) defeated challenger Theresa Greenfield (D)
|-
|North Carolina
|15
|North Carolina is not typically a swing state, as it usually votes for the Republican Party candidate. However, it is considered a swing state this year. There is also a close Senate contest.
|President Trump won the state.
Thom Tillis (R) defeated challenger Cal Cunningham (D)
|-
|New Hampshire
|4
|
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Georgia
|16
|Georgia is not typically a swing state, as it usually votes for the Republican Party candidate. However, it is considered a swing state this year. Additionally, it has two Senate seats up for grabs in very close races (one the normal one for the year, the other a special election to fill a vacancy).
|Former Vice President Biden won the state. Both Senate races were undecided and headed to runoff elections won by Democrats. These runoff elections were mentioned in the title text of [[2382: Ballot Tracker Tracker]].
|-
|Nebraska
|5
|Like Maine, Nebraska splits up its votes, awarding 2 votes to the winner of the statewide popular vote, and 1 each for the winners of its 3 congressional districts.
|President Trump won the state and the first and third congressional districts; former Vice President Biden won the second.
|-
|Michigan
|rowspan="5"|x1
|16
|Michigan was also surprisingly won by Trump in 2016, as he was also trailing in pre-election polling. Biden has a 6 point lead in polling in 2020.
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|Florida
|29
|With 29 electoral votes, Florida has the 3rd most electoral votes to be distributed. It is also typically a swing state and sometimes determines the winner of an election.
|President Trump won the state.
|-
|Kansas
|6
|
|President Trump won the state.
|-
|Mississippi
|6
|
|President Trump won the state.
|-
|Colorado
|9
|
|Former Vice President Biden won the state.
|-
|All other states
|x1/2
|''varies''
|Randall considers other states as less important than the above nineteen in influencing the outcome of the presidential election.
|See below
|}

As for all other states: President Trump won Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming; while former Vice President won California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington.

==Transcript==
<big>Do you know anyone in Arizona?</big>

Research shows that reminders from friends and family to vote have a bigger effect on turnout than anything campaigns do.

One of the best ways you can help is to scroll through your contacts (or use apps like VoteWithMe) to find people you can check in with to see if they plan to vote or need help doing it.

This chart lets you tally the effect of your reminders on the outcome based on who you've contacted and where they live.

<big>Election impact score sheet</big>

{| class = "wikitable"
! State
! Check-ins
! Bonus*
! Points
|-
|Pennsylvania
|
|x5
|
|-
|Maine Arizona Nevada
|
|x4
|
|-
|Alaska Montana New Mexico
|
|x3
|
|-
|Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa North Carolina New Hampshire Georgia Nebraska
|
|x2
|
|-
|Michigan Florida Kansas Mississippi Colorado
|
|x1
|
|-
|All other states
|
|x½
|
|-
| colspan="3" align="right" | '''Your election impact:'''
|
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Multiplier based on 538 presidential vote impact, plus points for senate and local elections

''In smaller text, to the right of the main score sheet, a duplicate of the score sheet with red tally marks and points is shown''

{| class = "wikitable"
! State
! Check-ins
! Bonus*
! Points
|-
|Pennsylvania
| (2 tally marks)
|x5
| 10
|-
|Maine Arizona Nevada
| (1 tally mark)
|x4
| 4
|-
|Alaska Montana New Mexico
| (1 tally mark)
|x3
| 3
|-
|Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa North Carolina New Hampshire Georgia Nebraska
| (3 tally marks)
|x2
| 6
|-
|Michigan Florida Kansas Mississippi Colorado
|
|x1
|
|-
|All other states
| (6 tally marks)
|x½
| 3
|-
| colspan="3" align="right" | '''Your election impact:'''
|26
|}

''Followed by an arrow, pointing to the "Your election impact" total box in the main table, is this text''

Based on turnout experiments, 10 points on this scale has roughly as much effect on the outcome as one average vote. For every 10 points you tally, it's as if you voted again!

''Below the main score sheet table''

 [Click for printable version]

Share a pic of your score sheet with ''#Hashtag'', and be sure to send a copy to Nate Silver to let him know to include those extra votes in his model!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Nate Silver]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:Countdown in header text

2022-01-20T12:53:41Z

Sure:

The talk on from [[2565: Latency]] and [[2566: Decorative Constants]] has been moved here by me when I created this page --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Latency:
What is happening around Feb 1st, there is a countdown that appeared a few hours ago in the upper right corner of the xkcd index. There is also the directory xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef which might be an acronym, if it isnt a countdown package? {{unsigned ip|172.70.130.57}}
:Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I belie you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Decorative Constants
Any idea what's going on with the clock that's counting downwards in the banner? Currently counting down from 20 days 16 hours? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.95|172.70.214.95]] 22:08, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Simultaneous edit) What is the days-hours-minutes in the box above the comic referring to? The image itself is dated yesterday, as you can see by saving it. Worst-case-scenario, is this a countdown to the end of XKCD? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.223|108.162.245.223]] 22:11, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:: It's going to hit zero at around midnight on Jan 31st 2022 CST? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 22:16, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::'''Posted this on the previous comics discussion. But lets take it here where there will be more traffic:''' --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC) -- Copy paste from previous comics discussion:
::::Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I believe you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::::Yeah - you're right - I messed up. So as I type this, it's Jan 10th 2022 at 4pm - 1600 hrs Mountain time - which is 1800 hours EST. At this moment, the countdown reads 20d 16h 0m - so Jan 30th + (18+16) hours = which is Jan 30th + 34 hours - which is Jan 31st + 10am in Boston (EST). [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 23:05, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hey great, can see they agree in the link to reddit below. So happy I got it right both in UTC and Boston. It will be 15:59 here in DK. Not 16:00. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Counting down to Backwards Day? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.88|162.158.91.88]] 23:28, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's a reddit thread discussing it: https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/s0oynl/xkcd_countdown_timer_20d_21h_49m_remaining_until/ I think the most likely guess is that Randall has a new book coming out. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:40, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::Would still seem strange if it came out that day with only promotion before being a count down. But then again, he will have the xkcd communities boiling if he gives no other hint. So every one will see if he promotes a book. Also as they wrote at the time I looked at reddit I do not think it is the end of xkcd, or Webb related. Although Webb was the first I thought about. But I mean even if it came to L2 at that day, it is not going to any specific point but just in orbit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:47, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

::The date fits the idea of it being Backwards Day (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31) but what about the choice of time? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Backwards day... Never head of it until now. Is it big in the US. I mean when looking after dates so obscure they are not mentioned on wikipedia then there are probably lots of things happening on that day? But maybe it is a think in the US? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:48, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::: I haven't heard of it until now either, so it is probably one of the bajillions of holidays no one actually cares about, and is unrelated to the countdown. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.163|108.162.221.163]] 13:22, 11 January 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Someone has noticed the image is changing with pixels added at the bottom left corner and is keeping track of it here: https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.107|198.41.238.107]] 05:49, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:Looks like an image is "moving" into the frame because at the moment you can see some white pixel in the lower left, i.e. the black part might end up as a line as part of some comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.8|162.158.89.8]] 08:31, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::Thanks used that to pinpoint the start of the countdown. Have added this info to the header text page, and the original trivia. Also just added a line of trivia to this explanation with the link. This was when this comic came out most people noticed the count down. But it did came out while [[Latency]] was up. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Speculating on what it could be, the only thing that makes sense at that angle is a character's arm. 04:47, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:As of 7 PM PST, the two lines appear to be disconnected from anything else, which rules out a lot of the theories put forth here. Hmmm… I can’t really think of anything it could be other than the wing of an airplane. Maybe it’ll zoom out after it moves into view?[[User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes]] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 03:17, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

The header changes page says that it's forcing "Friday" to move down to the next line. Not for me. Did he fix it, or is it browser-specific? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:It must be browser specific. But i have tried bot the old Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome and Firefox, and it does it in all cases and zooming does nothing.. Which browser do you use? I have corrected to in some browsers though, in the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|explanation]] you refer to. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

This is much more likely a count down related to the James Webb Space Telescope. At approximately the day the count down indicates the telescope will be orbiting the L2 gravitational spot.Perhaps most of the mirrors will be approximate place to allow for months of fine tuning. An example of a slightly similar idea is https://www.space.com/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-next-steps
[[User:Punchcard|Punchcard]] ([[User talk:Punchcard|talk]]) 15:35, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:I really do not think so. There is nothing special about a specific moment for reaching L2. It will go in orbit around it, but when to day it is there or in orbit is hard to pinpoint. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::And after I looked at it, it seems it will reach L2 several days before the countdown. See [[Countdown in header text#Theories]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think the Countdown should get its own entry. What do we think? [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 16:25, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I think it should! What with the count itself, the speculation about what it could mean, and now the slowly arriving image (?) this seems like something beyond either of the two comics since it started! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.49|108.162.219.49]] 18:00, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I'm surprised it doesn't have one already. This is one of the more unique situations in a long while, more speculation could happen. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 22:26, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::I have now created this page and talk page for us to continue the discussion and make dedicated changes about this countdown here. And have moved all discussion from the two pages that had some already (except a few on the first talk page that was also mentioned here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

If you take a look at this [[https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state|link]] it displays this: '''{"img":"72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png","start":"2022-01-10T17:00:00Z","target":"2022-01-31T15:00:00Z","until":"2022-01-11T20:55:38.205303701Z"}''' [[User:Hoodiesandboba|Hoodiesandboba]] ([[User talk:Hoodiesandboba|talk]]) 20:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:To correct your link:
:"...If you take a look at this [https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state link] it displays..."
:As to where the "72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png" is rooted, I haven't dug into that (or what transforms might be being applied), but it looks like a manipulation of browser states might be able to prematurely reveal it. (I'm on mobile at the moment, and it's significantly more fiddly to poke into the page-scripting and markup than I can be bothered with this moment, but I know what I'd do with a good acreage of screen, mouse control and a proper keyboard to rattle away at. And the combined minds here surely can do even better than myself.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.116|172.70.91.116]] 22:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::The filename is a random number long enough to prevent brute force guessing to find future images. The state-file looks like some information for the javascript script where this URL comes from. I haven't looked into the script that much but from the values I'd say that it's telling when to start doing refreshs (2022-01-10T17:00:00Z) and when to stop doing that (2022-01-31T15:00:00Z). While these values are constant, the third value changes and is ten minutes after the time the page has been requested. I suppose this is telling the script, when to do a refresh of the image load. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:::After some fiddeling, I've found the origin of the filename: It's the SHA-256 hash of the image [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
::::There's already a note that it would be impossible to brute-force the filenames. But as the images are very similar to each other, would it be feasible to programmatically generate images similar to the last one (extending up and to the right, different variations of the line shape), hash those files, and test to see if they match images on the server? I'd expect it to reduce the number of possibilities by orders of magnitude, but not sure if that's enough to make brute-force attempts feasible and non-destructive. (Also don't know the PNG format well enough to know if an image with the same pixels in it is guaranteed to produce the same bytes in the file across different implementations) -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:16, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hmm… if it was pure black and white, the total number of possible images would be within the realms of sanity to brute force. But add antialiasing and the numbers rapidly become silly. Even if you only allow pixels to change within a certain distance of the previous image, and restrict greys to places between a black and a white, the numbers quickly become absurd. Although that makes me think about making 1-bit versions of all the images so far, predicting a set of "next frame" possibilities at each step, and training a CNN to pick the correct next one; and if it gets accurate enough by the time we get to the present… hmm. How predictable is antialiasing? Do we know the software he's using to create the images; and if so is there a relatively predictable algorithm applied along the edges? [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:41, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

I think it counts down to Lunar New Year (the Year of the Tiger), as measured in Korea (the earliest timezone where that is celebrated). Actually, it reaches 0 one minute before the New Year, so maybe it will switch to seconds for the last minute. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.75|172.70.98.75]] 05:10, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:Could be, but why. Randall has never to rarely? mentioned this new year... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think we are seeing a zoom out of some image. Perhaps it is the arm of Cueball? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:36, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:It looks like there's a little curve at the top left of the line entering the frame! This makes the Cueball arm hypothesis more likely. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 14:18, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::I also noticed that (and moved your comment up here, as it is kind of a reply to that). Seems like the picture updates every four hours, and that it happened last time at noon UTC today. And thus it will also be at midnight. So 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24. But it is not certain yet and not sure it happened like that the first day or two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added the first 12 images on this page: [[Countdown in header text/images]] - anyone may help uploading the new ones there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:43, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
: Thank you! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.194|173.245.52.194]] 12:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

Does anyone mind if I make a few spelling/grammar corrections to the article? It feels like the kind of thing that could be interpreted as rude, so I wanted to ask first. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.167|172.70.114.167]] 13:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:No no please help me with my poor spelling. I'm Danish and not very good at spelling in English. Also anything I write is up for debate and can be changed. Just because I started this page do not give me ownership over it. As long as relevant info is not deleted the entire layout maybe changed. But better to get the page going sooner rather than later.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::Alright!! Thank you so much for all your great work on this page! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.151|172.70.110.151]] 18:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I originally put this (without realising it wasn't the Talk page) in the Images sub-page, in response to the revelation it was (very probably) the SHA256 of the image data that was used to name the file:
*When I first looked at it and decided it was an obvious hash (yes SHA256 sounds about right, but nice to know someone's tried it) I personally had hoped it would be a hash of the datetime (plus a salt, maybe, to give it that extra little frisson of difficulty in reverse engineering... ;) ). But if it's as you say I think I'll refrain from getting any rainbow-tables set up and bashing through the possibilities in the rather huge phase-space it could represent. Of course, there must be a look-up table used by the server. It'd be too much to hope for that it's publically exposed though, and totally a rookie-error if it is. (That Randall, and maybe anyone he actually drafted in to implement it to save himself the worry, is surely not going to commit.)
...anyway, bringing it here, as being more conversational than informative. Still thought I should say it, but stupidly long as a comment so maybe I needn't have repasted it again! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 03:39, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

(Put this in here as it was before in the explanation --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC):)
Was going to say it's Hangman, but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 06:37, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I read the javascript of the countdown and noticed one thing that i didn't see mentioned anywhere on this page: the countdown text is moving upwards. When the countdown started the text was exactly in the middle of the image and at the end of the countdown the text will be at the top (you can see how it will look by changing the time in your system). The code will also make the text disappear and leave only the image after the countdown goes to zero. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.41|162.158.90.41]] 23:52, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:Uuuh thanks that was interesting. Maybe to make more room for the image? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

The Greensboro sit-ins started on Feb 1, though the time is different.. But black history month? {{unsigned ip|172.70.135.48}}

Thanks to [[User:Theusaf|Theusaf]] for helping with putting the images up on the image page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

Anyone here that can make an animation out of the images and put it in the explanation? If it is "easy" could it be updated some times on the way towards the final image on January 31st... Like the one on [[Time]]. That would be really nice. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:02, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:I made an animation: [https://imgur.com/a/INh77nL] (Now i realize it wasn't needed because there already is automatically updating animation linked from the page...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.105|162.158.159.105]] 18:18, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
::Not if you would let us use it here on xkcd. I have no contact to munvoseli. But if you made one we could upload here on xkcd on this page and then update it a few times, until we have a final version, then that would be much better than having one on a private persons page. Which may be deleted at any time. So cool you made one. If it is possible I would like to have one like the one at [[Time]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:41, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

There's something else moving into the frame... We'll have to see what it is. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 19:12, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

To even find this page, I had to page backward through the comic to get to Decorative Constants, go to the discussion, and come across the link to this page from there. I suggest that there be a direct link to this page from the explanation of every comic that existed while the countdown was in progress. A second question: has anyone determined for sure whether the ‘camera’ is zooming out from a blank spot in the final image, in which case we can expect other stuff to come into view from above and right, OR is it panning onto an image that is not changing size, in which case nothing will appear except from the direction it’s moving toward? And if it’s panning, has anyone tried estimating where the current stuff will end up?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.76|108.162.246.76]] 07:42, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I agree with you and have now changed the four comics that was active while the count down was active so far, so the link to this page is above their explanations. If people keep updating like this for new comics, there will be a link to the countdown page from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page front page]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:40, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

Does Randall already have kids? If not, maybe his wife is expecting? That's something you'd announce and the last two comics are about kids. Another idea: he's going to space 🚀. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.115|162.158.233.115]] 20:47, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I’m sure he would have a birth announcement afterward, but I doubt he would try to predict it to the exact second, 21 days in advance.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.105|162.158.106.105]] 22:36, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
::Maybe it's a C section? Those are usually scheduled. lol but yeah that's unlikely.Wouldn't rule it out though.[[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:58, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

I noticed that it almost appears to be the tail fin of an airplane. I don’t know if it is, or if an airplane even makes sense? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.57|172.70.230.57]] 22:11, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's not enough time for it to make the several passes necessary, before the big 'reveal', but I'd have suspected Randall capable of parodying the {{w|Airplane!}} in-title parody of {{w|Jaws}}. Would have somewhat been a {{w|Shaggy dog story|shaggy}}-{{tvtropes|Brick_Joke|brick}} joke, but wouldn't put it past him... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 00:18, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:: I actually think, after watching the animation so far on musoveli’s page, it looks more like a main wing of a swept wing commercial aircraft. If it is, and the pattern continues, we should be able to see the main body or an engine nacelle at least. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.108|162.158.62.108]] 13:39, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:::I agree now. First I was sure it was the tail of an airplane, but the way it moves into the image now, makes me think of the wing, with the plane body soon coming into view. That was at image 59... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:48, 19 January 2022 (UTC)
::::I think at the time of posting the body has just come into view! I may be wrong, as it is only a tiny sliver, but I am hopeful!--[[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.151|172.70.110.151]] 01:59, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::I'm still more mentally-prepared for it being a tailfin (seen from the side, the 'new' line being the mid-dorsal surface of the main aircraft hull) than the port wing (the new bit being of the lateral airframe surface forward of the wings and perhaps just behind the cockpit point). But this POV will doubtless be overturned by the revelation of the next frame(s), which will make many of us look just as misdirectedly creduluous as each other. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 02:50, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

I believe it looks like he would draw the arm and upper "body" of a person running to the left. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.107|172.68.50.107]] 01:11, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one thinking it'll be another extra long comic like 1190? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.91|108.162.241.91]] 02:52, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Randall is secretly in space, having launched a few days after JWST, and the countdown is to when NASA will see the fruits of his elaborate plan to create the most epic photo bomb of all time. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.220|162.158.187.220]] 20:59, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Surprised no one has linked to the xkcd comic called Countdown. It centers on the problem of having a countdown to something and people not knowing what it is (and also not being able to see all relevant information). Seems relevant in a couple ways. https://xkcd.com/1159/ {{unsigned ip|172.70.230.157}}
:Yes but there we don't know when the count ends, but we know what it is about. So kind of the reverse of this countdown. But I think I will add a line about it in the explanation. Also a search for [[Countdown]] goes there so maybe I also add a link here from that comic. (Remember to sign you comment) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:32, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Did anyone calculate the speed/acceleration of the object moving in the frame? We can predict future positions if nothing changes {{unsigned ip|172.70.162.155}}
:It just changed direction so nothing will come from that now. (Remember to sign you comment) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:32, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Randall's new comic is about [[Hypothesis Generation|hyposthesis genration]] (Sound familiar?), and the title text makes a lot of sense if you think about it from his perspective. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:06, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:I really do not think this comic is a comment on the countdown. But I can see why it could be funny for us here at explain. But I'm quite sure that Randall stays away from all these fora discussing his comics. We put way to much importance to this site if we think he actually comes here... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:14, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

What do the comments in the explanation above that say "the timer may be using EST" mean? The timer is just counting down days, hours, and minutes. We should all see the timer reach zero at the same time even though that may be morning for some readers, afternoon for others, and night for other readers. Randall's living on Eastern Standard Time isn't going to make the countdown run any faster or slower than it would if he lived in a different time zone. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 16:00, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:Agreed have removed all ref to EST. It is UTZ that is interesting and of course Randall's local time zone in Boston. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:29, 18 January 2022 (UTC) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.115.20|172.70.115.20]] 03:54, 19 January 2022 (UTC)
::Guys put that back! It's referring to comic 1061! Not that I think it's likely, butlet's not dismiss that out of hand. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.115.20|172.70.115.20]] 03:54, 19 January 2022 (UTC)
:::That is ridiculous! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:42, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

I think the image entering the frame is a boomerang! [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 12:53, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Countdown in header text

2022-01-19T04:02:42Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| date = January 10, 2022
| title = Countdown in header text
| image = Countdown_in_header_text.png
| before = The countdown will probably last 21 days. After February 1st 2022 it is likely to have disappeared. See this [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] archive version.
| ldomain = www
| lappend =
| extra = yes
}}
*Go directly to the list of [[Countdown in header text/images|images]].
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
*On January 10th 2022, [[Randall]] added a countdown in the top right corner of the [[xkcd Header text]] on {{xkcd}}.
**This happened while the comic [[2565: Latency]] was up.
***First the xkcd Header text was [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-08_-_Back_to_standard_text|changed back]] to the [[xkcd_Header_text#Header_text|standard text]] for the first time in almost three years:
****xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***But already while this Friday-comic was still up on the following Monday the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|countdown]] was added.
****This was thus up when the Monday comic [[2566: Decorative Constants]] was released, drawing more people to the xkcd page.
*The first [[#Archived Versions|archived version]] from [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] read 20d 20h 27m.
**It looks like it started on [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ 01-10 17:00 UTC].
***At that time it would have read 20d 21h 59 min. Just two hours and 1 minute short of 3 weeks.
*This countdown will reach zero on Monday 2022-01-31 at 14:59 (2:59 PM) {{w|UTC}}, or 9:59 AM in Boston, Randall's home town.
**If seconds will be added towards the end, it seems likely that it may end exactly at 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM in Boston).
***However, if it's using EST, introduced in comic [[1061: EST]], it would count backward for four hours before reaching zero, and end only at 2022-01-31 23:59 UTC
****Though either way, it would fall on Monday 2022-01-31, and therefore the day comic 2575 should be released.
*The next day on [https://web.archive.org/web/20220111153818/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-11] a diagonal black bar appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the countdown box and started to move further into the image on following changes to the [[#Images|image]].
**This development called for the creation of this dedicated [[Countdown in header text]] page.
**The line had already moved further into the image at this time, but the latest version will never be available in the web archive.
***This development is reminiscent of the huge comic [[1190: Time]].
*[https://munvoseli.github.io/ Munvoseli] is keeping [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ track of the changes] to the image on the countdown.
**Although there are (at 2022-01-12 12:35 UTC) thirteen different frames we know of, the first three looks the same (because the diagonal bar was not in the frame yet) and the seventh and the eighth also seems to be the same, even though the bar had already begun moving across the frame from the fourth. This is either on purpose, a slipup or means that The FrameTM might not be zooming out of a larger image.
***However, the images that look the same all have individual addresses on the xkcd server. See more under [[#Images|Images]] below.

Randall has previously made a comic simply called [[1159: Countdown]]. However, in that the roles are reversed. There we know that the countdown is for (Super Volcano) but not if it will happen soon or very much later. Here we know when, and it is rather soon, but not what.

==Images==
*Images will be put on [[Countdown in header text/images|this separate page]].
**The images can also be found [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ here] on munvoseli's page.
***It is possible to compare two images, chosen between those released, on that page!
***From 2022-01-14 it has also been possible to see an animation.
**See more details at the top of the image page.
*After a few days the black lines forming the image came into conflict with the clock, which has a rounded white frame around it. This can be seen in one of the earliest examples here:
[[File:Countdown in header text Clock Cover Black Lines.png]]
*Also at this time a new development happened after the "plane tail" moved forward it stopped on 2022-01-18 and started moving up (or zooming in). See for instance these two comparison from munvoseli's page showing the difference from the 8 pictures before today, and then after three out today:
[[File:Countdown in header text Compare 40 to 48.png]] [[File:Countdown in header text Compare 48 to 51.png]]

==Theories==
*Here different theories for what the countdown is for and what the picture is going to reveal can be added.

===The picture===
* Ongoing description:
** Frames 1-12: A diagonal line.
** Frame 13: A curve seems to begin at the top left of the line.
** Frame 18: The curve connects the diagonal line with a horizontal line.
** Frame 27-28: A new line appears in the bottom left corner.
** Frame 40-42: The new line turns out to be connected to the horizontal line, forming a corner which is not attached to any other line.
** Frame 49: The "camera movement" direction changes, while the object is still moving upward it stopped moving towards the left side, moving towards the right instead. 

*Theories about the picture:
**It seems after two days and 12 pictures like either something is moving into the frame or that it is a zoom out from a white area of a large picture. Maybe it is the arm of Cueball that will come into view.
***That turned out not to be the case!
**The second line makes it look somewhat like the tail fin of an aircraft.
***Or the wing of an aircraft (left if looking down at it). Perhaps the plane is towing a banner that will fly through the frame.
****I'm thinking the tail of a Zeppelin.
****After almost a week this looks like the most promising suggestion so far.
*****Now that the direction of the camera movement has changed, we might get to see the rest of the aircraft soon.
****Also since the two lines remain the same distance, the “zooming out” theory seems to be dis-proven.
**Maybe it is some kind of vehicle rolling into frame, like a car?
***No
**Or the word xkcd? (or xkcd 2?)
***No
**Could have been "Hangman", but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet.
***No
**With the new second line appearing in the corner as of frame 28 it looks like it's definitely zooming out of an image. It looks like it could be someone's arm in a running position.
***No
**I think it could also be two legs of a reclining stick person.
***No
**The lines suggest a shark fin and the movement would suggest it swimming across the frame.
***If it was a shark fin, then the most likely candidates would be the first dorsal fin and the pectoral fin, but both end in points rather than edges like in the pictures of the header puzzle. An aircraft tail fin still seems most likely.
**Maybe it's a two-dimensional shape viewed from a weird angle?
***Like a rectangle viewed from a floating, tilted perspective
***Or the top of the k in xkcd
***Or a boat dock or something?

===Countdown===
*Theories about the countdown:
*Several have already been mentioned in the discussion:
**Randall's next book, either the countdown is counting down to the start of promotion or it is released when the countdown ends.
***Usually Randall has made month long [[:Category:Book promotion|book promotions]] before release. So if it is the release day it is a new way to do it. But he will get a lot of attention. If it is just the start of promoting it, people might get disappointed…
****For instance he began promoting his [[xkcd_Header_text#2015-05-14_-_New_book_Thing_Explainer|new book Thing Explainer]] in the header text. That was in May 2015 and the book was first released [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/05/13/new-book-thing-explainer/ late November 2015]. Most of this time the header text was promoting the book.
**{{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} (JWST) going into orbit about L2 {{w|Lagrange point}}.
***Randall has already made several comics about the telescope. The latest [[2564: Sunshield]] was released just five days prior to the countdown was started.
***But the telescope will not reach the point but rather go into a large orbit around it, so a precise timer counting down to it seems a bit farfetched.
***On NASA's page on JWST it seems like it will [https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html#25 go into orbit] 29.5 days after its [[December 25th Launch]], on Christmas Day, so it should have already started the orbit by the 23rd or 24th of January - 8 days before the countdown.
**{{w|Lunar New Year}}
***In China it starts on February 1st and a [https://yourcountdown.to/chinese-new-year countdown for China] is 8 hours behind.
****The South Korean time zone is UTC+9, hence 14:59 UTC = 23:59 in South Korea, one minute to Feb 1.
*****But it's weird if Randall that has basically never mentioned this holiday suddenly makes a three week countdown for it, and why choose South Korea when most would think of China in this context…?
**Randall will stop making xkcd (Goodbye in the image).
***Hopefully not.
****Agreed, {{tvtropes|PoisonOakEpilepticTrees|to be avoided}}
**[https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31/ National Backward Day]
***This is not a day mentioned on Wikipedia at the time of release of the countdown, so seems unlikely.
**Maybe it will be an announcement of xkcd 2, a new and improved version for… some reason?
***Seems unlikely…
**{{w|Black History Month}}. The {{w|Greensboro sit-ins}} started on Feb 1 1960. Black History Month also begins on February 1st, also in 2022.
***But this countdown stops early on January 31st so seems unlikely.
***However, before changing the Header recently it was about [[xkcd_Header_text#2020-06-03_-_Black_Lives_Matter|Black Lives Matter]] for more than 1.5 years, first ending on December 20th 2021, less than a month before the countdown began. In between that there was a short Christmas sale reminder until a week into 2022. So it could just be another way of reminding of us the issues faced by black people in the US.
**The accompanying header says specifically "xkcd updates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday"--maybe the countdown is to the reveal of a new update schedule?
***Very unlikely. This was the standard header for a long time. It was used when Randall had nothing better to say. But with all his books and the trouble in US with elections and BLM, he has used the header as a platform most of the time many years now. So the standard text is rare. But he did return it for two days before adding the count down, making it seem just like normal.
***A guess is that it returned to this, so the header text did not take any focus away from the countdown.
**Red spider attack?
***Un-Likely
**He will become a father - could be a planned C-section.
***As this is unpredictable, and could go wrong, then this would be a dangerous countdown, people can be very superstitious, even if scientist.
**As it currently looks (after a [[1070: Words for Small Sets|few days]] into the countdown) it may be a trip he is taking by plane.
***Maybe going somewhere people could meet him.
***Moving a long way from home (down under or the like).
****Maybe he's moving to Japan? Could be a plane, and the time zone would fit, at least.
*****Then the countdown would be until when the plane lands, not to midnight.
****What has time zones to do with this clock? It counts down to the same time all over the world, and will reach zero at the same time no matter what time zone you are in. Will soon delete the above if no clear explanation of why this should matter is presented!
*****Time zones have to do with where it will be midnight when the countdown reaches zero. If it's a countdown to when January ends (a moment before February begins), then it's until that moment in the time zone where the countdown reaches zero at that time.
**Perhaps it's a start to a new series like time https://xkcd.com/1190/

==Archived Versions==
*Here is a list of the versions that has been saved to the web archive during the countdown.
**The counter in that version is written behind the date of the web archive:
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] 20d 20h 27m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220110214138/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] 20d 17h 18m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220111011115/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-11] 20d 13h 48m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220112005828/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-12] 19d 14h 1m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220113044552/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-13] 18d 10h 14m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220114010759/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-14] 17d 13h 51m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220114195624/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-14] 16d 19h 3m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220115052737/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-15] 16d 9h 32m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220116074923/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-16] 15d 7h 10m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220116225217/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-16] 14d 16h 7m
#[https://web.archive.org/web/20220118050255/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-18] 13d 9h 57m

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Meta]]

Talk:2569: Hypothesis Generation

2022-01-18T14:26:29Z

Sure:

I removed a couple of paragraphs that seem to be more about the the editor's opinions on education and the philosophy of science than the comic. {{unsigned|Nitpicking}}

Also, what the heck happens on 31 January, as mentioned in the top image at xkcd.com?{{unsigned|Nitpicking}}
:Haha, this is Randall teasing us about our hypotheses about the Countdown over at https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Countdown_in_header_text [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:01, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
::I just added this link [[Countdown in header text]] at the top of the comic aws for the previous four comics. See there. (and sign you comments ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:03, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Oh, and I just read the title text. Totally makes sense from Randall's perspective! [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:04, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
::::I really do not think this comic is a comment on the countdown. But I can see why it could be funny for us here at explain. But I'm quite sure that Randall stays away from all these fora discussing his comics. We put way to much importance to this site if we think he actually comes here... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:14, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::He doesn't need to come here! He just needs to like, go on the xkcd subreddit. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 14:26, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

I'm too shy to do the edit myself, but shouldn't the explanation mention how the comic is going meta ? Like, Cueball is generating a hypothesis about hypothesis generation! (btw, how would you test that kind of hypothesis?…) --Anonymous reader

Countdown in header text

2022-01-18T13:12:20Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| date = January 10, 2022
| title = Countdown in header text
| image = Countdown_in_header_text.png
| before = The countdown will probably last 21 days. After February 1st 2022 it is likely to have disappeared. See this [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] archive version.
| ldomain = www
| lappend =
| extra = yes
}}
*Go directly to the list of [[Countdown in header text/images|images]].
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
*On January 10th 2022, [[Randall]] added a countdown in the top right corner of the [[xkcd Header text]] on {{xkcd}}.
**This happened while the comic [[2565: Latency]] was up.
***First the xkcd Header text was [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-08_-_Back_to_standard_text|changed back]] to the [[xkcd_Header_text#Header_text|standard text]] for the first time in almost three years:
****xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***But already while this Friday-comic was still up on the following Monday the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|countdown]] was added.
****This was thus up when the Monday comic [[2566: Decorative Constants]] was released, drawing more people to the xkcd page.
*The first archived version from [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] read 20d 20h 27m.
**It looks like it started on [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ 01-10 17:00 UTC].
***At that time it would have read 20d 21h 59 min. Just two hours and 1 minute short of 3 weeks.
*This countdown will reach zero on Monday 2022-01-31 at 14:59 (2:59 PM) {{w|UTC}}, or 9:59 AM in Boston, Randall's home town.
**If seconds will be added towards the end, it seems likely that it may end exactly at 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM in Boston).
***Further, the timer may be using [[1061:_EST|EST]], in which case it will count up for four hours on 2022-01-18, and will end on 2022-01-31 23:00 UTC.
****Though either way, it would fall on Monday, and therefore the day comic 2575 should be released.
*The next day on [https://web.archive.org/web/20220111153818/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-11] a diagonal black bar appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the countdown box and started to move further into the image on following changes to the [[#Images|image]].
**This development called for the creation of this dedicated [[Countdown in header text]] page.
**The line had already moved further into the image at this time, but the latest version will never be available in the web archive.
***This development is reminiscent of the huge comic [[1190: Time]].
*[https://munvoseli.github.io/ Munvoseli] is keeping [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ track of the changes] to the image on the countdown.
**Although there are (at 2022-01-12 12:35 UTC) thirteen different frames we know of, the first three looks the same (because the diagonal bar was not in the frame yet) and the seventh and the eighth also seems to be the same, even though the bar had already begun moving across the frame from the fourth. This is either on purpose, a slipup or means that The FrameTM might not be zooming out of a larger image.
***However, the images that look the same all have individual addresses on the xkcd server. See more under [[#Images|Images]] below.

==Images==
*Images will be put on [[Countdown in header text/images|this separate page]].
**The images can also be found [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ here] on munvoseli's page.
***It is possible to compare two images, chosen between those released, on that page!
***From 2022-01-14 it has also been possible to see an animation.
**See more details at the top of the image page.
*After a few days the black lines forming the image came into conflict with the clock, which seems to have a rounded white frame around it. This can be seen in one of the earliest examples here:
[[File:Countdown in header text Clock Cover Black Lines.png]]

==Theories==
*Here different theories for what the countdown is for and what the picture is going to reveal can be added.

===The picture===
* Ongoing description:
** Frames 1-12: A diagonal line.
** Frame 13: A curve seems to begin at the top left of the line.
** Frame 18: The curve connects the diagonal line with a horizontal line.
** Frame 27-28: A new line appears in the bottom left corner.
** Frame 40-42: The new line turns out to be connected to the horizontal line, forming a corner which is not attached to any other line.
** Frame 49: The "camera movement" direction changes, while the object is still moving upward it stopped moving towards the left side, moving towards the right instead. 

*Theories about the picture:
**It seems after two days and 12 pictures like either something is moving into the frame or that it is a zoom out from a white area of a large picture. Maybe it is the arm of Cueball that will come into view.
***That turned out not to be the case!
**Maybe it is some kind of vehicle rolling into frame, like a car?
***No
**Or the word xkcd? (or xkcd 2?)
***No
**Could have been "Hangman", but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet.
***No
**With the new second line appearing in the corner as of frame 28 it looks like it's definitely zooming out of an image. It looks like it could be someone's arm in a running position.
***No
**I think it could also be two legs of a reclining stick person.
***No
**The second line makes it look somewhat like the tail fin of an aircraft.
***Or the wing of an aircraft (left if looking down at it). Perhaps the plane is towing a banner that will fly through the frame.
****After almost a week this looks like the most promising suggestion so far.
*****Now that the direction of the camera movement has changed, we might get to see the rest of the aircraft soon.
****Also since the two lines remain the same distance, the “zooming out” theory seems to be dis-proven.
**The lines suggest a shark fin and the movement would suggest it swimming across the frame.
***If it was a shark fin, then the most likely candidates would be the first dorsal fin and the pectoral fin, but both end in points rather than edges like in the pictures of the header puzzle. An aircraft tail fin still seems most likely.
**Maybe it's a two-dimensional shape viewed from a weird angle?
***Like a rectangle viewed from a floating, tilted perspective
***Or the top of the k in xkcd
***Or a boat dock or something?

===Countdown===
*Theories about the countdown:
*Several have already been mentioned in the discussion:
**Randall's next book, either the countdown is counting down to the start of promotion or it is released when the countdown ends.
***Usually Randall has made month long [[:Category:Book promotion|book promotions]] before release. So if it is the release day it is a new way to do it. But he will get a lot of attention. If it is just the start of promoting it, people might get disappointed…
****For instance he began promoting his [[xkcd_Header_text#2015-05-14_-_New_book_Thing_Explainer|new book Thing Explainer]] in the header text. That was in May 2015 and the book was first released [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/05/13/new-book-thing-explainer/ late November 2015]. Most of this time the header text was promoting the book.
**{{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} (JWST) going into orbit about L2 {{w|Lagrange point}}.
***Randall has already made several comics about the telescope. The latest [[2564: Sunshield]] was released just five days prior to the countdown was started.
***But the telescope will not reach the point but rather go into a large orbit around it, so a precise timer counting down to it seems a bit farfetched.
***On NASA's page on JWST it seems like it will [https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html#25 go into orbit] 29.5 days after its [[December 25th Launch]], on Christmas Day, so it should have already started the orbit by the 23rd or 24th of January - 8 days before the countdown.
**{{w|Lunar New Year}}
***In China it starts on February 1st and a [https://yourcountdown.to/chinese-new-year countdown for China] is 8 hours behind.
****The South Korean time zone is UTC+9, hence 14:59 UTC = 23:59 in South Korea, one minute to Feb 1.
*****But it's weird if Randall that has basically never mentioned this holiday suddenly makes a three week countdown for it, and why choose South Korea when most would think of China in this context…?
**Randall will stop making xkcd (Goodbye in the image).
***Hopefully not.
****Agreed, {{tvtropes|PoisonOakEpilepticTrees|to be avoided}}
**[https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31/ National Backward Day]
***This is not a day mentioned on Wikipedia at the time of release of the countdown, so seems unlikely.
**Maybe it will be an announcement of xkcd 2, a new and improved version for… some reason?
***Seems unlikely…
**{{w|Black History Month}}. The {{w|Greensboro sit-ins}} started on Feb 1 1960. Black History Month also begins on February 1st, also in 2022.
***But this countdown stops early on January 31st so seems unlikely.
***However, before changing the Header recently it was about [[xkcd_Header_text#2020-06-03_-_Black_Lives_Matter|Black Lives Matter]] for more than 1.5 years, first ending on December 20th 2021, less than a month before the countdown began. In between that there was a short Christmas sale reminder until a week into 2022. So it could just be another way of reminding of us the issues faced by black people in the US.
**The accompanying header says specifically "xkcd updates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday"--maybe the countdown is to the reveal of a new update schedule?
***Very unlikely. This was the standard header for a long time. It was used when Randall had nothing better to say. But with all his books and the trouble in US with elections and BLM, he has used the header as a platform most of the time many years now. So the standard text is rare. But he did return it for two days before adding the count down, making it seem just like normal.
***A guess is that it returned to this, so the header text did not take any focus away from the countdown.
**Red spider attack?
***Likely

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Meta]]

Talk:Countdown in header text

2022-01-18T13:06:51Z

Sure:

The talk on from [[2565: Latency]] and [[2566: Decorative Constants]] has been moved here by me when I created this page --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Latency:
What is happening around Feb 1st, there is a countdown that appeared a few hours ago in the upper right corner of the xkcd index. There is also the directory xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef which might be an acronym, if it isnt a countdown package? {{unsigned ip|172.70.130.57}}
:Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I belie you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Decorative Constants
Any idea what's going on with the clock that's counting downwards in the banner? Currently counting down from 20 days 16 hours? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.95|172.70.214.95]] 22:08, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Simultaneous edit) What is the days-hours-minutes in the box above the comic referring to? The image itself is dated yesterday, as you can see by saving it. Worst-case-scenario, is this a countdown to the end of XKCD? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.223|108.162.245.223]] 22:11, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:: It's going to hit zero at around midnight on Jan 31st 2022 CST? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 22:16, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::'''Posted this on the previous comics discussion. But lets take it here where there will be more traffic:''' --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC) -- Copy paste from previous comics discussion:
::::Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I believe you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::::Yeah - you're right - I messed up. So as I type this, it's Jan 10th 2022 at 4pm - 1600 hrs Mountain time - which is 1800 hours EST. At this moment, the countdown reads 20d 16h 0m - so Jan 30th + (18+16) hours = which is Jan 30th + 34 hours - which is Jan 31st + 10am in Boston (EST). [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 23:05, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hey great, can see they agree in the link to reddit below. So happy I got it right both in UTC and Boston. It will be 15:59 here in DK. Not 16:00. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Counting down to Backwards Day? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.88|162.158.91.88]] 23:28, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's a reddit thread discussing it: https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/s0oynl/xkcd_countdown_timer_20d_21h_49m_remaining_until/ I think the most likely guess is that Randall has a new book coming out. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:40, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::Would still seem strange if it came out that day with only promotion before being a count down. But then again, he will have the xkcd communities boiling if he gives no other hint. So every one will see if he promotes a book. Also as they wrote at the time I looked at reddit I do not think it is the end of xkcd, or Webb related. Although Webb was the first I thought about. But I mean even if it came to L2 at that day, it is not going to any specific point but just in orbit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:47, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

::The date fits the idea of it being Backwards Day (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31) but what about the choice of time? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Backwards day... Never head of it until now. Is it big in the US. I mean when looking after dates so obscure they are not mentioned on wikipedia then there are probably lots of things happening on that day? But maybe it is a think in the US? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:48, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::: I haven't heard of it until now either, so it is probably one of the bajillions of holidays no one actually cares about, and is unrelated to the countdown. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.163|108.162.221.163]] 13:22, 11 January 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Someone has noticed the image is changing with pixels added at the bottom left corner and is keeping track of it here: https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.107|198.41.238.107]] 05:49, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:Looks like an image is "moving" into the frame because at the moment you can see some white pixel in the lower left, i.e. the black part might end up as a line as part of some comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.8|162.158.89.8]] 08:31, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::Thanks used that to pinpoint the start of the countdown. Have added this info to the header text page, and the original trivia. Also just added a line of trivia to this explanation with the link. This was when this comic came out most people noticed the count down. But it did came out while [[Latency]] was up. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Speculating on what it could be, the only thing that makes sense at that angle is a character's arm. 04:47, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:As of 7 PM PST, the two lines appear to be disconnected from anything else, which rules out a lot of the theories put forth here. Hmmm… I can’t really think of anything it could be other than the wing of an airplane. Maybe it’ll zoom out after it moves into view?[[User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes]] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 03:17, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

The header changes page says that it's forcing "Friday" to move down to the next line. Not for me. Did he fix it, or is it browser-specific? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:It must be browser specific. But i have tried bot the old Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome and Firefox, and it does it in all cases and zooming does nothing.. Which browser do you use? I have corrected to in some browsers though, in the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|explanation]] you refer to. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

This is much more likely a count down related to the James Webb Space Telescope. At approximately the day the count down indicates the telescope will be orbiting the L2 gravitational spot.Perhaps most of the mirrors will be approximate place to allow for months of fine tuning. An example of a slightly similar idea is https://www.space.com/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-next-steps
[[User:Punchcard|Punchcard]] ([[User talk:Punchcard|talk]]) 15:35, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:I really do not think so. There is nothing special about a specific moment for reaching L2. It will go in orbit around it, but when to day it is there or in orbit is hard to pinpoint. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::And after I looked at it, it seems it will reach L2 several days before the countdown. See [[Countdown in header text#Theories]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think the Countdown should get its own entry. What do we think? [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 16:25, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I think it should! What with the count itself, the speculation about what it could mean, and now the slowly arriving image (?) this seems like something beyond either of the two comics since it started! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.49|108.162.219.49]] 18:00, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I'm surprised it doesn't have one already. This is one of the more unique situations in a long while, more speculation could happen. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 22:26, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::I have now created this page and talk page for us to continue the discussion and make dedicated changes about this countdown here. And have moved all discussion from the two pages that had some already (except a few on the first talk page that was also mentioned here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

If you take a look at this [[https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state|link]] it displays this: '''{"img":"72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png","start":"2022-01-10T17:00:00Z","target":"2022-01-31T15:00:00Z","until":"2022-01-11T20:55:38.205303701Z"}''' [[User:Hoodiesandboba|Hoodiesandboba]] ([[User talk:Hoodiesandboba|talk]]) 20:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:To correct your link:
:"...If you take a look at this [https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state link] it displays..."
:As to where the "72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png" is rooted, I haven't dug into that (or what transforms might be being applied), but it looks like a manipulation of browser states might be able to prematurely reveal it. (I'm on mobile at the moment, and it's significantly more fiddly to poke into the page-scripting and markup than I can be bothered with this moment, but I know what I'd do with a good acreage of screen, mouse control and a proper keyboard to rattle away at. And the combined minds here surely can do even better than myself.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.116|172.70.91.116]] 22:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::The filename is a random number long enough to prevent brute force guessing to find future images. The state-file looks like some information for the javascript script where this URL comes from. I haven't looked into the script that much but from the values I'd say that it's telling when to start doing refreshs (2022-01-10T17:00:00Z) and when to stop doing that (2022-01-31T15:00:00Z). While these values are constant, the third value changes and is ten minutes after the time the page has been requested. I suppose this is telling the script, when to do a refresh of the image load. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:::After some fiddeling, I've found the origin of the filename: It's the SHA-256 hash of the image [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
::::There's already a note that it would be impossible to brute-force the filenames. But as the images are very similar to each other, would it be feasible to programmatically generate images similar to the last one (extending up and to the right, different variations of the line shape), hash those files, and test to see if they match images on the server? I'd expect it to reduce the number of possibilities by orders of magnitude, but not sure if that's enough to make brute-force attempts feasible and non-destructive. (Also don't know the PNG format well enough to know if an image with the same pixels in it is guaranteed to produce the same bytes in the file across different implementations) -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:16, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hmm… if it was pure black and white, the total number of possible images would be within the realms of sanity to brute force. But add antialiasing and the numbers rapidly become silly. Even if you only allow pixels to change within a certain distance of the previous image, and restrict greys to places between a black and a white, the numbers quickly become absurd. Although that makes me think about making 1-bit versions of all the images so far, predicting a set of "next frame" possibilities at each step, and training a CNN to pick the correct next one; and if it gets accurate enough by the time we get to the present… hmm. How predictable is antialiasing? Do we know the software he's using to create the images; and if so is there a relatively predictable algorithm applied along the edges? [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:41, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

I think it counts down to Lunar New Year (the Year of the Tiger), as measured in Korea (the earliest timezone where that is celebrated). Actually, it reaches 0 one minute before the New Year, so maybe it will switch to seconds for the last minute. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.75|172.70.98.75]] 05:10, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:Could be, but why. Randall has never to rarely? mentioned this new year... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think we are seeing a zoom out of some image. Perhaps it is the arm of Cueball? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:36, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:It looks like there's a little curve at the top left of the line entering the frame! This makes the Cueball arm hypothesis more likely. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 14:18, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::I also noticed that (and moved your comment up here, as it is kind of a reply to that). Seems like the picture updates every four hours, and that it happened last time at noon UTC today. And thus it will also be at midnight. So 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24. But it is not certain yet and not sure it happened like that the first day or two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added the first 12 images on this page: [[Countdown in header text/images]] - anyone may help uploading the new ones there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:43, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
: Thank you! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.194|173.245.52.194]] 12:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

Does anyone mind if I make a few spelling/grammar corrections to the article? It feels like the kind of thing that could be interpreted as rude, so I wanted to ask first. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.167|172.70.114.167]] 13:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:No no please help me with my poor spelling. I'm Danish and not very good at spelling in English. Also anything I write is up for debate and can be changed. Just because I started this page do not give me ownership over it. As long as relevant info is not deleted the entire layout maybe changed. But better to get the page going sooner rather than later.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::Alright!! Thank you so much for all your great work on this page! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.151|172.70.110.151]] 18:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I originally put this (without realising it wasn't the Talk page) in the Images sub-page, in response to the revelation it was (very probably) the SHA256 of the image data that was used to name the file:
*When I first looked at it and decided it was an obvious hash (yes SHA256 sounds about right, but nice to know someone's tried it) I personally had hoped it would be a hash of the datetime (plus a salt, maybe, to give it that extra little frisson of difficulty in reverse engineering... ;) ). But if it's as you say I think I'll refrain from getting any rainbow-tables set up and bashing through the possibilities in the rather huge phase-space it could represent. Of course, there must be a look-up table used by the server. It'd be too much to hope for that it's publically exposed though, and totally a rookie-error if it is. (That Randall, and maybe anyone he actually drafted in to implement it to save himself the worry, is surely not going to commit.)
...anyway, bringing it here, as being more conversational than informative. Still thought I should say it, but stupidly long as a comment so maybe I needn't have repasted it again! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 03:39, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

(Put this in here as it was before in the explanation --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC):)
Was going to say it's Hangman, but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 06:37, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I read the javascript of the countdown and noticed one thing that i didn't see mentioned anywhere on this page: the countdown text is moving upwards. When the countdown started the text was exactly in the middle of the image and at the end of the countdown the text will be at the top (you can see how it will look by changing the time in your system). The code will also make the text disappear and leave only the image after the countdown goes to zero. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.41|162.158.90.41]] 23:52, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:Uuuh thanks that was interesting. Maybe to make more room for the image? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

The Greensboro sit-ins started on Feb 1, though the time is different.. But black history month? {{unsigned ip|172.70.135.48}}

Thanks to [[User:Theusaf|Theusaf]] for helping with putting the images up on the image page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

Anyone here that can make an animation out of the images and put it in the explanation? If it is "easy" could it be updated some times on the way towards the final image on January 31st... Like the one on [[Time]]. That would be really nice. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:02, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:I made an animation: [https://imgur.com/a/INh77nL] (Now i realize it wasn't needed because there already is automatically updating animation linked from the page...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.105|162.158.159.105]] 18:18, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

There's something else moving into the frame... We'll have to see what it is. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 19:12, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

To even find this page, I had to page backward through the comic to get to Decorative Constants, go to the discussion, and come across the link to this page from there. I suggest that there be a direct link to this page from the explanation of every comic that existed while the countdown was in progress. A second question: has anyone determined for sure whether the ‘camera’ is zooming out from a blank spot in the final image, in which case we can expect other stuff to come into view from above and right, OR is it panning onto an image that is not changing size, in which case nothing will appear except from the direction it’s moving toward? And if it’s panning, has anyone tried estimating where the current stuff will end up?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.76|108.162.246.76]] 07:42, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I agree with you and have now changed the four comics that was active while the count down was active so far, so the link to this page is above their explanations. If people keep updating like this for new comics, there will be a link to the countdown page from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page front page]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:40, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

Does Randall already have kids? If not, maybe his wife is expecting? That's something you'd announce and the last two comics are about kids. Another idea: he's going to space 🚀. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.115|162.158.233.115]] 20:47, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I’m sure he would have a birth announcement afterward, but I doubt he would try to predict it to the exact second, 21 days in advance.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.105|162.158.106.105]] 22:36, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
::Maybe it's a C section? Those are usually scheduled. lol but yeah that's unlikely.Wouldn't rule it out though.[[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:58, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

I noticed that it almost appears to be the tail fin of an airplane. I don’t know if it is, or if an airplane even makes sense? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.57|172.70.230.57]] 22:11, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's not enough time for it to make the several passes necessary, before the big 'reveal', but I'd have suspected Randall capable of parodying the {{w|Airplane!}} in-title parody of {{w|Jaws}}. Would have somewhat been a {{w|Shaggy dog story|shaggy}}-{{tvtropes|Brick_Joke|brick}} joke, but wouldn't put it past him... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 00:18, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

I believe it looks like he would draw the arm and upper "body" of a person running to the left. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.107|172.68.50.107]] 01:11, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one thinking it'll be another extra long comic like 1190? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.91|108.162.241.91]] 02:52, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Randall is secretly in space, having launched a few days after JWST, and the countdown is to when NASA will see the fruits of his elaborate plan to create the most epic photo bomb of all time. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.220|162.158.187.220]] 20:59, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Surprised no one has linked to the xkcd comic called Countdown. It centers on the problem of having a countdown to something and people not knowing what it is (and also not being able to see all relevant information). Seems relevant in a couple ways. https://xkcd.com/1159/

Did anyone calculate the speed/acceleration of the object moving in the frame? We can predict future positions if nothing changes

Randall's new comic is about hyposthesis genration (Sound familiar?), and the title text makes a lot of sense if you think about it from his perspective. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:06, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2569: Hypothesis Generation

2022-01-18T13:04:53Z

Sure:

Talk:2569: Hypothesis Generation

2022-01-18T13:01:46Z

Sure:

Talk:Countdown in header text

2022-01-17T13:58:10Z

Sure:

The talk on from [[2565: Latency]] and [[2566: Decorative Constants]] has been moved here by me when I created this page --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Latency:
What is happening around Feb 1st, there is a countdown that appeared a few hours ago in the upper right corner of the xkcd index. There is also the directory xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef which might be an acronym, if it isnt a countdown package? {{unsigned ip|172.70.130.57}}
:Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I belie you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

;From Decorative Constants
Any idea what's going on with the clock that's counting downwards in the banner? Currently counting down from 20 days 16 hours? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.95|172.70.214.95]] 22:08, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Simultaneous edit) What is the days-hours-minutes in the box above the comic referring to? The image itself is dated yesterday, as you can see by saving it. Worst-case-scenario, is this a countdown to the end of XKCD? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.223|108.162.245.223]] 22:11, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:: It's going to hit zero at around midnight on Jan 31st 2022 CST? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 22:16, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::'''Posted this on the previous comics discussion. But lets take it here where there will be more traffic:''' --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC) -- Copy paste from previous comics discussion:
::::Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I believe you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::::Yeah - you're right - I messed up. So as I type this, it's Jan 10th 2022 at 4pm - 1600 hrs Mountain time - which is 1800 hours EST. At this moment, the countdown reads 20d 16h 0m - so Jan 30th + (18+16) hours = which is Jan 30th + 34 hours - which is Jan 31st + 10am in Boston (EST). [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 23:05, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hey great, can see they agree in the link to reddit below. So happy I got it right both in UTC and Boston. It will be 15:59 here in DK. Not 16:00. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Counting down to Backwards Day? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.88|162.158.91.88]] 23:28, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's a reddit thread discussing it: https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/s0oynl/xkcd_countdown_timer_20d_21h_49m_remaining_until/ I think the most likely guess is that Randall has a new book coming out. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:40, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::Would still seem strange if it came out that day with only promotion before being a count down. But then again, he will have the xkcd communities boiling if he gives no other hint. So every one will see if he promotes a book. Also as they wrote at the time I looked at reddit I do not think it is the end of xkcd, or Webb related. Although Webb was the first I thought about. But I mean even if it came to L2 at that day, it is not going to any specific point but just in orbit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:47, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

::The date fits the idea of it being Backwards Day (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31) but what about the choice of time? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Backwards day... Never head of it until now. Is it big in the US. I mean when looking after dates so obscure they are not mentioned on wikipedia then there are probably lots of things happening on that day? But maybe it is a think in the US? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:48, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::: I haven't heard of it until now either, so it is probably one of the bajillions of holidays no one actually cares about, and is unrelated to the countdown. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.163|108.162.221.163]] 13:22, 11 January 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Someone has noticed the image is changing with pixels added at the bottom left corner and is keeping track of it here: https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.107|198.41.238.107]] 05:49, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:Looks like an image is "moving" into the frame because at the moment you can see some white pixel in the lower left, i.e. the black part might end up as a line as part of some comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.8|162.158.89.8]] 08:31, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::Thanks used that to pinpoint the start of the countdown. Have added this info to the header text page, and the original trivia. Also just added a line of trivia to this explanation with the link. This was when this comic came out most people noticed the count down. But it did came out while [[Latency]] was up. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Speculating on what it could be, the only thing that makes sense at that angle is a character's arm. 04:47, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:As of 7 PM PST, the two lines appear to be disconnected from anything else, which rules out a lot of the theories put forth here. Hmmm… I can’t really think of anything it could be other than the wing of an airplane. Maybe it’ll zoom out after it moves into view?[[User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes]] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 03:17, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

The header changes page says that it's forcing "Friday" to move down to the next line. Not for me. Did he fix it, or is it browser-specific? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:It must be browser specific. But i have tried bot the old Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome and Firefox, and it does it in all cases and zooming does nothing.. Which browser do you use? I have corrected to in some browsers though, in the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|explanation]] you refer to. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

This is much more likely a count down related to the James Webb Space Telescope. At approximately the day the count down indicates the telescope will be orbiting the L2 gravitational spot.Perhaps most of the mirrors will be approximate place to allow for months of fine tuning. An example of a slightly similar idea is https://www.space.com/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-next-steps
[[User:Punchcard|Punchcard]] ([[User talk:Punchcard|talk]]) 15:35, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:I really do not think so. There is nothing special about a specific moment for reaching L2. It will go in orbit around it, but when to day it is there or in orbit is hard to pinpoint. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::And after I looked at it, it seems it will reach L2 several days before the countdown. See [[Countdown in header text#Theories]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think the Countdown should get its own entry. What do we think? [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 16:25, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I think it should! What with the count itself, the speculation about what it could mean, and now the slowly arriving image (?) this seems like something beyond either of the two comics since it started! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.49|108.162.219.49]] 18:00, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: I'm surprised it doesn't have one already. This is one of the more unique situations in a long while, more speculation could happen. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 22:26, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::I have now created this page and talk page for us to continue the discussion and make dedicated changes about this countdown here. And have moved all discussion from the two pages that had some already (except a few on the first talk page that was also mentioned here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

If you take a look at this [[https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state|link]] it displays this: '''{"img":"72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png","start":"2022-01-10T17:00:00Z","target":"2022-01-31T15:00:00Z","until":"2022-01-11T20:55:38.205303701Z"}''' [[User:Hoodiesandboba|Hoodiesandboba]] ([[User talk:Hoodiesandboba|talk]]) 20:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:To correct your link:
:"...If you take a look at this [https://xkcd.com/count-wimRikmef/state link] it displays..."
:As to where the "72cb154b23f959f908f5dc8eb03069c6df3f0f54aae896a0e7ed27befb2ee639.png" is rooted, I haven't dug into that (or what transforms might be being applied), but it looks like a manipulation of browser states might be able to prematurely reveal it. (I'm on mobile at the moment, and it's significantly more fiddly to poke into the page-scripting and markup than I can be bothered with this moment, but I know what I'd do with a good acreage of screen, mouse control and a proper keyboard to rattle away at. And the combined minds here surely can do even better than myself.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.116|172.70.91.116]] 22:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::The filename is a random number long enough to prevent brute force guessing to find future images. The state-file looks like some information for the javascript script where this URL comes from. I haven't looked into the script that much but from the values I'd say that it's telling when to start doing refreshs (2022-01-10T17:00:00Z) and when to stop doing that (2022-01-31T15:00:00Z). While these values are constant, the third value changes and is ten minutes after the time the page has been requested. I suppose this is telling the script, when to do a refresh of the image load. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:::After some fiddeling, I've found the origin of the filename: It's the SHA-256 hash of the image [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.16|141.101.77.16]] 11:05, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
::::There's already a note that it would be impossible to brute-force the filenames. But as the images are very similar to each other, would it be feasible to programmatically generate images similar to the last one (extending up and to the right, different variations of the line shape), hash those files, and test to see if they match images on the server? I'd expect it to reduce the number of possibilities by orders of magnitude, but not sure if that's enough to make brute-force attempts feasible and non-destructive. (Also don't know the PNG format well enough to know if an image with the same pixels in it is guaranteed to produce the same bytes in the file across different implementations) -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:16, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hmm… if it was pure black and white, the total number of possible images would be within the realms of sanity to brute force. But add antialiasing and the numbers rapidly become silly. Even if you only allow pixels to change within a certain distance of the previous image, and restrict greys to places between a black and a white, the numbers quickly become absurd. Although that makes me think about making 1-bit versions of all the images so far, predicting a set of "next frame" possibilities at each step, and training a CNN to pick the correct next one; and if it gets accurate enough by the time we get to the present… hmm. How predictable is antialiasing? Do we know the software he's using to create the images; and if so is there a relatively predictable algorithm applied along the edges? [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:41, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

I think it counts down to Lunar New Year (the Year of the Tiger), as measured in Korea (the earliest timezone where that is celebrated). Actually, it reaches 0 one minute before the New Year, so maybe it will switch to seconds for the last minute. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.75|172.70.98.75]] 05:10, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:Could be, but why. Randall has never to rarely? mentioned this new year... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:13, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I think we are seeing a zoom out of some image. Perhaps it is the arm of Cueball? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:36, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:It looks like there's a little curve at the top left of the line entering the frame! This makes the Cueball arm hypothesis more likely. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 14:18, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::I also noticed that (and moved your comment up here, as it is kind of a reply to that). Seems like the picture updates every four hours, and that it happened last time at noon UTC today. And thus it will also be at midnight. So 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24. But it is not certain yet and not sure it happened like that the first day or two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added the first 12 images on this page: [[Countdown in header text/images]] - anyone may help uploading the new ones there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:43, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
: Thank you! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.194|173.245.52.194]] 12:44, 12 January 2022 (UTC)

Does anyone mind if I make a few spelling/grammar corrections to the article? It feels like the kind of thing that could be interpreted as rude, so I wanted to ask first. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.167|172.70.114.167]] 13:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
:No no please help me with my poor spelling. I'm Danish and not very good at spelling in English. Also anything I write is up for debate and can be changed. Just because I started this page do not give me ownership over it. As long as relevant info is not deleted the entire layout maybe changed. But better to get the page going sooner rather than later.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:46, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
::Alright!! Thank you so much for all your great work on this page! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.151|172.70.110.151]] 18:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I originally put this (without realising it wasn't the Talk page) in the Images sub-page, in response to the revelation it was (very probably) the SHA256 of the image data that was used to name the file:
*When I first looked at it and decided it was an obvious hash (yes SHA256 sounds about right, but nice to know someone's tried it) I personally had hoped it would be a hash of the datetime (plus a salt, maybe, to give it that extra little frisson of difficulty in reverse engineering... ;) ). But if it's as you say I think I'll refrain from getting any rainbow-tables set up and bashing through the possibilities in the rather huge phase-space it could represent. Of course, there must be a look-up table used by the server. It'd be too much to hope for that it's publically exposed though, and totally a rookie-error if it is. (That Randall, and maybe anyone he actually drafted in to implement it to save himself the worry, is surely not going to commit.)
...anyway, bringing it here, as being more conversational than informative. Still thought I should say it, but stupidly long as a comment so maybe I needn't have repasted it again! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 03:39, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

(Put this in here as it was before in the explanation --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC):)
Was going to say it's Hangman, but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet. [[User:Thisfox|Thisfox]] ([[User talk:Thisfox|talk]]) 06:37, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

I read the javascript of the countdown and noticed one thing that i didn't see mentioned anywhere on this page: the countdown text is moving upwards. When the countdown started the text was exactly in the middle of the image and at the end of the countdown the text will be at the top (you can see how it will look by changing the time in your system). The code will also make the text disappear and leave only the image after the countdown goes to zero. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.41|162.158.90.41]] 23:52, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
:Uuuh thanks that was interesting. Maybe to make more room for the image? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

The Greensboro sit-ins started on Feb 1, though the time is different.. But black history month? {{unsigned ip|172.70.135.48}}

Thanks to [[User:Theusaf|Theusaf]] for helping with putting the images up on the image page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

Anyone here that can make an animation out of the images and put it in the explanation? If it is "easy" could it be updated some times on the way towards the final image on January 31st... Like the one on [[Time]]. That would be really nice. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:02, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
:I made an animation: [https://imgur.com/a/INh77nL] (Now i realize it wasn't needed because there already is automatically updating animation linked from the page...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.105|162.158.159.105]] 18:18, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

There's something else moving into the frame... We'll have to see what it is. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 19:12, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

To even find this page, I had to page backward through the comic to get to Decorative Constants, go to the discussion, and come across the link to this page from there. I suggest that there be a direct link to this page from the explanation of every comic that existed while the countdown was in progress. A second question: has anyone determined for sure whether the ‘camera’ is zooming out from a blank spot in the final image, in which case we can expect other stuff to come into view from above and right, OR is it panning onto an image that is not changing size, in which case nothing will appear except from the direction it’s moving toward? And if it’s panning, has anyone tried estimating where the current stuff will end up?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.76|108.162.246.76]] 07:42, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I agree with you and have now changed the four comics that was active while the count down was active so far, so the link to this page is above their explanations. If people keep updating like this for new comics, there will be a link to the countdown page from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page front page]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:40, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

Does Randall already have kids? If not, maybe his wife is expecting? That's something you'd announce and the last two comics are about kids. Another idea: he's going to space 🚀. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.115|162.158.233.115]] 20:47, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
:I’m sure he would have a birth announcement afterward, but I doubt he would try to predict it to the exact second, 21 days in advance.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.105|162.158.106.105]] 22:36, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
::Maybe it's a C section? Those are usually scheduled. lol but yeah that's unlikely.Wouldn't rule it out though.[[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 13:58, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

I noticed that it almost appears to be the tail fin of an airplane. I don’t know if it is, or if an airplane even makes sense? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.57|172.70.230.57]] 22:11, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

I believe it looks like he would draw the arm and upper "body" of a person running to the left. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.107|172.68.50.107]] 01:11, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one thinking it'll be another extra long comic like 1190? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.91|108.162.241.91]] 02:52, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Randall is secretly in space, having launched a few days after JWST, and the countdown is to when NASA will see the fruits of his elaborate plan to create the most epic photo bomb of all time. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.220|162.158.187.220]] 20:59, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Talk:Countdown in header text

2022-01-14T19:12:20Z

Sure:

Talk:Countdown in header text

2022-01-12T14:18:44Z

Sure:

Talk:2566: Decorative Constants

2022-01-11T16:25:39Z

Sure: /* Count down clock */

I don't have any idea what to put in the actual description, but whoever does should probably note that r(in) - r(out) equals zero, not one. And multiplying by a constant 0 absolutely changes the value! [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:59, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
: rout and rin are different values. The subscripts represent different instances of the same variable at different point. In the same way, you might calculate something happening over a time interval tend - tstart . [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.77|172.69.71.77]] 23:02, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::Yes for sure they are two different values. On the other hand if μ is not 1 then the it is not just decorative! D on the other hand is just a proportionality constant, which may have a value other than 1. I have tried to put something in the explanation here. Quite a bit. Do not really now anything about Drag, so just took it from the wiki page. Also I hope someone can explain the formula in the image, as I'm sure it is just something about the flow, that would relate it to a drag equation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:41, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Note that the title text is pretty much word-for-word a repeat from Randall's book *How To*. In Chapter 11: *How to Play Football*, he misuses the drag equation, and mentions this fact in more depth, in a footnote. Bit of trivia! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.79|162.158.134.79]] 23:13, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:Nice, I will have to check up on that. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:41, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:Can confirm this, the book mentions that the "traditional tribute to Euler and Bernoulli" comes from Frank White's ''Fluid Mechanics'' textbook. [[User:Clam|Clam]] ([[User talk:Clam|talk]]) 01:08, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:: There it is, page 266 in the 1986 2nd edition: "They both have a factor ½ as a traditional tribute to Bernoulli and Euler, and both are based on the projected area..." https://books.google.com/books?id=wGweAQAAIAAJ&q=traditional -- [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.5|172.70.162.5]] 02:13, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Great thanks have included both references in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:32, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:Wait, wouldn't the values be twice as big (rather than half as big) if you left off the 1/2? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.154|141.101.69.154]] 12:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

Of course, the c^2 im e=mc^2 is just as decorative, when using natural units where c=1.... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.171|172.68.50.171]] 00:29, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
: And the resulting equation is then just e=m - or m=e which is beautiful and profound. "Mass is Energy". Without the complications, you stop thinking of it as a PROCESS for converting one into the other and get the more profound point that Mass and Energy are the exact same thing. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:33, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

==Count down clock==
;Keep discussion of comic above this, and further discussion of countdown here below!!!
Any idea what's going on with the clock that's counting downwards in the banner? Currently counting down from 20 days 16 hours? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.95|172.70.214.95]] 22:08, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Simultaneous edit) What is the days-hours-minutes in the box above the comic referring to? The image itself is dated yesterday, as you can see by saving it. Worst-case-scenario, is this a countdown to the end of XKCD? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.223|108.162.245.223]] 22:11, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:: It's going to hit zero at around midnight on Jan 31st 2022 CST? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 22:16, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::'''Posted [[Talk:2565:_Latency#Countdown|this]] on the previous comics discussion. But lets take it here where there will be more traffic:''' --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC) -- Copy paste from previous comics discussion:
::::Damn you beat me to it ;-). But I have made a [[2565:_Latency#Trivia|Trivia]] here on this comics page and links to more detail on the [[xkcd Header text]] page. I believe you are a day of, but someone will likely correct me if I'm wrong. As I can see it will be January 31st, 9:59 in Randall's home town Boston.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::But damned if I can wait. Sure millions will watch the page when it goes to zero! At least it is no April 1st. :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::::Yeah - you're right - I messed up. So as I type this, it's Jan 10th 2022 at 4pm - 1600 hrs Mountain time - which is 1800 hours EST. At this moment, the countdown reads 20d 16h 0m - so Jan 30th + (18+16) hours = which is Jan 30th + 34 hours - which is Jan 31st + 10am in Boston (EST). [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 23:05, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:::::Hey great, can see they agree in the link to reddit below. So happy I got it right both in UTC and Boston. It will be 15:59 here in DK. Not 16:00. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:44, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Counting down to Backwards Day? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.88|162.158.91.88]] 23:28, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
:There's a reddit thread discussing it: https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/s0oynl/xkcd_countdown_timer_20d_21h_49m_remaining_until/ I think the most likely guess is that Randall has a new book coming out. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:40, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
::Would still seem strange if it came out that day with only promotion before being a count down. But then again, he will have the xkcd communities boiling if he gives no other hint. So every one will see if he promotes a book. Also as they wrote at the time I looked at reddit I do not think it is the end of xkcd, or Webb related. Although Webb was the first I thought about. But I mean even if it came to L2 at that day, it is not going to any specific point but just in orbit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:47, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

::The date fits the idea of it being Backwards Day (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31) but what about the choice of time? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 03:38, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::Backwards day... Never head of it until now. Is it big in the US. I mean when looking after dates so obscure they are not mentioned on wikipedia then there are probably lots of things happening on that day? But maybe it is a think in the US? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:48, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:::: I haven't heard of it until now either, so it is probably one of the bajillions of holidays no one actually cares about, and is unrelated to the countdown. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.163|108.162.221.163]] 13:22, 11 January 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Someone has noticed the image is changing with pixels added at the bottom left corner and is keeping track of it here: https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.107|198.41.238.107]] 05:49, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
:Looks like an image is "moving" into the frame because at the moment you can see some white pixel in the lower left, i.e. the black part might end up as a line as part of some comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.8|162.158.89.8]] 08:31, 11 January 2022 (UTC)
::Thanks used that to pinpoint the start of the countdown. Have added this info to the header text page, and the original trivia. Also just added a line of trivia to this explanation with the link. This was when this comic came out most people noticed the count down. But it did came out while [[Latency]] was up. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:43, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

The header changes page says that it's forcing "Friday" to move down to the next line. Not for me. Did he fix it, or is it browser-specific? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:58, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

This is much more likely a count down related to the James Webb Space Telescope. At approximately the day the count down indicates the telescope will be orbiting the L2 gravitational spot.Perhaps most of the mirrors will be approximate place to allow for months of fine tuning. An example of a slightly similar idea is https://www.space.com/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-next-steps
[[User:Punchcard|Punchcard]] ([[User talk:Punchcard|talk]]) 15:35, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

I think the Countdown should get its own entry. What do we think? [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 16:25, 11 January 2022 (UTC)

2552: The Last Molecule

2022-01-05T16:08:38Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry." As deep learning algorithms can now predict chemical properties of proteins in advance of measurement, this situation may be looming closer.

Like [[2268:_Further_Research_is_Needed|comic 2268]], this may be a reference to a quote from around 1900, often attributed to Lord Kelvin or Albert Michelson: "There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement." More likely, this is a reference to attempts by Frege and by Russell and Whitehead a century ago to prove using symbolic logic the completeness of arithmetic. This turned out to be impossible since Kurt Goedel's famous Incompleteness Theorem proved that at least one proposition could neither be proved true or false. Against this background, the idea that natural sciences could be 90+% complete is humorously exaggerated.

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules grows combinatorically with the number of atoms in a molecule. Since molecules can be extremely large (up until the point where gravity takes over and initiates nuclear fusion), the number of possible combinations is much much larger than the number of particles in the observable universe, making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we did have a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed.

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth, or Mathematics' {{w|classification of finite simple groups}} (only the latter was, surprisingly, actually completed successfully).

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better (finite order group theory did not shutter its doors after all finite simple groups were classified). No scientific field is considered fully understood. As readers are aware of this, part of the humor comes from the very high percentages given to the different fields. Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. Another part of the humor is the precision. As mentioned in the title text, we can't even give a definitive answer to changing-target yet deceptively simple questions like "How many kinds of ants are there?"

If biology ''were'' simply a matter of cataloging species, we are currently at around 10-20%. And yes many of them are ants; when J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what he learned about God from studying creation, he reportedly said [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/06/23/beetles/ "God is incredibly fond of beetles"]. Counting species aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars.

As for Physics, all the elementary particles of the Standard Model of particle physics have been experimentally detected, culminating in the 2012 detection of the {{w|Higgs Boson}}. But questions such as "what is dark matter?", "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?", "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?", "is the speed of light symmetrical?", and "how many dimensions does the universe have?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

The title text in particular makes fun of Biology lagging behind due to the inherent difficulty of cataloging all species. Species are being constantly created and recategorized, so even if it were possible to know exactly what animals were alive on Earth at any one time, and which could interbreed, there would still be no agreement on the number of species they constituted, and that's without even getting into historic species, such as the contentious question of whether Neanderthals are considered a subspecies of homo sapiens, or a whole separate species.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide which Ponytail is pointing to, there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" which is at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" which is at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule which is captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2541: Occam

2022-01-05T16:04:58Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic invokes three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox|Barber Paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to evoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all those, and those only, in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he shouldn’t, and if he doesn’t, then he should. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analogue of {{w|Russell's paradox|Russell's Paradox}} in set theory.

Megan references Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" and the name Occam, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. Strictly speaking, Occam (or {{w|Ockham}}) is a village in Surrey, where the friar and philosopher William of Occam lived, so it would be more correct to say that "William shaves the barber," but that wouldn't get her meaning across as clearly. (Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox, as the barber is still not shaving himself, so he should shave himself, so he shouldn't shave himself...)

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." When you shave with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}}, there's multiple things that could {{w|Sweeney Todd|go wrong}}, many of which would cause harm to the person being shaved. Alternatively, invoking Murphy's law makes the principle of Occam's Razor itself, or its use in the comic, "go wrong", possibly rendering the solution invalid.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding a hand palm up towards Cueball as they are walking together.]
:Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

{{comic discussion}}

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

2541: Occam

2022-01-05T16:04:12Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic conflates three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox|Barber Paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to evoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all those, and those only, in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he shouldn’t, and if he doesn’t, then he should. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analogue of {{w|Russell's paradox|Russell's Paradox}} in set theory.

Megan references Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" and the name Occam, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. Strictly speaking, Occam (or {{w|Ockham}}) is a village in Surrey, where the friar and philosopher William of Occam lived, so it would be more correct to say that "William shaves the barber," but that wouldn't get her meaning across as clearly. (Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox, as the barber is still not shaving himself, so he should shave himself, so he shouldn't shave himself...)

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." When you shave with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}}, there's multiple things that could {{w|Sweeney Todd|go wrong}}, many of which would cause harm to the person being shaved. Alternatively, invoking Murphy's law makes the principle of Occam's Razor itself, or its use in the comic, "go wrong", possibly rendering the solution invalid.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding a hand palm up towards Cueball as they are walking together.]
:Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

{{comic discussion}}

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

104: Find You

2022-01-01T23:46:41Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] climbing on a rope in a cavern. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is his partner.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor, gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds them.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. Cueball is climbing onto a rope that is dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

==Trivia==
*There used to be a rickroll here.

2414: Solar System Compression Artifacts

2021-09-01T02:35:22Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2414
| date = January 20, 2021
| title = Solar System Compression Artifacts
| image = solar_system_compression_artifacts.png
| titletext = Most of our universe consists of dark matter rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's dynamic range issues.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MISSING PHYSICAL PHENOMENON LOST DUE TO HIGH COMPRESSION. More on the title text - dark matter and dynamic range issues need to be explained in more detail. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a [[:Category:Space probes|space probe]] launched by the United States in 1977. Originally designed to study the outer planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, it is now several decades into an extended mission beyond Neptune. The Voyager probe has made history for passing many milestones of our solar system.

When images are compressed by a {{w|lossy compression}} format (e.g. {{w|JPEG}}), visual artifacts are created. Randall here is suggesting that the probe has passed the artifacts as if the artifacts were an actual feature of the solar system rather than a consequence of our technology. The banding lines he has drawn are commonly seen in old images with low bit depth built by software that doesn't implement a technique to remove them called dithering. However, the slightly discolored regions often created by compression could also be a metaphor for the region of space that that solar radiation prevents from being a complete vacuum: because there is some gas in these areas, they may reflect light, causing banding lines when their density is high enough. Voyager 1 has passed through numerous such boundaries, as mentioned previously in [[1189: Voyager 1]].

Compression artifacts are often caused by large changes in coloration over a short distance, and Randall could feel that the drastic change in coloration from bright sun to dark vacuum could be creating a compression artifact around the Sun, somewhat like the Sun looking blurry due to low video quality. However, there is no definite region where solar radiation stops, only a boundary where it fades to a level lower than that of radiation from other sources. Some compression methods result in compression artifacts that behave in the same way, fading as the distance from the color boundary increases but never completely disappearing.

The 'solar system' in the snapshot appears to be a 4-bit greyscale-plane at a more pixelated level than the image given. It can be picked out as being in 16 'banded' levels from the brightest (closest zones, within this image, to the Sun) to darkest (the furthest illustrated expanses, heading into interstellar space), with irregular or non-trivial transitional edges but no obvious or dominant dithering/speckling or 'noise'. The Voyager image (and track) is overlaid at finer resolution in the white 'line drawing' format.

The 'apparent pixels' seem to be at a resolution close to the order of 1AU². A rough count of the pixelation boundaries from the craft to the leftmost edge, plus an additional allowance for the likely radius of the 'sun' (or, rather, its solar wind density, or similarly represented measure) still beyond the edge, is surprisingly close to to the ~150 AU current distance of Voyager 1.

For perspective, the Earth is then within/adjacent to the single lower-resolution 'pixel' that holds the Sun, and as of the comic's date of publication, over on its far side. But the Sun itself is not even visible, as the bright ball of pixels representing its environs is centered off the left side of the comic. It would be a dot so far beyond the left boundary of the image that Neptune, at around 30 'pixels' distance, may only ''just'' be placed within the leftmost extreme of this view at its own rightmost point in its orbit. The overlaid Voyager 'sketch' (in its more native resolution/bit-depth and antialiasing) stretches out over maybe a dozen such low-res pixels/AUs; this suggests that the viewpoint of the observer is close to the Voyager craft, making the craft appear large by comparison.

Randall humorously implies in this comic that exiting the compression artifacts is the best way to determine whether an object has left the Solar System, which is obviously not correct.{{Citation needed}}

In the title text the mystery of the undetectable {{w|Dark Matter}}, which current mainstream physics supposes makes up most of the mass in the universe, is explained since this dark matter is rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's {{w|dynamic range}} issues (thus brushing against the theme of a simulated universe). When an area is too dark or too bright for a system (computer simulation, screen, camera, etc.), it is shown as either absolute black or absolute white, respectively. There might be details in that area that is outside of the dynamic range of the system, but the system is unable to handle the inputs. The title text is saying that dark matter is too dark{{Citation needed}} to be properly rendered in detail.

Artifacts are evident in [[1683: Digital Data]], and mentioned in the title text of [[331: Photoshops]].

==Transcript==
:[Irregular bands of gray are shown, shading from a white circular segment on the lower left side of the panel to completely black on the right. The bands have pixelated edges. A small white space probe is shown just outside the last dark gray band, in the completely black area. A dotted line starting from inside the dark gray area and ending at the space probe indicates that it is moving to the right, out of the gray area. Close to the white area, there are many bands packed closely together and with hard to define edges. But there are five gray areas clearly separated from the white, with a tendency to be elongated in the space probe's direction.]

:[Caption below the panel]: Milestone: ''Voyager'' has passed through the streaming video compression artifacts that mark the edge of the solar system

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space probes]]

2414: Solar System Compression Artifacts

2021-09-01T02:34:45Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2414
| date = January 20, 2021
| title = Solar System Compression Artifacts
| image = solar_system_compression_artifacts.png
| titletext = Most of our universe consists of dark matter rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's dynamic range issues.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MISSING PHYSICAL PHENOMENON LOST DUE TO HIGH COMPRESSION. More on the title text - dark matter and dynamic range issues need to be explained in more detail. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a [[:Category:Space probes|space probe]] launched by the United States in 1977. Originally designed to study the outer planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, it is now several decades into an extended mission beyond Neptune. The Voyager probe has made history for passing many milestones of our solar system.

When images are compressed by a {{w|lossy compression}} format (e.g. {{w|JPEG}}), visual artifacts are created. Randall here is suggesting that the probe has passed the artifacts as if the artifacts were an actual feature of the solar system rather than a consequence of our technology. The banding lines he has drawn are commonly seen in old images with low bit depth built by software that doesn't implement a technique to remove them called dithering. However, the slightly discolored regions often created by compression could also be a metaphor for the region of space that that solar radiation prevents from being a complete vacuum: because there is some gas in these areas, they may reflect light, causing banding lines when their density is high enough. Voyager 1 has passed through numerous such boundaries, as mentioned previously in [[1189: Voyager 1]].

Compression artifacts are often caused by large changes in coloration over a short distance, and Randall could feel that the drastic change in coloration from bright sun to dark vacuum could be creating a compression artifact around the Sun, somewhat like the Sun looking blurry due to low video quality. However, there is no definite region where solar radiation stops, only a boundary where it fades to a level lower than that of radiation from other sources. Some compression methods result in compression artifacts that behave in the same way, fading as the distance from the color boundary increases but never completely disappearing.

The 'solar system' in the snapshot appears to be a 4-bit greyscale-plane at a more pixelated level than the image given. It can be picked out as being in 16 'banded' levels from the brightest (closest zones, within this image, to the Sun) to darkest (the furthest illustrated expanses, heading into interstellar space), with irregular or non-trivial transitional edges but no obvious or dominant dithering/speckling or 'noise'. The Voyager image (and track) is overlaid at finer resolution in the white 'line drawing' format.

The 'apparent pixels' seem to be at a resolution close to the order of 1AU². A rough count of the pixelation boundaries from the craft to the leftmost edge, plus an additional allowance for the likely radius of the 'sun' (or, rather, its solar wind density, or similarly represented measure) still beyond the edge, is surprisingly close to to the ~150 AU current distance of Voyager 1.

For perspective, the Earth is then within/adjacent to the single lower-resolution 'pixel' that holds the Sun, and as of the comic's date of publication, over on its far side. But the Sun itself is not even visible, as the bright ball of pixels representing its environs is centered off the left side of the comic. It would be a dot so far beyond the left boundary of the image that Neptune, at around 30 'pixels' distance, may only ''just'' be placed within the leftmost extreme of this view at its own rightmost point in its orbit. The overlaid Voyager 'sketch' (in its more native resolution/bit-depth and antialiasing) stretches out over maybe a dozen such low-res pixels/AUs; this suggests that the viewpoint of the observer is close to the Voyager craft, making the craft appear large by comparison.

Randall humorously implies in this comic that exiting the compression artifacts is the best way to determine whether an object has left the Solar System, which is obviously not correct.{{Citation Needed}}

In the title text the mystery of the undetectable {{w|Dark Matter}}, which current mainstream physics supposes makes up most of the mass in the universe, is explained since this dark matter is rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's {{w|dynamic range}} issues (thus brushing against the theme of a simulated universe). When an area is too dark or too bright for a system (computer simulation, screen, camera, etc.), it is shown as either absolute black or absolute white, respectively. There might be details in that area that is outside of the dynamic range of the system, but the system is unable to handle the inputs. The title text is saying that dark matter is too dark{{Citation needed}} to be properly rendered in detail.

Artifacts are evident in [[1683: Digital Data]], and mentioned in the title text of [[331: Photoshops]].

==Transcript==
:[Irregular bands of gray are shown, shading from a white circular segment on the lower left side of the panel to completely black on the right. The bands have pixelated edges. A small white space probe is shown just outside the last dark gray band, in the completely black area. A dotted line starting from inside the dark gray area and ending at the space probe indicates that it is moving to the right, out of the gray area. Close to the white area, there are many bands packed closely together and with hard to define edges. But there are five gray areas clearly separated from the white, with a tendency to be elongated in the space probe's direction.]

:[Caption below the panel]: Milestone: ''Voyager'' has passed through the streaming video compression artifacts that mark the edge of the solar system

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space probes]]

2414: Solar System Compression Artifacts

2021-09-01T02:34:21Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2414
| date = January 20, 2021
| title = Solar System Compression Artifacts
| image = solar_system_compression_artifacts.png
| titletext = Most of our universe consists of dark matter rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's dynamic range issues.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MISSING PHYSICAL PHENOMENON LOST DUE TO HIGH COMPRESSION. More on the title text - dark matter and dynamic range issues need to be explained in more detail. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a [[:Category:Space probes|space probe]] launched by the United States in 1977. Originally designed to study the outer planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, it is now several decades into an extended mission beyond Neptune. The Voyager probe has made history for passing many milestones of our solar system.

When images are compressed by a {{w|lossy compression}} format (e.g. {{w|JPEG}}), visual artifacts are created. Randall here is suggesting that the probe has passed the artifacts as if the artifacts were an actual feature of the solar system rather than a consequence of our technology. The banding lines he has drawn are commonly seen in old images with low bit depth built by software that doesn't implement a technique to remove them called dithering. However, the slightly discolored regions often created by compression could also be a metaphor for the region of space that that solar radiation prevents from being a complete vacuum: because there is some gas in these areas, they may reflect light, causing banding lines when their density is high enough. Voyager 1 has passed through numerous such boundaries, as mentioned previously in [[1189: Voyager 1]].

Compression artifacts are often caused by large changes in coloration over a short distance, and Randall could feel that the drastic change in coloration from bright sun to dark vacuum could be creating a compression artifact around the Sun, somewhat like the Sun looking blurry due to low video quality. However, there is no definite region where solar radiation stops, only a boundary where it fades to a level lower than that of radiation from other sources. Some compression methods result in compression artifacts that behave in the same way, fading as the distance from the color boundary increases but never completely disappearing.

The 'solar system' in the snapshot appears to be a 4-bit greyscale-plane at a more pixelated level than the image given. It can be picked out as being in 16 'banded' levels from the brightest (closest zones, within this image, to the Sun) to darkest (the furthest illustrated expanses, heading into interstellar space), with irregular or non-trivial transitional edges but no obvious or dominant dithering/speckling or 'noise'. The Voyager image (and track) is overlaid at finer resolution in the white 'line drawing' format.

The 'apparent pixels' seem to be at a resolution close to the order of 1AU². A rough count of the pixelation boundaries from the craft to the leftmost edge, plus an additional allowance for the likely radius of the 'sun' (or, rather, its solar wind density, or similarly represented measure) still beyond the edge, is surprisingly close to to the ~150 AU current distance of Voyager 1.

For perspective, the Earth is then within/adjacent to the single lower-resolution 'pixel' that holds the Sun, and as of the comic's date of publication, over on its far side. But the Sun itself is not even visible, as the bright ball of pixels representing its environs is centered off the left side of the comic. It would be a dot so far beyond the left boundary of the image that Neptune, at around 30 'pixels' distance, may only ''just'' be placed within the leftmost extreme of this view at its own rightmost point in its orbit. The overlaid Voyager 'sketch' (in its more native resolution/bit-depth and antialiasing) stretches out over maybe a dozen such low-res pixels/AUs; this suggests that the viewpoint of the observer is close to the Voyager craft, making the craft appear large by comparison.

Randall humorously implies in this comic that exiting the compression artifacts is the best way to determine whether an object has left the Solar System, which is obviously not correct. {{Citation Needed}}

In the title text the mystery of the undetectable {{w|Dark Matter}}, which current mainstream physics supposes makes up most of the mass in the universe, is explained since this dark matter is rendered completely undetectable by our spacetime codec's {{w|dynamic range}} issues (thus brushing against the theme of a simulated universe). When an area is too dark or too bright for a system (computer simulation, screen, camera, etc.), it is shown as either absolute black or absolute white, respectively. There might be details in that area that is outside of the dynamic range of the system, but the system is unable to handle the inputs. The title text is saying that dark matter is too dark{{Citation needed}} to be properly rendered in detail.

Artifacts are evident in [[1683: Digital Data]], and mentioned in the title text of [[331: Photoshops]].

==Transcript==
:[Irregular bands of gray are shown, shading from a white circular segment on the lower left side of the panel to completely black on the right. The bands have pixelated edges. A small white space probe is shown just outside the last dark gray band, in the completely black area. A dotted line starting from inside the dark gray area and ending at the space probe indicates that it is moving to the right, out of the gray area. Close to the white area, there are many bands packed closely together and with hard to define edges. But there are five gray areas clearly separated from the white, with a tendency to be elongated in the space probe's direction.]

:[Caption below the panel]: Milestone: ''Voyager'' has passed through the streaming video compression artifacts that mark the edge of the solar system

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space probes]]

1000: 1000 Comics

2021-09-01T00:35:26Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1000
| date = January 6, 2012
| title = 1000 Comics
| image = 1000 comics small.png
| titletext = Thank you for making me feel less alone.
}}
A [http://xkcd.com/1000/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com which can as always be accessed by clicking on the comic number above. It can also be found here: [[Media:1000 comics.png|1000 comics]].

==Explanation==

This comic is the 1000th comic shown on xkcd containing 1000 characters from previous comics arranged in the shape of the number "1000". [[Megan]] is clearly excited as she screams "Woooo!", but [[Cueball]], in true nerd fashion, thinks in base-2, saying that there are just 24 to go until a "big round-number milestone". The joke is that during programming, base-2 is used more often than base-10, making milestones powers of two rather than powers of 10. Where 1000 is a round number in base 10 (103), 1024 is a round number in base 2 (210). Binary is also referenced in the "Connect the Dots" puzzle, explained below.

In the 1000 comic [[Randall]] included [[404: Not Found]], see why in the explanation for this comic. This comic strengthens the fact that Randall did indeed count 404 as a "real" comic.

===The 1000 characters===
Each of the characters/drawings is numbered on this page:
*[[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]]
About 2/3rds are described on this page:
*[[1000: 1000 Comics/1000 characters]]

===Connect the Dots===
There is a "Connect the Dots" puzzle hidden within the comic. However, rather than using the conventional decimal system numbering which would start with 1 and count up, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... This "Connect the Dots" puzzle starts with 0 as a programmer would do and counts up in binary numerical order - 0,1,10,11,100,101,110,111,1000,1001 and back to 0. The revealed image forms the shape of a heart. This fits well with the title text where feeling less alone can equate to feeling loved.

[[File:1000 comics binary.png]]

==Transcript==
:[1000 characters, numerous of which have appeared previously in other comics, are arranged to create the number "1000". Two more people stand in the foreground commenting on the formation. There are several comments amongst these 1000 but here are only written the text that can be read from the small version shown above.]
:1000
:Megan: ''Woooo!''
:Cueball: Wow—Just 24 to go until a big round-number milestone!

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Math]]

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] 
[[Category:Public speaking]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Squirrels]] 
[[Category:Kites]] 
[[Category:Hamster Ball]] 
[[Category:Fiction]] 
[[Category:Electric skateboard]] 
[[Category:Star Wars]] 
[[Category:Boomerangs]] 
[[Category:American football]] 
[[Category:Soccer]]

1000: 1000 Comics/1000 characters

2021-09-01T00:33:46Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{incomplete|Most explanations from 647 to 1000 are missing. Address all red text.}}
{{notice|'''This is a work in progress''' I have been working on a table listing all figures in the comic [[1000: 1000 Comics]] after having added pictures like those on this page: [[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]]. I have now finished the first 646 characters, three legs into the 2nd zero, just missing the left part, but still nothing from the third zero. The table has been updated to include room for all 1000 characters, so it will be possible to easily continue with the explanation of each of the remaining figure. I'm not sure I will be able to continue with this work at the moment... So please feel free to improve. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:44, 13 August 2016 (UTC)}}
{{notice|'''Update:''' I have completed the descriptions for characters 647-1000; however, for many of the characters, verification and/or alternate explanations might be necessary. I will continue to work on this page, but I think we've hit a big ''milestone'' in being able to remove the 'incomplete' tag! [[User:BlackHat|BlackHat]] ([[User talk:BlackHat|talk]]) 19:50, 25 October 2020 (UTC)}}

<big>'''[[#Table of 1000 characters|Go To Table]]'''</big>
==Explanation==

Below is a brief explanation of the system used to sort the following table:

*There will eventually be a numbered list of the 1000 small drawings/characters from [[1000: 1000 Comics]].
**See the numbering system here [[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]].
***There will also be links to relevant part of the pictures from the table, see below.
**Relevant categories for comics, characters and items should be added to the main page.
*This is a sortable table of (eventually) all 1000 characters.
**In this way it is possible to find all Ponytails or White Hats quickly, all comics with straightforward references, transcripts, objects or animals.
* ''A red text:'' has been used to indicate where something is not explained-
**This could be where a character is suspected to be from an earlier comic, where some object is unclear, where the text of a transcript is unreadable etc.
**Please help trying to improve the explanation by going through these red items.
**All those entries that are not yet explained will begin with “A Red Text:” to make it easy to sort those.
**Only problem is that they do not come to the top, but they will be sorted at the bottom of the list if either all those without red text or after all those with no text at all...

The columns explained:
#The first column gives the number from the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c7/1000_Comics_-_The_entire_comic_with_numbers.png numbered image].
#However, given that this is a big image, and not easily over-viewed, then after the number there is a link to an image of the relevant section from the [[1000:_1000_Comics/Numbered_images#Explanation|thirteen sections]] the whole image has been divided into.
##This section link for the first and last character in each section will be written in bold to make it clear when this occurs. It will also be mentioned in the explanation.
##The “one” is one section, but the three “zeros” have been divided in top (T), right (R), bottom (B) and left (L), so for instance the second zero bottom will be labeled: Zero 2 B.
#The third column is a description of the character (or picture if there is more to it than a simply character).
##It always begins with the name of a known character, or if an unknown the sex if that is clear.
###For known characters, a link will be given on the name, but only the first time a character appears.
##After that it continues with a full description of the character and any other object, animal or specialty correlated with this number on the list.
##The description always include if the figure is standing (most are) or are in some other position (sitting, lying, dancing, flying etc.) and also if they are standing alone or together with other characters, animals or objects and if they look left or right (or straight, but then nothing is noted).
###Standing alone means there are no obvious interactions with other characters or animals.
###Left/right direction indicate the direction the face is turned or the direction the head points, in case they are lying down.
###The direction Cueball is looking is not always clear. But if there is any indication of the direction it will be noted.
#Explanation if there is anything to explain.
## If the character is just standing alone and is one of the well-known there will be no explanation.
##A number after a characters mentioned in either explanation or description refers to the number in the table/image; instead of writing Ponytail no. 20 it just says Ponytail 20.
#References to any comic or category, or anything else obvious, but not given in any comic.
##Comic references where the name of the comic is written in bold are for references where there is (almost) no doubt it is a direct reference to that particular comic.
##When not bold it can be debated but has been deemed reasonable to include here instead of only in the description.
#Transcript for the few characters/images where anything is written.
##It can often be hard to read, but sometimes the image helps with a good guess.
#Animals are often included along with the characters, but never alone. Here they can be listed for easy reference.
#Objects are often included along with the characters, but never alone. Here they can be listed for easy reference.

==Table of 1000 characters==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! #
! Section
! Character description
! Explanation
! References
! Transcript
! Animals
! Objects
|-
| 1 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One]''' || [[Cueball]] standing alone || The very '''first character in one''' is of course the standard everyman Cueball, and no matter how one would count, this character would be the first encountered! || || || ||
|-
| 2 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Megan]] standing turned right hand up towards Cueball 3 || Megan and Cueball 3 interact, she lifts her hand and he points at her. || || || ||
|-
| 3 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing left pointing with an arm at Megan 2 || Megan 2 and Cueball interact, she lifts her hand and he points at her. || || || ||
|-
| 4 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with black hair wide standing right looking at Cueball 7 || The hairdo is much wider at the shoulder than Megan’s so it cannot be her or any other known characters. She may be looking down at Cueball 7. See also 171 and 325. || || || ||
|-
| 5 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 6 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning || || || || ||
|-
| 7 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left looking up at the woman 4 || He may be looking up at the woman 4. || || || ||
|-
| 8 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Hairy]] standing alone left || The hair is not as thick as normal for Hairy, spikier. || || || ||
|-
| 9 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left behind a lectern with a microphone heading a hand up to his mouth || Cueball is addressing some audience not shown. This is a typical setting for the public speaking comics, although there seems to be no situation where there is a microphone on the lectern when Cueball speaks. || Category: [[:Category:Public speaking|Public speaking]] || || || [[1661: Podium|Lectern]]
|-
| 10 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 11 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan prone right drifting up as shown with three lines || Megan seems to be floating up into the air. Could be that Cueball 12 and 13 are looking after her? || || || ||
|-
| 12 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || He may be looking up at Megan 11 floating together with Cueball 13? || || || ||
|-
| 13 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left looking up || He may be looking up at Megan 11 floating together with Cueball 12? || || || ||
|-
| 14 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with a black half sphere on the head left looking down || A Red Text: What is on the head? This may be either a military or other kind of helmet, or a special hairdo, and could be both male and female? || || || ||
|-
| 15 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right towards Guy 16 her head down with a white heart floating in front of her || Megan seems to be in love with the spectacled guy 16 to her right, but he seems not to notice her. This may explain why her head is bent down. || || Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 16 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (round) and no hair standing right away from Megan 15 and her heart || Like Cueball with round glasses. Megan 15 to his left may have a crush on him with the heart in front of her and her head down because he seems not to notice her. See also 42 where he has square glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 17 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning || He may be looking at Ponytail 18 spinning in her office chair. || || || ||
|-
| 18 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Ponytail]] sitting right arms out. She is spinning around in an office chair as shown with several circling lines || Ponytail is having fun spinning around in her office chair so fast she yells out loud. Maybe Cueball 17 is looking at her, maybe he gave her a push? Could be that he is the one spinning in the referenced comic where the friction of office chair is correlated to how much work is being done. Too little friction an deveryone just spins in stead of doing any work. The next to sit in a chair is Cueball 340 (not counting the wheelchair in 49). Ponytail is also the first to sit on the ground in 185. || Comic: '''[[815: Mu]]''' || Ponytail: ''Wheeee'' || || Office chair
|-
| 19 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 20 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 21 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone making wavy arms and holding something in his hand towards left || A Red Text: What his he holding. What is the name for what he is doing with his arms? Is there a reference to a comic? Update: Named the dance and described the object. Looked for a reference to a previous comic, couldn't find anything but I'm not convinced I didn't miss something. Cueball seems to be doing a variant of the wave dance move, although his version would be impossible to do in real life since it would require more joints than humans have. He is holding an object towards the left. || || || || Cueball is holding an object that resembles a short dagger, with a wide crossbar and triangular blade.
|-
| 22 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 23 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 24 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 25 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Maybe Cueball 30 waves at him. || || || ||
|-
| 26 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat, white dome shaped standing alone right || This version of White Hat is the one from Idiocracy. It is used more than once in this comic, so here he will not be listed as White Hat. See also 324. || Comic: [[603: Idiocracy]] || || ||
|-
| 27 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right towards short haired woman 28 || Cueball looking at woman 27. || || || ||
|-
| 28 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with short black hair like Megan on the head but stop above neck standing left towards Cueball 27 || The woman looking at Cueball 28 has much shorter hair than Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 29 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43). || || || ||
|-
| 30 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right waving with the arm to the right || He may be waving upwards towards Cueball 25. || || || ||
|-
| 31 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat locomotive shaped and no hair standing right || A Red Text: Any references to comics? Could be that this guy was a model train [[878: Model Rail|enthusiast]]? Seems like this hat is related to the hat on 65. || || || || Locomotive hat
|-
| 32 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 33 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Mrs. Roberts]] standing alone left with an oven-mitt on her hand to the left that holds a bun tray from the oven and in her other hand she holds down her laptop || Mrs. Roberts trademark image, almost as the one from her character page and directly a link to {{w|Leet}} (1337). || Comic: '''[[341: 1337: Part 1]]''' || || || Laptop, oven mittens, baking plate
|-
| 34 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 35 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with sunglasses and no hair standing left || The sunglasses are drawn so small that it is hard to see the left glass. Could be a headband… See other guys like this at 261, 349 and 638 and Hairbun 568 with sunglasses. || || || ||
|-
| 36 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing left hands out towards a woolly sheep with spiral horns facing her while baaing || Could be that it was a ram that charged at her but maybe she just reach out to pat the sheep as there are no speed lines to indicate movement. Could also be Mary after her little lamb got bigger. The reference to the Sheep comic may be dubious but this is the only sheep in this comic and he has a comic with that name... || Comic: [[35: Sheep]] || Sheep: Baaa || {{w|Sheep}} ||
|-
| 37 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 38 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun black, large and on top of her head with what appears to be two hairpins stuck into it standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Any reference to characters drawn previously Even though this Megan like character has a hair bun it is much too different from Hairbun's to be her. See also similar women 38 and 427 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 39 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 40 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right || First standard version of Hairy in the comic. || || || ||
|-
| 41 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 42 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (square) and no hair standing right || Like Cueball with square glasses. See also 16 where he has round glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 43 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see first appearance at 29). || || || ||
|-
| 44 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 45 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left arms up and out || Megan holds her arms out like to embrace someone, but she seems to be standing alone. || || || ||
|-
| 46 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (round) and no hair standing left || Like Cueball with round glasses. See also 42 where he has square glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 47 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 48 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 49 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Stephen Hawking with dark hair and dark glasses sitting in his wheelchair with a computer screen in front of him alone right looking down || The image here is the last in the comic bearing the name, {{w|Stephen Hawking}}, as the title -he is downcast after the events in the comic and thus is looking down. || Comic: '''[[799: Stephen Hawking]]''' || || || Wheel chair with computer screen
|-
| 50 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right towards Megan 51 || Cueball looking at Megan 51 || || || ||
|-
| 51 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing left towards Cueball 50 || Megan looking at Cueball 50. || || || ||
|-
| 52 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 53 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left longer hair || This Megan has somewhat longer hair, but not Danish length… || || || ||
|-
| 54 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 55 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning while pointing left || || || || ||
|-
| 56 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right with both arms up || || || || ||
|-
| 57 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing left with a turtle to his right talking to him. Seems short || There is also a turtle in [[636: Brontosaurus]]. Later a stack of turtles was used in [[1416: Pixels]]. It could also be a {{w|tortoise}} as the one drawn only 37 comics later in [[1037:_Umwelt#Black_Hat|Black Hat's version]] of [[1037:_Umwelt]]. This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || Comic: [[889: Turtles]] || Turtle: Hey. || {{w|Turtle}} ||
|-
| 58 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 59 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 60 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 61 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Beret Guy]] standing right looking up at the woodpecker flying away with a drill it holds in its claws in the wire || A direct reference to the comic Woodpecker where Beret Guy gives a woodpecker an electric drill as a birthday present. The bird flies away with it as depicted here, although first after Beret Guy has left. || Comic: '''[[614: Woodpecker]]''' || || {{w|Woodpecker}} ||
|-
| 62 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 63 and character 64 with her hands in front of her mouth || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Seems like this Megan (with more loose hair than normal) is shocked to see Cueball 63 and the person 64 holding hands. Maybe she was in love with one of them and is shocked to see them together as a happy couple. Or if it is supposed to be two men she could at the same time be shocked that they are openly gay... || || || ||
|-
| 63 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right holding hands with the person 64 || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Cueball holding hand with the person in 64 who could be a girl in which case Megan in 62 could be jealous, or it could be a guy in which case this could be a gay scene and that cold shock Megan (as well). || || || ||
|-
| 64 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair with spikes in the front standing left holding hands with Cueball 63 || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Cueball 63 is holding hand with this person who could be a girl in which case Megan in 62 could be jealous, or it could be a guy in which case this could be a gay scene and that cold shock Megan (as well). || || || ||
|-
| 65 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with a hat city-sky-line shaped and no hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is the hat a city sky line or something else? Any references to comics? Seems like this hat is related to the locomotive hat on 31. || || || || City sky line hat
|-
| 66 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white hair black bun standing alone left. Her hair is short and white. The hair bun sits on top of her head it looks black but could be caused by two hairpins stuck into the bun || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Could also look like it is an antenna on her head. If so it may even be a man with an antenna cap? Any reference to characters drawn previously?As the hair is white, it is not Hairbun plus there are hairpins. See also similar women 38 and 427 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 67 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 68 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 69 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Soldier with helmet with camouflage pattern and machine gun barrel upwards standing alone left || A soldier with arms ready like in the referenced comic, but with a different helmet. || Comic: [[984: Space Launch System]] || || || Machine gun
|-
| 70 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 71 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone very tall || This version of Hairy has more curly hair than normally and he seems to be a head higher than the Cueballs around him. || || || ||
|-
| 72 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right one arm bent at the elbow || || || || ||
|-
| 73 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with beard, full, and black hair standing alone left || First guy with a beard! Could be Joseph (father of Jesus) from the referenced comic. Another guy 470 also has as beard but not quite like Joseph || Comics: [[992: Mnemonics]] || || ||
|-
| 74 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left with both arms up, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 75 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left seems tall || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. See similar guys at 269, 406, 516 and 608. See also Guy 411 with similar hair but different appearence. || || || ||
|-
| 76 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan, like the next Megan 77. || || || ||
|-
| 77 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || As this is clearly Megan the person 76 is clearly not Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 78 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 79 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 80 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 81 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Science Girl]] standing alone right || It is size wise clearly a girl with hairdo like Science Girl. But so far the only known instance of Science Girl looking like this comes after this comic. But she was already in [[585: Outreach]]. Her first known appearance looking more like this was in [[1058: Old-Timers]] less than half a year later. But this exact feature was first used in [[1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing]]. || || || ||
|-
| 82 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with long hair white standing alone right || The first woman with long blonde hair in the comic. || || || ||
|-
| 83 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 84 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 85 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan running alone left arms out hair hanging loose and curly behind her || The first running character. There has been a floating and a spinning character, but the rest seems to be standing still. She is not clearly running towards any other character. || || || ||
|-
| 86 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone left with flat hair || || || || ||
|-
| 87 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right pointing one arm right and down || The posture is almost identical with Cueball 89. || || || ||
|-
| 88 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 89 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right pointing right at Cueball 90 || He points at and maybe accusing Cueball 90 of something since Cueball 90 has his arms crossed in front of his chest and looks away and down like he is insulted or angry, This Cueball posture is almost identical with Cueball 87. || || || ||
|-
| 90 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right arms crossed in front of his chest looking down away from Cueball 89 who points at him || Maybe Cueball 89 who points at this Cueball is accusing him of something since this one has his arms crossed in front of his chest and looks away and down from the other like he is insulted or angry. || || || ||
|-
| 91 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 92 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with helmet white with a strap under his chin no hair standing alone left, seems short || Could be the Cueball with a bicycle helmet for skating from the referenced comic. This does not look like a soldier compared with 69. But could also be a soldier’s helmet as it looks like the one in [[984: Space Launch System]]. It could be a kid. || Comic: [[579: The Race: Part 3]] || || ||
|-
| 93 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 94 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left with less dark hair || Megan’s hair is not quite so black as usual here. || || || ||
|-
| 95 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone left with very large hair || Hairy's hair is maybe a little too wild to be the regular Hairy… || || || ||
|-
| 96 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right with a bath towel around his waist || Hairy has just gotten out of the shower, preparing for a date. || Comic: '''[[761: DFS]]''' || || || {{w|Bath towel}}
|-
| 97 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 98 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || As this is clearly Megan the person 99 is clearly not Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 99 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan, like Megan 98 before. || || || ||
|-
| 100 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Of course number 100 would also be a Cueball… || || || ||
|-
| 101 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan sliding on a snow board alone right hair standing out behind her || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? As there are no wheels it cannot be a skateboard. The way she stands also does not fit with ski. Could be a surfboard, but where’s the surf… || || || || Snowboard
|-
| 102 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 103 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 104 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right, very tall || A very large version of Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 105 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball lying down on his back alone left resting his head on his arms behind him || The first character that lies down on the ground. See also lying Cueball 597, the second to lie down like this. || || || ||
|-
| 106 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 107 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right flat hair || || || || ||
|-
| 108 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right large hair || Almost an Afro hairstyle on this Hairy || || || ||
|-
| 109 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left wind blowing her hair back right || Seems like she is facing a strong wind from the left. || || || ||
|-
| 110 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right holding an item towards right looking like a short golf club || A Red Text: What is Cueball holding and is this a reference to a comic? Cueball holds an item with a stick and a head. It looks like a golf club but seems too short. It also has the shape of a pipe but then it is too big. || || || || A Red Text: Short golf club?
|-
| 111 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with black hair and strange appearance floating above Hairbun 112 || A Red Text: What is this? Reference for comic? A strange appearance floats above Hairbun 112 (maybe interacting with her and the woman 113 whom Hairbun may be interacting with?) It could be a person lying down leaning on arms looking straight out. So only the arms and torso and head can be seen. Could be either sex. || || || ||
|-
| 112 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Hairbun]] standing right maybe interacting with character 111 above her and with woman 113 to her right || A Red Text: Is she interacting with 111 and 113 and if so is there a reference to a comic? The first instance of a woman with hair bun without pins. This is thus the first that can be described as Hairbun, but it is not the typical hair do for her. She may be interacting with the strange character 111 above her as well as with the freezing cloaked woman 113 || || || ||
|-
| 113 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with black hair like Megan standing left in a long black cloak indicated to freeze or shake with nine wiggly lines around her || A Red Text: Is she interacting with 112 and 113 and if so is there a reference to a comic? Freezing or shaking? This woman who could be a Megan freezing in spite of her clock may be interacting with Hairbun 112, and if she is interacting with character 111 then also with that person. || || || ||
|-
| 114 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 115 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || First of 6 Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 116 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 117 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 118 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 119 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 120 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Last of 6 Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 121 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || White hair so not Hairbun. || || || ||
|-
| 122 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 123 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 124 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 125 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat white that looks a little like a knit cap, but seems to go too high above his head no hair standing alone left looking up || If this was a knit cap it would be closer to his head, so it seems like this white hat has a band around the rim and it quite tall over the head. || || || ||
|-
| 126 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 127 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Man with very spiky hair dragging a large sword behind him. || This is a drawing of [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Cloud_Strife Cloud] from Final Fantasy VII, dragging his Buster Sword behind him. In the game, Cloud carries the large sword with ease, but in real the life the weight would be staggering, requiring him to drag it. Alternative explanation: It is Jesus with thorn crown dragging a strange cross || || Object drawn: Scraape || || Sword
|-
| 128 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 129 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 130 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right leaning towards Woman with white hair bun 131 || Seems like Megan is facing and interacting with the woman with hair bun 131 as she leans towards her and is already close by. || || || ||
|-
| 131 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing left with Megan 130 leaning towards her || White hair so not Hairbun. Seems like Megan 130 lean over to her. || || || ||
|-
| 132 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in one''', of course it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 133 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T]''' || Cueball standing right towards Science Girl 134 holding a kite flying above her head || This is the '''first character in the first zero''' - of course also a Cueball. Kites have been a recurring theme in xkcd but this comic [[235: Kite]] was the first and the kite looks the same. Wether the kite is flown also for Science Girl 134 is unclear.|| Category: [[:Category:Kites|Kites]] || || || Kite
|-
| 134 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Science Girl Standing left under Cueball 133 kite, drawn with two hair buns || Seems like she is part of the kite flying Cueball 133. Size wise clearly a girl with hairdo like Science Girl with two hair buns like in [[1058: Old-Timers]]. || || || ||
|-
| 135 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 136 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 137 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 138 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left holding his hand out with a small round bomb with a lit fuse || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems Cueball is holding a lit bomb ready to throw it (but not at anyone in particular in this comic). Seems like there is no situation where this happens in xkcd? A similar bomb is shown in [[968: Everything]] but Cueball is not carrying it and it is not lit. Cueball throws a smoke-bomb in [[486: I am Not a Ninja]] but it does not have a fuse or look like this. || || || || Bomb with lit fuse
|-
| 139 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan flying right with arms spread out swooping downwards at Hairy 140 with great speed indicated with two speed lines after her hands || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? It is not certain that Megan is aiming at Hairy 140, but she aims at his position. Megan flying was shown in [[438: Internet Argument]] but she was not swooping down with great speed like here. Maybe she has imported antigravity from [[353: Python]]. Later Megan also flew without speed in [1416:_Pixels#Clouds|the clouds]] deep down in [[1416: Pixels]] and a similar [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-flying-fig.png flying Megan] could "[[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1663_garden_Blitz_Girls_UFO_taking_Megan_garden.png grow]] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || ||
|-
| 140 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing right with flying Megan 139 coming right at him. Very thin hair. || This version of Hairy has very little hair, but it is clearly not a bald Cueball. It is not certain that flying Megan 138 is aiming at Hairy but she aims at his position. || || || ||
|-
| 141 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short black hair standing alone left || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan but too long to be Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 142 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone leaning left || || || || ||
|-
| 143 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left with hair falling down from the bun || || || || ||
|-
| 144 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 145 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone right, seems short || Could be either sex, and maybe it is a child. See similar kid in 446 and similar adult in 174. || || || ||
|-
| 146 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone arms raised up || || || || ||
|-
| 147 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 148 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || || || || ||
|-
| 149 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 150 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right looking at Cueball 151 with an exclamation mark and a white heart over his head || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Does this Cueball have a crush on Cueball 151. Could be the second gay related event already… It cannot be stated for sure that they are looking at each other. || || Cueball: !♥ || ||
|-
| 151 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball 150 || Maybe Cueball 150 has a crush on this Cueball. It cannot be stated for sure that they are looking at each other. || || || ||
|-
| 152 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with knit cap with long top and pom-pom at the end, glasses, a cane and a west (or other clothing) standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it another character from a previous comic? This could be a black and white version of Wally or Waldo (in the US) from the {{w|Where's Waldo}} books. Randall included the color version in [[980: Money]] (though without glasses, but with eyes which Randall never draws in regular comics, so maybe glasses was added since Waldo should not be drawn without?) Then there would also be a Where's Waldo in this 1000 comic released only 20 comics later. || || || || Cane
|-
| 153 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 154 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 155 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding a briefcase by its handle in one hand || Cueball is holding a briefcase in the handle. This could be related to the referenced comic where he arrives home to find Black Hat trying to cover up a murder. || Comic: [[542: Cover-Up]] || || || Briefcase
|-
| 156 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing right with curly hair at her forehead. Seems to be looking at other woman with ponytail 157 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The curly hair at her forehead in unusual for Ponytail. She seems to be looking at another curly haired woman 157 with a dark ponytail. Maybe they belong together (in a comic?) || || || ||
|-
| 157 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Woman with a ponytail dark and curly hair at her forehead standing left looking at Ponytail 156 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? She seems to be looking at Ponytail 156 also drawn with curly hair at her forehead which is unusual for Ponytail. Maybe they belong together (in a comic?) || || || ||
|-
| 158 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right hands up to his mouth shouting as indicated with three lines in front of his mouth. Maybe he shouts as spinning Megan 159 || This Cueball seems to be shouting at Megan 159 maybe to stop her from spinning. This is not part of the comic that her spinning is related to. So maybe they are not connected. || || || ||
|-
| 159 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan is spinning fast around herself as indicated with three circles around her body below her outstretched arms. She faces left towards Cueball 158 || This is a direct reference to the Angular Momentum comic but in that comic there was no shouting Cueball, but maybe he tries to make her stop before she throws up (see title text). Later the same spinning Megan was used in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]], but that was a call back to the other comic. See also Cueball 541 spinning. || Comic: '''[[162: Angular Momentum]]''' || || ||
|-
| 160 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || [[Danish]] standing alone right || Danish can usually not be distinguished without her personality, but with this very long hair, much longer than Megan’s usually is, it is reasonable to assume it could be her. She looks quite a lot like the version of Danish in [[1014: Car Problems]] released a few weeks after this comic. Most of the comics she appears in were before 1000. See also Danish 373. || || || ||
|-
| 161 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 162 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 163 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 164 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 165 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 166 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 167 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (square) and no hair standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 168 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 169 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 170 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 171 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Woman with black hair wide standing right looking at Cueball 172 || This is the second version of this woman with wider hair than Megan, and also this time she seems to be looking at a Cueball, this time 172. See also 4 and 325. || || || ||
|-
| 172 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at woman 172 || Second time a Cueball seems to be looking at a woman 172 with wider hair than Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 173 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 174 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, but as opposed to the similar 145 it cannot be a child. || || || ||
|-
| 175 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 176 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 177 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (round) standing alone left with both arms out || || || || ||
|-
| 178 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 179 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone right with very dark hair bun || || || || ||
|-
| 180 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 181 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 182 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left with looser hair || || || || ||
|-
| 183 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 184 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball dancing alone right one leg lifted up and bend at the knee body bend forward, both arms out and two lines both in front of the knee and behind his back to indicate the dancing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be enjoying a little dance alone. It would fit very well if he had been in front of Megan 286. || || || ||
|-
| 185 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand seems to be lifted to her face like she is speaking on a phone. One leg is almost straight the other lifted up || Ponytail is the first person to sit on the ground, which she also does in 458 and 510. Previously Ponytail 18 was also seen sitting on a spinning office chair. || || || ||
|-
| 186 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 187 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Aragorn with beard (full) and hair is standing alone right with his broken sword lifted up in one arm || {{w|Aragorn}} from the {{w|Lord of the Rings}} was depicted like this in the referenced comic. Towards the end of LOTR the broken sword Narsil is reforged and handed to Aragorn. || Comic: '''[[370: Redwall]]''' || || || Broken sword
|-
| 188 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 189 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 190 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 191 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 192 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (round) standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 193 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone right with very dark hair bun || || || || ||
|-
| 194 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone leaning left || || || || ||
|-
| 195 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Science Girl standing alone right with bun and hair down her back || || || || ||
|-
| 196 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right, seems short || May be a kid like Science Girl 195 to his left || || || ||
|-
| 197 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || May be a kid, making it three in a row with 195 and 196 as well. || || || ||
|-
| 198 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 199 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left together with Cueball giant 200 || Together with giant Cueball 200 they look like the pair in panel four of the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 200 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball giant twice normal height standing left with Cueball 199 || Together with the normal sized Cueball 199 they look like the pair in panel four of the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 201 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || May be a kid. || || || ||
|-
| 202 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 203 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right looking at Cueball machine 204 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball machine 204 who encompasses him and Cueball 205 with his outstretched arms. || || || ||
|-
| 204 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball torso with outstretched arms fused together with a platform standing on its three spider-like legs which looks mechanical. He seems to encompass Cueball 2023 and 205 on either side of him || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like someone made an experiment with Cueball putting his torso on top of some platform that is supported by (at least) three sharp ended legs. He is now part man part machine, but not like a typical cyborg... Seems like he holds his arms out to the two Cueballs on either side of him 203 and 205, maybe they are his servants or creators? || || || ||
|-
| 205 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball machine 204 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball machine 204 who encompasses him and Cueball 203 with his outstretched arms. || || || ||
|-
| 206 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 207 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in the first zero top''', of course it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 208 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the first zero right''' - of course also a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 209 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with long hair white but maybe also a hair bun standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The way the hair comes down to her shoulders make her look different from any normal characters. She also seems to have some kind of hair bun, which does not fit with the hair. The color seems to be white, but with features on her forehead. || || || ||
|-
| 210 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing right towards Megan 211 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Hairy and Megan 211. See also similar Cueball/Megan couple 590-591. || || Hairy/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 211 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left towards Hairy 210 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Megan and Hairy 210. See also similar Cueball/Megan couple 590-591. || || Hairy/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 212 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 213 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 214 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 215 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with two hair buns on either side of her head standing || || || || ||
|-
| 216 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 217 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right looking at Megan 218 with her sign || Seems like he is reading Megan’s 217 sign. || || || ||
|-
| 218 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left showing a sign she is holding on a stick in one hand to Cueball 217 and Cueball 219 || Megan is the first to be listed of the ten characters that hold up small signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and her sign is 2 (binary 10), she is the third of the ten, forming the left of the upper left part of the heart. As she is drawn it seems like both Cueball 217 and 219 looks at her sign. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 2 || Sign: 10 || || Sign on a stick
|-
| 219 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left looking at Megan 218 with her sign || Seems like he is reading Megan’s 217 sign. || || || ||
|-
| 220 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with dark hair that seems to fall behind her, maybe like a ponytail She holds up a sign above her head with both hands. || This woman’s hair does not look like Megan’s, as it seems to fall only to her left side as if it has been collected in a ponytail. She is the second to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and her sign is 1 (binary 1), she is the second of the ten, forming the right of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 1 || Sign: 1 || || Sign
|-
| 221 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball falling sideways alone right having bounced on the visible grassy ground twice, as indicated with three curved lines, and he is now positioned head down, arms out and legs flailing up in to the letters A of the sound he makes while tumbling further right || This Cueball represents ''The Man Who Fell Sideways'' from the referenced comic. The gravity pulls him wrongly along the ground thus he always falls, and only meet people when bumping into them, maybe the white haired character 222 is in for a surprise, but it doesn't seem like they are connected. || Comic: '''[[417: The Man Who Fell Sideways ]]''' || Cueball: Aaaaaaaaa || ||
|-
| 222 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with short white hair standing alone right holding up a sign above the head with both hands || Could be either sex. This is the third to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his/her sign is 3 (binary 11), this is the fourth of the ten, forming the outer part of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 3 || Sign: 11 || || Sign
|-
| 223 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 224 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || Maybe she is kid. || || || ||
|-
| 225 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail is standing alone right looking into a large telescope standing on a platform that almost coincides with the helmet of the guy 230 below, but seems to not have any connection || In the referenced comic Ponytail looks into a much larger observatory like telescope to discover the Sun is dying. Seems like a mistake that this drawing overlaps with Guy 230 below. Actually hard to say if the platform is on his head or below the telescope as it seems the legs of the telescope goes below this platform instead of resting on it. || Comic: [[673: The Sun]] || || || Telescope
|-
| 226 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 227 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 228 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 229 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 230 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with helmet white with a strap under his chin no hair standing alone right with what appears to be roller skates on his feet. Seems to be unstable as the movement lines indicate his feet are about to move apart. Is drawn so close to Ponytail 225 that the base of her telescope coincides with his helmet || This guy wears roller skates, something never drawn in xkcd so far. Looks like the Cueball with a bicycle helmet for skating from [[579: The Race: Part 3]]. It also looks like the soldier’s helmet in [[984: Space Launch System]]. Seems like a mistake that this drawing overlaps with Ponytail 225 above. Actually hard to say if the platform is on his head or below the telescope as it seems the legs of the telescope goes below this platform instead of resting on it. Could be some kind of device attached to the helmet. || || || || Roller skates
|-
| 231 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right holding a sign level with his torso, one hand coming from above and one from below to hold it || This Cueball is the fourth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 4 (binary 100), he is the fifth of the ten, forming the lower left of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 4 || Sign: 100 || || Sign
|-
| 232 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with black hair going up in two spikes on each side of his head standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This hairdo is very special and not at all like Hairy's. || || || ||
|-
| 233 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with long curly white hair standing right towards Cueball 234. Seems to have something attached to both arms, that is disconnected from her hair that stops clearly above these items || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What does she wear on her arms? || || || ||
|-
| 234 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards curly haired woman 233 || Seems like he is looking at woman 233 with curly hair. || || || ||
|-
| 235 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 236 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo giant size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A very large hair on top of this guy compared to 248, close by, and also 565. || || || ||
|-
| 237 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 238 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 239 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 240 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right with a giant snail with a coiled shell with its head out displaying the two eyes tentacles. Its rear side is hidden behind Cueball. The snail seems to be moving right away from Cueball || Cueball and his giant pet snail. The only snail drawn in xkcd so far seems to be a sea snail at the bottom of the seas to the right in [[731: Desert Island]]. || || || {{w|Land snail|Snail}} ||
|-
| 241 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 242 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 243 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right, larger than normal || || || || ||
|-
| 244 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 245 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 246 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing right towards Cueball 247 || Seem like she faces Cueball 247. || || || ||
|-
| 247 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards Ponytail 246 || Seems like he faces Ponytail 246. || || || ||
|-
| 248 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo normal size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A more normal Afro hair than on 236, like 565. || || || ||
|-
| 249 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 250 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 251 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Mephistopheles standing alone right with horns, tail with arrow and a trident held before him in one hand || The devil {{w|Mephistopheles}} has been used twice, but only in the referenced comic also with {{w|trident}}. He was first used in [[501: Faust 2.0] without trident. || Comic: '''[[533: Laptop Hell]]''' || || || Trident
|-
| 252 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 253 || Seems to be looking at Cueball 253 || || || ||
|-
| 253 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 252 || Seems to be looking at Cueball 252 || || || ||
|-
| 254 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with white hair but not a simple hairstyle standing right almost touching the sword tip of Richard Stallman 255 || The woman is not looking like any regular figures. But In the [[:Category:1337|1337 series]] Stallman 255 was helping [[Elaine Roberts]], daughter of the hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]]. This woman could be meant to represent Elaine, but the hair is not drawn in the same way as in the comic, although both are white haired, so maybe it is just a coincidence that the sword tip almost touches her? || || || ||
|-
| 255 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|Richard Stallman]] with beard and wild hair stands with two katana swords pointing right and left, the latter almost touching Woman 254 || {{w|Richard Stallman}} is a recurring character in xkcd, and he is always depicted with two {{w|katana swords}}. This depiction of Stallman is taken almost directly from the referenced comic in the Leet/[[:Category:1337|1337 series]]. He was first shown, also with swords, in [[225: Open Source]]. In the 1337 series he was helping [[Elaine Roberts]], daughter of the hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]]. The woman 254 could be meant to represent Elaine, but the hair is not drawn in the same way as in the comic, although both are white haired, so maybe it is just a coincidence that the sword tip almost touches her? || Comic: '''[[345: 1337: Part 5]]''' || || || Katana swords, two
|-
| 256 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing alone right, seems short || This really looks like a child. || || || ||
|-
| 257 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 258 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 259 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 260 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The hairdo is much different than Hairy’s. || || || ||
|-
| 261 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with sunglasses and very thin black hair standing alone left || First time seen in 35. || || || ||
|-
| 262 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 263 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 264 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 265 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 266 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 267 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 268 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 269 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. || || || ||
|-
| 270 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan. Also the hair on top of the head is higher than usual for a Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 271 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with hat a peaked cap and a stick in one hand, and appears to only have one arm, the other ending in a black square next to his shoulder || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? At first it may appear to be a police officer with {{w|peaked cap}} and a {{w|baton}}, but it seems weird he only has one arm. Could of course be a drawing mistake, and after drawing a shoulder pad Randall may have forgotten to draw the arm. In that case it is a policeman. But if he only has one arm and some weapon in his hand, it could also be a pirate with a special peaked pirate cap. Black peaked caps has been drawn on police officers both in [[587: Crime Scene]] and [[617: Understocked]]. Also after this comic in [[1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop]], [[1105: License Plate]] and [[1251: Anti-Glass]] || || || || Stick/baton
|-
| 272 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone left, seems short || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Looks like a kid with crazy hair. || || || ||
|-
| 273 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with black hair in a high dome on top of the head standing alone left || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan. Also the hair on top of the head is higher than usual for a Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 274 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right shaking a round object with black strings up and down as indicated with two lines above and below || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it she is shaking It could look like a Medusa head (or normal head) she is shaking. Do not look like a ball. || || || || A Red Text: Round object with black strings
|-
| 275 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 276 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball swinging left on a rope as indicated with three lines behind his back while he is looking back over his shoulder at Megan 277 || Cueball has learned {{w|regexes}}, and is using them heroically. || Comic: '''[[208: Regular Expressions]]''' || || || {{w|Rope}}
|-
| 277 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left looking at Cueball 276 swinging by her || Megan was drawn differently in early comics. This could be her in comic [[208: Regular Expressions]], with Cueball 276. || || || ||
|-
| 278 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R]''' || Megan standing alone left || This is the '''last character in the first zero right''', finally a Megan not a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 279 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B]''' || Megan standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the first zero bottom''', which is also a Megan not a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 280 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 281 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 282 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 283 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy with hair like hairy, standing alone right || Obviously a child, a boy with hair. || || || ||
|-
| 284 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 285 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 286 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan dancing alone left one arm up and one arm held out, one leg held up and bent completely at the knee, three double lines indicating movement of arms and legs || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Megan seems to be enjoying a little dance alone. It would fit very well if she had been in front of Cueball 184. || || || ||
|-
| 287 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left, seems she has some hair hanging down her back || || || || ||
|-
| 288 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 174 and 222. || || || ||
|-
| 289 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 290 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right in a very tight embrace arms with around, legs between each others and kissing Cueball 291 with a white heart over their heads || A Red Text: Is it a characters from a previous comic? Obviously two Cueball's kissing in such a tight embrace is a gay reference. There are several of these throughout this comic. This could be the two Cueball's from [[65: Banter]] a little later… || || Cueballs: ♥ || ||
|-
| 291 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing left in a very tight embrace arms with around, legs between each others and kissing Cueball 290 with a white heart over their heads || A Red Text: Is it a characters from a previous comic? Obviously two Cueball's kissing in such a tight embrace is a gay reference. There are several of these throughout this comic. This could be the two Cueball's from [[65: Banter]] a little later… || || Cueballs: ♥ || ||
|-
| 292 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || He could be looking at the gay Cueballs couple 290-291, but seems offset from them. || || || ||
|-
| 293 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || [[Blondie]] with very long white hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This may be the longest white hair on any woman drawn in xkcd. || || || ||
|-
| 294 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 295 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 296 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy with a hat, a fez, standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Obviously a child, a boy with a {{w|fez}} with the characteristic shape and with a tassel attached to the top. || || || ||
|-
| 297 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 298 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball hanging in the air a little above the ground alone left arms stretched out, legs bend a little at the knee, shadow beneath him on the ground || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball could have just jumped and pulled his legs up, but is seems like he is floating in the air keeping his arms out for balance. He may later be the one falling down in 576. Possible reference to comic [[118: 50 Ways]] ("...to learn to hover"). || || || ||
|-
| 299 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left with lots of hair also coming down her back || There is a clear hair bun but the hair down her back is more than usual for Hairbun || || || ||
|-
| 300 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 301 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy in an open lab coat with wild long hair and glasses standing alone left with both arms raised up || This may very well be meant to represent {{w|Emmett_Brown|Dr. Emmett L. Brown}} from {{w|Back to the Future (franchise)|Back to the Future}}, since a kid was dressed up looking like this, and in the same pose, in the referenced comic. Given that this does not look like a kid it could not be the kid, but rather the real person. Seems like he has not been drawn in any comic though. || Comic [[656: October 30th]] || || ||
|-
| 302 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing with bend knees and arms out alone left bending his back backwards right but keeping his head above his feet || Could look like he was dancing but both feet are on the ground and there are no movement lines like say dancing Megan 286. || || || ||
|-
| 303 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 304 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || Could be involved with Cueball 305 but this is not clear. || || || ||
|-
| 305 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball running alone left with arms up like he is happy that he has just spotted a black rectangular shape on the ground in front of him || A Red Text: Is it a situation from a previous comic? What is the object on the ground and why is he happy to see it. Anything to do with Cueball 304 standing there? This running Cueball seems to be happy that for the object he finds on the ground. Could be his wallet lying open on the ground. Could also be some kind of sport, where he runs toward this object to kick it. In that case maybe he is playing with Cueball 304? || || || || Black rectangular object
|-
| 306 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 307 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || || || || ||
|-
| 308 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 309 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 310 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 311 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 312 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 313 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right leaning slightly toward Megan 314 || Looks like he is with Megan 314 || || || ||
|-
| 314 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing left leaning slightly toward Cueball 313 || Looks like she is with Cueball 313 || || || ||
|-
| 315 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball inside a hamster ball is rolling right down a steep slope alone. He is at this moment face down, head to the right a little lower than his feet and arms out. The drawing is smaller than the others, so he is not a kid, just further away. The slope is also drawn and it continues with two more lines to indicate that it is long behind Megan 316 and stops in front of the feet of Cueball 317, without they are involved. Behind the hamster ball there are two lines to indicate the rolling motion. Above the Hamster ball is a word that is not easily readable || A Red Text: What is the word above the hamster ball? Hamster ball is a recurring theme in xkcd, see the referenced category, and was first featured in [[152: Hamster Ball]], but this scene with Cueball rolling down a hill is not from any comic. The only scene with something falling down (a stair) in a hamster ball was a robot in [[413: New Pet]]. However, much later in [[1608: Hoverboard]], there was a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_0987x1075y_Hamsterball_bowling.png scene with a girl] running downhill inside a hamster ball. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || A Red Text: Cueball: Tho??a || || Hamster ball
|-
| 316 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone right, seems tall || This Megan seems taller than the surrounding figures, the Cueball 317 next to her, seems short, maybe he is her child? Behind her is part of the slope from the hamster ball Cueball 315, but she is not part of that scene. || || || ||
|-
| 317 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball seems short, maybe he is a kid, or it is just because Megan 316 is extra tall. Maybe she represents his mother. Just left of his feet is part of the slope from the hamster ball Cueball 315, but he is not part of that scene. || || || ||
|-
| 318 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone right || This Megan is obviously shorter than Megan 316, but does not seem like a child. || || || ||
|-
| 319 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 320 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with something black on the head, seems short || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The character looks short, maybe it is a kid? The black shape on the head seems a little like a flat hat, and the black along the back of the head could be a strip holding it in place. It could also just be short black hair, but then not clear what sex the character has. || || || ||
|-
| 321 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing right towards Cueball kid 322, she also seems short || This Megan here looks short, maybe she is a kid? But then the boy looking like Cueball 322 to her left, much shorter than her, is definitely also a kid. Maybe her little brother. || || || ||
|-
| 322 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right, may be together with Megan 321 || This kid looking like Cueball is certainly too short to be Cueball. He is standing near Megan 321 who, although clearly taller, is short compared to most characters, so maybe she is also a child and could be his older sister? || || || ||
|-
| 323 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left, seems tall || || || || ||
|-
| 324 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with hat, white dome shaped with wide brim standing alone left || This version of White Hat is the one from Idiocracy. It is used more than once in this comic, so here he will not be listed as White Hat. The hat seems to have a wider brim than 26. || Comic: [[603: Idiocracy]] || || ||
|-
| 325 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Woman with black hair wide standing alone right || This is the third version of this woman with wider hair than Megan. See also 4 and 171. || || || ||
|-
| 326 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 327 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 328 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || [[White Hat]] standing alone right || This is the first standard version of White Hat in this comic. The previous two with white hat was the shape from [[603: Idiocracy]], see 324. || || || ||
|-
| 329 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left, with a face that almost has a heart shape, rather than round || Seems like this face has been drawn sloppily, not like those with clearly different shapes later. Although the shape here almost resembles a heart. || || || ||
|-
| 330 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball wearing a mask with a long nose and a strip around his neck standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like there is no comic with a guy in a mask like this with a long nose. Could be a {{w|Guy Fawkes mask}} which was referenced shortly before this comic in [[960: Subliminal]], but not on a Cueball. A guy wearing a mask is seen nine comics before this in [[991: Phantom Menace]], but it is not that kind of mask here. || || || || Mask wit long nose
|-
| 331 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 332 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || Her head is turned to the ponytail is partly hidden behind her head. || || || ||
|-
| 333 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 334 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with hat black bowler standing alone right || There have been two guys with black bowler hats in [[344: 1337: Part 4]] and [[344: 1337: Part 5]], but they looked somewhat different more high and slim, so not quite like this guy. Similar difference between this guy and Black Hat as White Hat and the [[603: Idiocracy]] guy. || || || ||
|-
| 335 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left looking down at his hand which holds something small and slim like a smartphone || Could be Cueball from the referenced comic, where he holds a smartphone looking at it like this Cueball. See also Cueball 523, maybe also holding a smartphone. || Comic: [[864: Flying Cars]] || || || Smartphone
|-
| 336 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 337 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 338 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short curly standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Could be either sex with this short curly hair. || || || ||
|-
| 339 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 174, 222 and 288. || || || ||
|-
| 340 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball sitting alone left leaning back in an armchair legs straight in front of him || There are several comics with Cueball sitting in an armchair but in the references comic Cueball is seen sitting in a very similar position having been watching {{w|The Matrix}}. Previously only Ponytail 18 has been seen sitting in a chair (an office chair). || Comic: [[566: Matrix Revisited]] || || ||
|-
| 341 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 342 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He could be looking at two Cueballs with present 343-344. || || || ||
|-
| 343 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 344 who is holding up a present || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like he receives a present from Cueball 344. Maybe Cueball 342 is also in on this party? || || || ||
|-
| 344 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 343 holding a wrapped present up in one hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Is it a present? Seems like he offers the present he holds up to Cueball 343. Maybe Cueball 342 is also in on this party? The drawing of the present is not very clear, and it doesn't look like the wrapping goes down below the box. || || || || Box looking like a wrapped present
|-
| 345 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone left, seems short || The Ponytail here looks short, maybe she is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 346 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Woman with white hair and pigtails standing alone || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? There have been two girls with pigtails in xkcd, the first was a parody not in the style of xkcd in [[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]], and the other is a girl in [[573: Parental Trolling]], with dark hair. || || || ||
|-
| 347 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 348 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 349 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with sunglasses standing alone left || First time seen in 35. || || || ||
|-
| 350 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B]''' || Cueball standing alone left || This is the '''last character in the first zero bottom''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 351 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L]''' || Cueball standing alone leaning right || This is the '''first character in the first zero left''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 352 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 353 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43 and above here 420). Maybe the next character 354 is also this woman or maybe a guy with knit cap? || || || ||
|-
| 354 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Character with either hair bun white or it could be a knit cap with a pom-pom on top standing alone left || Could be either sex, depending if it is a woman with hair bun (which would make it two next to each other with 353) or a guy with knit cap. {{w|Knit cap|Knit caps}} has been [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|used several times]] in xkcd but only after this comic. || || || ||
|-
| 355 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || [[:Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow|Cory Doctorow]] in his cape and googles are flying swooping head first downwards and left alone with his cape out behind him and two speed lines along the edges of his cape || This is the typical representation of Cory Doctorow, who is featured twice in this section of this first zero (see 398 as well). Cory Doctorow has been shown in several comics and this flying version is from the referenced comic. Normally his cape is drawn in red, but there is no color in this comic. || Comic: '''[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]''' || || ||
|-
| 356 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 357 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 358 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 359 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairbun standing alone right || She is standing above and left of the woman with white hair bun 353 who is near another character 354 perhaps with bun (or knit cap with pom-pom), but it is a close cluster of characters with buns or poms. || || || ||
|-
| 360 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 361 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 362 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 363 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 364 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone leaning right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 365 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || Hairy’s hair is spiky || || || ||
|-
| 366 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 367 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || Hairy’s hair is messy || || || ||
|-
| 368 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 369 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 370 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy wearing some kind of black head gear standing alone seems like the top of the head can be seen in the middle, so it could just be a head band. || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it on his head? A guy is wearing something on his head. Is it a hat, is it hair is it a hairband. Given that some of the head seems to be visible at the top maybe that. Could also be two large horns a little like Mephistopheles 251, but not at all like him. Could also be a crown with two peaks on either side, which the head gear may look to have, and that would be able to go low enough to show the top of the head. || || || ||
|-
| 371 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 372 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with long black hair generally much larger in all directions than Megan’s || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This woman’s hair is so much more thick and long than Megan’s usually is, and not at all like the depiction of Danish either like 373 || || || ||
|-
| 373 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Danish standing alone left || Danish can usually not be distinguished without her personality, but with this very long hair, much longer than Megan’s usually is, it is reasonable to assume it could be her. She looks quite a lot like the version of Danish in [[1014: Car Problems]] released a few weeks after this comic. Most of the comics she appears in were before 1000. Very much different from the other longer than Megan haired woman in 372. See Danish 160 || || || ||
|-
| 374 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone right || Hairy’s hair stands up || || || ||
|-
| 375 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball sitting right on the ground straight back supported with on one hand behind him, while the other hand resting on the knee of one leg which is lifted up and bend at the knee getting close to his head. Maybe he rests his chin on his arm on the knee. The other leg is almost straight out but bends a little at the knee. Maybe Megan 376 is looking down on him. || This Cueball is the second person to sit on the ground. Previously Ponytail 185 also sat on the ground, and later Cueball 439 and Cueball as Rob 602 will sit on the ground as well. Cueball 340 sat in an armchair. || || || ||
|-
| 376 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing left maybe looking down on sitting Cueball 375 || Megan maybe looking at sitting Cueball 375, but it is not clear. || || || ||
|-
| 377 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || This is the first of nine Cueballs in a row from 377-385. However, not all of them are placed together due to the numbering system. Particularly this Cueball is two rows below the full row from 379-383. || || || ||
|-
| 378 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 379 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || Cueballs 379-383 constitutes a full line across the right part of the first zero only with Cueball. They are part of the nine Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 380 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 381 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 382 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, seems tall || This Cueball is taller than the others in this group of nine. || || || ||
|-
| 383 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || Cueballs 379-383 constitutes a full line across the right part of the first zero only with Cueball. They are part of the nine Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 384 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 385 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || This is the last of nine Cueballs in a row, but given the numbering system not all of them are close together. But he is the top of a group of five Cueballs close together. || || || ||
|-
| 386 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing right is holding a hand out to a sitting squirrel, it looks big she looks short || This Megan here looks short, maybe she is a kid? She seems to reach out to maybe pad the squirrel which is drawn almost exactly as in [[776: Still No Sleep]] but here it is with Cueball. Squirrels are a recurring theme as shown in the reference. || Category: [[:Category:Squirrels|Squirrels]] || || Squirrel ||
|-
| 387 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || This Megan together with Megan 386 may both be kids. Maybe she looks on Megan 386 and her squirrel?. Those two girls and the guy 391 are more or less surrounded by a ring of nine Cueballs, with even more of them close by. One of the most Cueball-lized areas so far. || || || ||
|-
| 388 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 389 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Character with short loose hair standing alone || Could be either sex, not really hair like a Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 390 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 391 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with black knit cap standing alone right || This looks very much like a guy with knit cap. {{w|Knit cap|Knit caps}} has been [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|used several times]] in xkcd but only after this comic. || || || ||
|-
| 392 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball dancing alone left one leg slightly lifted and crossing over the other leg on the ground body bend slightly both arms out and one is higher up and three times two lines at his arms and behind his back indicate the dancing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be enjoying a quiet little dance alone. As he did in 184 but more vigorously. Megan 186 is also dancing. Seeing this Cueball "hanging" above the two characters next to him 391 and 393 is could look like he was floating up in the air. But the lines do not indicate this and there is no shadow below him as for floating Cueball 298. Possibly from comic [[118: 50 Ways]] ("...to learn to hover"). || || || ||
|-
| 393 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 394 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left arms out || || || || ||
|-
| 395 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 396 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ponytail standing alone right, seems short || This Ponytail here looks short, maybe she is a kid? It would be the second Ponytail in a row after 395. || || || ||
|-
| 397 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 398 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cory Doctorow in his cape and googles standing left, left arm lifted up || This is the typical representation of Cory Doctorow, who is featured once before in this section of this first zero (see 355 as well). Cory Doctorow has been shown in several comics and this version is probably from the first depiction of him in the referenced comic , which is actually not of him but of a guy trying to look like him, Normally his cape is drawn in red, but there is no color in this comic. || Comic: '''[[239: Blagofaire]]''' || || ||
|-
| 399 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 400 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 401 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 402 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 403 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 404 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right, seems like he is holding a snake in its tale shaking it by the tail so it flows out from his arm snaking in the air || A Red Text: Is it a snake and does it refer to a previous comic? This boy child (much shorter than regular Cueballs) seems to be holding a snake, but it is not clear if it is a snake or represents some weird long arm on the kid? See similar boy with branch 475. || || || A Red Text: Snake? ||
|-
| 405 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right, may be looking toward the guy 406 || There is some distance but she is facing the next guy 406. || || || ||
|-
| 406 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left, maybe looking at Megan 405 || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. See also 411 just above him, which does not really look like this guy but same style of hair. He may be looking at Megan 405 even though there is some distance between them. || || || ||
|-
| 407 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 408 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 409 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 410 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 411 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone right, head is very thin || This does not really look like the other guy 406 with hair like this just below him. The head shape is weird like it has been squeezed together. The first Guy with hair like this was 75 but he did not quite look like this guy. || || || ||
|-
| 412 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair short white and spiky standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems a special type of hair, that has not been seen before in this comic. Not looking like similar described 491. || || || ||
|-
| 413 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right, may be looking toward the Cueball 414 || Could be looking at Cueball 414. || || || ||
|-
| 414 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, may be looking toward the Megan 413 || Could be looking at Megan 413. || || || ||
|-
| 415 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 416 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with glasses (square) and hair black standing alone right || Most of those with glasses so far have been bold as Cueballs, but this one has hair. || || || ||
|-
| 417 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 418 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 419 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 420 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43, and below here in 353) || || || ||
|-
| 421 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 422 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairbun standing alone left || Hairbun with her dark hair looks in the direction of the white haired woman with hair bun 420. || || || ||
|-
| 423 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ninja dressed in black with black cloth around his head so only a small part of the face is visible and a broad and curved sword in hand standing alone right || There have been several references to {{w|ninjas}} before this comic. But in neither of these does they look much like this one with this particular curved sword. First time with ninjas was in [[225: Open Source]] and there is also one in the first comic of [[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]. Cueball has also noted that [[486: I am Not a Ninja]]. || || || || Ninja sword
|-
| 424 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L]''' || Cueball standing alone || This is the '''last character in the first zero''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 425 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the second zero''' - of course also a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 426 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 427 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair bun black, large and on top of her head with what appears to be two hairpins stuck into it standing alone right looking down arms out || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Any reference to characters drawn previously Even though she has a hair bun it is much too different from Hairbun's to be her and with the pins in. See also similar women 38 and 66 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 428 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 429 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 430 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left balancing (or dancing) on one leg with the other lifted up and bend by the knee arms out || A Red Text: Could it be that he is about to kick the squirrel above the smoke of Cueball 439? Seems like this Cueball is balancing on one leg, but could also be that he is dancing. However, a few others that clearly danced had lines to indicate movement, which is not the case here. || || || ||
|-
| 431 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 432 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 433 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with short dark hair standing alone left || Could be either sex. See also 586. || || || ||
|-
| 434 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 435 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right arms out, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 436 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left pushing with both arms, one leg lifted behind him, on the hilt of a sword that is just protruding out of a large stone. The stone has a jagged edge to the left, and is a bit lower where the sword is pushed in. Sound effect and lines to show the pushing is drawn over Cueballs hands || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is clearly a reference to the sword in the stone ({{w|Excalibur}}). The legend says that whoever pulls on the {{w|hilt}} of that sword, to get it out of the stone will be the king of England. However, either Cueball is desperate not to get that honor, or he is the one that is about to place it there making it hard to get out. There seem to be now direct reference fro before this comic, but much later a comic titles exactly [[1521: Sword in the Stone]], references a situation where a person getting the sword declines the honor after reading about England. Read the explanation for that comic on more about the sword. There are however what appears to be the hilt a sword sticking out of a stone in right pile in the second panel of [[968: Everything]]. Maybe it is this stone Cueball has prepared for Megan in that comic. || Other: {{w|Excalibur#Excalibur_and_the_Sword_in_the_Stone| Sword in the Stone}} || Sound: ''Puhs push'' || || Hilt of a sword sticking out of a large stone
|-
| 437 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right arms out on top of a balance board looking like a skateboard with only one large wheel in the middle. Four times two movement lines on either side of Cueball and the wheel shows he is balancing and not moving || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball is using a {{w|balance board}} (and not a one wheeled skateboard) and is managing to hold the balance even though movement lines indicate that he shifts left and right on the board. There have been many comics with skateboards or electrical skateboards, but seems like there are none with a balance board. || || || || Blance board
|-
| 438 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair like hairy, standing alone left || Obviously a child, a boy with hair. || || || ||
|-
| 439 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball sitting on the ground right straight back supported with on one hand behind him, while the other hand resting on the knees which are lifted up is holding the pipe he is smoking. The smoke rises straight but then seems to hit a shelve above it on top of which sits something that looks like a squirrel, but could also be licking flames. Maybe together with Cueball 440 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is happening here? Does the smoke support a shelve with a squirrel or is it flames above the smoke? Do Cueball try to smoke out the squirrel? Do this belong with the Cueball 440 or is the squirrel a part of Cueball 430 trying to kick it? This is a very difficult situation to decipher. Best guess at the moment is that Cueball is tired of the squirrel sitting above him and is trying to smoke it out. [[:Category:Squirrels|Squirrels]] are a recurring theme and in [[382: Trebuchet]] a trap to get rid of squirrels are mentioned, although more effective than smoke in getting rid of them. It is unclear if there is any relation with Cueball 440 with his plant but they are closer together than most other characters, but maybe that is just the smoke and the plant's fault and not the two figures? This is the second Cueball sitting on the ground, the first being 375. || || || A Red Text: Squirrel? || Pipe with smoke and a shelfe above it (with flames or squirrel?)
|-
| 440 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing right with a potted plant behind him. It is a thin stem with a few leafs. At the top it reaches Cueballs shoulders and bends towards him. He stands close to Cueball 439 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Has he any relation to the Cueball 439? Is it a potted plant? Looks like Cueball is standing with his plant looking away from Cueball 439. It is unclear if there is any relation with Cueball 439 with his pipe and smoke but they are closer together than most other characters, but maybe that is just the smoke and the plant's fault and not the two figures? There is a potted plant in the office in [[393: Ultimate Game]]. Later a more similar potted plant next to a kid looking away (like Cueball here) was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3e/1608_1033x1095y_The_rotary.png seen in the rotary] inside the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || || ||
|-
| 441 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with lots of spikes in her hair on the back of her head standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it with her hair. Is it hair or is something sitting on her head, not a hat? This Megan style woman has a weird hair style or something with spikes has attached itself to her head? || || || ||
|-
| 442 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball with antenna on his head standing right towards Cueball three arms 443 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it on his head? Maybe it should not be listed as Cueball if it is hair or a hat? This Cueball seems to have a small antenna on his head. Could also be a single hair? Maybe this freak belongs together with the three armed Cueball 443? || || || ||
|-
| 443 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left all three arms out, hands on the two arms to the left. Maybe together with Cueball 442 || This is the Cueball clock with three arms from panel five in the referenced comic. He even has the same position and hands on two (though not all three) arms. He may be together with the other freak Cueball 442 with antenna on his head? || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 444 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair long and loose standing alone right with a scarf around her neck hanging down her back. She holds her arms up to keep it over her throat as she makes a sound like she is freezing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This woman is not Megan. Her hair is different and looks weird over her head. Maybe it should look like some kind of hat? She obviously freezes with the sound and the scarf. Although this is not Megan, Megan is seen here with a scarf: [[726: Seat Selection]]. Possibly from comic [[511: Sleet]]. || || Woman with scarf: ''Brrr'' || || Scarf
|-
| 445 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 446 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone left, seems short || Could be either sex, and maybe it is a child. See similar kid in 145 and similar adult in 174. || || || ||
|-
| 447 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair short black and with a bump in the neck standing alone left, seems short || This woman here looks short, maybe she is a kid? Her hair is short compared to Megan and there is a small hair bun like bump in the neck, but it does not really look like a hair bun and not at all like Hairbun. See also similar woman 481. || || || ||
|-
| 448 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hair or some kind of hat standing alone || A Red Text: Is it a cap or hair on his head? It would change the direction he looks! This guy seems to have either some thin hair or maybe some hat, like a cap? || || || ||
|-
| 449 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 450 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 451 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Hairy standing alone right, with thin hair || This Hairy has very thin hair. || || || ||
|-
| 452 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking down || || || || ||
|-
| 453 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone left with hair flowing behind her || Seems like Megan is facing wind into her face which blows her hair out behind her, giving her a different look from normal Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 454 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || A Red Text: Guy with thick hair is either standing with some sword hanging up his back, or it is part of the chair he is sitting in. His hands are toward what appears to be a bird bath with a duck in it || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Hopefully it is because it is impossible to see what happens here. What is the thing in front of him? Is he standing with sword or sitting in a chair? It looks like a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e8/1663_garden_Cueball_talks_to_deer_duck_in_birdbath.png duck in a birth bath] in front of this person who either have a sword or sits in a chair? Seems small too, but would be even smaller if sitting on a chair. || || || A Red Text: Duck? || A Red Text: Bird Bath?
|-
| 455 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 456 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding the remote control for a radio controlled toy helicopter flying up as indicated with two lines above and below || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball is playing with his radio-controlled helicopter. One of those was also shown later in [[1110: Click and Drag]] where Beret Guy [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n1e.png chases it with a butterfly net]. || || || || Remote controlled helicopter and remote
|-
| 457 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with party hat with a strap under the chin. Around him lies confetti on the ground || This is one of the kids from the Malaria party in the referenced comic. The hat and the items on the ground are taken directly from the comic. || Comic: '''[[51: Malaria]]''' || || ||
|-
| 458 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand rest on her bend knees || This is the second Ponytail to sit straight on the ground, the first being 185. || || || ||
|-
| 459 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball is floating alone above a pentagram with lit candles at its points || Cueball has summoned himself from a parallel universe in a ritual using a pentagram (5-pointed star) and burning candles. || Comic: '''[[105: Parallel Universe]]''' || || || {{w|Pentagram}}, {{w|candles}}
|-
| 460 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with dark hair, maybe down the back, maybe short standing alone right || Could be either sex. The hair on the head does not look like Megan, and it is difficult to determine if the hair stops above or below the shoulders. || || || ||
|-
| 461 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair short black standing alone right arms up holding something in the arm to the left, maybe a ball || A Red Text: What is in his hand Clearly this is a kid holding some object, could be a ball he is about to pass? || || || A Red Text: Ball? ||
|-
| 462 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with black ponytail standing alone left || This is not Ponytail as she has white hair. There is a similar woman in [[882: Significant]]. Later a girl looking very much like this was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/Garden_Stilt_walker.png seen on stilts] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || ||
|-
| 463 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 464 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hat black beret and black beard only on his chin standing alone right smoking a pipe, smoke coming out and drifting up beginning with a round black cloud and then above two white clouds || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Is he supposed to look French? There are some smoking pipe in xkcd (see for instance [[923: Strunk and White]]) but none with smoke like this and no only looking anything like this black beret guy. || || || || Pipe with smoke
|-
| 465 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hat black but much larger than Black Hats although similar shape, but soft in the middle standing alone right. A large wing is hanging out from the hat on the left side || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This winged hat seems to be related to the locomotive hat. There seems to be only one wing, and with the white ends it seems like it is feathers, although there is some bat wing over the drawing. Maybe a joke on the phrase ''{{w|A feather in your cap}}'' but no with an entire wing instead? || || || || Wing on hat
|-
| 466 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 467 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left with a large head and a camera or a mask held in front of his face with both hands || A Red Text: Is this from a previous comic? Is it a big camera he is holding or a mask? Unclear what Cueball is holding in front of his head. The head seems rather large, maybe a drawing mistake due to the camera or mask he is holding up to his head? || || || || A Red Text: Camrea or mask?
|-
| 468 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 469 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 470 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with beard, full, and black hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Does not look like guy with beard 73. || || || ||
|-
| 471 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with pumpkin face with slits for eyes and a curvy mouth standing alone right || This is one of the pumpkin men from the referenced comics 6th panel. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 472 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 473 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || There may be indication of thin hair, but could be a sloppy end to the circle of the head || || || ||
|-
| 474 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right while bending in the knees leaning over them back bend arms stretched out for balance || Could be that he is preparing to jump? || || || ||
|-
| 475 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right seems like he is holding a branch in one end so it hangs out in the air to the right. At the end there is a split in two parts. || A Red Text: Is it a branch or a snake like in 404 and does it refer to a previous comic? This boy child (much shorter than regular Cueballs) seems to be holding a branch out, but it is not clear how he holds this or if it is a branch? See similar boy with snake 404. || || || || A Red Text: Branch?
|-
| 476 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 477 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 478 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 479 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 480 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball running alone right towards something that gives off smoke with a sound. Seems like he is holding a bow and maybe he has just shot an arrow at the smoking object, the arrow missing hitting the ground with a sound || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Quite unclear what happens here? Best guess is that something is being aimed at by Cueball's bow and arrow but he misses the target (he burns his shot) and the target burns releasing smoke while hissing. || || Smoking object: Ssss Arrow: Thump || || Bow, arrow and smoking object
|-
| 481 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair short black and with a bump in the neck standing alone left, seems short || This woman here looks short, maybe she is a kid? Her hair is short compared to Megan and there is a small hair bun like bump in the neck, but it does not really look like a hair bun and not at all like Hairbun. See also similar woman 447. || || || ||
|-
| 482 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 483 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing right speaking to a butterfly that flies in front of him with two times two lines around the wings away from Cueball and one two times one line close to Cueball || This is a direct reference to the referenced comic where real programmers use butterflies and it turns out e-macs has a command that does this which begins with C-x as Cueball says, and then continues to give this sentence: ''C-x M-c M-butterfly.'' || Comic: '''[[378: Real Programmers]]''' || Cueball: C-x || Butterfly ||
|-
| 484 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right, rather long hair || This Megan does not look like Danish. || || || ||
|-
| 485 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 486 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || His face shape is a little squeezed at the top, so his head is not close to being round. || || || ||
|-
| 487 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Blondie standing alone left || It is not a ponytail but long hair going down her back. || || || ||
|-
| 488 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 489 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 490 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing alone || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 491 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hair short white and spiky standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems a special type of hair, that has not been seen before in this comic. Not looking like similar described 412. || || || ||
|-
| 492 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing right looking slightly down at Cueball with Boombox 493 || This is the named Megan from the referenced comic, hair even drawn a little different like in that comic. She listens to Cueball 492's music from his Boombox. || Comic: '''[[159: Boombox]]''' || || ||
|-
| 493 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing left holding a playing boombox high up over his head in both hands, playing music for Megan 492 || This is Cueball with the boombox playing for Megan 492 from the referenced comic. The music playing is a reference to the title text, as it is not ''Ice Ice Baby''. || Comic: '''[[159: Boombox]]''' || Boombox: Under presssure || || Boombox
|-
| 494 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) supercomputer, a box with a lid and a black line below this (looking like a Xerox machine) with its name written in front of the panel talking to Boy 495 || This is the sentient {{w|AI}} in the form of the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) computer from the movie {{w|WarGames}} talking with a boy 495. The boy should then represent David played by {{w| Matthew Broderick}} (see also boy 495). It wants to play a game and in the movie this almost results in nuclear war where the only winning move is not to play. A similar AI has been featured in [[601: Game Theory]] where it analyzed love like the WOPR analyzed nuclear war. It determines that you always lose in love even if you say no to playing! This is the only one of the 1000 characters that has no human shape what so ever- But that it's an independent intelligence cannot be doubted, and hence it must be seen as one of the 1000 characters. || Movie: {{w|WarGames}} || WOPR: Would you like to play a game? Boy 495: No. On WOPR: WOPR || || WOPR (although not seen as an object here)
|-
| 495 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing left talking with the WOPR 494 || If this is the boy from the movie {{w|WarGames}} talking with the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) computer, then his name is David Lightman and he was played by {{w|Matthew Broderick}}. In the movie WOPR asks David he would like to play a game and they end of playing a game of Global Thermonuclear War which almost leads to this in real life. Either this is after so David is cleverer or it is another clever boy, because he simply declines the offer of the WOPR. He could also have played tic-tac-toe but then no one would win, but also no one would lose as shown here [[832: Tic-Tac-Toe]]. If he dared he could have played the strip version of Global Thermonuclear War as mentioned in the title text of [[696: Strip Games]]. || Movie: {{w|WarGames}} || || ||
|-
| 496 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking up while throwing two objects into the air, one a round shape the other a snake shape || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? What is it he throws? Cueball is throwing something into the air, not clear what or why. || || || || A Red Text: Two objects thrown up?
|-
| 497 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with black hair and safety glasses standing alone right leaning back while holding an Erlenmeyer flask (a conical laboratory flask) up in the air in one outstretched hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is seen holding a similar flask up in [[520: Cuttlefish]]. || || || || Erlenmeyer flask
|-
| 498 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing alone right || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 499 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Science Girl with Ponytail standing alone right arms held out from her body || This is the early version of Science Girl from [[585: Outreach]]. || || || ||
|-
| 500 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair like Hairy || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 501 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Girl with hair like Danish || Clearly a kid much smaller than the adult Danish. There is a whole group of kids here, see the previous three and 490 as well. || || || ||
|-
| 502 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone looking right while holding a gun out in his arm to the left (where there is no one nearby) || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball also holds a gun like this, but looking the same direction and pointing it on another Cueball in [[68: Five Thirty]].|| || || || Gun
|-
| 503 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left looking down at a large gravestone on a big base. There are three patches of grass around the stone || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Gravestones has been used several times, also with this shape but not with Cueball standing in front of it. See [[584: Unsatisfied]], [[599: Apocalypse]] and [[736: Cemetery]]. || || || || Gravestone with grass around it
|-
| 504 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding a trumpet up to his mouth with both hands blowing a flower out of the other end of the instrument || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Is it a trumpet or is it a large opening for a gun shooting the flower out? Seems like the items Cueball holds in front of him send a flower out, either when he blows into it, or fires it. Depending on if this is a trumpet or a gun? || || || || A Red Text: Trumpet or gun with flower?
|-
| 505 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || [[Black Hat]] standing alone left || This is the first time Black Hat appears, here with a little wider hat than usual. || || || ||
|-
| 506 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T]''' || Hairy running alone left with his arms up || This is the '''last character in the second zero top''', this time not a Cueball but a running Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 507 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R]''' || Cueball standing alone left with a head that seems more egg shaped, with the tip up || This is the '''first character in the second zero right''' - again a Cueball, but one of those with a peculiar shaped head. Here the head is more egg shaped. || || || ||
|-
| 508 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Astronaut in a spacesuit standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A spacesuit, which there seems to be no one of in the first 1000 comics? || || || || Spacesuit
|-
| 509 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 510 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand is resting on her knee which is lifted up, the other leg also bend but less. Seems like the ground is rough beneath her, and both one arm and one leg seems to rest on small rocks || This is the third Ponytail to sit straight on the ground, the first being 185. || || || || Rocks on rough ground
|-
| 511 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Skeleton walking right towards Cueball 512 with his sword and Megan 514. The bones are clearly not joined together, the black eye sockets almost protruding from the skull. It has its arms held out || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like Cueball 512 is facing this skeleton with his sword in a valiant attempt to defend Megan 514 who’s looking on the skeleton. The idea of being able to fight a skeleton is mentioned in the title text of [[1587: Food Rule]]. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. There seems to be no skeletons drawn in the first 1000 comics? Even though this is not a living creature (but an undead) it is obviously counted as one of the 1000 characters. || || || || Skeleton (although not seen as an object here)
|-
| 512 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left brandishing a sword behind him to the right as he faces the skeleton 511 walking towards him with its arms out. Maybe he protects Megan 514 || It could look like Cueball is waiting to take a swing with his sword at the skeleton 511 walking his way with its arms out, a valiant attempt to defend Megan 514 looking on the scene. The idea of being able to fight a skeleton is mentioned in the title text of [[1587: Food Rule]]. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. Seems like Cueball only holds a sword in [[68: Five Thirty]], but it doesn't really look like that sword. || || || || Sword
|-
| 513 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with hair long and white standing alone right arms out. Seems like some sort of very long ponytail hangs down below her waist || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What's with the hair down the back? The "ponytail" down to below her waist seems strangely shaped, very thin and uneven. Could also be some sort of scarf, as there is a large black area around the neck, which could also just be hair? || || || ||
|-
| 514 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing left looking up at skeleton 511, being protected by sword Cueball 512 || Megan seems to be part of the skeleton 511 vs. Cueball 512 scene. Maybe Cueball is defending her from the walking skeleton with his sword. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. || || || ||
|-
| 515 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball is abducted by an alien spacecraft looking like the typical flying saucer. It is sucking him up in a tractor-beam while he hangs suspended arms out and one leg bend || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? This is a reference of a typical alien abduction where a {{w|flying saucer}} uses a {{w|tractor beam}} to suck a human (Cueball) up into the space craft for further investigation and [https://vimeo.com/107376483insertion of anal probes] etc. Or just for practice - see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkYcK3z5Go4 Lifted]. Seems like there are no flying saucers in the first 1000 comics? Could be that Cueball 522 sees this scene and reacts by taking his hand to his mouth? The spaceship is not seen as an individual character, as it is not alive or conscious (like the AI in the WORP 494). || Other: {{w|Alien abduction}} || || || Flying saucer using tractor beam
|-
| 516 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing right maybe towards science Girl 519 || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. Although the appearance of the girl 519 he may be facing is that of Science Girl, there are some similarities with her and [[Elaine Roberts]] as she appears together with Donald Knuth in the mentioned comic... || || || ||
|-
| 517 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 518 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 519 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Science Girl with bun and ponytail, standard appearance, standing left maybe towards Guy 516 || Although this is the standard appearance of Science Girl she may be facing Guy 516 which may be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] . In that comic [[Elaine Roberts]] is as a young girl drawn with ponytail (white though) so there are some similarities between a scene in that comic. || || || ||
|-
| 520 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Boy looking like Cueball with arms out standing right towards Cueball 521 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. Seems like he is explaining something to Cueball 521 who scratches his head for that reason. || || || ||
|-
| 521 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left scratching his head with a small black cloud(?) over his head as he tries to understand what the boy 520 is showing him || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is reacting to the boy showing him something, scratching his head. The black cloud over his head may indicate that he doesn't comprehend what the boy wishes to show him or that he does but is dismayed. || || || ||
|-
| 522 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right looking up, hand to his mouth, maybe because he sees the alien abduction of Cueball 515 above him? || Could look like he was reacting to the alien abduction scene 515 as he looks that way and has his hand to his mouth. || || || ||
|-
| 523 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right looking at something he holds in his hand lifted up in front of his face something small and slim like a smartphone || A Red Text: Is it a smartphone in his hand or something else? Could be that Cueball holds a smartphone, but it is not clear. Cueball in [[864: Flying Cars]] also holds a smartphone but not in the same position as this Cueball. That was more the case for Cueball 335. || || || || A Red Text: Smartphone?
|-
| 524 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Old man with a white hat (looking a bit like a beret, but could also a sailor cap seen from the front) and a cane standing alone left || This is not an old version of Beret Guy but the old version of Cueball from the referenced comic, as he would look if he turned and stared straight out of the panel. The cap at on his sailor hat would then look like the middle part of the hat does here, which makes it look like Beret Guy’s beret. The cane and the wrinkles that match those from the comic, is helping prove this. || Comic: '''[[572: Together]]''' || || || Cane
|-
| 525 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 526 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left with high hair and long face || A little strange head and hair shape, but still Hairy like. || || || ||
|-
| 527 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left talking to the ants in the ant hill by his feet || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is thankful to the ants. There have been many mentions of ants in xkcd, but not seem to fit this picture. See for instance the later comic [[1610: Fire Ants]], but also the much referenced comic [[68: Five Thirty]] has an ant in the last panel. A [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png giant ant queen] was inside the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || Cueball: Thanks ants || Ants || Ant hill
|-
| 528 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 529 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 530 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 531 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with black hair and a bald patch on the top of his head standing alone right || Seems like there is no hair on the top of the head. Could be a drawing mistake but else it is either a bald patch, or it is supposed to be some head gear going around his head? || || || ||
|-
| 532 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 533 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 534 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 535 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 536 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 537 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right towards boy 538 holding a large axe in both hands with the head towards the boy || This Cueball interacts with the boy 538, which again is a reference to the boy being an {{w|troll (internet)|internet troll}} that was slain in the referenced comic. Although there it was not as a real life {{w|troll}}, and not by an axe. See more on 538. || Comic: '''[[591: Troll Slayer]]''' || || || Axe
|-
| 538 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Boy with hair and lots of pimples standing left facing the axe wielding Cueball 537 || This is the pimpled boy that {{w|troll (internet)|trolls}} {{w|Stephenie Meyer}} in the referenced comic. She then slays him using her {{w|Twilight (novel series)|Twilight novels}} as her weapon of choice. Given that it is the boy who is the troll slain, it makes sense here to put this little boy in front of a Cueball 537 with an axe big enough to slay real {{w|trolls}}. || Comic: '''[[591: Troll Slayer]]''' || || ||
|-
| 539 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 540 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right hair blowing out behind her || Seems like this Megan has the wind in her face her hair billowing out behind her. || || || ||
|-
| 541 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball spinning around on one leg facing right alone doing a pirouette with arms held together over his head one leg up and bend close to his body and three circle lines left and right of his body and around the leg that supports him || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is performing a {{w|Turn_(dance_and_gymnastics)#Pirouette|pirouette}}. It is not similar to the scene in [[162: Angular Momentum]] referenced by spinning Megan 159. || || || ||
|-
| 542 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 543 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 544 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Girl sleeping drawn in silhouette alone with her head to the left snoring as indicated with a sound || This drawing can be a little confusing since the end of it, is very close to guy 545's face and could even be seen as smoke coming from him. But the snoring sound gives it away as the [[7#Trivia|very first drawing]] Randall released on the [[:Category:First_day_on_LiveJournal|very first day]] of releasing comics on [[LiveJournal]] from [[:Category:Comics posted on livejournal|before]] he began posting on xkcd.com (where it then got number 7 for some reason?) So of course it should be included in this comic. Given that she is not even closely related to the stick figures constituting the rest of the 1000 characters she had to be drawn like this in silhouette to make her blend in. But it would be easy to misinterpret the drawing, but the three ''zzz'' helps a lot. Those were not included in the original drawing. The comic that later received the number 1 spot on xkcd is also here as Barrel Boy 643 at the bottom in the same side of this zero. || Comic: '''[[7: Girl sleeping (Sketch -- 11th grade Spanish class)]]''' || Girl: Zzz || ||
|-
| 545 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat black, high and round standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is clearly not Black Hat (as the next character 546) as the hat is not square but rounded and higher. || || || ||
|-
| 546 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Black Hat standing alone, with a more massive hat than usual || Although this must be described as Black Hat, as opposed to the guy 545 before this with a rounded black hat, the hat seems more massive broader and higher than the usual style of Black Hat. || || || ||
|-
| 547 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball hanging alone left in one arm from the string of a white balloon rising up. That he is up in the air is indicated with a shadow on the "ground" beneath him || There seems to be no direct reference to a comic with such a Cueball, although a Cueball like kid is lifted in a balloon string, but not by the balloon, in [[121: Balloon]]. It more resembles the opening frame in [[1110: Click and Drag]], but that was first released more than eight months later (and the balloon there was black). || || || || Balloon on a string
|-
| 548 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 549 on stilts || It is not clear if she is with Cueball 548, but they are very close and she looks straight at him. || || || ||
|-
| 549 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball walking on stilts towards left while looking right. The stilts are broader at the ground. He may be together with Megan 548 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? It seems like Megan 548 is looking at him, but it is unclear if they belong together. There also seems to be no comic with Cueball walking on stilts like this, but in [[482: Height]] there is a Cueball walking on the world’s tallest stilts. Much later two game comics showed persons on stilts, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png inside] the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and as a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png grown item] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || || Stilts
|-
| 550 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat black peaked cap standing alone right || Looks like one of the often occurring police officers usually drawn with a black peaked cap, a police cap. Mostly these caps are though also drawn with a white emblem, but that might have been too small here. See for instance [[617: Understocked]]. || || || ||
|-
| 551 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right towards woman 552 || Seems like he is facing woman 552. || || || ||
|-
| 552 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with white hair long and loose, could be Blondie but might be in a ponytail, standing left towards Cueball 551 || It could be both Blondie and Ponytail, but at first it looks like long white hair that hangs loose down her back. She seems to be facing Cueball 552. || || || ||
|-
| 553 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with white hair in a bun with a ponytail below it standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is not a standard hairstyle in xkcd. || || || ||
|-
| 554 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 555 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 556 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan driving left on a Segway alone, three lines behind her indicates her motion and speed also clear as her hair flows somewhat back || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Megan drives a {{w|Segway PT}}. There seems to be no comics where this happens, but Segway is referenced both in the description of people who likes the {{w|Dymaxion map|Dymaxion projection}} in [[977: Map Projections]] as well as in the title text of [[296: Tony Hawk]]. || || || || Segway PT}
|-
| 557 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat baseball cap standing with Cueball 558 both looking right || There are not many wearing baseball caps in xkcd. There was on in the background of [[954: Chin-Up Bar]]. One was shown long after in [[1221: Nomenclature]], it could almost be those two from that comic that this guy and Cueball 557 should represent, but the other guy is also wearing a hat in the comic. Also it cannot be a reference as it is a later comic. || || || ||
|-
| 558 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing with Guy 557 both looking right || Seems like he may be watching something together with baseball cap guy 557. || || || ||
|-
| 559 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone arms up || || || || ||
|-
| 560 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right holding an octopus out in one arm || This is the biologist from the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[435: Purity]]''' || || Octopus ||
|-
| 561 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 562 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball driving left on an electric skateboard having the radio control remote in his hand. Behind him are three lines next to the antenna of the control (and there are no wires) so this is either indication of speed or radio waves. The skateboard is driving slightly downwards and Cueball stand still on the middle. The two next "girls" 563-564 are running after him || This is a clear reference to the referenced comic. The [:[Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboard]] here (a recurring theme in xkcd) seems to have radio control, as there is no wire to the board as in the comic. But the two "girls" 563-564 running after him is two of the three chicks in the comic that cheered Cueball when he got to his destination. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || || Electric Skateboard
|-
| 563 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail running left after Cueball 562 and his skateboard || Ponytail is running, together with Megan 564, after Cueball 562 because he is so cool with his electric skateboard, a clear reference to the comic where both "girls" also admire Cueball on his gadget. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || ||
|-
| 564 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan running left after Cueball 562 and his skateboard || Megan is running, together with Ponytail 563, after Cueball 562 because he is so cool with his electric skateboard, a clear reference to the comic where both "girls" also admire Cueball on his gadget. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || ||
|-
| 565 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo normal size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A more normal Afro hair than on 236, like 248. || || || ||
|-
| 566 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 567 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 568 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairbun with sunglasses standing alone left || This is how {{w|Trinity (The Matrix)|Trinity}} from {{w|The Matrix)} is drawn in the referenced comic. First guy with sunglasses see 35. || Comic: [[566: Matrix Revisited]] || || ||
|-
| 569 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in the second zero right''', and again a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 570 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B]''' || Guy with extremely spiky hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is the '''first character in the second zero bottom''', for once an unnamed character. This hair reminds of some kind of {{w|Punk fashion}}. || || || ||
|-
| 571 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 572 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball 572. || || || ||
|-
| 572 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 571 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball 571. || || || ||
|-
| 573 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 574 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right holding one arm slightly out right || || || || ||
|-
| 575 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left arms a little of balance bending in one leg || || || || ||
|-
| 576 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball falling headfirst down alone left while flailing with his arms and legs as indicated with two lines on either side, and four lines above him indicate the speed of the fall || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 577 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 578 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair in a Mohawk standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This guy seems to sport a {{w|Mohawk hairstyle|Mohawk}}. || || || ||
|-
| 579 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone left || This Hairy has flat hair. || || || ||
|-
| 580 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Girl with long black hair standing alone right holding her arms up || Clearly a girl much shorter than the adults around her. Hari style could be like Megan’s, but it's hard to see for the raised arms || || || ||
|-
| 581 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone doing the arm wave || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is doing the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CPtOe3GVwk arm wave], hip-hop style… || || || ||
|-
| 582 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 583 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 584 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 585 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Science Girl with small bun at the base of her neck and hair hanging down behind it standing alone right holding up a model rocket in one hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? There seems to be no comics where anyone holds up such a rocket. It is the standard version of a rocket that can be used for space launch. || || || || Model rocket
|-
| 586 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Character with short dark hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 433. || || || ||
|-
| 587 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 588 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with a ponytail dark standing right looking at Genie 589 || Seems like this woman has just rubbed the lamp of the Genie 589 and is now ready to make a wish. A similar {{w|genie}} was drawn in the referenced comic, although together with Cueball. Genies have been mentioned several times in xkcd, see more in the referenced comic. See also woman 157 with dark ponytail. || Comic: '''[[152: Hamster Ball]]''' || || ||
|-
| 589 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Genie rising smoke like out of an oil lamp standing on the ground facing left towards Woman 588. The genies body materializes out of the smoke getting more solid from the waist up. It has its arms held into its sides. On its head it has a turban. || It seems that woman 588 has just rubbed the lamp from where the Genie protrudes and it now ready to fulfill her wishes. A similar {{w|genie}} was drawn in the referenced comic, although together with Cueball. Genies have been mentioned several times in xkcd, see more in the referenced comic. In the referenced comic Cueball wishes for a hamster ball, and gets one. See Cueball 618 inside his hamster ball just below and left of here. || Comic: '''[[152: Hamster Ball]]''' || || || Oil lamp
|-
| 590 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Megan 591 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Cueball and Megan 591. See also similar Hairy/Megan couple 210-211. || || Cueball/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 591 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing left towards Cueball with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Megan and Cueball 590. See also similar Hairy/Megan couple 210-211. || || Cueball/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 592 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Ponytail 593 || Seems like Cueball faces Ponytail 593. || || || ||
|-
| 593 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing left towards Cueball 592 || Seems like Ponytail faces Cueball 592. || || || ||
|-
| 594 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball running right towards Cueball 595 holding a long stick in both hands over his head. Towards the end of the stick there is a broader part of the stick, but at the very end it is again as thin as the rest of the stick || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be in the process of attacking Cueball 595 with some kind of weapon. But it neither seems like a spear or an axe with the protrusion on the stick he is wielding neither looking like an axe head or it at the tip like on a spear? || || || || Stick with protrusion at one end
|-
| 595 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left towards charging Cueball 594 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like Cueball 594 is in the process of attacking this Cueball with some kind of weapon. || || || ||
|-
| 596 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone left with very thin hair || This Hairy has thin but not flat hair || || || ||
|-
| 597 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball lying down on his back alone left resting on one arm behind him, the other arm down along his body one leg bent a lot the other only slightly at the knees || The second character that lies down on the ground. See the first Cueball 105 to do so. || || || ||
|-
| 598 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 599 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other in front of him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 600 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other around him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 601 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other around him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 602 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || [[Rob]] sitting alone right legs curled up to his body arms holding tight around them || This is [[Rob]] from the referenced comic after his nephew has scared him with his fact of life. This is the third Cueball-like character sitting on the ground, the first being 375. || Comic: '''[[647: Scary]]''' || || ||
|-
| 603 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan with her hair falling backwards alone right. She seems to have lost the balance, having only one leg on the ground the other up in the air and bendy leaning far behind the leg on the ground. The arms seem to be flailing up and down so fast that three arms are drawn on either side. The hair is also standing up || This is Megan from the referenced comic after the LSD she has been given makes her believe that there are spiders all over her. The three arms on either side because of her flailing arms make this connection clear. || Comic: '''[[790: Control]]''' || || ||
|-
| 604 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right eating an ice cream cone || Seems like Cueball never eats an ice cream cone in the first 1000 comic but his daughter Science Girl does so next to him in [[585: Outreach]]. || || || || Ice cream cone
|-
| 605 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 606 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right facing a finger gun assault by Hairy 607 || Seems he is being finger gun attacked by Hairy 607. || || || ||
|-
| 607 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing left brandishing two finger guns, one pointed at Cueball 606 the other held up in the air || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Hairy has shaped both his hands into finger guns (which is thus one of the rare occasion where hands are shown). He seems to be pointing one of the hand guns towards Cueball 606. || Other: {{w|Finger gun}} || || ||
|-
| 608 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left something black under one hand || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. See Guy 75, the first with this type of hair. The black dot under his hand seems to be a drawing mistake? || || || ||
|-
| 609 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 610 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 611 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 612 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Ponytail 611 brandishing a lightsaber pointed up towards her || Seems like Cueball threatens Ponytail 613 with his {{w|lightsaber}}. This is a general reference to the {{w|Star Wars}} universe which is a recurrent topic on xkcd. Lightsabers are often referenced and drawn, but there is not really a particular scene that looks like this. Most closely comes the look of the lightsaber in the 6th comic from [[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]] which was published by mistake. Also in one of the intentionally published comics in that series, [[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]], are there lightsabers. Just three weeks prior to this comic a toy lightsaber was held by Cueball in [[991: Phantom Menace]]. Later a comic named after the weapon was published in [[1433: Lightsaber]] and they were displayed more than once in [[1608: Hoverboard]], both [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png with Ponytail] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1006x1095y_Pinata_and_Cueball_with_lightsaber_at_top_of_hull.png with a kid] looking like Cueball. || Category: [[:Category:Star Wars|Star Wars]] || || || Lightsaber
|-
| 613 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing left towards Cueball 612 and his lightsaber || Seems like she is being threatened by Cueball 612 and his lightsaber. || || || ||
|-
| 614 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball driving a motorcycle alone right doing a wheelie, two movement lines at the back wheel showing the progress || This is the {{w|Linux}} using Cueball from the referenced comic doing his {{w|wheelie}} stunt from the comic. || Comic: '''[[272: Linux User at Best Buy]]''' || || || Motorcycle
|-
| 615 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 616 pointing at him as he walks away || Seems like this Megan might be accusing Cueball 616 of something and he just walks away from her. Could also be that she points at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all those behind her in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 616 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball walking right away from pointing Megan 615 || Seems like he is walking away from Megan 615 who points after him like she is accusing him of something. Could also just be that after being alerted to it by Megan pointing it out he walks towards at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other behind him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 617 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing right touching Cueball 618's hamster ball || Ponytail is either pushing, holding back or holding on to the hamster ball. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 618 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right inside a large hamster ball waving his arm to the left up and down indicated with two lines above and below. He also waves his other arm forward right indicated with two small lines. The hamster ball is surrounded by characters 617-621 interacting with the ball || This is by far the most complex scene in the entire comic. Hamster balls is a recurring theme in xkcd, see the referenced category, and was first featured in [[152: Hamster Ball]], where a genie delivers such a ball to Cueball as it is his one and only wish. That genie can be seen in 589. But this scene has some similarities also with [[211: Hamster Ball Heist]] where a rock-star (not Cueball) is being pushed around inside a hamster ball by several people like here, (but against his will, so it is not a direct reference that comic either). The four characters around this ball, Ponytail 617 left, Woman with black hair 619 on top, Megan 620 floating right and Cueball 621 lying to the right, are all interacting with it. There may be several other characters that "see" this scene, like Megan 615 that might point at this (rather than Cueball 616, who might walk towards it). And on the other side Megan 622 may also be looking on as does Cueball 623. Similarly Cueball 600 and 601 also looks that way as does Hairy 599 but he is quite far away, but all in that direction look towards the ball. It is hard to say exactly what happens with the ball, as it seems to stand still (no movement lines). But this can hardly be the case as Ponytail 617 seems to push (could be holding on), the woman 619 on top of the ball seems to walk left forcing the ball right, and Cueball 621 seems to have been knocked over by the ball. Megan 620 is the mystery as she seems to float/fly near the hamster ball. Of course if Ponytail tries to hold it, and Cueball inside is showing to stop and they have just hit Cueball 621 the hamster ball may just have stopped at this very moment. Another possible interpretation, where the ball is moving right, is that the three women respectively tries to get up, is on top and has been on top. So Ponytail will hold on to the ball, being dragged up as the ball moves, while the woman on top moves the ball and eventually she will, like Megan has just done, fall down the right side, this would mean that Megan is now falling towards Cueball. He could also just have fallen off like this, but as he holds on to his face it seems more like he has been hit in the face by the moving ball and knocked back on the ground. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || || Hamster ball
|-
| 619 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with hair black and large on top of her head walking left on top of Cueball 618's hamster ball while looking down while holding her arms back, the right arm mainly hidden behind her "high" hair, only the hand can be seen to the right of the hair || This woman may have a hair bun, but it is hard to tell and she does not at all look like Hairbun. She seems to be walking left on the hamster ball which would be meaningful if it moved right, and she might thus stay on top, maybe even helping with moving the ball that way. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 620 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan falling, floating or flying face towards left looking down along the side of Cueball 6187's hamster ball. One leg bent at the knee || Megan is either one of those that flies come the see what the fuss is about, or rather she has just been on top of the hamster ball like woman 619 and has just fallen off on the way down to hit Cueball 621. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 621 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball lying on his back towards right face towards left supporting himself on one arm behind him and holding the other hand to his face looking up at Cueball 618's hamster ball looming over him. One leg is stretched the other bend at right angle at the knee || Cueball seems to have been knocked over by the hamster ball although it is unclear if it rolls. If so he seems to have taken a hit in the face seeing as he holds a hand up to it. He may also have fallen off from on top of the ball. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 622 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing left looking at Cueball 618's hamster ball || This Megan has looser hair on her head than normally. It seems like she is looking at the hamster ball scene at Cueball 618. || || || ||
|-
| 623 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball 618's hamster ball || Cueball seems to be looking at the hamster ball scene at Cueball 618. || || || ||
|-
| 624 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hat with two tassels or horns and a full beard standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? And what kind of hat is this? In relation to the locomotive hat it could also be a hat showing a ship with two chimneys sinking...? A guy with a strange hat that either has two tassels or two horns. || || || ||
|-
| 625 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 626 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone right - hair seems to be quite thick || Although the hair is of the same type as Guy 75 he does not really look like him as the hair seems much thicker and further out from the neck. Had it not been because of the stance makes it clear that he faces right, then it could even look like some kind of googles... || || || ||
|-
| 627 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with long hair like Megan but thinner standing alone left or maybe looking at all the black hats on Black Hat 641 below her || This woman’s hair has a white section in front, so although similar hair as Megan, it does not seem to be quite like her. She may be looking down at the black hats of Black Hat 641. || || || ||
|-
| 628 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 629 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with a long cloak below his Cueball like head standing right looking at Cueball throwing boomerang || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? There seems to be some resemblance to a Jedi Knight like Obi-Wan Kenobi, the thought could be lead this direction with the lightsaber at Cueball 612 just above to the right. He may represent a coach for the boomerang throwing Cueball 630 next to him, who has been shown before to not be very good with boomerangs. Acting as a mentor for Luke Skywalkers lightsaber training was Kenobi’s task in Star Wars. || || || ||
|-
| 630 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball throwing a boomerang to the right so it rotates as indicated by a curling line. Two other lines show how he has swung his arm. Seems like the guy in cloak 629 is looking on || Cueball has been shown to be quite hopeless in throwing boomerangs as has been shown in the referenced comic and its sequel, and boomerangs are a [[:Category:Boomerangs|recurring theme]] in xkcd. In this situation it seems like the cloaked guy 629 is supervising his throw. Maybe he is a mentor, looking a little like a Jedi knight form Star Wars, see interpretation at 629. || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]]''' || || || Boomerang
|-
| 631 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || This Cueball is particularly not looking in the direction of Cueball 618 and his hamster ball to his right. || || || ||
|-
| 632 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || This Cueball looks away from the nearby hamster ball at Cueball 618. || || || ||
|-
| 633 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || {{w|Lucy van Pelt|Lucy}}, from Peanuts drawn like Megan, standing right towards Charlie Brown 634 offering him an American football || This is a reference to the comic strip ''{{w|Peanuts}},'' and the running gag where Lucy (drawn here as Megan) would hold the {{w|American football}} for lovable loser Charlie Brown, with his single hair on his head, thus drawn like Cueball with one hair in 634. He 'd come running at it full speed, only to have Lucy pull the football away at the last moment and send Charlie Brown crashing to the ground. This repeating scene was referenced in the title text of [[423: Finish Line]] || Carton: {{w|Peanuts}} || || || American football
|-
| 634 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || {{w|Charlie Brown}}, from Peanuts drawn like Cueball with a single hair, standing left towards Lucy 633 offering him an American football || This Cueball's single hair together with the ball offered by Lucy 633 makes it clear that this is the Charlie Brown. See more in 633 || Carton: {{w|Peanuts}} || || ||
|-
| 635 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing towards right, right up against a very thin sheet of material that Ponytail 636 holds up between them || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like Megan’s forehead touches the thin sheet of material Ponytail 636 holds up between them. || || || ||
|-
| 636 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing towards left holding a very thin sheet of material up in both hands between her and Megan 635 who stands flush up against this. She speaks an almost unreadable line || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? What is it she holds up, and what does she say Ponytail holds some very thin sheet of material up between her and Megan 636. || || A Red Text:Ponytail: Rach???? || || A Red Text:Thin sheet of material?
|-
| 637 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball with a square head standing alone right || This Cueball is drawn with a perfectly square face. This is related to the Cueball with a triangular face || || || ||
|-
| 638 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with sunglasses and no hair standing right || First guy with sunglasses see 35. || || || ||
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| 639 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Black Hat 641 with many hats || || || || ||
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| 640 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Black Hat 641 with many hats, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? Could also be a Black Hat that has just lost his hat to Black Hat 641 who seems to be stealing Black Hats. || || || ||
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| 641 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Black Hat standing left towards Cueball 639 and 640 with no less than seven black hats balancing on top of his head and each other. Maybe woman 627 is looking down at his hats || This is a continuation of the scene from the referenced comic, where Black Hat meets another Black Hat but one with two hats. Solo Black Hat then retraces his steps away from this dangerous double Black Hat as if he just realized that his hat might soon be the third on top of the two other black hats. There is also another double Black Hat in this comic, but this one has already acquired five more than that so there are six ore hats than a normal Black Hat, seven in total. This may explain why there are so many Cueballs and so few Black Hats in this comic, since at least five, maybe six have lost their hat to this guy (and if six, then also seven with the other two hat guy). The two Cueball's looking at him 639-640 may have been Black Hat's a moment ago, when this one only had five hats... || Comic: '''[[455: Hats]]''' || || ||
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| 642 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
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| 643 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B]''' || [[:Category:Barrel|Barrel Boy]] sitting in his barrel on the ocean with the horizon behind him || This is the '''last character in the second zero bottom'''. This drawing is of the Barrel Boy from comic no. 1 on xkcd, the first in the [[:Category:Barrel|Barrels series]]. Originally it was the [[1#Trivia|fifth drawing]] Randall released on the [[:Category:First_day_on_LiveJournal|very first day]] of releasing comics on [[LiveJournal]] from [[:Category:Comics posted on livejournal|before]] he began posting on xkcd.com (where it then was moved to number 1, for good reason, as it is a perfect little story of the unpredictability of life and also constitutes a series. So of course he should be included in this comic. Given that he is not even closely related to the stick figures constituting the rest of the 1000 characters he had to be drawn like this without his eyes. The very first comic to be released, now [[7|number 7]], is also here as sleepy girl 544 further up in the same side of this zero. || Comic: '''[[1: Barrel - Part 1]]''' || || || Barrel in an ocean
|-
| 644 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L]''' || Cueball standing right towards Hairy 645 || This is the '''first character in the second zero left''', again it is a Cueball. He seems to be facing Hairy 645 || || || ||
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| 645 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy standing left towards Cueball 644 || This Hairy has thick hair and seems to be facing Cueball 644. || || || ||
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| 646 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 647 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A person with long hair, possibly Leibniz, standing left towards Megan 646 || Hair is intermediate between Newton's and Leibniz's; however, given the extra intentional lines in the character's hair, it is likely Leibniz. || Comic: '''[[626: Newton and Leibniz]]''' || || ||
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| 648 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing center || || || || ||
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| 649 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 648 || || || || ||
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| 650 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Ponytail standing left towards Zero #1 || || || || ||
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| 651 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with grey hair? standing right towards Cueball 652 || || || || ||
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| 652 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing #651 || || || || ||
|-
| 653 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] ||Ponytail is standing right holding up a hairy guy with spots, 654, with her ray gun || This is Joanna from the referenced comic that are ready to ban the poor guy 654 from the internet, under penalty of melting his computer with her "{{w|Electromagnetic pulse|EMP}} cannon". || Comic '''[[322: Pix Plz]]''' || || || Ray gun for melting computers
|-
| 654 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Boy with spiky hair and pimples standing left toward Ponytail 653, with arms raised above his head || Possibly the internet troll from [[591: Troll Slayer]] (see also #538), as this would be the type of person that Ponytail 653 (AKA "Joanna") would ban from the Internet. || || || ||
|-
| 655 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, both hands holding a pole to the left with a sign on it || This Cueball is the fifth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 5 (binary 101), he is the sixth of the ten, forming the bottom point of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 5 || Sign: 101 || || Sign on a pole
|-
| 656 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with hair darker than Megan stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 657 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan kissing Blondie 658 || || || Girl: smooch || ||
|-
| 658 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Blondie being kissed by Megan 657 || || || Girl: smooch || ||
|-
| 659 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy with shorter hair that reaches further down his head stands right towards Science Girl 660 || || || || ||
|-
| 660 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Science Girl stands left towards Hairy 659 || || || || ||
|-
| 661 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with an eagle on his shoulder || Type of bird unsure, although they look like the eagles from [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || Bird: caw || Eagle ||
|-
| 662 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking towards Cueball 663 || || || || ||
|-
| 663 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with arms outstretched to Cueball 669 || || || || ||
|-
| 664 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with a hand above his eyes, looking at #665 (or beyond) || || || || ||
|-
| 665 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with grey hair or cap stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 666 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking towards Cueball 667 || || || || ||
|-
| 667 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Girl with completely dark hair looking towards Cueball 666 || || || || ||
|-
| 668 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 669 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing Cueball 668 || || || || ||
|-
| 670 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Unusually messy Hairy stands alone || Resembles Hairy from [[1350: Lorenz]]? || || || ||
|-
| 671 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Black Hat standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 672 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with a jetpack || || || || || {{w|Jet pack}}
|-
| 673 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Reporter Tom at the 4chan /b/ board || || Comic: '''[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]''' || || || {{w|Helmet}}
|-
| 674 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Ponytail standing right towards Cueball 675 || || || || ||
|-
| 675 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball facing right || || || || ||
|-
| 676 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looking at Cueball 669 || || || || ||
|-
| 677 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball holding something || A Red Text: Could this maybe be boombox Cueball from [[159: Boombox]]? Aside from it being a lantern or something, that seems like the best bet. || || || || ???
|-
| 678 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 679 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball facing right || || || || ||
|-
| 680 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking right at Cueball 681 || || || || ||
|-
| 681 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with abnormally large head looks left at Cueball 680 || || || || ||
|-
| 682 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Girl with black hairbun looks right at Hairy 683 || || || || ||
|-
| 683 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy looking left at #682 || || || || ||
|-
| 684 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball holding some object behind his back, standing alone || A Red Text: Could refer to the trope of stealing/messing with Dyson spheres? Accordion? || || || ||
|-
| 685 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone, holding a sign in front of himself with his hands on the sides of it || This character is the sixth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 6 (binary 110), he is the seventh of the ten, forming the lower right of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 6 || Sign: 110 || || Sign
|-
| 686 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 687 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing right towards #688 || || || || ||
|-
| 688 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young character with a strange haircut looks at Cueball 687 || The scene between this and the previous character seems to involve a common theme among parents and teenagers, in which the teenager has a "phase" (indicated here by the peculiar hair) while the parent disapproves. || || || ||
|-
| 689 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A character with a cap faces left || || || || ||
|-
| 690 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with earbuds stands alone || Earbuds are later referenced in [[1899: Ears]]. || || || || {{w|Headphones}}
|-
| 691 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young Megan faces left || || || || ||
|-
| 692 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy with a bowl cut stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 693 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 694 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with distinctive hair faces right || A Red Text: Is this a previous character? He doesn't match Captain Reynolds, but he's the only character that looks close as far as I can tell. Especially since River Tam is 696. || || || ||
|-
| 695 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball carrying a hobo bag || || || || || {{w|Hobo bag}}
|-
| 696 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || River Tam/Summer Glau stands left || || Comic: '''[[579: The Race: Part 3]]''' || || ||
|-
| 697 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with arms outstretched towards Megan 691 || || || || ||
|-
| 698 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 699 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign above his head with both hands || This Cueball is the seventh to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 0 (binary 0), he is the first of the ten, forming the central point at the cleft of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 0 || Sign: 0 || || Sign
|-
| 700 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan stands right towards Cueball 705 || || || || ||
|-
| 701 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looks down at Cueball 698 || || || || ||
|-
| 702 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign above his head with both hands || This Cueball is the eighth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 7 (binary 111), he is the eighth of the ten, forming the outer part of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 7 || Sign: 111 || || Sign
|-
| 703 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 704 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands right towards Megan 700 || || || || ||
|-
| 705 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 706 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Blond Hairbun stands left facing Cueball 705 || || || || ||
|-
| 707 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || || Hairy wearing a labcoat, as a doctor? Possibly Nathan Fillion/Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds from [[:Category:The Race|The Race]]. || || || ||
|-
| 708 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 709 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing right towards Cueball 710 || || || || ||
|-
| 710 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign in front of himself, with both hands on the top of it || This Cueball is the ninth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 9 (binary 1001), he is the tenth of the ten, forming the left of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 9 || Sign: 1001 || || Sign
|-
| 711 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looks down at Hairbun 706 || || || || ||
|-
| 712 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign to the right, with one hand on the top of it, and the other hand on the side of it || This Cueball is the tenth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 8 (binary 1000), he is the ninth of the ten, forming the right of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 8 || Sign: 1000 || || Sign
|-
| 713 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 714 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L]''' || Cueball with a parrot on his arm || This is the '''last character in the second zero'''. || || || Parrot ||
|-
| 715 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T]''' || Cueball on a unicycle. || A Red Text: Explanation missing. This is the '''first character in the third zero'''. || || || || {{w|Unicycle}}
|-
| 716 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail with a baseball bat. || A Red Text: Explanation missing. Bat? || || || ||
|-
| 717 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 718 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball wearing a party hat || || || || ||
|-
| 719 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Another blond Hairbun, looking towards Cueball 722 || || || || ||
|-
| 720 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A gorgon ||
Medusa, with multiple snakes hungry for mice? || || Snake 1: Mouse? Snake 2: Mouse? Snake 3: Mouse? || ||
|-
| 721 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 722 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball running with a laptop || || || || || Laptop
|-
| 723 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball bouncing a soccerball off his knee || Soccer ball/association football ball? || || || || Soccer ball
|-
| 724 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail smoking a black pipe, looking at Cueball 715 || || || || || {{w|Smoking pipe}}
|-
| 725 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character in a white baseball hat stands right || The hat is similar to the one from [[30: Donner]], but white instead of black || || || ||
|-
| 726 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 727 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking left at Cueball 726 || || || || ||
|-
| 728 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with spiky hair like Hairy 685 looks right at Cueball 729 || || || || ||
|-
| 729 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 730 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Science Girl looking at Cueball 731's experiment || || || || ||
|-
| 731 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball performing a Coke and mentos experiment, getting splashed in the face || Comic: '''[[346: Diet Coke+Mentos]]''' || Cueball: "Hi" Soda bottle: "Fwooosh" || || || Soda
|-
| 732 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan in a black belt carrying a sai in each hand, charging left towards Cueball 731 || A black belt is a symbol of prowess throughout a variety of fighting styles; karate seems most likely here, as Megan also has ''sai''s, weapons associated with karate. || || || || {{w|Sai (weapon)}}
|-
| 733 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball roasting marshmallows over a campfire via swords || Cueball seems to have forgone the typical stick or skewer to roast his marshmallows in favor of swords. Likely related to Megan 732 in some way. || || || || Marshmallows, swords, campfire
|-
| 734 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 735 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball with a pistol and a flag (?) || In races, the firing of a pistol into the air and/or waving a flag starts a race; thus, this Cueball is likely primed to initiate a competition. || || || || Gun, flag
|-
| 736 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball crouching slightly to the right || || || || ||
|-
| 737 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 738 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 739 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 740 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 741 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail looking at Cueball 740 || || || || ||
|-
| 742 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 743 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blondie standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 744 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball appears to be wearing a black headband or black bandana || || || || ||
|-
| 745 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with incomplete hair looks at Cueball 744 || || || || ||
|-
| 746 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blondie looking down at Cueball 765|| || || || ||
|-
| 747 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 748 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 749 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character that is perhaps Jayne Cobb stands left || || Comic: '''[[9: Serenity is coming out tomorrow]]''' || || ||
|-
| 750 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy interacting with Cueball 751 || || || || ||
|-
| 751 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball interacting with Hairy 750 || || || || ||
|-
| 752 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with curly hair kicking a soccer ball || || || || ||
|-
| 753 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Black Hat with a fan mounted on his hat || || || || ||
|-
| 754 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 755 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A young character wearing a jester's hat || || || || ||
|-
| 756 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 757 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 758 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking slightly down, maybe at Cueball 760 || || || || ||
|-
| 759 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking at #744 || || || || ||
|-
| 760 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball interacting with Megan 761 || || || || ||
|-
| 761 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan interacting with Cueball 760 || || || || ||
|-
| 762 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 763 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Cueball 764 || || || || ||
|-
| 764 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball curled into the fetal position, balancing himself on extended arms || || || || ||
|-
| 765 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A triangular-headed Cueball with a pickaxe || || || || || {{w|Pickaxe}}
|-
| 766 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan with outstretched arms, standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 767 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 768 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 769 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Cueball 770 || || || || ||
|-
| 770 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball shouting "Kitty!" at a cat || A Red Text: Explanation missing This is probably a reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]] || || Cueball: kitty! || {{w|Cat}} ||
|-
| 771 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 772 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding an Erlenmeyer flask || || || Flask: Help || || {{w|Erlenmeyer flask}}
|-
| 773 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking down at Megan 774 || || || Cueball: ♥ || || Heart
|-
| 774 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan flying downwards || A reference to [[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]] || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]]''' || || ||
|-
| 775 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball wears a mask around his eyes, presumably to preserve his identity || While this mask has not explicitly been drawn in xkcd, it calls to mind either Westley's from {{w|The Princess Bride (film)}}, a recurring theme. || || || ||
|-
| 776 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding hands with Cueball 777 || || || || ||
|-
| 777 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding hands with Cueball 776 || || || || ||
|-
| 778 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with some sort of headwear looking at Megan 779 || || || || ||
|-
| 779 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking at #778 || || || || ||
|-
| 780 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A Ponytail suffering from trochee fixation || 'Ron Paul' is actually not a trochee but a spondee || Comic: '''[[856: Trochee Fixation]]''' || Ponytail: Altavista Ron Paul! || ||
|-
| 781 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 782 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking to the left || || || || ||
|-
| 783 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blond Hairbun standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 784 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 785 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with a knit cap looking at Cueball 786 || || || || ||
|-
| 786 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball, still fleeing his locust pursuers || || Comic: '''[[797: debian-main]]''' || Person: AAAAA || {{w|Locust}} ||
|-
| 787 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 788 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Megan 774 || || || || ||
|-
| 789 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 790 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Wayne Coyne, without a hamster ball || || || || ||
|-
| 791 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking at the Pope 793 || || || || ||
|-
| 792 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with a bit more hair than usual || || || || ||
|-
| 793 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || {{w|Pope}} standing alone right || Pope from [[459: Holy Ghost]]. Note that the hat appears to be worn sideways. || || || || Pope's hat ({{w|Mitre}})
|-
| 794 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Hairy 795 || || || || ||
|-
| 795 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking at Cueball 794 || || || || ||
|-
| 796 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 797 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 798 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 799 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 800 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Dark-haired character looks right || || || || ||
|-
| 801 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with a large bowl cut looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 802 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 803 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking left || || || || ||
|-
| 804 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Danish looking at 803 || While judicion is practiced about the difference between Megan's/Danish's hair, this is almost certainly Danish. || || || ||
|-
| 805 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T]''' || Cueball standing right || This is the '''last character in the third zero top''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 806 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R]''' || Cueball standing left || This is the '''first character in the third zero right''', again Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 807 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan interacting with Hairy 808 || || || || ||
|-
| 808 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy interacting with Megan 807 || || || || ||
|-
| 809 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 810 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 811 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 812 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball appears to be looking slightly down at Megan 816 || || || || ||
|-
| 813 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball wearing boxing gloves || || || || || Boxing gloves
|-
| 814 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 815 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 816 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 817 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairbun that appears to use a sword as a hairpin || || Later referenced in [[1856: Existence Proof]] || || ||
|-
| 818 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball interacting with Hairy 819 || || || || ||
|-
| 819 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy interacting with Cueball 818 || || || || ||
|-
| 820 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Shorter Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 821 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #822 || || || || ||
|-
| 822 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A character in cat-like headwear sits in a cardboard box || A Red Text: Can anyone tell what the words on the box say? || || || ||
|-
| 823 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #822 || || || || ||
|-
| 824 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 825 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Cueball 831 || || || || ||
|-
| 826 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball holding a laptop || He appears to be holding the laptop similarly to Black Hat in [[925: Cell Phones]]. || Comic: '''[[925: Cell Phones]]''' || || || {{w|Laptop computer}}
|-
| 827 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball pointing at Cueball 828 || || || || ||
|-
| 828 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 827 || || || || ||
|-
| 829 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 830 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 831 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 832 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Hairy 833 || || || || ||
|-
| 833 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 834 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Megan 835 || || || || ||
|-
| 835 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan hovering || This Megan bears much more of a resemblance to the actual comic than the Megan from the second zero || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]]''' || || ||
|-
| 836 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking right towards Hairy 837 || || || || ||
|-
| 837 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy looking at Ponytail 836 || || || || ||
|-
| 838 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A character in a knit cap looks left || || || || ||
|-
| 839 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 840 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Hairy with incredibly spiky hair || || || || ||
|-
| 841 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Probably a stick-figure incarnation of 12-year-old Julia Stiles || || Comic: '''[[130: Julia Stiles]]''' || || ||
|-
| 842 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan looking straight ahead || || || || ||
|-
| 843 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 844 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 845 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 846 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 847 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Dallas Cowboys football player || || '''[[What If?]]''' Richter 15 || || ||
|-
| 848 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at football player 847 || || || || ||
|-
| 849 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Science Girl standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 850 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing with his arms extended outwards || || || || ||
|-
| 851 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Megan 855 || || || || ||
|-
| 852 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 856 || || || || ||
|-
| 853 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || {{w|Bill Gates}} standing alone || He doesn't have a sword out-- clearly {{w|Richard Stallman}} isn't nearby. || Comic: '''[[521: 2008 Christmas Special]]''' || || ||
|-
| 854 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan looking at Bill Gates 853 || || || || ||
|-
| 855 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 856 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 852 || || || || ||
|-
| 857 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 856 || || || || ||
|-
| 858 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball wearing a crown || || || || ||
|-
| 859 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy looking at Megan 860 || || || || ||
|-
| 860 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan 860 looking at Ponytail 862 || || || || ||
|-
| 861 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Cueball that appears to be wearing {{w|Cory Doctorow}}'s goggles, or else Cory Doctorow without his xkcd trademark cape || || || || ||
|-
| 862 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Ponytail 864 || || || || ||
|-
| 863 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A man with 80's-style hair and a mullet looks at Ponytail 864 || A Red Text: Any resemblance to a real person? || || || ||
|-
| 864 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Ponytail 862 || || || || ||
|-
| 865 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #863 || || || || ||
|-
| 866 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R]''' || Cueball standing alone || This is the '''last character in the third zero right''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 867 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B]''' || Ponytail ice skating || This is the '''first character in the third zero bottom''', a Ponytail this time. || || || || {{w|Ice skates}}
|-
| 868 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball leaning his arm on a plasma globe || || || || || {{w|Plasma globe}}
|-
| 869 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at a plasma globe || || || || || {{w|Plasma globe}}
|-
| 870 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Wally looks left || The striped knit cap resembles Wally's from {{w|Where's Wally?}}. This was previously referenced in [[980: Money]]. || || || ||
|-
| 871 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Small Cueball looks left || || || || ||
|-
| 872 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Wally 870 || || || || ||
|-
| 873 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with messy hair looks at Cueball 874 || || || || ||
|-
| 874 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looks at Cueball 875 || || || || ||
|-
| 875 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 876 || || || || ||
|-
| 876 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball stroking his chin, looking at Cueball 877 || || || || ||
|-
| 877 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 876 || || || || ||
|-
| 878 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball playing with a toy car || || || Cueball: Zoom! || ||
|-
| 879 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 880 || || || || ||
|-
| 880 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 881 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 882 || || || || ||
|-
| 882 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 883 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with bangs || || || || ||
|-
| 884 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Two Black Hats || The original multiple-hat stacking, humorously extrapolated by Seven Black Hats 641 in this comic || Comic '''[[455: Hats]]''' || || ||
|-
| 885 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 886 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy with larger hair looks at Megan 887 || || || || ||
|-
| 887 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looks at Hairy 886 || || || || ||
|-
| 888 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 889 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Megan 890 || || || || ||
|-
| 890 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 891 || || || || ||
|-
| 891 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing right, arm outstretched toward Megan 892 || Cueball from the 2nd last frame of comic [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]], where Megan is also doing the M.C. Hammer slide. || Comic: '''[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]''' || || ||
|-
| 892 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan M.C. Hammer-sliding right, away from Cueball 891 || || Comic: '''[[108: M.C. Hammer Slide]]''' || || ||
|-
| 893 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with white hair || || || || ||
|-
| 894 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball in a graduation cap and gown || || || || ||
|-
| 895 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball's Lisp ancestor, no longer carrying parentheses || || || || ||
|-
| 896 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Ponytail 911 || || || || ||
|-
| 897 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy playing with a gyroscope || || Comic: '''[[332: Gyroscopes]]''' || || ||
|-
| 898 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 899 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Hairbun 900 || || || || ||
|-
| 900 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairbun looking at Megan 899 || || || || ||
|-
| 901 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking up at Hairy 883 || || || || ||
|-
| 902 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Blond girl with pigtails stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 903 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail looks at #902 || || || || ||
|-
| 904 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 905 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 906 || || || || ||
|-
| 906 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || A Hairy that appears to have a mohawk, standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 907 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy looking left || || || || ||
|-
| 908 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 907 || || || || ||
|-
| 909 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 910 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 911 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 912 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball crouching, as if about to jump || || || || ||
|-
| 913 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy looking at Cueball 912 || || || || ||
|-
| 914 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail juggling four balls || || Reference to '''[[942: Juggling]]''' || || ||
|-
| 915 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball being asked out/ proposed to by Megan 916 || || || || ||
|-
| 916 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan asking out/proposing to Cueball 915 || || || Megan: ♥? || || Heart
|-
| 917 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Blond Hairbun standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 918 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball interacting with Ponytail 919 || || || || ||
|-
| 919 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail interacting with Cueball 918 || || || || ||
|-
| 920 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball failing to wind up a yo-yo || || || Yo-yo: Thopa thopa thopa || ||
|-
| 921 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan standing left of Cueball 923 and child 922, looking down at child || Note Megan's and Cueball's positions are swapped. || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 922 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Child standing between Megan 921 and Cueball 923, with arms raised || || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 923 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing right of Megan 921 and child 922, looking down at child || Note Megan's and Cueball's positions are swapped. || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 924 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 923 || || || || ||
|-
| 925 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Gandalf 932 || || || || ||
|-
| 926 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 925 || || || || ||
|-
| 927 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball in a helicopter hat || || || || ||
|-
| 928 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Gnome Ann standing alone || This is anachronistic, as Gnome Ann's comic was released over 700 comics after this was published. Perhaps her character had been in the making for a while... || Comic: '''[[1704: Gnome Ann]]''' || || ||
|-
| 929 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 913 || || || || ||
|-
| 930 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 931 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 925 || || || || ||
|-
| 932 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Gandalf standing left || || Comic: '''[[760: Moria]]''' || || ||
|-
| 933 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball with a large cut/stitch along his left cheek || || || || ||
|-
| 934 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B]''' || Cueball looking at Gnome Ann 928 || This is the '''last character in the third zero bottom''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 935 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L]''' || Megan holding Cueball 936's hand || This is the '''first character in the third zero left'''. || Comic: '''[[943: Empirical]]''' || || ||
|-
| 936 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball in a bow tie holding Megan 935's hand || || Comic: '''[[943: Empirical]]''' || || ||
|-
| 937 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking up at Hairy 945 || || || || ||
|-
| 938 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at the plasma globe || || || || ||
|-
| 939 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 940 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Death's boss looking at Cueball 939 || || || || ||
|-
| 941 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail looking left at the ground || || || || ||
|-
| 942 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at dark-haired Ponytail 944 || || || || ||
|-
| 943 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding a balloon || While Cueball appears to be adult-sized here, the reference comic clearly indicates that he is a child. || Comic: '''[[121: Balloon]]''' || || ||
|-
| 944 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || A dark-haired Ponytail, who appears to have caught Cueball 943's balloon in a cobweb || || || || ||
|-
| 945 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Hairy with rather messily-drawn hair || || || || ||
|-
| 946 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Hairy 945 || || || || ||
|-
| 947 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || An ornately-dressed character stands alone || Perhaps Inigo Montoya from ''The Princess Bride'' || || || ||
|-
| 948 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Cueball 949 || || || || ||
|-
| 949 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Cueball 948 || || || || ||
|-
| 950 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Hairbun standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 951 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Ponytail 953 || || || || ||
|-
| 952 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 953 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 954 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 955 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Donald Knuth standing left || || Comic: '''[[342: 1337: Part 2]]''' || || ||
|-
| 956 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan charging headfirst at Cueball 957 || || || || ||
|-
| 957 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding his arms out to preemptively hold Megan 956 back || || || || ||
|-
| 958 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball spinning a hula hoop || || || || || {{w|Hula hoop}}
|-
| 959 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with big dark hair standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 960 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 961 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding a baseball in a pitcher's glove || || || || ||
|-
| 962 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 963 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with sideburns standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 964 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail knocked down by Cueball 966's staff, her sai knocked away || || || || || {{w|Sai}}
|-
| 965 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball tumbling through the air in this four-person battle || || || || ||
|-
| 966 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball with a staff, knocking down Ponytail 964 and about to face Cueball 967 || || || || ||
|-
| 967 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball swinging a cutlass at Cueball 966 || || || || ||
|-
| 968 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Danish standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 969 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 970 || || || || ||
|-
| 970 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan extending a tape measure || || Comic: '''[[284: Tape Measure]]''' || || ||
|-
| 971 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Another Cueball with a distinctively triangular head || || || || ||
|-
| 972 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at character #979 || || || || ||
|-
| 973 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stroking his chin, looking at Cueball 974 || || || || ||
|-
| 974 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking upwards || || || || ||
|-
| 975 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Morpheus from {{w|The Matrix}} standing alone || || Comic: '''[[566: Matrix Revisited]]''' || || ||
|-
| 976 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with wild blond hair || A Red Text: Based on a real person? || || || ||
|-
| 977 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 978 || || || || ||
|-
| 978 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan looking at Cueball 977 || || || || ||
|-
| 979 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Incredibly long-haired Megan-like character|| || || || ||
|-
| 980 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan looking at character #979 || || || || ||
|-
| 981 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 980 || || || || ||
|-
| 982 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Two Berets Guy|| Given the strange powers of Beret Guy (see eponymous category page) and the [[455: Hats|relationship between Black Hat and Double Black Hat]], Two Berets Guy may be more powerful and even more optimistic and aloof. His playfully outstretched arms indicate the second part. || || || ||
|-
| 983 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball surrounded by three bats/birds. || [[1004: Batman|just four comics]] after this one is a Batman-themed comic, and the animals surround him in a similar manner; it is more likely that they are bats. || || || ||
|-
| 984 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 985 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball playing with a yo-yo || He seems to be doing considerably better than Cueball 920. || || || || {{w|Yo-yo}}
|-
| 986 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with hairbun and ponytail stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 987 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Abalding character stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 988 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 989 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with afro stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 990 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands center || || || || ||
|-
| 991 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball sledding down a slope || || || || ||
|-
| 992 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Science Girl standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 993 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 994 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 995 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan Playing guitar || This character has the same stance as in [[70: Guitar Hero]] but the same hair as the singer in the background. '''Cannot''' be [[Elaine Roberts]] due to wrong hair colour. || || || || {{w|Guitar}}
|-
| 996 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Policeman stands left || The next example of such a trapezoidal hat is [[1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop|eighteen comics later]], and isn't used in What If? until November. || || || ||
|-
| 997 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stnds right || || || || ||
|-
| 998 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character in black beanie stands right || Since they're looking directly at Medusa's head, they may be turned to stone. || || || ||
|-
| 999 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Medusa stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 1000 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L]''' || Character in curved top hat ||Identical to the time-traveller from [[2068: Election Night]]; the character must have been in the works for a long time (or, given the character's nature as a time-traveller, this may have been intended). This is the '''last character in the third zero'''. || || || ||
|}

==Transcript==

[Large number 1000 occupies most of comic. The number is made out of 1000 different characters]
 
 
Megan: "''WOOOO!''"
 
Cueball: "Wow- Just 24 to go until a big round-number milestone!"
 
 

{{comic discussion}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1000}}
[[Category:Comic subpages]]

Talk:1000: 1000 Comics/1000 characters

2021-09-01T00:31:43Z

Sure:

If you find any missing errors in the table please correct them or if it is a big operation please send a personal comment to me, maybe my original table can be mended easily? (well this is written before the table is even begun ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:53, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

I thought it was pretty clear that 127 was supposed to be Cloud with his spiky hair and huge Buster Sword? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.114|108.162.246.114]] 19:32, 7 October 2016 (UTC)

Definitely agreed on 127 being Cloud. We know Randall is a Final Fantasy fan, and Cloud has a pretty iconic look that is well represented here. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.10|108.162.216.10]] 18:50, 4 January 2017 (UTC)borntowander

Wouldn't Occam's Razor suggest that a character with a gray hairbun is still Hairbun (though the person is evidently older)? [[User:Bitsofstring|Bitsofstring]] ([[User talk:Bitsofstring|talk]]) 20:35, 4 January 2017 (UTC)

Is this page really necessary? It seems like a big project with not much meaning. [[User:RamenChef|RamenChef]] ([[User talk:RamenChef|talk]]) 14:51, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

Is there a reason that there isn't a column for pictures of each mini-comic? It is pretty inconvenient to have to switch between the section page and this page.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.95|108.162.238.95]]

Just a thought but if you wanted to be able to sort them such that "A Red Text" comes to the top, might I suggest "AAH! Red Text!" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.208|108.162.237.208]] 21:37, 3 August 2017 (UTC)

Amazing that we can say rigorously that this comic is exactly 87.1% explained. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 00:31, 1 September 2021 (UTC)

1000: 1000 Comics/1000 characters

2021-09-01T00:20:38Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{incomplete|Most explanations from 647 to 1000 are missing. Address all red text.}}
{{notice|'''This is a work in progress''' I have been working on a table listing all figures in the comic [[1000: 1000 Comics]] after having added pictures like those on this page: [[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]]. I have now finished the first 646 characters, three legs into the 2nd zero, just missing the left part, but still nothing from the third zero. The table has been updated to include room for all 1000 characters, so it will be possible to easily continue with the explanation of each of the remaining figure. I'm not sure I will be able to continue with this work at the moment... So please feel free to improve. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:44, 13 August 2016 (UTC)}}
{{notice|'''Update:''' I have completed the descriptions for characters 647-1000; however, for many of the characters, verification and/or alternate explanations might be necessary. I will continue to work on this page, but I think we've hit a big ''milestone'' in being able to remove the 'incomplete' tag! [[User:BlackHat|BlackHat]] ([[User talk:BlackHat|talk]]) 19:50, 25 October 2020 (UTC)}}

<big>'''[[#Table of 1000 characters|Go To Table]]'''</big>
==Explanation==

In this comic, Randall thanks his readers for supporting him through his 1000th comic, a large round number fit to be a milestone. Poking fun at this, Cueball (The biggest Cueball), says that there are only 24 comics to go until a big round number milestone, because 1024 is 2 to the power of 10, or 1000000000 in binary. This is funny because he is ignoring the milestone of 1000, which is 10 to the power of 3, a more relevant milestone to humans and xkcd characters who use the decimal system. Randall also thanks his readers for making him feel less alone in the title text.

Below is a brief explanation of the system used to sort the following table:

*There will eventually be a numbered list of the 1000 small drawings/characters from [[1000: 1000 Comics]].
**See the numbering system here [[1000: 1000 Comics/Numbered images]].
***There will also be links to relevant part of the pictures from the table, see below.
**Relevant categories for comics, characters and items should be added to the main page.
*This is a sortable table of (eventually) all 1000 characters.
**In this way it is possible to find all Ponytails or White Hats quickly, all comics with straightforward references, transcripts, objects or animals.
* ''A red text:'' has been used to indicate where something is not explained-
**This could be where a character is suspected to be from an earlier comic, where some object is unclear, where the text of a transcript is unreadable etc.
**Please help trying to improve the explanation by going through these red items.
**All those entries that are not yet explained will begin with “A Red Text:” to make it easy to sort those.
**Only problem is that they do not come to the top, but they will be sorted at the bottom of the list if either all those without red text or after all those with no text at all...

The columns explained:
#The first column gives the number from the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c7/1000_Comics_-_The_entire_comic_with_numbers.png numbered image].
#However, given that this is a big image, and not easily over-viewed, then after the number there is a link to an image of the relevant section from the [[1000:_1000_Comics/Numbered_images#Explanation|thirteen sections]] the whole image has been divided into.
##This section link for the first and last character in each section will be written in bold to make it clear when this occurs. It will also be mentioned in the explanation.
##The “one” is one section, but the three “zeros” have been divided in top (T), right (R), bottom (B) and left (L), so for instance the second zero bottom will be labeled: Zero 2 B.
#The third column is a description of the character (or picture if there is more to it than a simply character).
##It always begins with the name of a known character, or if an unknown the sex if that is clear.
###For known characters, a link will be given on the name, but only the first time a character appears.
##After that it continues with a full description of the character and any other object, animal or specialty correlated with this number on the list.
##The description always include if the figure is standing (most are) or are in some other position (sitting, lying, dancing, flying etc.) and also if they are standing alone or together with other characters, animals or objects and if they look left or right (or straight, but then nothing is noted).
###Standing alone means there are no obvious interactions with other characters or animals.
###Left/right direction indicate the direction the face is turned or the direction the head points, in case they are lying down.
###The direction Cueball is looking is not always clear. But if there is any indication of the direction it will be noted.
#Explanation if there is anything to explain.
## If the character is just standing alone and is one of the well-known there will be no explanation.
##A number after a characters mentioned in either explanation or description refers to the number in the table/image; instead of writing Ponytail no. 20 it just says Ponytail 20.
#References to any comic or category, or anything else obvious, but not given in any comic.
##Comic references where the name of the comic is written in bold are for references where there is (almost) no doubt it is a direct reference to that particular comic.
##When not bold it can be debated but has been deemed reasonable to include here instead of only in the description.
#Transcript for the few characters/images where anything is written.
##It can often be hard to read, but sometimes the image helps with a good guess.
#Animals are often included along with the characters, but never alone. Here they can be listed for easy reference.
#Objects are often included along with the characters, but never alone. Here they can be listed for easy reference.

==Table of 1000 characters==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! #
! Section
! Character description
! Explanation
! References
! Transcript
! Animals
! Objects
|-
| 1 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One]''' || [[Cueball]] standing alone || The very '''first character in one''' is of course the standard everyman Cueball, and no matter how one would count, this character would be the first encountered! || || || ||
|-
| 2 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Megan]] standing turned right hand up towards Cueball 3 || Megan and Cueball 3 interact, she lifts her hand and he points at her. || || || ||
|-
| 3 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing left pointing with an arm at Megan 2 || Megan 2 and Cueball interact, she lifts her hand and he points at her. || || || ||
|-
| 4 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with black hair wide standing right looking at Cueball 7 || The hairdo is much wider at the shoulder than Megan’s so it cannot be her or any other known characters. She may be looking down at Cueball 7. See also 171 and 325. || || || ||
|-
| 5 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 6 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning || || || || ||
|-
| 7 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left looking up at the woman 4 || He may be looking up at the woman 4. || || || ||
|-
| 8 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Hairy]] standing alone left || The hair is not as thick as normal for Hairy, spikier. || || || ||
|-
| 9 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left behind a lectern with a microphone heading a hand up to his mouth || Cueball is addressing some audience not shown. This is a typical setting for the public speaking comics, although there seems to be no situation where there is a microphone on the lectern when Cueball speaks. || Category: [[:Category:Public speaking|Public speaking]] || || || [[1661: Podium|Lectern]]
|-
| 10 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 11 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan prone right drifting up as shown with three lines || Megan seems to be floating up into the air. Could be that Cueball 12 and 13 are looking after her? || || || ||
|-
| 12 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || He may be looking up at Megan 11 floating together with Cueball 13? || || || ||
|-
| 13 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left looking up || He may be looking up at Megan 11 floating together with Cueball 12? || || || ||
|-
| 14 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with a black half sphere on the head left looking down || A Red Text: What is on the head? This may be either a military or other kind of helmet, or a special hairdo, and could be both male and female? || || || ||
|-
| 15 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right towards Guy 16 her head down with a white heart floating in front of her || Megan seems to be in love with the spectacled guy 16 to her right, but he seems not to notice her. This may explain why her head is bent down. || || Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 16 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (round) and no hair standing right away from Megan 15 and her heart || Like Cueball with round glasses. Megan 15 to his left may have a crush on him with the heart in front of her and her head down because he seems not to notice her. See also 42 where he has square glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 17 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning || He may be looking at Ponytail 18 spinning in her office chair. || || || ||
|-
| 18 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Ponytail]] sitting right arms out. She is spinning around in an office chair as shown with several circling lines || Ponytail is having fun spinning around in her office chair so fast she yells out loud. Maybe Cueball 17 is looking at her, maybe he gave her a push? Could be that he is the one spinning in the referenced comic where the friction of office chair is correlated to how much work is being done. Too little friction an deveryone just spins in stead of doing any work. The next to sit in a chair is Cueball 340 (not counting the wheelchair in 49). Ponytail is also the first to sit on the ground in 185. || Comic: '''[[815: Mu]]''' || Ponytail: ''Wheeee'' || || Office chair
|-
| 19 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 20 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 21 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone making wavy arms and holding something in his hand towards left || A Red Text: What his he holding. What is the name for what he is doing with his arms? Is there a reference to a comic? Update: Named the dance and described the object. Looked for a reference to a previous comic, couldn't find anything but I'm not convinced I didn't miss something. Cueball seems to be doing a variant of the wave dance move, although his version would be impossible to do in real life since it would require more joints than humans have. He is holding an object towards the left. || || || || Cueball is holding an object that resembles a short dagger, with a wide crossbar and triangular blade.
|-
| 22 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 23 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 24 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 25 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Maybe Cueball 30 waves at him. || || || ||
|-
| 26 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat, white dome shaped standing alone right || This version of White Hat is the one from Idiocracy. It is used more than once in this comic, so here he will not be listed as White Hat. See also 324. || Comic: [[603: Idiocracy]] || || ||
|-
| 27 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right towards short haired woman 28 || Cueball looking at woman 27. || || || ||
|-
| 28 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with short black hair like Megan on the head but stop above neck standing left towards Cueball 27 || The woman looking at Cueball 28 has much shorter hair than Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 29 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43). || || || ||
|-
| 30 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right waving with the arm to the right || He may be waving upwards towards Cueball 25. || || || ||
|-
| 31 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat locomotive shaped and no hair standing right || A Red Text: Any references to comics? Could be that this guy was a model train [[878: Model Rail|enthusiast]]? Seems like this hat is related to the hat on 65. || || || || Locomotive hat
|-
| 32 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 33 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Mrs. Roberts]] standing alone left with an oven-mitt on her hand to the left that holds a bun tray from the oven and in her other hand she holds down her laptop || Mrs. Roberts trademark image, almost as the one from her character page and directly a link to {{w|Leet}} (1337). || Comic: '''[[341: 1337: Part 1]]''' || || || Laptop, oven mittens, baking plate
|-
| 34 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 35 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with sunglasses and no hair standing left || The sunglasses are drawn so small that it is hard to see the left glass. Could be a headband… See other guys like this at 261, 349 and 638 and Hairbun 568 with sunglasses. || || || ||
|-
| 36 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing left hands out towards a woolly sheep with spiral horns facing her while baaing || Could be that it was a ram that charged at her but maybe she just reach out to pat the sheep as there are no speed lines to indicate movement. Could also be Mary after her little lamb got bigger. The reference to the Sheep comic may be dubious but this is the only sheep in this comic and he has a comic with that name... || Comic: [[35: Sheep]] || Sheep: Baaa || {{w|Sheep}} ||
|-
| 37 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 38 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun black, large and on top of her head with what appears to be two hairpins stuck into it standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Any reference to characters drawn previously Even though this Megan like character has a hair bun it is much too different from Hairbun's to be her. See also similar women 38 and 427 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 39 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 40 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right || First standard version of Hairy in the comic. || || || ||
|-
| 41 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 42 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (square) and no hair standing right || Like Cueball with square glasses. See also 16 where he has round glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 43 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see first appearance at 29). || || || ||
|-
| 44 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 45 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left arms up and out || Megan holds her arms out like to embrace someone, but she seems to be standing alone. || || || ||
|-
| 46 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with glasses (round) and no hair standing left || Like Cueball with round glasses. See also 42 where he has square glasses. || || || ||
|-
| 47 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 48 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 49 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Stephen Hawking with dark hair and dark glasses sitting in his wheelchair with a computer screen in front of him alone right looking down || The image here is the last in the comic bearing the name, {{w|Stephen Hawking}}, as the title -he is downcast after the events in the comic and thus is looking down. || Comic: '''[[799: Stephen Hawking]]''' || || || Wheel chair with computer screen
|-
| 50 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right towards Megan 51 || Cueball looking at Megan 51 || || || ||
|-
| 51 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing left towards Cueball 50 || Megan looking at Cueball 50. || || || ||
|-
| 52 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 53 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left longer hair || This Megan has somewhat longer hair, but not Danish length… || || || ||
|-
| 54 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 55 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right leaning while pointing left || || || || ||
|-
| 56 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right with both arms up || || || || ||
|-
| 57 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing left with a turtle to his right talking to him. Seems short || There is also a turtle in [[636: Brontosaurus]]. Later a stack of turtles was used in [[1416: Pixels]]. It could also be a {{w|tortoise}} as the one drawn only 37 comics later in [[1037:_Umwelt#Black_Hat|Black Hat's version]] of [[1037:_Umwelt]]. This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || Comic: [[889: Turtles]] || Turtle: Hey. || {{w|Turtle}} ||
|-
| 58 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 59 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 60 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 61 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Beret Guy]] standing right looking up at the woodpecker flying away with a drill it holds in its claws in the wire || A direct reference to the comic Woodpecker where Beret Guy gives a woodpecker an electric drill as a birthday present. The bird flies away with it as depicted here, although first after Beret Guy has left. || Comic: '''[[614: Woodpecker]]''' || || {{w|Woodpecker}} ||
|-
| 62 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 63 and character 64 with her hands in front of her mouth || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Seems like this Megan (with more loose hair than normal) is shocked to see Cueball 63 and the person 64 holding hands. Maybe she was in love with one of them and is shocked to see them together as a happy couple. Or if it is supposed to be two men she could at the same time be shocked that they are openly gay... || || || ||
|-
| 63 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right holding hands with the person 64 || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Cueball holding hand with the person in 64 who could be a girl in which case Megan in 62 could be jealous, or it could be a guy in which case this could be a gay scene and that cold shock Megan (as well). || || || ||
|-
| 64 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair with spikes in the front standing left holding hands with Cueball 63 || A Red Text: The sex of 64 is unclear and makes this triangle 62-64 hard to analyze Cueball 63 is holding hand with this person who could be a girl in which case Megan in 62 could be jealous, or it could be a guy in which case this could be a gay scene and that cold shock Megan (as well). || || || ||
|-
| 65 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with a hat city-sky-line shaped and no hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is the hat a city sky line or something else? Any references to comics? Seems like this hat is related to the locomotive hat on 31. || || || || City sky line hat
|-
| 66 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white hair black bun standing alone left. Her hair is short and white. The hair bun sits on top of her head it looks black but could be caused by two hairpins stuck into the bun || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Could also look like it is an antenna on her head. If so it may even be a man with an antenna cap? Any reference to characters drawn previously?As the hair is white, it is not Hairbun plus there are hairpins. See also similar women 38 and 427 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 67 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 68 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 69 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Soldier with helmet with camouflage pattern and machine gun barrel upwards standing alone left || A soldier with arms ready like in the referenced comic, but with a different helmet. || Comic: [[984: Space Launch System]] || || || Machine gun
|-
| 70 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 71 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone very tall || This version of Hairy has more curly hair than normally and he seems to be a head higher than the Cueballs around him. || || || ||
|-
| 72 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right one arm bent at the elbow || || || || ||
|-
| 73 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with beard, full, and black hair standing alone left || First guy with a beard! Could be Joseph (father of Jesus) from the referenced comic. Another guy 470 also has as beard but not quite like Joseph || Comics: [[992: Mnemonics]] || || ||
|-
| 74 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left with both arms up, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 75 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left seems tall || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. See similar guys at 269, 406, 516 and 608. See also Guy 411 with similar hair but different appearence. || || || ||
|-
| 76 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan, like the next Megan 77. || || || ||
|-
| 77 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || As this is clearly Megan the person 76 is clearly not Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 78 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 79 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 80 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 81 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Science Girl]] standing alone right || It is size wise clearly a girl with hairdo like Science Girl. But so far the only known instance of Science Girl looking like this comes after this comic. But she was already in [[585: Outreach]]. Her first known appearance looking more like this was in [[1058: Old-Timers]] less than half a year later. But this exact feature was first used in [[1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing]]. || || || ||
|-
| 82 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with long hair white standing alone right || The first woman with long blonde hair in the comic. || || || ||
|-
| 83 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 84 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 85 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan running alone left arms out hair hanging loose and curly behind her || The first running character. There has been a floating and a spinning character, but the rest seems to be standing still. She is not clearly running towards any other character. || || || ||
|-
| 86 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone left with flat hair || || || || ||
|-
| 87 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right pointing one arm right and down || The posture is almost identical with Cueball 89. || || || ||
|-
| 88 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 89 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right pointing right at Cueball 90 || He points at and maybe accusing Cueball 90 of something since Cueball 90 has his arms crossed in front of his chest and looks away and down like he is insulted or angry, This Cueball posture is almost identical with Cueball 87. || || || ||
|-
| 90 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing right arms crossed in front of his chest looking down away from Cueball 89 who points at him || Maybe Cueball 89 who points at this Cueball is accusing him of something since this one has his arms crossed in front of his chest and looks away and down from the other like he is insulted or angry. || || || ||
|-
| 91 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 92 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with helmet white with a strap under his chin no hair standing alone left, seems short || Could be the Cueball with a bicycle helmet for skating from the referenced comic. This does not look like a soldier compared with 69. But could also be a soldier’s helmet as it looks like the one in [[984: Space Launch System]]. It could be a kid. || Comic: [[579: The Race: Part 3]] || || ||
|-
| 93 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 94 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left with less dark hair || Megan’s hair is not quite so black as usual here. || || || ||
|-
| 95 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone left with very large hair || Hairy's hair is maybe a little too wild to be the regular Hairy… || || || ||
|-
| 96 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right with a bath towel around his waist || Hairy has just gotten out of the shower, preparing for a date. || Comic: '''[[761: DFS]]''' || || || {{w|Bath towel}}
|-
| 97 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 98 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone right || As this is clearly Megan the person 99 is clearly not Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 99 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan, like Megan 98 before. || || || ||
|-
| 100 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Of course number 100 would also be a Cueball… || || || ||
|-
| 101 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan sliding on a snow board alone right hair standing out behind her || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? As there are no wheels it cannot be a skateboard. The way she stands also does not fit with ski. Could be a surfboard, but where’s the surf… || || || || Snowboard
|-
| 102 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 103 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 104 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right, very tall || A very large version of Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 105 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball lying down on his back alone left resting his head on his arms behind him || The first character that lies down on the ground. See also lying Cueball 597, the second to lie down like this. || || || ||
|-
| 106 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 107 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right flat hair || || || || ||
|-
| 108 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Hairy standing alone right large hair || Almost an Afro hairstyle on this Hairy || || || ||
|-
| 109 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left wind blowing her hair back right || Seems like she is facing a strong wind from the left. || || || ||
|-
| 110 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right holding an item towards right looking like a short golf club || A Red Text: What is Cueball holding and is this a reference to a comic? Cueball holds an item with a stick and a head. It looks like a golf club but seems too short. It also has the shape of a pipe but then it is too big. || || || || A Red Text: Short golf club?
|-
| 111 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Character with black hair and strange appearance floating above Hairbun 112 || A Red Text: What is this? Reference for comic? A strange appearance floats above Hairbun 112 (maybe interacting with her and the woman 113 whom Hairbun may be interacting with?) It could be a person lying down leaning on arms looking straight out. So only the arms and torso and head can be seen. Could be either sex. || || || ||
|-
| 112 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || [[Hairbun]] standing right maybe interacting with character 111 above her and with woman 113 to her right || A Red Text: Is she interacting with 111 and 113 and if so is there a reference to a comic? The first instance of a woman with hair bun without pins. This is thus the first that can be described as Hairbun, but it is not the typical hair do for her. She may be interacting with the strange character 111 above her as well as with the freezing cloaked woman 113 || || || ||
|-
| 113 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with black hair like Megan standing left in a long black cloak indicated to freeze or shake with nine wiggly lines around her || A Red Text: Is she interacting with 112 and 113 and if so is there a reference to a comic? Freezing or shaking? This woman who could be a Megan freezing in spite of her clock may be interacting with Hairbun 112, and if she is interacting with character 111 then also with that person. || || || ||
|-
| 114 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 115 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || First of 6 Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 116 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 117 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 118 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 119 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 120 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone left || Last of 6 Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 121 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || White hair so not Hairbun. || || || ||
|-
| 122 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 123 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 124 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 125 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Guy with hat white that looks a little like a knit cap, but seems to go too high above his head no hair standing alone left looking up || If this was a knit cap it would be closer to his head, so it seems like this white hat has a band around the rim and it quite tall over the head. || || || ||
|-
| 126 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 127 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Man with very spiky hair dragging a large sword behind him. || This is a drawing of [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Cloud_Strife Cloud] from Final Fantasy VII, dragging his Buster Sword behind him. In the game, Cloud carries the large sword with ease, but in real the life the weight would be staggering, requiring him to drag it. Alternative explanation: It is Jesus with thorn crown dragging a strange cross || || Object drawn: Scraape || || Sword
|-
| 128 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 129 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 130 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Megan standing right leaning towards Woman with white hair bun 131 || Seems like Megan is facing and interacting with the woman with hair bun 131 as she leans towards her and is already close by. || || || ||
|-
| 131 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One] || Woman with hair bun white standing left with Megan 130 leaning towards her || White hair so not Hairbun. Seems like Megan 130 lean over to her. || || || ||
|-
| 132 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/56/1000_Comics_-_The_one_in_thousand_with_numbers.png One]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in one''', of course it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 133 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T]''' || Cueball standing right towards Science Girl 134 holding a kite flying above her head || This is the '''first character in the first zero''' - of course also a Cueball. Kites have been a recurring theme in xkcd but this comic [[235: Kite]] was the first and the kite looks the same. Wether the kite is flown also for Science Girl 134 is unclear.|| Category: [[:Category:Kites|Kites]] || || || Kite
|-
| 134 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Science Girl Standing left under Cueball 133 kite, drawn with two hair buns || Seems like she is part of the kite flying Cueball 133. Size wise clearly a girl with hairdo like Science Girl with two hair buns like in [[1058: Old-Timers]]. || || || ||
|-
| 135 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 136 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 137 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 138 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left holding his hand out with a small round bomb with a lit fuse || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems Cueball is holding a lit bomb ready to throw it (but not at anyone in particular in this comic). Seems like there is no situation where this happens in xkcd? A similar bomb is shown in [[968: Everything]] but Cueball is not carrying it and it is not lit. Cueball throws a smoke-bomb in [[486: I am Not a Ninja]] but it does not have a fuse or look like this. || || || || Bomb with lit fuse
|-
| 139 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan flying right with arms spread out swooping downwards at Hairy 140 with great speed indicated with two speed lines after her hands || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? It is not certain that Megan is aiming at Hairy 140, but she aims at his position. Megan flying was shown in [[438: Internet Argument]] but she was not swooping down with great speed like here. Maybe she has imported antigravity from [[353: Python]]. Later Megan also flew without speed in [1416:_Pixels#Clouds|the clouds]] deep down in [[1416: Pixels]] and a similar [http://xkcd.com/1663/art/2x-flying-fig.png flying Megan] could "[[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1663_garden_Blitz_Girls_UFO_taking_Megan_garden.png grow]] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || ||
|-
| 140 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing right with flying Megan 139 coming right at him. Very thin hair. || This version of Hairy has very little hair, but it is clearly not a bald Cueball. It is not certain that flying Megan 138 is aiming at Hairy but she aims at his position. || || || ||
|-
| 141 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short black hair standing alone left || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan but too long to be Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 142 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone leaning left || || || || ||
|-
| 143 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left with hair falling down from the bun || || || || ||
|-
| 144 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 145 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone right, seems short || Could be either sex, and maybe it is a child. See similar kid in 446 and similar adult in 174. || || || ||
|-
| 146 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone arms raised up || || || || ||
|-
| 147 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 148 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || || || || ||
|-
| 149 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 150 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right looking at Cueball 151 with an exclamation mark and a white heart over his head || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Does this Cueball have a crush on Cueball 151. Could be the second gay related event already… It cannot be stated for sure that they are looking at each other. || || Cueball: !♥ || ||
|-
| 151 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball 150 || Maybe Cueball 150 has a crush on this Cueball. It cannot be stated for sure that they are looking at each other. || || || ||
|-
| 152 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with knit cap with long top and pom-pom at the end, glasses, a cane and a west (or other clothing) standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it another character from a previous comic? This could be a black and white version of Wally or Waldo (in the US) from the {{w|Where's Waldo}} books. Randall included the color version in [[980: Money]] (though without glasses, but with eyes which Randall never draws in regular comics, so maybe glasses was added since Waldo should not be drawn without?) Then there would also be a Where's Waldo in this 1000 comic released only 20 comics later. || || || || Cane
|-
| 153 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 154 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 155 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding a briefcase by its handle in one hand || Cueball is holding a briefcase in the handle. This could be related to the referenced comic where he arrives home to find Black Hat trying to cover up a murder. || Comic: [[542: Cover-Up]] || || || Briefcase
|-
| 156 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing right with curly hair at her forehead. Seems to be looking at other woman with ponytail 157 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The curly hair at her forehead in unusual for Ponytail. She seems to be looking at another curly haired woman 157 with a dark ponytail. Maybe they belong together (in a comic?) || || || ||
|-
| 157 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Woman with a ponytail dark and curly hair at her forehead standing left looking at Ponytail 156 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? She seems to be looking at Ponytail 156 also drawn with curly hair at her forehead which is unusual for Ponytail. Maybe they belong together (in a comic?) || || || ||
|-
| 158 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right hands up to his mouth shouting as indicated with three lines in front of his mouth. Maybe he shouts as spinning Megan 159 || This Cueball seems to be shouting at Megan 159 maybe to stop her from spinning. This is not part of the comic that her spinning is related to. So maybe they are not connected. || || || ||
|-
| 159 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan is spinning fast around herself as indicated with three circles around her body below her outstretched arms. She faces left towards Cueball 158 || This is a direct reference to the Angular Momentum comic but in that comic there was no shouting Cueball, but maybe he tries to make her stop before she throws up (see title text). Later the same spinning Megan was used in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]], but that was a call back to the other comic. See also Cueball 541 spinning. || Comic: '''[[162: Angular Momentum]]''' || || ||
|-
| 160 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || [[Danish]] standing alone right || Danish can usually not be distinguished without her personality, but with this very long hair, much longer than Megan’s usually is, it is reasonable to assume it could be her. She looks quite a lot like the version of Danish in [[1014: Car Problems]] released a few weeks after this comic. Most of the comics she appears in were before 1000. See also Danish 373. || || || ||
|-
| 161 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 162 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 163 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 164 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 165 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 166 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 167 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (square) and no hair standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 168 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 169 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 170 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 171 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Woman with black hair wide standing right looking at Cueball 172 || This is the second version of this woman with wider hair than Megan, and also this time she seems to be looking at a Cueball, this time 172. See also 4 and 325. || || || ||
|-
| 172 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at woman 172 || Second time a Cueball seems to be looking at a woman 172 with wider hair than Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 173 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 174 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, but as opposed to the similar 145 it cannot be a child. || || || ||
|-
| 175 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 176 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 177 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (round) standing alone left with both arms out || || || || ||
|-
| 178 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 179 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone right with very dark hair bun || || || || ||
|-
| 180 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 181 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 182 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left with looser hair || || || || ||
|-
| 183 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 184 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball dancing alone right one leg lifted up and bend at the knee body bend forward, both arms out and two lines both in front of the knee and behind his back to indicate the dancing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be enjoying a little dance alone. It would fit very well if he had been in front of Megan 286. || || || ||
|-
| 185 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand seems to be lifted to her face like she is speaking on a phone. One leg is almost straight the other lifted up || Ponytail is the first person to sit on the ground, which she also does in 458 and 510. Previously Ponytail 18 was also seen sitting on a spinning office chair. || || || ||
|-
| 186 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 187 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Aragorn with beard (full) and hair is standing alone right with his broken sword lifted up in one arm || {{w|Aragorn}} from the {{w|Lord of the Rings}} was depicted like this in the referenced comic. Towards the end of LOTR the broken sword Narsil is reforged and handed to Aragorn. || Comic: '''[[370: Redwall]]''' || || || Broken sword
|-
| 188 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 189 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 190 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 191 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 192 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Guy with glasses (round) standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 193 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairbun standing alone right with very dark hair bun || || || || ||
|-
| 194 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone leaning left || || || || ||
|-
| 195 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Science Girl standing alone right with bun and hair down her back || || || || ||
|-
| 196 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right, seems short || May be a kid like Science Girl 195 to his left || || || ||
|-
| 197 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || May be a kid, making it three in a row with 195 and 196 as well. || || || ||
|-
| 198 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 199 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left together with Cueball giant 200 || Together with giant Cueball 200 they look like the pair in panel four of the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 200 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball giant twice normal height standing left with Cueball 199 || Together with the normal sized Cueball 199 they look like the pair in panel four of the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 201 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || May be a kid. || || || ||
|-
| 202 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 203 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing right looking at Cueball machine 204 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball machine 204 who encompasses him and Cueball 205 with his outstretched arms. || || || ||
|-
| 204 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball torso with outstretched arms fused together with a platform standing on its three spider-like legs which looks mechanical. He seems to encompass Cueball 2023 and 205 on either side of him || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like someone made an experiment with Cueball putting his torso on top of some platform that is supported by (at least) three sharp ended legs. He is now part man part machine, but not like a typical cyborg... Seems like he holds his arms out to the two Cueballs on either side of him 203 and 205, maybe they are his servants or creators? || || || ||
|-
| 205 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball machine 204 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball machine 204 who encompasses him and Cueball 203 with his outstretched arms. || || || ||
|-
| 206 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 207 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b7/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 1 T]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in the first zero top''', of course it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 208 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the first zero right''' - of course also a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 209 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with long hair white but maybe also a hair bun standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The way the hair comes down to her shoulders make her look different from any normal characters. She also seems to have some kind of hair bun, which does not fit with the hair. The color seems to be white, but with features on her forehead. || || || ||
|-
| 210 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing right towards Megan 211 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Hairy and Megan 211. See also similar Cueball/Megan couple 590-591. || || Hairy/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 211 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left towards Hairy 210 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Megan and Hairy 210. See also similar Cueball/Megan couple 590-591. || || Hairy/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 212 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 213 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 214 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 215 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with two hair buns on either side of her head standing || || || || ||
|-
| 216 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 217 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right looking at Megan 218 with her sign || Seems like he is reading Megan’s 217 sign. || || || ||
|-
| 218 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left showing a sign she is holding on a stick in one hand to Cueball 217 and Cueball 219 || Megan is the first to be listed of the ten characters that hold up small signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and her sign is 2 (binary 10), she is the third of the ten, forming the left of the upper left part of the heart. As she is drawn it seems like both Cueball 217 and 219 looks at her sign. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 2 || Sign: 10 || || Sign on a stick
|-
| 219 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left looking at Megan 218 with her sign || Seems like he is reading Megan’s 217 sign. || || || ||
|-
| 220 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with dark hair that seems to fall behind her, maybe like a ponytail She holds up a sign above her head with both hands. || This woman’s hair does not look like Megan’s, as it seems to fall only to her left side as if it has been collected in a ponytail. She is the second to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and her sign is 1 (binary 1), she is the second of the ten, forming the right of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 1 || Sign: 1 || || Sign
|-
| 221 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball falling sideways alone right having bounced on the visible grassy ground twice, as indicated with three curved lines, and he is now positioned head down, arms out and legs flailing up in to the letters A of the sound he makes while tumbling further right || This Cueball represents ''The Man Who Fell Sideways'' from the referenced comic. The gravity pulls him wrongly along the ground thus he always falls, and only meet people when bumping into them, maybe the white haired character 222 is in for a surprise, but it doesn't seem like they are connected. || Comic: '''[[417: The Man Who Fell Sideways ]]''' || Cueball: Aaaaaaaaa || ||
|-
| 222 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with short white hair standing alone right holding up a sign above the head with both hands || Could be either sex. This is the third to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his/her sign is 3 (binary 11), this is the fourth of the ten, forming the outer part of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 3 || Sign: 11 || || Sign
|-
| 223 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 224 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || Maybe she is kid. || || || ||
|-
| 225 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail is standing alone right looking into a large telescope standing on a platform that almost coincides with the helmet of the guy 230 below, but seems to not have any connection || In the referenced comic Ponytail looks into a much larger observatory like telescope to discover the Sun is dying. Seems like a mistake that this drawing overlaps with Guy 230 below. Actually hard to say if the platform is on his head or below the telescope as it seems the legs of the telescope goes below this platform instead of resting on it. || Comic: [[673: The Sun]] || || || Telescope
|-
| 226 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 227 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 228 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 229 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 230 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with helmet white with a strap under his chin no hair standing alone right with what appears to be roller skates on his feet. Seems to be unstable as the movement lines indicate his feet are about to move apart. Is drawn so close to Ponytail 225 that the base of her telescope coincides with his helmet || This guy wears roller skates, something never drawn in xkcd so far. Looks like the Cueball with a bicycle helmet for skating from [[579: The Race: Part 3]]. It also looks like the soldier’s helmet in [[984: Space Launch System]]. Seems like a mistake that this drawing overlaps with Ponytail 225 above. Actually hard to say if the platform is on his head or below the telescope as it seems the legs of the telescope goes below this platform instead of resting on it. Could be some kind of device attached to the helmet. || || || || Roller skates
|-
| 231 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right holding a sign level with his torso, one hand coming from above and one from below to hold it || This Cueball is the fourth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 4 (binary 100), he is the fifth of the ten, forming the lower left of the upper left part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 4 || Sign: 100 || || Sign
|-
| 232 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with black hair going up in two spikes on each side of his head standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This hairdo is very special and not at all like Hairy's. || || || ||
|-
| 233 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with long curly white hair standing right towards Cueball 234. Seems to have something attached to both arms, that is disconnected from her hair that stops clearly above these items || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What does she wear on her arms? || || || ||
|-
| 234 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards curly haired woman 233 || Seems like he is looking at woman 233 with curly hair. || || || ||
|-
| 235 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 236 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo giant size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A very large hair on top of this guy compared to 248, close by, and also 565. || || || ||
|-
| 237 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 238 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 239 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 240 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right with a giant snail with a coiled shell with its head out displaying the two eyes tentacles. Its rear side is hidden behind Cueball. The snail seems to be moving right away from Cueball || Cueball and his giant pet snail. The only snail drawn in xkcd so far seems to be a sea snail at the bottom of the seas to the right in [[731: Desert Island]]. || || || {{w|Land snail|Snail}} ||
|-
| 241 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 242 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 243 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right, larger than normal || || || || ||
|-
| 244 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 245 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 246 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing right towards Cueball 247 || Seem like she faces Cueball 247. || || || ||
|-
| 247 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards Ponytail 246 || Seems like he faces Ponytail 246. || || || ||
|-
| 248 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo normal size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A more normal Afro hair than on 236, like 565. || || || ||
|-
| 249 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || Maybe a child? || || || ||
|-
| 250 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 251 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Mephistopheles standing alone right with horns, tail with arrow and a trident held before him in one hand || The devil {{w|Mephistopheles}} has been used twice, but only in the referenced comic also with {{w|trident}}. He was first used in [[501: Faust 2.0] without trident. || Comic: '''[[533: Laptop Hell]]''' || || || Trident
|-
| 252 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 253 || Seems to be looking at Cueball 253 || || || ||
|-
| 253 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 252 || Seems to be looking at Cueball 252 || || || ||
|-
| 254 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Woman with white hair but not a simple hairstyle standing right almost touching the sword tip of Richard Stallman 255 || The woman is not looking like any regular figures. But In the [[:Category:1337|1337 series]] Stallman 255 was helping [[Elaine Roberts]], daughter of the hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]]. This woman could be meant to represent Elaine, but the hair is not drawn in the same way as in the comic, although both are white haired, so maybe it is just a coincidence that the sword tip almost touches her? || || || ||
|-
| 255 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|Richard Stallman]] with beard and wild hair stands with two katana swords pointing right and left, the latter almost touching Woman 254 || {{w|Richard Stallman}} is a recurring character in xkcd, and he is always depicted with two {{w|katana swords}}. This depiction of Stallman is taken almost directly from the referenced comic in the Leet/[[:Category:1337|1337 series]]. He was first shown, also with swords, in [[225: Open Source]]. In the 1337 series he was helping [[Elaine Roberts]], daughter of the hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]]. The woman 254 could be meant to represent Elaine, but the hair is not drawn in the same way as in the comic, although both are white haired, so maybe it is just a coincidence that the sword tip almost touches her? || Comic: '''[[345: 1337: Part 5]]''' || || || Katana swords, two
|-
| 256 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing alone right, seems short || This really looks like a child. || || || ||
|-
| 257 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 258 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 259 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 260 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The hairdo is much different than Hairy’s. || || || ||
|-
| 261 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with sunglasses and very thin black hair standing alone left || First time seen in 35. || || || ||
|-
| 262 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 263 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 264 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 265 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 266 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 267 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 268 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 269 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. || || || ||
|-
| 270 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with short black hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan. Also the hair on top of the head is higher than usual for a Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 271 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with hat a peaked cap and a stick in one hand, and appears to only have one arm, the other ending in a black square next to his shoulder || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? At first it may appear to be a police officer with {{w|peaked cap}} and a {{w|baton}}, but it seems weird he only has one arm. Could of course be a drawing mistake, and after drawing a shoulder pad Randall may have forgotten to draw the arm. In that case it is a policeman. But if he only has one arm and some weapon in his hand, it could also be a pirate with a special peaked pirate cap. Black peaked caps has been drawn on police officers both in [[587: Crime Scene]] and [[617: Understocked]]. Also after this comic in [[1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop]], [[1105: License Plate]] and [[1251: Anti-Glass]] || || || || Stick/baton
|-
| 272 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone left, seems short || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Looks like a kid with crazy hair. || || || ||
|-
| 273 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Character with black hair in a high dome on top of the head standing alone left || Could be either sex, hair too short to be Megan. Also the hair on top of the head is higher than usual for a Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 274 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing alone right shaking a round object with black strings up and down as indicated with two lines above and below || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it she is shaking It could look like a Medusa head (or normal head) she is shaking. Do not look like a ball. || || || || A Red Text: Round object with black strings
|-
| 275 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 276 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Cueball swinging left on a rope as indicated with three lines behind his back while he is looking back over his shoulder at Megan 277 || Cueball has learned {{w|regexes}}, and is using them heroically. || Comic: '''[[208: Regular Expressions]]''' || || || {{w|Rope}}
|-
| 277 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R] || Megan standing left looking at Cueball 276 swinging by her || Megan was drawn differently in early comics. This could be her in comic [[208: Regular Expressions]], with Cueball 276. || || || ||
|-
| 278 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a4/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 1 R]''' || Megan standing alone left || This is the '''last character in the first zero right''', finally a Megan not a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 279 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B]''' || Megan standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the first zero bottom''', which is also a Megan not a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 280 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 281 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 282 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 283 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy with hair like hairy, standing alone right || Obviously a child, a boy with hair. || || || ||
|-
| 284 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 285 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 286 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan dancing alone left one arm up and one arm held out, one leg held up and bent completely at the knee, three double lines indicating movement of arms and legs || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Megan seems to be enjoying a little dance alone. It would fit very well if she had been in front of Cueball 184. || || || ||
|-
| 287 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left, seems she has some hair hanging down her back || || || || ||
|-
| 288 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 174 and 222. || || || ||
|-
| 289 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 290 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right in a very tight embrace arms with around, legs between each others and kissing Cueball 291 with a white heart over their heads || A Red Text: Is it a characters from a previous comic? Obviously two Cueball's kissing in such a tight embrace is a gay reference. There are several of these throughout this comic. This could be the two Cueball's from [[65: Banter]] a little later… || || Cueballs: ♥ || ||
|-
| 291 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing left in a very tight embrace arms with around, legs between each others and kissing Cueball 290 with a white heart over their heads || A Red Text: Is it a characters from a previous comic? Obviously two Cueball's kissing in such a tight embrace is a gay reference. There are several of these throughout this comic. This could be the two Cueball's from [[65: Banter]] a little later… || || Cueballs: ♥ || ||
|-
| 292 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || He could be looking at the gay Cueballs couple 290-291, but seems offset from them. || || || ||
|-
| 293 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || [[Blondie]] with very long white hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This may be the longest white hair on any woman drawn in xkcd. || || || ||
|-
| 294 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 295 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 296 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy with a hat, a fez, standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Obviously a child, a boy with a {{w|fez}} with the characteristic shape and with a tassel attached to the top. || || || ||
|-
| 297 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 298 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball hanging in the air a little above the ground alone left arms stretched out, legs bend a little at the knee, shadow beneath him on the ground || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball could have just jumped and pulled his legs up, but is seems like he is floating in the air keeping his arms out for balance. He may later be the one falling down in 576. Possible reference to comic [[118: 50 Ways]] ("...to learn to hover"). || || || ||
|-
| 299 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairbun standing alone left with lots of hair also coming down her back || There is a clear hair bun but the hair down her back is more than usual for Hairbun || || || ||
|-
| 300 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 301 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy in an open lab coat with wild long hair and glasses standing alone left with both arms raised up || This may very well be meant to represent {{w|Emmett_Brown|Dr. Emmett L. Brown}} from {{w|Back to the Future (franchise)|Back to the Future}}, since a kid was dressed up looking like this, and in the same pose, in the referenced comic. Given that this does not look like a kid it could not be the kid, but rather the real person. Seems like he has not been drawn in any comic though. || Comic [[656: October 30th]] || || ||
|-
| 302 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing with bend knees and arms out alone left bending his back backwards right but keeping his head above his feet || Could look like he was dancing but both feet are on the ground and there are no movement lines like say dancing Megan 286. || || || ||
|-
| 303 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 304 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || Could be involved with Cueball 305 but this is not clear. || || || ||
|-
| 305 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball running alone left with arms up like he is happy that he has just spotted a black rectangular shape on the ground in front of him || A Red Text: Is it a situation from a previous comic? What is the object on the ground and why is he happy to see it. Anything to do with Cueball 304 standing there? This running Cueball seems to be happy that for the object he finds on the ground. Could be his wallet lying open on the ground. Could also be some kind of sport, where he runs toward this object to kick it. In that case maybe he is playing with Cueball 304? || || || || Black rectangular object
|-
| 306 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 307 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || || || || ||
|-
| 308 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 309 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 310 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 311 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 312 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 313 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right leaning slightly toward Megan 314 || Looks like he is with Megan 314 || || || ||
|-
| 314 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing left leaning slightly toward Cueball 313 || Looks like she is with Cueball 313 || || || ||
|-
| 315 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball inside a hamster ball is rolling right down a steep slope alone. He is at this moment face down, head to the right a little lower than his feet and arms out. The drawing is smaller than the others, so he is not a kid, just further away. The slope is also drawn and it continues with two more lines to indicate that it is long behind Megan 316 and stops in front of the feet of Cueball 317, without they are involved. Behind the hamster ball there are two lines to indicate the rolling motion. Above the Hamster ball is a word that is not easily readable || A Red Text: What is the word above the hamster ball? Hamster ball is a recurring theme in xkcd, see the referenced category, and was first featured in [[152: Hamster Ball]], but this scene with Cueball rolling down a hill is not from any comic. The only scene with something falling down (a stair) in a hamster ball was a robot in [[413: New Pet]]. However, much later in [[1608: Hoverboard]], there was a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/1608_0987x1075y_Hamsterball_bowling.png scene with a girl] running downhill inside a hamster ball. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || A Red Text: Cueball: Tho??a || || Hamster ball
|-
| 316 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone right, seems tall || This Megan seems taller than the surrounding figures, the Cueball 317 next to her, seems short, maybe he is her child? Behind her is part of the slope from the hamster ball Cueball 315, but she is not part of that scene. || || || ||
|-
| 317 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball seems short, maybe he is a kid, or it is just because Megan 316 is extra tall. Maybe she represents his mother. Just left of his feet is part of the slope from the hamster ball Cueball 315, but he is not part of that scene. || || || ||
|-
| 318 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone right || This Megan is obviously shorter than Megan 316, but does not seem like a child. || || || ||
|-
| 319 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 320 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with something black on the head, seems short || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? The character looks short, maybe it is a kid? The black shape on the head seems a little like a flat hat, and the black along the back of the head could be a strip holding it in place. It could also just be short black hair, but then not clear what sex the character has. || || || ||
|-
| 321 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing right towards Cueball kid 322, she also seems short || This Megan here looks short, maybe she is a kid? But then the boy looking like Cueball 322 to her left, much shorter than her, is definitely also a kid. Maybe her little brother. || || || ||
|-
| 322 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right, may be together with Megan 321 || This kid looking like Cueball is certainly too short to be Cueball. He is standing near Megan 321 who, although clearly taller, is short compared to most characters, so maybe she is also a child and could be his older sister? || || || ||
|-
| 323 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left, seems tall || || || || ||
|-
| 324 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with hat, white dome shaped with wide brim standing alone left || This version of White Hat is the one from Idiocracy. It is used more than once in this comic, so here he will not be listed as White Hat. The hat seems to have a wider brim than 26. || Comic: [[603: Idiocracy]] || || ||
|-
| 325 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Woman with black hair wide standing alone right || This is the third version of this woman with wider hair than Megan. See also 4 and 171. || || || ||
|-
| 326 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 327 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 328 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || [[White Hat]] standing alone right || This is the first standard version of White Hat in this comic. The previous two with white hat was the shape from [[603: Idiocracy]], see 324. || || || ||
|-
| 329 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left, with a face that almost has a heart shape, rather than round || Seems like this face has been drawn sloppily, not like those with clearly different shapes later. Although the shape here almost resembles a heart. || || || ||
|-
| 330 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball wearing a mask with a long nose and a strip around his neck standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like there is no comic with a guy in a mask like this with a long nose. Could be a {{w|Guy Fawkes mask}} which was referenced shortly before this comic in [[960: Subliminal]], but not on a Cueball. A guy wearing a mask is seen nine comics before this in [[991: Phantom Menace]], but it is not that kind of mask here. || || || || Mask wit long nose
|-
| 331 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 332 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || Her head is turned to the ponytail is partly hidden behind her head. || || || ||
|-
| 333 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 334 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with hat black bowler standing alone right || There have been two guys with black bowler hats in [[344: 1337: Part 4]] and [[344: 1337: Part 5]], but they looked somewhat different more high and slim, so not quite like this guy. Similar difference between this guy and Black Hat as White Hat and the [[603: Idiocracy]] guy. || || || ||
|-
| 335 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left looking down at his hand which holds something small and slim like a smartphone || Could be Cueball from the referenced comic, where he holds a smartphone looking at it like this Cueball. See also Cueball 523, maybe also holding a smartphone. || Comic: [[864: Flying Cars]] || || || Smartphone
|-
| 336 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 337 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 338 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short curly standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Could be either sex with this short curly hair. || || || ||
|-
| 339 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Character with short white hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 174, 222 and 288. || || || ||
|-
| 340 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball sitting alone left leaning back in an armchair legs straight in front of him || There are several comics with Cueball sitting in an armchair but in the references comic Cueball is seen sitting in a very similar position having been watching {{w|The Matrix}}. Previously only Ponytail 18 has been seen sitting in a chair (an office chair). || Comic: [[566: Matrix Revisited]] || || ||
|-
| 341 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 342 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He could be looking at two Cueballs with present 343-344. || || || ||
|-
| 343 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 344 who is holding up a present || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like he receives a present from Cueball 344. Maybe Cueball 342 is also in on this party? || || || ||
|-
| 344 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 343 holding a wrapped present up in one hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Is it a present? Seems like he offers the present he holds up to Cueball 343. Maybe Cueball 342 is also in on this party? The drawing of the present is not very clear, and it doesn't look like the wrapping goes down below the box. || || || || Box looking like a wrapped present
|-
| 345 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Ponytail standing alone left, seems short || The Ponytail here looks short, maybe she is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 346 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Woman with white hair and pigtails standing alone || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? There have been two girls with pigtails in xkcd, the first was a parody not in the style of xkcd in [[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]], and the other is a girl in [[573: Parental Trolling]], with dark hair. || || || ||
|-
| 347 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 348 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 349 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B] || Guy with sunglasses standing alone left || First time seen in 35. || || || ||
|-
| 350 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5c/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 1 B]''' || Cueball standing alone left || This is the '''last character in the first zero bottom''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 351 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L]''' || Cueball standing alone leaning right || This is the '''first character in the first zero left''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 352 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 353 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43 and above here 420). Maybe the next character 354 is also this woman or maybe a guy with knit cap? || || || ||
|-
| 354 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Character with either hair bun white or it could be a knit cap with a pom-pom on top standing alone left || Could be either sex, depending if it is a woman with hair bun (which would make it two next to each other with 353) or a guy with knit cap. {{w|Knit cap|Knit caps}} has been [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|used several times]] in xkcd but only after this comic. || || || ||
|-
| 355 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || [[:Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow|Cory Doctorow]] in his cape and googles are flying swooping head first downwards and left alone with his cape out behind him and two speed lines along the edges of his cape || This is the typical representation of Cory Doctorow, who is featured twice in this section of this first zero (see 398 as well). Cory Doctorow has been shown in several comics and this flying version is from the referenced comic. Normally his cape is drawn in red, but there is no color in this comic. || Comic: '''[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]''' || || ||
|-
| 356 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 357 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 358 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 359 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairbun standing alone right || She is standing above and left of the woman with white hair bun 353 who is near another character 354 perhaps with bun (or knit cap with pom-pom), but it is a close cluster of characters with buns or poms. || || || ||
|-
| 360 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 361 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 362 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 363 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 364 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone leaning right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
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| 365 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || Hairy’s hair is spiky || || || ||
|-
| 366 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 367 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || Hairy’s hair is messy || || || ||
|-
| 368 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 369 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 370 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy wearing some kind of black head gear standing alone seems like the top of the head can be seen in the middle, so it could just be a head band. || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it on his head? A guy is wearing something on his head. Is it a hat, is it hair is it a hairband. Given that some of the head seems to be visible at the top maybe that. Could also be two large horns a little like Mephistopheles 251, but not at all like him. Could also be a crown with two peaks on either side, which the head gear may look to have, and that would be able to go low enough to show the top of the head. || || || ||
|-
| 371 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 372 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with long black hair generally much larger in all directions than Megan’s || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This woman’s hair is so much more thick and long than Megan’s usually is, and not at all like the depiction of Danish either like 373 || || || ||
|-
| 373 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Danish standing alone left || Danish can usually not be distinguished without her personality, but with this very long hair, much longer than Megan’s usually is, it is reasonable to assume it could be her. She looks quite a lot like the version of Danish in [[1014: Car Problems]] released a few weeks after this comic. Most of the comics she appears in were before 1000. Very much different from the other longer than Megan haired woman in 372. See Danish 160 || || || ||
|-
| 374 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone right || Hairy’s hair stands up || || || ||
|-
| 375 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball sitting right on the ground straight back supported with on one hand behind him, while the other hand resting on the knee of one leg which is lifted up and bend at the knee getting close to his head. Maybe he rests his chin on his arm on the knee. The other leg is almost straight out but bends a little at the knee. Maybe Megan 376 is looking down on him. || This Cueball is the second person to sit on the ground. Previously Ponytail 185 also sat on the ground, and later Cueball 439 and Cueball as Rob 602 will sit on the ground as well. Cueball 340 sat in an armchair. || || || ||
|-
| 376 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing left maybe looking down on sitting Cueball 375 || Megan maybe looking at sitting Cueball 375, but it is not clear. || || || ||
|-
| 377 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || This is the first of nine Cueballs in a row from 377-385. However, not all of them are placed together due to the numbering system. Particularly this Cueball is two rows below the full row from 379-383. || || || ||
|-
| 378 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 379 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || Cueballs 379-383 constitutes a full line across the right part of the first zero only with Cueball. They are part of the nine Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 380 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 381 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 382 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, seems tall || This Cueball is taller than the others in this group of nine. || || || ||
|-
| 383 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || Cueballs 379-383 constitutes a full line across the right part of the first zero only with Cueball. They are part of the nine Cueballs in a row. || || || ||
|-
| 384 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 385 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || This is the last of nine Cueballs in a row, but given the numbering system not all of them are close together. But he is the top of a group of five Cueballs close together. || || || ||
|-
| 386 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing right is holding a hand out to a sitting squirrel, it looks big she looks short || This Megan here looks short, maybe she is a kid? She seems to reach out to maybe pad the squirrel which is drawn almost exactly as in [[776: Still No Sleep]] but here it is with Cueball. Squirrels are a recurring theme as shown in the reference. || Category: [[:Category:Squirrels|Squirrels]] || || Squirrel ||
|-
| 387 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left, seems short || This Megan together with Megan 386 may both be kids. Maybe she looks on Megan 386 and her squirrel?. Those two girls and the guy 391 are more or less surrounded by a ring of nine Cueballs, with even more of them close by. One of the most Cueball-lized areas so far. || || || ||
|-
| 388 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 389 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Character with short loose hair standing alone || Could be either sex, not really hair like a Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 390 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 391 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with black knit cap standing alone right || This looks very much like a guy with knit cap. {{w|Knit cap|Knit caps}} has been [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|used several times]] in xkcd but only after this comic. || || || ||
|-
| 392 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball dancing alone left one leg slightly lifted and crossing over the other leg on the ground body bend slightly both arms out and one is higher up and three times two lines at his arms and behind his back indicate the dancing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be enjoying a quiet little dance alone. As he did in 184 but more vigorously. Megan 186 is also dancing. Seeing this Cueball "hanging" above the two characters next to him 391 and 393 is could look like he was floating up in the air. But the lines do not indicate this and there is no shadow below him as for floating Cueball 298. Possibly from comic [[118: 50 Ways]] ("...to learn to hover"). || || || ||
|-
| 393 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 394 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left arms out || || || || ||
|-
| 395 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 396 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ponytail standing alone right, seems short || This Ponytail here looks short, maybe she is a kid? It would be the second Ponytail in a row after 395. || || || ||
|-
| 397 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 398 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cory Doctorow in his cape and googles standing left, left arm lifted up || This is the typical representation of Cory Doctorow, who is featured once before in this section of this first zero (see 355 as well). Cory Doctorow has been shown in several comics and this version is probably from the first depiction of him in the referenced comic , which is actually not of him but of a guy trying to look like him, Normally his cape is drawn in red, but there is no color in this comic. || Comic: '''[[239: Blagofaire]]''' || || ||
|-
| 399 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 400 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 401 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 402 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 403 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 404 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right, seems like he is holding a snake in its tale shaking it by the tail so it flows out from his arm snaking in the air || A Red Text: Is it a snake and does it refer to a previous comic? This boy child (much shorter than regular Cueballs) seems to be holding a snake, but it is not clear if it is a snake or represents some weird long arm on the kid? See similar boy with branch 475. || || || A Red Text: Snake? ||
|-
| 405 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right, may be looking toward the guy 406 || There is some distance but she is facing the next guy 406. || || || ||
|-
| 406 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left, maybe looking at Megan 405 || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. See also 411 just above him, which does not really look like this guy but same style of hair. He may be looking at Megan 405 even though there is some distance between them. || || || ||
|-
| 407 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 408 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 409 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 410 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 411 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone right, head is very thin || This does not really look like the other guy 406 with hair like this just below him. The head shape is weird like it has been squeezed together. The first Guy with hair like this was 75 but he did not quite look like this guy. || || || ||
|-
| 412 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with hair short white and spiky standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems a special type of hair, that has not been seen before in this comic. Not looking like similar described 491. || || || ||
|-
| 413 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right, may be looking toward the Cueball 414 || Could be looking at Cueball 414. || || || ||
|-
| 414 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left, may be looking toward the Megan 413 || Could be looking at Megan 413. || || || ||
|-
| 415 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 416 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Guy with glasses (square) and hair black standing alone right || Most of those with glasses so far have been bold as Cueballs, but this one has hair. || || || ||
|-
| 417 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 418 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 419 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 420 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Woman with hair bun white standing alone right || This is not Hairbun as she has dark hair. This white hair bun woman is used more than once (see already in 43, and below here in 353) || || || ||
|-
| 421 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 422 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Hairbun standing alone left || Hairbun with her dark hair looks in the direction of the white haired woman with hair bun 420. || || || ||
|-
| 423 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L] || Ninja dressed in black with black cloth around his head so only a small part of the face is visible and a broad and curved sword in hand standing alone right || There have been several references to {{w|ninjas}} before this comic. But in neither of these does they look much like this one with this particular curved sword. First time with ninjas was in [[225: Open Source]] and there is also one in the first comic of [[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]. Cueball has also noted that [[486: I am Not a Ninja]]. || || || || Ninja sword
|-
| 424 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/06/1000_Comics_-_The_first_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 1 L]''' || Cueball standing alone || This is the '''last character in the first zero''', again it is a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 425 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''first character in the second zero''' - of course also a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 426 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 427 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair bun black, large and on top of her head with what appears to be two hairpins stuck into it standing alone right looking down arms out || A Red Text: Is it hairpins in a hair bun? Any reference to characters drawn previously Even though she has a hair bun it is much too different from Hairbun's to be her and with the pins in. See also similar women 38 and 66 with hairpins in hair bun. || || || || Hairpins?
|-
| 428 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 429 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 430 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left balancing (or dancing) on one leg with the other lifted up and bend by the knee arms out || A Red Text: Could it be that he is about to kick the squirrel above the smoke of Cueball 439? Seems like this Cueball is balancing on one leg, but could also be that he is dancing. However, a few others that clearly danced had lines to indicate movement, which is not the case here. || || || ||
|-
| 431 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 432 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 433 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with short dark hair standing alone left || Could be either sex. See also 586. || || || ||
|-
| 434 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 435 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right arms out, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? || || || ||
|-
| 436 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left pushing with both arms, one leg lifted behind him, on the hilt of a sword that is just protruding out of a large stone. The stone has a jagged edge to the left, and is a bit lower where the sword is pushed in. Sound effect and lines to show the pushing is drawn over Cueballs hands || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is clearly a reference to the sword in the stone ({{w|Excalibur}}). The legend says that whoever pulls on the {{w|hilt}} of that sword, to get it out of the stone will be the king of England. However, either Cueball is desperate not to get that honor, or he is the one that is about to place it there making it hard to get out. There seem to be now direct reference fro before this comic, but much later a comic titles exactly [[1521: Sword in the Stone]], references a situation where a person getting the sword declines the honor after reading about England. Read the explanation for that comic on more about the sword. There are however what appears to be the hilt a sword sticking out of a stone in right pile in the second panel of [[968: Everything]]. Maybe it is this stone Cueball has prepared for Megan in that comic. || Other: {{w|Excalibur#Excalibur_and_the_Sword_in_the_Stone| Sword in the Stone}} || Sound: ''Puhs push'' || || Hilt of a sword sticking out of a large stone
|-
| 437 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right arms out on top of a balance board looking like a skateboard with only one large wheel in the middle. Four times two movement lines on either side of Cueball and the wheel shows he is balancing and not moving || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball is using a {{w|balance board}} (and not a one wheeled skateboard) and is managing to hold the balance even though movement lines indicate that he shifts left and right on the board. There have been many comics with skateboards or electrical skateboards, but seems like there are none with a balance board. || || || || Blance board
|-
| 438 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair like hairy, standing alone left || Obviously a child, a boy with hair. || || || ||
|-
| 439 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball sitting on the ground right straight back supported with on one hand behind him, while the other hand resting on the knees which are lifted up is holding the pipe he is smoking. The smoke rises straight but then seems to hit a shelve above it on top of which sits something that looks like a squirrel, but could also be licking flames. Maybe together with Cueball 440 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is happening here? Does the smoke support a shelve with a squirrel or is it flames above the smoke? Do Cueball try to smoke out the squirrel? Do this belong with the Cueball 440 or is the squirrel a part of Cueball 430 trying to kick it? This is a very difficult situation to decipher. Best guess at the moment is that Cueball is tired of the squirrel sitting above him and is trying to smoke it out. [[:Category:Squirrels|Squirrels]] are a recurring theme and in [[382: Trebuchet]] a trap to get rid of squirrels are mentioned, although more effective than smoke in getting rid of them. It is unclear if there is any relation with Cueball 440 with his plant but they are closer together than most other characters, but maybe that is just the smoke and the plant's fault and not the two figures? This is the second Cueball sitting on the ground, the first being 375. || || || A Red Text: Squirrel? || Pipe with smoke and a shelfe above it (with flames or squirrel?)
|-
| 440 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing right with a potted plant behind him. It is a thin stem with a few leafs. At the top it reaches Cueballs shoulders and bends towards him. He stands close to Cueball 439 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Has he any relation to the Cueball 439? Is it a potted plant? Looks like Cueball is standing with his plant looking away from Cueball 439. It is unclear if there is any relation with Cueball 439 with his pipe and smoke but they are closer together than most other characters, but maybe that is just the smoke and the plant's fault and not the two figures? There is a potted plant in the office in [[393: Ultimate Game]]. Later a more similar potted plant next to a kid looking away (like Cueball here) was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3e/1608_1033x1095y_The_rotary.png seen in the rotary] inside the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || || ||
|-
| 441 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with lots of spikes in her hair on the back of her head standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it with her hair. Is it hair or is something sitting on her head, not a hat? This Megan style woman has a weird hair style or something with spikes has attached itself to her head? || || || ||
|-
| 442 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball with antenna on his head standing right towards Cueball three arms 443 || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What is it on his head? Maybe it should not be listed as Cueball if it is hair or a hat? This Cueball seems to have a small antenna on his head. Could also be a single hair? Maybe this freak belongs together with the three armed Cueball 443? || || || ||
|-
| 443 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left all three arms out, hands on the two arms to the left. Maybe together with Cueball 442 || This is the Cueball clock with three arms from panel five in the referenced comic. He even has the same position and hands on two (though not all three) arms. He may be together with the other freak Cueball 442 with antenna on his head? || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 444 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair long and loose standing alone right with a scarf around her neck hanging down her back. She holds her arms up to keep it over her throat as she makes a sound like she is freezing || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This woman is not Megan. Her hair is different and looks weird over her head. Maybe it should look like some kind of hat? She obviously freezes with the sound and the scarf. Although this is not Megan, Megan is seen here with a scarf: [[726: Seat Selection]]. Possibly from comic [[511: Sleet]]. || || Woman with scarf: ''Brrr'' || || Scarf
|-
| 445 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 446 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with short white hair standing alone left, seems short || Could be either sex, and maybe it is a child. See similar kid in 145 and similar adult in 174. || || || ||
|-
| 447 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair short black and with a bump in the neck standing alone left, seems short || This woman here looks short, maybe she is a kid? Her hair is short compared to Megan and there is a small hair bun like bump in the neck, but it does not really look like a hair bun and not at all like Hairbun. See also similar woman 481. || || || ||
|-
| 448 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hair or some kind of hat standing alone || A Red Text: Is it a cap or hair on his head? It would change the direction he looks! This guy seems to have either some thin hair or maybe some hat, like a cap? || || || ||
|-
| 449 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 450 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 451 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Hairy standing alone right, with thin hair || This Hairy has very thin hair. || || || ||
|-
| 452 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking down || || || || ||
|-
| 453 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone left with hair flowing behind her || Seems like Megan is facing wind into her face which blows her hair out behind her, giving her a different look from normal Megan. || || || ||
|-
| 454 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || A Red Text: Guy with thick hair is either standing with some sword hanging up his back, or it is part of the chair he is sitting in. His hands are toward what appears to be a bird bath with a duck in it || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Hopefully it is because it is impossible to see what happens here. What is the thing in front of him? Is he standing with sword or sitting in a chair? It looks like a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e8/1663_garden_Cueball_talks_to_deer_duck_in_birdbath.png duck in a birth bath] in front of this person who either have a sword or sits in a chair? Seems small too, but would be even smaller if sitting on a chair. || || || A Red Text: Duck? || A Red Text: Bird Bath?
|-
| 455 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 456 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding the remote control for a radio controlled toy helicopter flying up as indicated with two lines above and below || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Cueball is playing with his radio-controlled helicopter. One of those was also shown later in [[1110: Click and Drag]] where Beret Guy [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n1e.png chases it with a butterfly net]. || || || || Remote controlled helicopter and remote
|-
| 457 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with party hat with a strap under the chin. Around him lies confetti on the ground || This is one of the kids from the Malaria party in the referenced comic. The hat and the items on the ground are taken directly from the comic. || Comic: '''[[51: Malaria]]''' || || ||
|-
| 458 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand rest on her bend knees || This is the second Ponytail to sit straight on the ground, the first being 185. || || || ||
|-
| 459 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball is floating alone above a pentagram with lit candles at its points || Cueball has summoned himself from a parallel universe in a ritual using a pentagram (5-pointed star) and burning candles. || Comic: '''[[105: Parallel Universe]]''' || || || {{w|Pentagram}}, {{w|candles}}
|-
| 460 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Character with dark hair, maybe down the back, maybe short standing alone right || Could be either sex. The hair on the head does not look like Megan, and it is difficult to determine if the hair stops above or below the shoulders. || || || ||
|-
| 461 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair short black standing alone right arms up holding something in the arm to the left, maybe a ball || A Red Text: What is in his hand Clearly this is a kid holding some object, could be a ball he is about to pass? || || || A Red Text: Ball? ||
|-
| 462 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with black ponytail standing alone left || This is not Ponytail as she has white hair. There is a similar woman in [[882: Significant]]. Later a girl looking very much like this was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d0/Garden_Stilt_walker.png seen on stilts] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || ||
|-
| 463 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 464 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hat black beret and black beard only on his chin standing alone right smoking a pipe, smoke coming out and drifting up beginning with a round black cloud and then above two white clouds || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Is he supposed to look French? There are some smoking pipe in xkcd (see for instance [[923: Strunk and White]]) but none with smoke like this and no only looking anything like this black beret guy. || || || || Pipe with smoke
|-
| 465 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hat black but much larger than Black Hats although similar shape, but soft in the middle standing alone right. A large wing is hanging out from the hat on the left side || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This winged hat seems to be related to the locomotive hat. There seems to be only one wing, and with the white ends it seems like it is feathers, although there is some bat wing over the drawing. Maybe a joke on the phrase ''{{w|A feather in your cap}}'' but no with an entire wing instead? || || || || Wing on hat
|-
| 466 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 467 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left with a large head and a camera or a mask held in front of his face with both hands || A Red Text: Is this from a previous comic? Is it a big camera he is holding or a mask? Unclear what Cueball is holding in front of his head. The head seems rather large, maybe a drawing mistake due to the camera or mask he is holding up to his head? || || || || A Red Text: Camrea or mask?
|-
| 468 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 469 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 470 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with beard, full, and black hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Does not look like guy with beard 73. || || || ||
|-
| 471 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with pumpkin face with slits for eyes and a curvy mouth standing alone right || This is one of the pumpkin men from the referenced comics 6th panel. || Comic: '''[[68: Five Thirty]]''' || || ||
|-
| 472 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 473 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || There may be indication of thin hair, but could be a sloppy end to the circle of the head || || || ||
|-
| 474 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right while bending in the knees leaning over them back bend arms stretched out for balance || Could be that he is preparing to jump? || || || ||
|-
| 475 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing right seems like he is holding a branch in one end so it hangs out in the air to the right. At the end there is a split in two parts. || A Red Text: Is it a branch or a snake like in 404 and does it refer to a previous comic? This boy child (much shorter than regular Cueballs) seems to be holding a branch out, but it is not clear how he holds this or if it is a branch? See similar boy with snake 404. || || || || A Red Text: Branch?
|-
| 476 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 477 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 478 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 479 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 480 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball running alone right towards something that gives off smoke with a sound. Seems like he is holding a bow and maybe he has just shot an arrow at the smoking object, the arrow missing hitting the ground with a sound || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Quite unclear what happens here? Best guess is that something is being aimed at by Cueball's bow and arrow but he misses the target (he burns his shot) and the target burns releasing smoke while hissing. || || Smoking object: Ssss Arrow: Thump || || Bow, arrow and smoking object
|-
| 481 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with hair short black and with a bump in the neck standing alone left, seems short || This woman here looks short, maybe she is a kid? Her hair is short compared to Megan and there is a small hair bun like bump in the neck, but it does not really look like a hair bun and not at all like Hairbun. See also similar woman 447. || || || ||
|-
| 482 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 483 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing right speaking to a butterfly that flies in front of him with two times two lines around the wings away from Cueball and one two times one line close to Cueball || This is a direct reference to the referenced comic where real programmers use butterflies and it turns out e-macs has a command that does this which begins with C-x as Cueball says, and then continues to give this sentence: ''C-x M-c M-butterfly.'' || Comic: '''[[378: Real Programmers]]''' || Cueball: C-x || Butterfly ||
|-
| 484 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing alone right, rather long hair || This Megan does not look like Danish. || || || ||
|-
| 485 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 486 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right || His face shape is a little squeezed at the top, so his head is not close to being round. || || || ||
|-
| 487 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Blondie standing alone left || It is not a ponytail but long hair going down her back. || || || ||
|-
| 488 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
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| 489 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 490 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing alone || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 491 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Guy with hair short white and spiky standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems a special type of hair, that has not been seen before in this comic. Not looking like similar described 412. || || || ||
|-
| 492 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Megan standing right looking slightly down at Cueball with Boombox 493 || This is the named Megan from the referenced comic, hair even drawn a little different like in that comic. She listens to Cueball 492's music from his Boombox. || Comic: '''[[159: Boombox]]''' || || ||
|-
| 493 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing left holding a playing boombox high up over his head in both hands, playing music for Megan 492 || This is Cueball with the boombox playing for Megan 492 from the referenced comic. The music playing is a reference to the title text, as it is not ''Ice Ice Baby''. || Comic: '''[[159: Boombox]]''' || Boombox: Under presssure || || Boombox
|-
| 494 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) supercomputer, a box with a lid and a black line below this (looking like a Xerox machine) with its name written in front of the panel talking to Boy 495 || This is the sentient {{w|AI}} in the form of the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) computer from the movie {{w|WarGames}} talking with a boy 495. The boy should then represent David played by {{w| Matthew Broderick}} (see also boy 495). It wants to play a game and in the movie this almost results in nuclear war where the only winning move is not to play. A similar AI has been featured in [[601: Game Theory]] where it analyzed love like the WOPR analyzed nuclear war. It determines that you always lose in love even if you say no to playing! This is the only one of the 1000 characters that has no human shape what so ever- But that it's an independent intelligence cannot be doubted, and hence it must be seen as one of the 1000 characters. || Movie: {{w|WarGames}} || WOPR: Would you like to play a game? Boy 495: No. On WOPR: WOPR || || WOPR (although not seen as an object here)
|-
| 495 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing left talking with the WOPR 494 || If this is the boy from the movie {{w|WarGames}} talking with the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) computer, then his name is David Lightman and he was played by {{w|Matthew Broderick}}. In the movie WOPR asks David he would like to play a game and they end of playing a game of Global Thermonuclear War which almost leads to this in real life. Either this is after so David is cleverer or it is another clever boy, because he simply declines the offer of the WOPR. He could also have played tic-tac-toe but then no one would win, but also no one would lose as shown here [[832: Tic-Tac-Toe]]. If he dared he could have played the strip version of Global Thermonuclear War as mentioned in the title text of [[696: Strip Games]]. || Movie: {{w|WarGames}} || || ||
|-
| 496 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right looking up while throwing two objects into the air, one a round shape the other a snake shape || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? What is it he throws? Cueball is throwing something into the air, not clear what or why. || || || || A Red Text: Two objects thrown up?
|-
| 497 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Woman with black hair and safety glasses standing alone right leaning back while holding an Erlenmeyer flask (a conical laboratory flask) up in the air in one outstretched hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is seen holding a similar flask up in [[520: Cuttlefish]]. || || || || Erlenmeyer flask
|-
| 498 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy looking like Cueball standing alone right || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 499 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Science Girl with Ponytail standing alone right arms held out from her body || This is the early version of Science Girl from [[585: Outreach]]. || || || ||
|-
| 500 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Boy with hair like Hairy || Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. || || || ||
|-
| 501 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Girl with hair like Danish || Clearly a kid much smaller than the adult Danish. There is a whole group of kids here, see the previous three and 490 as well. || || || ||
|-
| 502 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone looking right while holding a gun out in his arm to the left (where there is no one nearby) || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball also holds a gun like this, but looking the same direction and pointing it on another Cueball in [[68: Five Thirty]].|| || || || Gun
|-
| 503 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone left looking down at a large gravestone on a big base. There are three patches of grass around the stone || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Gravestones has been used several times, also with this shape but not with Cueball standing in front of it. See [[584: Unsatisfied]], [[599: Apocalypse]] and [[736: Cemetery]]. || || || || Gravestone with grass around it
|-
| 504 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || Cueball standing alone right holding a trumpet up to his mouth with both hands blowing a flower out of the other end of the instrument || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Is it a trumpet or is it a large opening for a gun shooting the flower out? Seems like the items Cueball holds in front of him send a flower out, either when he blows into it, or fires it. Depending on if this is a trumpet or a gun? || || || || A Red Text: Trumpet or gun with flower?
|-
| 505 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T] || [[Black Hat]] standing alone left || This is the first time Black Hat appears, here with a little wider hat than usual. || || || ||
|-
| 506 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ea/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 2 T]''' || Hairy running alone left with his arms up || This is the '''last character in the second zero top''', this time not a Cueball but a running Hairy. || || || ||
|-
| 507 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R]''' || Cueball standing alone left with a head that seems more egg shaped, with the tip up || This is the '''first character in the second zero right''' - again a Cueball, but one of those with a peculiar shaped head. Here the head is more egg shaped. || || || ||
|-
| 508 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Astronaut in a spacesuit standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A spacesuit, which there seems to be no one of in the first 1000 comics? || || || || Spacesuit
|-
| 509 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 510 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail sitting on the ground alone right leaning back on one hand, while the other hand is resting on her knee which is lifted up, the other leg also bend but less. Seems like the ground is rough beneath her, and both one arm and one leg seems to rest on small rocks || This is the third Ponytail to sit straight on the ground, the first being 185. || || || || Rocks on rough ground
|-
| 511 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Skeleton walking right towards Cueball 512 with his sword and Megan 514. The bones are clearly not joined together, the black eye sockets almost protruding from the skull. It has its arms held out || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? Seems like Cueball 512 is facing this skeleton with his sword in a valiant attempt to defend Megan 514 who’s looking on the skeleton. The idea of being able to fight a skeleton is mentioned in the title text of [[1587: Food Rule]]. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. There seems to be no skeletons drawn in the first 1000 comics? Even though this is not a living creature (but an undead) it is obviously counted as one of the 1000 characters. || || || || Skeleton (although not seen as an object here)
|-
| 512 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left brandishing a sword behind him to the right as he faces the skeleton 511 walking towards him with its arms out. Maybe he protects Megan 514 || It could look like Cueball is waiting to take a swing with his sword at the skeleton 511 walking his way with its arms out, a valiant attempt to defend Megan 514 looking on the scene. The idea of being able to fight a skeleton is mentioned in the title text of [[1587: Food Rule]]. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. Seems like Cueball only holds a sword in [[68: Five Thirty]], but it doesn't really look like that sword. || || || || Sword
|-
| 513 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with hair long and white standing alone right arms out. Seems like some sort of very long ponytail hangs down below her waist || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? What's with the hair down the back? The "ponytail" down to below her waist seems strangely shaped, very thin and uneven. Could also be some sort of scarf, as there is a large black area around the neck, which could also just be hair? || || || ||
|-
| 514 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing left looking up at skeleton 511, being protected by sword Cueball 512 || Megan seems to be part of the skeleton 511 vs. Cueball 512 scene. Maybe Cueball is defending her from the walking skeleton with his sword. It could be a coincidence as they are not very close. || || || ||
|-
| 515 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball is abducted by an alien spacecraft looking like the typical flying saucer. It is sucking him up in a tractor-beam while he hangs suspended arms out and one leg bend || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? This is a reference of a typical alien abduction where a {{w|flying saucer}} uses a {{w|tractor beam}} to suck a human (Cueball) up into the space craft for further investigation and [https://vimeo.com/107376483insertion of anal probes] etc. Or just for practice - see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkYcK3z5Go4 Lifted]. Seems like there are no flying saucers in the first 1000 comics? Could be that Cueball 522 sees this scene and reacts by taking his hand to his mouth? The spaceship is not seen as an individual character, as it is not alive or conscious (like the AI in the WORP 494). || Other: {{w|Alien abduction}} || || || Flying saucer using tractor beam
|-
| 516 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing right maybe towards science Girl 519 || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. The first Guy with hair like this was 75. Although the appearance of the girl 519 he may be facing is that of Science Girl, there are some similarities with her and [[Elaine Roberts]] as she appears together with Donald Knuth in the mentioned comic... || || || ||
|-
| 517 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 518 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 519 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Science Girl with bun and ponytail, standard appearance, standing left maybe towards Guy 516 || Although this is the standard appearance of Science Girl she may be facing Guy 516 which may be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] . In that comic [[Elaine Roberts]] is as a young girl drawn with ponytail (white though) so there are some similarities between a scene in that comic. || || || ||
|-
| 520 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Boy looking like Cueball with arms out standing right towards Cueball 521 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Clearly a kid much smaller than Cueball normally is. Seems like he is explaining something to Cueball 521 who scratches his head for that reason. || || || ||
|-
| 521 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left scratching his head with a small black cloud(?) over his head as he tries to understand what the boy 520 is showing him || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is reacting to the boy showing him something, scratching his head. The black cloud over his head may indicate that he doesn't comprehend what the boy wishes to show him or that he does but is dismayed. || || || ||
|-
| 522 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right looking up, hand to his mouth, maybe because he sees the alien abduction of Cueball 515 above him? || Could look like he was reacting to the alien abduction scene 515 as he looks that way and has his hand to his mouth. || || || ||
|-
| 523 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right looking at something he holds in his hand lifted up in front of his face something small and slim like a smartphone || A Red Text: Is it a smartphone in his hand or something else? Could be that Cueball holds a smartphone, but it is not clear. Cueball in [[864: Flying Cars]] also holds a smartphone but not in the same position as this Cueball. That was more the case for Cueball 335. || || || || A Red Text: Smartphone?
|-
| 524 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Old man with a white hat (looking a bit like a beret, but could also a sailor cap seen from the front) and a cane standing alone left || This is not an old version of Beret Guy but the old version of Cueball from the referenced comic, as he would look if he turned and stared straight out of the panel. The cap at on his sailor hat would then look like the middle part of the hat does here, which makes it look like Beret Guy’s beret. The cane and the wrinkles that match those from the comic, is helping prove this. || Comic: '''[[572: Together]]''' || || || Cane
|-
| 525 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 526 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left with high hair and long face || A little strange head and hair shape, but still Hairy like. || || || ||
|-
| 527 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing left talking to the ants in the ant hill by his feet || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is thankful to the ants. There have been many mentions of ants in xkcd, but not seem to fit this picture. See for instance the later comic [[1610: Fire Ants]], but also the much referenced comic [[68: Five Thirty]] has an ant in the last panel. A [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d2/1608_1078x1095y_Ant_Queen_in_Destroyer.png giant ant queen] was inside the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || Cueball: Thanks ants || Ants || Ant hill
|-
| 528 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 529 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 530 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 531 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with black hair and a bald patch on the top of his head standing alone right || Seems like there is no hair on the top of the head. Could be a drawing mistake but else it is either a bald patch, or it is supposed to be some head gear going around his head? || || || ||
|-
| 532 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 533 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 534 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 535 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 536 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 537 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right towards boy 538 holding a large axe in both hands with the head towards the boy || This Cueball interacts with the boy 538, which again is a reference to the boy being an {{w|troll (internet)|internet troll}} that was slain in the referenced comic. Although there it was not as a real life {{w|troll}}, and not by an axe. See more on 538. || Comic: '''[[591: Troll Slayer]]''' || || || Axe
|-
| 538 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Boy with hair and lots of pimples standing left facing the axe wielding Cueball 537 || This is the pimpled boy that {{w|troll (internet)|trolls}} {{w|Stephenie Meyer}} in the referenced comic. She then slays him using her {{w|Twilight (novel series)|Twilight novels}} as her weapon of choice. Given that it is the boy who is the troll slain, it makes sense here to put this little boy in front of a Cueball 537 with an axe big enough to slay real {{w|trolls}}. || Comic: '''[[591: Troll Slayer]]''' || || ||
|-
| 539 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairy standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 540 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone right hair blowing out behind her || Seems like this Megan has the wind in her face her hair billowing out behind her. || || || ||
|-
| 541 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball spinning around on one leg facing right alone doing a pirouette with arms held together over his head one leg up and bend close to his body and three circle lines left and right of his body and around the leg that supports him || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is performing a {{w|Turn_(dance_and_gymnastics)#Pirouette|pirouette}}. It is not similar to the scene in [[162: Angular Momentum]] referenced by spinning Megan 159. || || || ||
|-
| 542 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 543 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 544 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Girl sleeping drawn in silhouette alone with her head to the left snoring as indicated with a sound || This drawing can be a little confusing since the end of it, is very close to guy 545's face and could even be seen as smoke coming from him. But the snoring sound gives it away as the [[7#Trivia|very first drawing]] Randall released on the [[:Category:First_day_on_LiveJournal|very first day]] of releasing comics on [[LiveJournal]] from [[:Category:Comics posted on livejournal|before]] he began posting on xkcd.com (where it then got number 7 for some reason?) So of course it should be included in this comic. Given that she is not even closely related to the stick figures constituting the rest of the 1000 characters she had to be drawn like this in silhouette to make her blend in. But it would be easy to misinterpret the drawing, but the three ''zzz'' helps a lot. Those were not included in the original drawing. The comic that later received the number 1 spot on xkcd is also here as Barrel Boy 643 at the bottom in the same side of this zero. || Comic: '''[[7: Girl sleeping (Sketch -- 11th grade Spanish class)]]''' || Girl: Zzz || ||
|-
| 545 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat black, high and round standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is clearly not Black Hat (as the next character 546) as the hat is not square but rounded and higher. || || || ||
|-
| 546 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Black Hat standing alone, with a more massive hat than usual || Although this must be described as Black Hat, as opposed to the guy 545 before this with a rounded black hat, the hat seems more massive broader and higher than the usual style of Black Hat. || || || ||
|-
| 547 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball hanging alone left in one arm from the string of a white balloon rising up. That he is up in the air is indicated with a shadow on the "ground" beneath him || There seems to be no direct reference to a comic with such a Cueball, although a Cueball like kid is lifted in a balloon string, but not by the balloon, in [[121: Balloon]]. It more resembles the opening frame in [[1110: Click and Drag]], but that was first released more than eight months later (and the balloon there was black). || || || || Balloon on a string
|-
| 548 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 549 on stilts || It is not clear if she is with Cueball 548, but they are very close and she looks straight at him. || || || ||
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| 549 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball walking on stilts towards left while looking right. The stilts are broader at the ground. He may be together with Megan 548 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? It seems like Megan 548 is looking at him, but it is unclear if they belong together. There also seems to be no comic with Cueball walking on stilts like this, but in [[482: Height]] there is a Cueball walking on the world’s tallest stilts. Much later two game comics showed persons on stilts, [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png inside] the Destroyer in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and as a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png grown item] in [[1663: Garden]]. || || || || Stilts
|-
| 550 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat black peaked cap standing alone right || Looks like one of the often occurring police officers usually drawn with a black peaked cap, a police cap. Mostly these caps are though also drawn with a white emblem, but that might have been too small here. See for instance [[617: Understocked]]. || || || ||
|-
| 551 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing right towards woman 552 || Seems like he is facing woman 552. || || || ||
|-
| 552 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with white hair long and loose, could be Blondie but might be in a ponytail, standing left towards Cueball 551 || It could be both Blondie and Ponytail, but at first it looks like long white hair that hangs loose down her back. She seems to be facing Cueball 552. || || || ||
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| 553 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Woman with white hair in a bun with a ponytail below it standing alone left || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is not a standard hairstyle in xkcd. || || || ||
|-
| 554 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 555 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 556 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan driving left on a Segway alone, three lines behind her indicates her motion and speed also clear as her hair flows somewhat back || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Megan drives a {{w|Segway PT}}. There seems to be no comics where this happens, but Segway is referenced both in the description of people who likes the {{w|Dymaxion map|Dymaxion projection}} in [[977: Map Projections]] as well as in the title text of [[296: Tony Hawk]]. || || || || Segway PT}
|-
| 557 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with hat baseball cap standing with Cueball 558 both looking right || There are not many wearing baseball caps in xkcd. There was on in the background of [[954: Chin-Up Bar]]. One was shown long after in [[1221: Nomenclature]], it could almost be those two from that comic that this guy and Cueball 557 should represent, but the other guy is also wearing a hat in the comic. Also it cannot be a reference as it is a later comic. || || || ||
|-
| 558 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing with Guy 557 both looking right || Seems like he may be watching something together with baseball cap guy 557. || || || ||
|-
| 559 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone arms up || || || || ||
|-
| 560 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone right holding an octopus out in one arm || This is the biologist from the referenced comic. || Comic: '''[[435: Purity]]''' || || Octopus ||
|-
| 561 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 562 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball driving left on an electric skateboard having the radio control remote in his hand. Behind him are three lines next to the antenna of the control (and there are no wires) so this is either indication of speed or radio waves. The skateboard is driving slightly downwards and Cueball stand still on the middle. The two next "girls" 563-564 are running after him || This is a clear reference to the referenced comic. The [:[Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboard]] here (a recurring theme in xkcd) seems to have radio control, as there is no wire to the board as in the comic. But the two "girls" 563-564 running after him is two of the three chicks in the comic that cheered Cueball when he got to his destination. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || || Electric Skateboard
|-
| 563 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Ponytail running left after Cueball 562 and his skateboard || Ponytail is running, together with Megan 564, after Cueball 562 because he is so cool with his electric skateboard, a clear reference to the comic where both "girls" also admire Cueball on his gadget. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || ||
|-
| 564 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan running left after Cueball 562 and his skateboard || Megan is running, together with Ponytail 563, after Cueball 562 because he is so cool with his electric skateboard, a clear reference to the comic where both "girls" also admire Cueball on his gadget. || Comic: '''[[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]]''' || || ||
|-
| 565 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Guy with Afro hairdo normal size standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? A more normal Afro hair than on 236, like 248. || || || ||
|-
| 566 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
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| 567 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 568 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R] || Hairbun with sunglasses standing alone left || This is how {{w|Trinity (The Matrix)|Trinity}} from {{w|The Matrix)} is drawn in the referenced comic. First guy with sunglasses see 35. || Comic: [[566: Matrix Revisited]] || || ||
|-
| 569 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fe/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 2 R]''' || Cueball standing alone right || This is the '''last character in the second zero right''', and again a Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 570 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B]''' || Guy with extremely spiky hair standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This is the '''first character in the second zero bottom''', for once an unnamed character. This hair reminds of some kind of {{w|Punk fashion}}. || || || ||
|-
| 571 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Cueball 572 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball 572. || || || ||
|-
| 572 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 571 || Seems like he is looking at Cueball 571. || || || ||
|-
| 573 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 574 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right holding one arm slightly out right || || || || ||
|-
| 575 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left arms a little of balance bending in one leg || || || || ||
|-
| 576 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball falling headfirst down alone left while flailing with his arms and legs as indicated with two lines on either side, and four lines above him indicate the speed of the fall || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 577 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 578 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair in a Mohawk standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? This guy seems to sport a {{w|Mohawk hairstyle|Mohawk}}. || || || ||
|-
| 579 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone left || This Hairy has flat hair. || || || ||
|-
| 580 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Girl with long black hair standing alone right holding her arms up || Clearly a girl much shorter than the adults around her. Hari style could be like Megan’s, but it's hard to see for the raised arms || || || ||
|-
| 581 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone doing the arm wave || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball is doing the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CPtOe3GVwk arm wave], hip-hop style… || || || ||
|-
| 582 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 583 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 584 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 585 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Science Girl with small bun at the base of her neck and hair hanging down behind it standing alone right holding up a model rocket in one hand || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? There seems to be no comics where anyone holds up such a rocket. It is the standard version of a rocket that can be used for space launch. || || || || Model rocket
|-
| 586 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Character with short dark hair standing alone right || Could be either sex, see also similar characters at 433. || || || ||
|-
| 587 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 588 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with a ponytail dark standing right looking at Genie 589 || Seems like this woman has just rubbed the lamp of the Genie 589 and is now ready to make a wish. A similar {{w|genie}} was drawn in the referenced comic, although together with Cueball. Genies have been mentioned several times in xkcd, see more in the referenced comic. See also woman 157 with dark ponytail. || Comic: '''[[152: Hamster Ball]]''' || || ||
|-
| 589 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Genie rising smoke like out of an oil lamp standing on the ground facing left towards Woman 588. The genies body materializes out of the smoke getting more solid from the waist up. It has its arms held into its sides. On its head it has a turban. || It seems that woman 588 has just rubbed the lamp from where the Genie protrudes and it now ready to fulfill her wishes. A similar {{w|genie}} was drawn in the referenced comic, although together with Cueball. Genies have been mentioned several times in xkcd, see more in the referenced comic. In the referenced comic Cueball wishes for a hamster ball, and gets one. See Cueball 618 inside his hamster ball just below and left of here. || Comic: '''[[152: Hamster Ball]]''' || || || Oil lamp
|-
| 590 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Megan 591 with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Cueball and Megan 591. See also similar Hairy/Megan couple 210-211. || || Cueball/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 591 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing left towards Cueball with a white heart floating between them || A couple in love as indicated with the heart between Megan and Cueball 590. See also similar Hairy/Megan couple 210-211. || || Cueball/Megan: ♥ || ||
|-
| 592 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Ponytail 593 || Seems like Cueball faces Ponytail 593. || || || ||
|-
| 593 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing left towards Cueball 592 || Seems like Ponytail faces Cueball 592. || || || ||
|-
| 594 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball running right towards Cueball 595 holding a long stick in both hands over his head. Towards the end of the stick there is a broader part of the stick, but at the very end it is again as thin as the rest of the stick || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Cueball seems to be in the process of attacking Cueball 595 with some kind of weapon. But it neither seems like a spear or an axe with the protrusion on the stick he is wielding neither looking like an axe head or it at the tip like on a spear? || || || || Stick with protrusion at one end
|-
| 595 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left towards charging Cueball 594 || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like Cueball 594 is in the process of attacking this Cueball with some kind of weapon. || || || ||
|-
| 596 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone left with very thin hair || This Hairy has thin but not flat hair || || || ||
|-
| 597 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball lying down on his back alone left resting on one arm behind him, the other arm down along his body one leg bent a lot the other only slightly at the knees || The second character that lies down on the ground. See the first Cueball 105 to do so. || || || ||
|-
| 598 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 599 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other in front of him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 600 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other around him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 601 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || He may be looking at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other around him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
|-
| 602 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || [[Rob]] sitting alone right legs curled up to his body arms holding tight around them || This is [[Rob]] from the referenced comic after his nephew has scared him with his fact of life. This is the third Cueball-like character sitting on the ground, the first being 375. || Comic: '''[[647: Scary]]''' || || ||
|-
| 603 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan with her hair falling backwards alone right. She seems to have lost the balance, having only one leg on the ground the other up in the air and bendy leaning far behind the leg on the ground. The arms seem to be flailing up and down so fast that three arms are drawn on either side. The hair is also standing up || This is Megan from the referenced comic after the LSD she has been given makes her believe that there are spiders all over her. The three arms on either side because of her flailing arms make this connection clear. || Comic: '''[[790: Control]]''' || || ||
|-
| 604 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right eating an ice cream cone || Seems like Cueball never eats an ice cream cone in the first 1000 comic but his daughter Science Girl does so next to him in [[585: Outreach]]. || || || || Ice cream cone
|-
| 605 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairbun standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 606 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right facing a finger gun assault by Hairy 607 || Seems he is being finger gun attacked by Hairy 607. || || || ||
|-
| 607 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Hairy standing left brandishing two finger guns, one pointed at Cueball 606 the other held up in the air || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Hairy has shaped both his hands into finger guns (which is thus one of the rare occasion where hands are shown). He seems to be pointing one of the hand guns towards Cueball 606. || Other: {{w|Finger gun}} || || ||
|-
| 608 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone left something black under one hand || This could be Donald Knuth from [[342: 1337: Part 2]] or George from [[587: Crime Scene]]. The hair is the same. See Guy 75, the first with this type of hair. The black dot under his hand seems to be a drawing mistake? || || || ||
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| 609 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
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| 610 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing alone right || || || || ||
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| 611 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
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| 612 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Ponytail 611 brandishing a lightsaber pointed up towards her || Seems like Cueball threatens Ponytail 613 with his {{w|lightsaber}}. This is a general reference to the {{w|Star Wars}} universe which is a recurrent topic on xkcd. Lightsabers are often referenced and drawn, but there is not really a particular scene that looks like this. Most closely comes the look of the lightsaber in the 6th comic from [[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]] which was published by mistake. Also in one of the intentionally published comics in that series, [[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]], are there lightsabers. Just three weeks prior to this comic a toy lightsaber was held by Cueball in [[991: Phantom Menace]]. Later a comic named after the weapon was published in [[1433: Lightsaber]] and they were displayed more than once in [[1608: Hoverboard]], both [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png with Ponytail] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/20/1608_1006x1095y_Pinata_and_Cueball_with_lightsaber_at_top_of_hull.png with a kid] looking like Cueball. || Category: [[:Category:Star Wars|Star Wars]] || || || Lightsaber
|-
| 613 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing left towards Cueball 612 and his lightsaber || Seems like she is being threatened by Cueball 612 and his lightsaber. || || || ||
|-
| 614 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball driving a motorcycle alone right doing a wheelie, two movement lines at the back wheel showing the progress || This is the {{w|Linux}} using Cueball from the referenced comic doing his {{w|wheelie}} stunt from the comic. || Comic: '''[[272: Linux User at Best Buy]]''' || || || Motorcycle
|-
| 615 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing right towards Cueball 616 pointing at him as he walks away || Seems like this Megan might be accusing Cueball 616 of something and he just walks away from her. Could also be that she points at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all those behind her in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
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| 616 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball walking right away from pointing Megan 615 || Seems like he is walking away from Megan 615 who points after him like she is accusing him of something. Could also just be that after being alerted to it by Megan pointing it out he walks towards at Hamster Ball Cueball 618 - as all other behind him in this general area looks at it. || || || ||
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| 617 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing right touching Cueball 618's hamster ball || Ponytail is either pushing, holding back or holding on to the hamster ball. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 618 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right inside a large hamster ball waving his arm to the left up and down indicated with two lines above and below. He also waves his other arm forward right indicated with two small lines. The hamster ball is surrounded by characters 617-621 interacting with the ball || This is by far the most complex scene in the entire comic. Hamster balls is a recurring theme in xkcd, see the referenced category, and was first featured in [[152: Hamster Ball]], where a genie delivers such a ball to Cueball as it is his one and only wish. That genie can be seen in 589. But this scene has some similarities also with [[211: Hamster Ball Heist]] where a rock-star (not Cueball) is being pushed around inside a hamster ball by several people like here, (but against his will, so it is not a direct reference that comic either). The four characters around this ball, Ponytail 617 left, Woman with black hair 619 on top, Megan 620 floating right and Cueball 621 lying to the right, are all interacting with it. There may be several other characters that "see" this scene, like Megan 615 that might point at this (rather than Cueball 616, who might walk towards it). And on the other side Megan 622 may also be looking on as does Cueball 623. Similarly Cueball 600 and 601 also looks that way as does Hairy 599 but he is quite far away, but all in that direction look towards the ball. It is hard to say exactly what happens with the ball, as it seems to stand still (no movement lines). But this can hardly be the case as Ponytail 617 seems to push (could be holding on), the woman 619 on top of the ball seems to walk left forcing the ball right, and Cueball 621 seems to have been knocked over by the ball. Megan 620 is the mystery as she seems to float/fly near the hamster ball. Of course if Ponytail tries to hold it, and Cueball inside is showing to stop and they have just hit Cueball 621 the hamster ball may just have stopped at this very moment. Another possible interpretation, where the ball is moving right, is that the three women respectively tries to get up, is on top and has been on top. So Ponytail will hold on to the ball, being dragged up as the ball moves, while the woman on top moves the ball and eventually she will, like Megan has just done, fall down the right side, this would mean that Megan is now falling towards Cueball. He could also just have fallen off like this, but as he holds on to his face it seems more like he has been hit in the face by the moving ball and knocked back on the ground. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || || Hamster ball
|-
| 619 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with hair black and large on top of her head walking left on top of Cueball 618's hamster ball while looking down while holding her arms back, the right arm mainly hidden behind her "high" hair, only the hand can be seen to the right of the hair || This woman may have a hair bun, but it is hard to tell and she does not at all look like Hairbun. She seems to be walking left on the hamster ball which would be meaningful if it moved right, and she might thus stay on top, maybe even helping with moving the ball that way. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 620 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan falling, floating or flying face towards left looking down along the side of Cueball 6187's hamster ball. One leg bent at the knee || Megan is either one of those that flies come the see what the fuss is about, or rather she has just been on top of the hamster ball like woman 619 and has just fallen off on the way down to hit Cueball 621. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 621 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball lying on his back towards right face towards left supporting himself on one arm behind him and holding the other hand to his face looking up at Cueball 618's hamster ball looming over him. One leg is stretched the other bend at right angle at the knee || Cueball seems to have been knocked over by the hamster ball although it is unclear if it rolls. If so he seems to have taken a hit in the face seeing as he holds a hand up to it. He may also have fallen off from on top of the ball. See interpretations and details at Cueball 618. || Category: [[:Category:Hamster Ball|Hamster Ball]] || || ||
|-
| 622 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing left looking at Cueball 618's hamster ball || This Megan has looser hair on her head than normally. It seems like she is looking at the hamster ball scene at Cueball 618. || || || ||
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| 623 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing left looking at Cueball 618's hamster ball || Cueball seems to be looking at the hamster ball scene at Cueball 618. || || || ||
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| 624 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hat with two tassels or horns and a full beard standing alone right || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? And what kind of hat is this? In relation to the locomotive hat it could also be a hat showing a ship with two chimneys sinking...? A guy with a strange hat that either has two tassels or two horns. || || || ||
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| 625 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 626 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with hair only around the neck standing alone right - hair seems to be quite thick || Although the hair is of the same type as Guy 75 he does not really look like him as the hair seems much thicker and further out from the neck. Had it not been because of the stance makes it clear that he faces right, then it could even look like some kind of googles... || || || ||
|-
| 627 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Woman with long hair like Megan but thinner standing alone left or maybe looking at all the black hats on Black Hat 641 below her || This woman’s hair has a white section in front, so although similar hair as Megan, it does not seem to be quite like her. She may be looking down at the black hats of Black Hat 641. || || || ||
|-
| 628 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 629 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with a long cloak below his Cueball like head standing right looking at Cueball throwing boomerang || A Red Text: Is it a character from a previous comic? There seems to be some resemblance to a Jedi Knight like Obi-Wan Kenobi, the thought could be lead this direction with the lightsaber at Cueball 612 just above to the right. He may represent a coach for the boomerang throwing Cueball 630 next to him, who has been shown before to not be very good with boomerangs. Acting as a mentor for Luke Skywalkers lightsaber training was Kenobi’s task in Star Wars. || || || ||
|-
| 630 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball throwing a boomerang to the right so it rotates as indicated by a curling line. Two other lines show how he has swung his arm. Seems like the guy in cloak 629 is looking on || Cueball has been shown to be quite hopeless in throwing boomerangs as has been shown in the referenced comic and its sequel, and boomerangs are a [[:Category:Boomerangs|recurring theme]] in xkcd. In this situation it seems like the cloaked guy 629 is supervising his throw. Maybe he is a mentor, looking a little like a Jedi knight form Star Wars, see interpretation at 629. || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]]''' || || || Boomerang
|-
| 631 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone right looking up || This Cueball is particularly not looking in the direction of Cueball 618 and his hamster ball to his right. || || || ||
|-
| 632 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || This Cueball looks away from the nearby hamster ball at Cueball 618. || || || ||
|-
| 633 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || {{w|Lucy van Pelt|Lucy}}, from Peanuts drawn like Megan, standing right towards Charlie Brown 634 offering him an American football || This is a reference to the comic strip ''{{w|Peanuts}},'' and the running gag where Lucy (drawn here as Megan) would hold the {{w|American football}} for lovable loser Charlie Brown, with his single hair on his head, thus drawn like Cueball with one hair in 634. He 'd come running at it full speed, only to have Lucy pull the football away at the last moment and send Charlie Brown crashing to the ground. This repeating scene was referenced in the title text of [[423: Finish Line]] || Carton: {{w|Peanuts}} || || || American football
|-
| 634 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || {{w|Charlie Brown}}, from Peanuts drawn like Cueball with a single hair, standing left towards Lucy 633 offering him an American football || This Cueball's single hair together with the ball offered by Lucy 633 makes it clear that this is the Charlie Brown. See more in 633 || Carton: {{w|Peanuts}} || || ||
|-
| 635 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Megan standing towards right, right up against a very thin sheet of material that Ponytail 636 holds up between them || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? Seems like Megan’s forehead touches the thin sheet of material Ponytail 636 holds up between them. || || || ||
|-
| 636 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Ponytail standing towards left holding a very thin sheet of material up in both hands between her and Megan 635 who stands flush up against this. She speaks an almost unreadable line || A Red Text: Is this a scene from a previous comic? What is it she holds up, and what does she say Ponytail holds some very thin sheet of material up between her and Megan 636. || || A Red Text:Ponytail: Rach???? || || A Red Text:Thin sheet of material?
|-
| 637 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball with a square head standing alone right || This Cueball is drawn with a perfectly square face. This is related to the Cueball with a triangular face || || || ||
|-
| 638 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Guy with sunglasses and no hair standing right || First guy with sunglasses see 35. || || || ||
|-
| 639 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Black Hat 641 with many hats || || || || ||
|-
| 640 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing right towards Black Hat 641 with many hats, seems short || This Cueball here looks short, maybe he is a kid? Could also be a Black Hat that has just lost his hat to Black Hat 641 who seems to be stealing Black Hats. || || || ||
|-
| 641 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Black Hat standing left towards Cueball 639 and 640 with no less than seven black hats balancing on top of his head and each other. Maybe woman 627 is looking down at his hats || This is a continuation of the scene from the referenced comic, where Black Hat meets another Black Hat but one with two hats. Solo Black Hat then retraces his steps away from this dangerous double Black Hat as if he just realized that his hat might soon be the third on top of the two other black hats. There is also another double Black Hat in this comic, but this one has already acquired five more than that so there are six ore hats than a normal Black Hat, seven in total. This may explain why there are so many Cueballs and so few Black Hats in this comic, since at least five, maybe six have lost their hat to this guy (and if six, then also seven with the other two hat guy). The two Cueball's looking at him 639-640 may have been Black Hat's a moment ago, when this one only had five hats... || Comic: '''[[455: Hats]]''' || || ||
|-
| 642 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 643 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/e1/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 2 B]''' || [[:Category:Barrel|Barrel Boy]] sitting in his barrel on the ocean with the horizon behind him || This is the '''last character in the second zero bottom'''. This drawing is of the Barrel Boy from comic no. 1 on xkcd, the first in the [[:Category:Barrel|Barrels series]]. Originally it was the [[1#Trivia|fifth drawing]] Randall released on the [[:Category:First_day_on_LiveJournal|very first day]] of releasing comics on [[LiveJournal]] from [[:Category:Comics posted on livejournal|before]] he began posting on xkcd.com (where it then was moved to number 1, for good reason, as it is a perfect little story of the unpredictability of life and also constitutes a series. So of course he should be included in this comic. Given that he is not even closely related to the stick figures constituting the rest of the 1000 characters he had to be drawn like this without his eyes. The very first comic to be released, now [[7|number 7]], is also here as sleepy girl 544 further up in the same side of this zero. || Comic: '''[[1: Barrel - Part 1]]''' || || || Barrel in an ocean
|-
| 644 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L]''' || Cueball standing right towards Hairy 645 || This is the '''first character in the second zero left''', again it is a Cueball. He seems to be facing Hairy 645 || || || ||
|-
| 645 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy standing left towards Cueball 644 || This Hairy has thick hair and seems to be facing Cueball 644. || || || ||
|-
| 646 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 647 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A person with long hair, possibly Leibniz, standing left towards Megan 646 || Hair is intermediate between Newton's and Leibniz's; however, given the extra intentional lines in the character's hair, it is likely Leibniz. || Comic: '''[[626: Newton and Leibniz]]''' || || ||
|-
| 648 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing center || || || || ||
|-
| 649 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing left towards Cueball 648 || || || || ||
|-
| 650 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Ponytail standing left towards Zero #1 || || || || ||
|-
| 651 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with grey hair? standing right towards Cueball 652 || || || || ||
|-
| 652 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing #651 || || || || ||
|-
| 653 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] ||Ponytail is standing right holding up a hairy guy with spots, 654, with her ray gun || This is Joanna from the referenced comic that are ready to ban the poor guy 654 from the internet, under penalty of melting his computer with her "{{w|Electromagnetic pulse|EMP}} cannon". || Comic '''[[322: Pix Plz]]''' || || || Ray gun for melting computers
|-
| 654 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Boy with spiky hair and pimples standing left toward Ponytail 653, with arms raised above his head || Possibly the internet troll from [[591: Troll Slayer]] (see also #538), as this would be the type of person that Ponytail 653 (AKA "Joanna") would ban from the Internet. || || || ||
|-
| 655 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, both hands holding a pole to the left with a sign on it || This Cueball is the fifth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 5 (binary 101), he is the sixth of the ten, forming the bottom point of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 5 || Sign: 101 || || Sign on a pole
|-
| 656 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with hair darker than Megan stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 657 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan kissing Blondie 658 || || || Girl: smooch || ||
|-
| 658 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Blondie being kissed by Megan 657 || || || Girl: smooch || ||
|-
| 659 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy with shorter hair that reaches further down his head stands right towards Science Girl 660 || || || || ||
|-
| 660 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Science Girl stands left towards Hairy 659 || || || || ||
|-
| 661 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with an eagle on his shoulder || Type of bird unsure, although they look like the eagles from [[1608: Hoverboard]]. || || Bird: caw || Eagle ||
|-
| 662 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking towards Cueball 663 || || || || ||
|-
| 663 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with arms outstretched to Cueball 669 || || || || ||
|-
| 664 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with a hand above his eyes, looking at #665 (or beyond) || || || || ||
|-
| 665 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with grey hair or cap stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 666 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking towards Cueball 667 || || || || ||
|-
| 667 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Girl with completely dark hair looking towards Cueball 666 || || || || ||
|-
| 668 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 669 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing Cueball 668 || || || || ||
|-
| 670 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Unusually messy Hairy stands alone || Resembles Hairy from [[1350: Lorenz]]? || || || ||
|-
| 671 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Black Hat standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 672 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with a jetpack || || || || || {{w|Jet pack}}
|-
| 673 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Reporter Tom at the 4chan /b/ board || || Comic: '''[[495: Secretary: Part 2]]''' || || || {{w|Helmet}}
|-
| 674 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Ponytail standing right towards Cueball 675 || || || || ||
|-
| 675 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball facing right || || || || ||
|-
| 676 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looking at Cueball 669 || || || || ||
|-
| 677 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball holding something || A Red Text: Could this maybe be boombox Cueball from [[159: Boombox]]? Aside from it being a lantern or something, that seems like the best bet. || || || || ???
|-
| 678 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 679 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball facing right || || || || ||
|-
| 680 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball looking right at Cueball 681 || || || || ||
|-
| 681 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with abnormally large head looks left at Cueball 680 || || || || ||
|-
| 682 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Girl with black hairbun looks right at Hairy 683 || || || || ||
|-
| 683 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy looking left at #682 || || || || ||
|-
| 684 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball holding some object behind his back, standing alone || A Red Text: Could refer to the trope of stealing/messing with Dyson spheres? Accordion? || || || ||
|-
| 685 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Guy with spiky hair standing alone, holding a sign in front of himself with his hands on the sides of it || This character is the sixth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 6 (binary 110), he is the seventh of the ten, forming the lower right of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 6 || Sign: 110 || || Sign
|-
| 686 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 687 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing right towards #688 || || || || ||
|-
| 688 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young character with a strange haircut looks at Cueball 687 || The scene between this and the previous character seems to involve a common theme among parents and teenagers, in which the teenager has a "phase" (indicated here by the peculiar hair) while the parent disapproves. || || || ||
|-
| 689 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A character with a cap faces left || || || || ||
|-
| 690 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with earbuds stands alone || Earbuds are later referenced in [[1899: Ears]]. || || || || {{w|Headphones}}
|-
| 691 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || A young Megan faces left || || || || ||
|-
| 692 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Hairy with a bowl cut stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 693 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 694 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Character with distinctive hair faces right || A Red Text: Is this a previous character? He doesn't match Captain Reynolds, but he's the only character that looks close as far as I can tell. Especially since River Tam is 696. || || || ||
|-
| 695 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball carrying a hobo bag || || || || || {{w|Hobo bag}}
|-
| 696 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || River Tam/Summer Glau stands left || || Comic: '''[[579: The Race: Part 3]]''' || || ||
|-
| 697 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball with arms outstretched towards Megan 691 || || || || ||
|-
| 698 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 699 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign above his head with both hands || This Cueball is the seventh to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 0 (binary 0), he is the first of the ten, forming the central point at the cleft of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 0 || Sign: 0 || || Sign
|-
| 700 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan stands right towards Cueball 705 || || || || ||
|-
| 701 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looks down at Cueball 698 || || || || ||
|-
| 702 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign above his head with both hands || This Cueball is the eighth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 7 (binary 111), he is the eighth of the ten, forming the outer part of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 7 || Sign: 111 || || Sign
|-
| 703 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 704 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands right towards Megan 700 || || || || ||
|-
| 705 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 706 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Blond Hairbun stands left facing Cueball 705 || || || || ||
|-
| 707 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || || Hairy wearing a labcoat, as a doctor? Possibly Nathan Fillion/Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds from [[:Category:The Race|The Race]]. || || || ||
|-
| 708 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 709 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands facing right towards Cueball 710 || || || || ||
|-
| 710 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign in front of himself, with both hands on the top of it || This Cueball is the ninth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 9 (binary 1001), he is the tenth of the ten, forming the left of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 9 || Sign: 1001 || || Sign
|-
| 711 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Megan looks down at Hairbun 706 || || || || ||
|-
| 712 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball standing alone, holding a sign to the right, with one hand on the top of it, and the other hand on the side of it || This Cueball is the tenth to be listed of the ten characters that hold up signs showing binary numbers, which form the shape of a heart if connected. As this heart begins at 0, and his sign is 8 (binary 1000), he is the ninth of the ten, forming the right of the upper right part of the heart. || [[1000: 1000 Comics#Connect the Dots|Connect the dots]] 8 || Sign: 1000 || || Sign
|-
| 713 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L] || Cueball stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 714 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2d/1000_Comics_-_The_second_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 2 L]''' || Cueball with a parrot on his arm || This is the '''last character in the second zero'''. || || || Parrot ||
|-
| 715 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T]''' || Cueball on a unicycle. || A Red Text: Explanation missing. This is the '''first character in the third zero'''. || || || || {{w|Unicycle}}
|-
| 716 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail with a baseball bat. || A Red Text: Explanation missing. Bat? || || || ||
|-
| 717 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 718 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball wearing a party hat || || || || ||
|-
| 719 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Another blond Hairbun, looking towards Cueball 722 || || || || ||
|-
| 720 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A gorgon ||
Medusa, with multiple snakes hungry for mice? || || Snake 1: Mouse? Snake 2: Mouse? Snake 3: Mouse? || ||
|-
| 721 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 722 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball running with a laptop || || || || || Laptop
|-
| 723 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball bouncing a soccerball off his knee || Soccer ball/association football ball? || || || || Soccer ball
|-
| 724 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail smoking a black pipe, looking at Cueball 715 || || || || || {{w|Smoking pipe}}
|-
| 725 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character in a white baseball hat stands right || The hat is similar to the one from [[30: Donner]], but white instead of black || || || ||
|-
| 726 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 727 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking left at Cueball 726 || || || || ||
|-
| 728 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with spiky hair like Hairy 685 looks right at Cueball 729 || || || || ||
|-
| 729 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || A Red Text: Explanation missing || || || ||
|-
| 730 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Science Girl looking at Cueball 731's experiment || || || || ||
|-
| 731 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball performing a Coke and mentos experiment, getting splashed in the face || Comic: '''[[346: Diet Coke+Mentos]]''' || Cueball: "Hi" Soda bottle: "Fwooosh" || || || Soda
|-
| 732 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan in a black belt carrying a sai in each hand, charging left towards Cueball 731 || A black belt is a symbol of prowess throughout a variety of fighting styles; karate seems most likely here, as Megan also has ''sai''s, weapons associated with karate. || || || || {{w|Sai (weapon)}}
|-
| 733 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball roasting marshmallows over a campfire via swords || Cueball seems to have forgone the typical stick or skewer to roast his marshmallows in favor of swords. Likely related to Megan 732 in some way. || || || || Marshmallows, swords, campfire
|-
| 734 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 735 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball with a pistol and a flag (?) || In races, the firing of a pistol into the air and/or waving a flag starts a race; thus, this Cueball is likely primed to initiate a competition. || || || || Gun, flag
|-
| 736 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball crouching slightly to the right || || || || ||
|-
| 737 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 738 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 739 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 740 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone left || || || || ||
|-
| 741 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Ponytail looking at Cueball 740 || || || || ||
|-
| 742 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 743 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blondie standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 744 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball appears to be wearing a black headband or black bandana || || || || ||
|-
| 745 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with incomplete hair looks at Cueball 744 || || || || ||
|-
| 746 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blondie looking down at Cueball 765|| || || || ||
|-
| 747 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 748 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 749 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character that is perhaps Jayne Cobb stands left || || Comic: '''[[9: Serenity is coming out tomorrow]]''' || || ||
|-
| 750 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy interacting with Cueball 751 || || || || ||
|-
| 751 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball interacting with Hairy 750 || || || || ||
|-
| 752 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with curly hair kicking a soccer ball || || || || ||
|-
| 753 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Black Hat with a fan mounted on his hat || || || || ||
|-
| 754 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 755 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A young character wearing a jester's hat || || || || ||
|-
| 756 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 757 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 758 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking slightly down, maybe at Cueball 760 || || || || ||
|-
| 759 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking at #744 || || || || ||
|-
| 760 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball interacting with Megan 761 || || || || ||
|-
| 761 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan interacting with Cueball 760 || || || || ||
|-
| 762 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 763 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Cueball 764 || || || || ||
|-
| 764 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball curled into the fetal position, balancing himself on extended arms || || || || ||
|-
| 765 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A triangular-headed Cueball with a pickaxe || || || || || {{w|Pickaxe}}
|-
| 766 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan with outstretched arms, standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 767 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 768 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 769 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Cueball 770 || || || || ||
|-
| 770 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball shouting "Kitty!" at a cat || A Red Text: Explanation missing This is probably a reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]] || || Cueball: kitty! || {{w|Cat}} ||
|-
| 771 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 772 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding an Erlenmeyer flask || || || Flask: Help || || {{w|Erlenmeyer flask}}
|-
| 773 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking down at Megan 774 || || || Cueball: ♥ || || Heart
|-
| 774 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan flying downwards || A reference to [[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]] || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]]''' || || ||
|-
| 775 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball wears a mask around his eyes, presumably to preserve his identity || While this mask has not explicitly been drawn in xkcd, it calls to mind either Westley's from {{w|The Princess Bride (film)}}, a recurring theme. || || || ||
|-
| 776 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding hands with Cueball 777 || || || || ||
|-
| 777 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball holding hands with Cueball 776 || || || || ||
|-
| 778 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with some sort of headwear looking at Megan 779 || || || || ||
|-
| 779 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking at #778 || || || || ||
|-
| 780 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A Ponytail suffering from trochee fixation || 'Ron Paul' is actually not a trochee but a spondee || Comic: '''[[856: Trochee Fixation]]''' || Ponytail: Altavista Ron Paul! || ||
|-
| 781 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 782 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking to the left || || || || ||
|-
| 783 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Blond Hairbun standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 784 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 785 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || A character with a knit cap looking at Cueball 786 || || || || ||
|-
| 786 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball, still fleeing his locust pursuers || || Comic: '''[[797: debian-main]]''' || Person: AAAAA || {{w|Locust}} ||
|-
| 787 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 788 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Megan 774 || || || || ||
|-
| 789 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 790 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Wayne Coyne, without a hamster ball || || || || ||
|-
| 791 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking at the Pope 793 || || || || ||
|-
| 792 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with a bit more hair than usual || || || || ||
|-
| 793 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || {{w|Pope}} standing alone right || Pope from [[459: Holy Ghost]]. Note that the hat appears to be worn sideways. || || || || Pope's hat ({{w|Mitre}})
|-
| 794 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking at Hairy 795 || || || || ||
|-
| 795 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy looking at Cueball 794 || || || || ||
|-
| 796 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 797 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 798 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 799 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 800 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Dark-haired character looks right || || || || ||
|-
| 801 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Hairy with a large bowl cut looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 802 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Megan looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 803 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Cueball looking left || || || || ||
|-
| 804 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T] || Danish looking at 803 || While judicion is practiced about the difference between Megan's/Danish's hair, this is almost certainly Danish. || || || ||
|-
| 805 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/e/ed/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Top_with_numbers.png Zero 3 T]''' || Cueball standing right || This is the '''last character in the third zero top''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 806 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R]''' || Cueball standing left || This is the '''first character in the third zero right''', again Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 807 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan interacting with Hairy 808 || || || || ||
|-
| 808 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy interacting with Megan 807 || || || || ||
|-
| 809 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 810 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 811 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 812 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball appears to be looking slightly down at Megan 816 || || || || ||
|-
| 813 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball wearing boxing gloves || || || || || Boxing gloves
|-
| 814 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 815 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 816 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 817 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairbun that appears to use a sword as a hairpin || || Later referenced in [[1856: Existence Proof]] || || ||
|-
| 818 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball interacting with Hairy 819 || || || || ||
|-
| 819 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy interacting with Cueball 818 || || || || ||
|-
| 820 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Shorter Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 821 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #822 || || || || ||
|-
| 822 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A character in cat-like headwear sits in a cardboard box || A Red Text: Can anyone tell what the words on the box say? || || || ||
|-
| 823 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #822 || || || || ||
|-
| 824 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan stands alone || || || || ||
|-
| 825 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Cueball 831 || || || || ||
|-
| 826 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball holding a laptop || He appears to be holding the laptop similarly to Black Hat in [[925: Cell Phones]]. || Comic: '''[[925: Cell Phones]]''' || || || {{w|Laptop computer}}
|-
| 827 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball pointing at Cueball 828 || || || || ||
|-
| 828 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 827 || || || || ||
|-
| 829 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 830 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 831 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 832 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Hairy 833 || || || || ||
|-
| 833 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 834 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Megan 835 || || || || ||
|-
| 835 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan hovering || This Megan bears much more of a resemblance to the actual comic than the Megan from the second zero || Comic: '''[[445: I Am Not Good With Boomerangs]]''' || || ||
|-
| 836 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking right towards Hairy 837 || || || || ||
|-
| 837 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy looking at Ponytail 836 || || || || ||
|-
| 838 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A character in a knit cap looks left || || || || ||
|-
| 839 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 840 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Hairy with incredibly spiky hair || || || || ||
|-
| 841 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Probably a stick-figure incarnation of 12-year-old Julia Stiles || || Comic: '''[[130: Julia Stiles]]''' || || ||
|-
| 842 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan looking straight ahead || || || || ||
|-
| 843 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 844 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 845 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 846 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 847 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Dallas Cowboys football player || || '''[[What If?]]''' Richter 15 || || ||
|-
| 848 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at football player 847 || || || || ||
|-
| 849 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Science Girl standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 850 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball standing with his arms extended outwards || || || || ||
|-
| 851 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Megan 855 || || || || ||
|-
| 852 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 856 || || || || ||
|-
| 853 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || {{w|Bill Gates}} standing alone || He doesn't have a sword out-- clearly {{w|Richard Stallman}} isn't nearby. || Comic: '''[[521: 2008 Christmas Special]]''' || || ||
|-
| 854 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan looking at Bill Gates 853 || || || || ||
|-
| 855 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 856 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 852 || || || || ||
|-
| 857 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at Cueball 856 || || || || ||
|-
| 858 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball wearing a crown || || || || ||
|-
| 859 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Hairy looking at Megan 860 || || || || ||
|-
| 860 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Megan 860 looking at Ponytail 862 || || || || ||
|-
| 861 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A Cueball that appears to be wearing {{w|Cory Doctorow}}'s goggles, or else Cory Doctorow without his xkcd trademark cape || || || || ||
|-
| 862 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Ponytail 864 || || || || ||
|-
| 863 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || A man with 80's-style hair and a mullet looks at Ponytail 864 || A Red Text: Any resemblance to a real person? || || || ||
|-
| 864 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Ponytail looking at Ponytail 862 || || || || ||
|-
| 865 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R] || Cueball looking at #863 || || || || ||
|-
| 866 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Right_with_numbers.png Zero 3 R]''' || Cueball standing alone || This is the '''last character in the third zero right''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 867 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B]''' || Ponytail ice skating || This is the '''first character in the third zero bottom''', a Ponytail this time. || || || || {{w|Ice skates}}
|-
| 868 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball leaning his arm on a plasma globe || || || || || {{w|Plasma globe}}
|-
| 869 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at a plasma globe || || || || || {{w|Plasma globe}}
|-
| 870 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Wally looks left || The striped knit cap resembles Wally's from {{w|Where's Wally?}}. This was previously referenced in [[980: Money]]. || || || ||
|-
| 871 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Small Cueball looks left || || || || ||
|-
| 872 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Wally 870 || || || || ||
|-
| 873 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with messy hair looks at Cueball 874 || || || || ||
|-
| 874 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looks at Cueball 875 || || || || ||
|-
| 875 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 876 || || || || ||
|-
| 876 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball stroking his chin, looking at Cueball 877 || || || || ||
|-
| 877 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 876 || || || || ||
|-
| 878 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball playing with a toy car || || || Cueball: Zoom! || ||
|-
| 879 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 880 || || || || ||
|-
| 880 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone right || || || || ||
|-
| 881 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 882 || || || || ||
|-
| 882 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 883 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with bangs || || || || ||
|-
| 884 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Two Black Hats || The original multiple-hat stacking, humorously extrapolated by Seven Black Hats 641 in this comic || Comic '''[[455: Hats]]''' || || ||
|-
| 885 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 886 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy with larger hair looks at Megan 887 || || || || ||
|-
| 887 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looks at Hairy 886 || || || || ||
|-
| 888 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 889 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Megan 890 || || || || ||
|-
| 890 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 891 || || || || ||
|-
| 891 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing right, arm outstretched toward Megan 892 || Cueball from the 2nd last frame of comic [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]], where Megan is also doing the M.C. Hammer slide. || Comic: '''[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]''' || || ||
|-
| 892 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan M.C. Hammer-sliding right, away from Cueball 891 || || Comic: '''[[108: M.C. Hammer Slide]]''' || || ||
|-
| 893 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Character with white hair || || || || ||
|-
| 894 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball in a graduation cap and gown || || || || ||
|-
| 895 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball's Lisp ancestor, no longer carrying parentheses || || || || ||
|-
| 896 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Ponytail 911 || || || || ||
|-
| 897 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy playing with a gyroscope || || Comic: '''[[332: Gyroscopes]]''' || || ||
|-
| 898 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 899 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Hairbun 900 || || || || ||
|-
| 900 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairbun looking at Megan 899 || || || || ||
|-
| 901 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking up at Hairy 883 || || || || ||
|-
| 902 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Blond girl with pigtails stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 903 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail looks at #902 || || || || ||
|-
| 904 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 905 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 906 || || || || ||
|-
| 906 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || A Hairy that appears to have a mohawk, standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 907 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy looking left || || || || ||
|-
| 908 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 907 || || || || ||
|-
| 909 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 910 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 911 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 912 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball crouching, as if about to jump || || || || ||
|-
| 913 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Hairy looking at Cueball 912 || || || || ||
|-
| 914 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail juggling four balls || || Reference to '''[[942: Juggling]]''' || || ||
|-
| 915 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball being asked out/ proposed to by Megan 916 || || || || ||
|-
| 916 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan asking out/proposing to Cueball 915 || || || Megan: ♥? || || Heart
|-
| 917 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Blond Hairbun standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 918 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball interacting with Ponytail 919 || || || || ||
|-
| 919 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Ponytail interacting with Cueball 918 || || || || ||
|-
| 920 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball failing to wind up a yo-yo || || || Yo-yo: Thopa thopa thopa || ||
|-
| 921 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan standing left of Cueball 923 and child 922, looking down at child || Note Megan's and Cueball's positions are swapped. || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 922 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Child standing between Megan 921 and Cueball 923, with arms raised || || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 923 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing right of Megan 921 and child 922, looking down at child || Note Megan's and Cueball's positions are swapped. || Comic: [[674: Natural Parenting]] || || ||
|-
| 924 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 923 || || || || ||
|-
| 925 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Gandalf 932 || || || || ||
|-
| 926 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Megan looking at Cueball 925 || || || || ||
|-
| 927 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball in a helicopter hat || || || || ||
|-
| 928 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Gnome Ann standing alone || This is anachronistic, as Gnome Ann's comic was released over 700 comics after this was published. Perhaps her character had been in the making for a while... || Comic: '''[[1704: Gnome Ann]]''' || || ||
|-
| 929 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Hairy 913 || || || || ||
|-
| 930 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 931 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball looking at Cueball 925 || || || || ||
|-
| 932 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Gandalf standing left || || Comic: '''[[760: Moria]]''' || || ||
|-
| 933 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B] || Cueball with a large cut/stitch along his left cheek || || || || ||
|-
| 934 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Bottom_with_numbers.png Zero 3 B]''' || Cueball looking at Gnome Ann 928 || This is the '''last character in the third zero bottom''', another Cueball. || || || ||
|-
| 935 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L]''' || Megan holding Cueball 936's hand || This is the '''first character in the third zero left'''. || Comic: '''[[943: Empirical]]''' || || ||
|-
| 936 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball in a bow tie holding Megan 935's hand || || Comic: '''[[943: Empirical]]''' || || ||
|-
| 937 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking up at Hairy 945 || || || || ||
|-
| 938 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at the plasma globe || || || || ||
|-
| 939 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking right || || || || ||
|-
| 940 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Death's boss looking at Cueball 939 || || || || ||
|-
| 941 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail looking left at the ground || || || || ||
|-
| 942 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at dark-haired Ponytail 944 || || || || ||
|-
| 943 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding a balloon || While Cueball appears to be adult-sized here, the reference comic clearly indicates that he is a child. || Comic: '''[[121: Balloon]]''' || || ||
|-
| 944 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || A dark-haired Ponytail, who appears to have caught Cueball 943's balloon in a cobweb || || || || ||
|-
| 945 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Hairy with rather messily-drawn hair || || || || ||
|-
| 946 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Hairy 945 || || || || ||
|-
| 947 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || An ornately-dressed character stands alone || Perhaps Inigo Montoya from ''The Princess Bride'' || || || ||
|-
| 948 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Cueball 949 || || || || ||
|-
| 949 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Cueball 948 || || || || ||
|-
| 950 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Hairbun standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 951 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Ponytail 953 || || || || ||
|-
| 952 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 953 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 954 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 955 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Donald Knuth standing left || || Comic: '''[[342: 1337: Part 2]]''' || || ||
|-
| 956 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan charging headfirst at Cueball 957 || || || || ||
|-
| 957 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding his arms out to preemptively hold Megan 956 back || || || || ||
|-
| 958 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball spinning a hula hoop || || || || || {{w|Hula hoop}}
|-
| 959 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with big dark hair standing right || || || || ||
|-
| 960 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 961 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball holding a baseball in a pitcher's glove || || || || ||
|-
| 962 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan standing left || || || || ||
|-
| 963 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with sideburns standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 964 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail knocked down by Cueball 966's staff, her sai knocked away || || || || || {{w|Sai}}
|-
| 965 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball tumbling through the air in this four-person battle || || || || ||
|-
| 966 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball with a staff, knocking down Ponytail 964 and about to face Cueball 967 || || || || ||
|-
| 967 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball swinging a cutlass at Cueball 966 || || || || ||
|-
| 968 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Danish standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 969 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 970 || || || || ||
|-
| 970 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan extending a tape measure || || Comic: '''[[284: Tape Measure]]''' || || ||
|-
| 971 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Another Cueball with a distinctively triangular head || || || || ||
|-
| 972 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at character #979 || || || || ||
|-
| 973 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stroking his chin, looking at Cueball 974 || || || || ||
|-
| 974 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking upwards || || || || ||
|-
| 975 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Morpheus from {{w|The Matrix}} standing alone || || Comic: '''[[566: Matrix Revisited]]''' || || ||
|-
| 976 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with wild blond hair || A Red Text: Based on a real person? || || || ||
|-
| 977 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 978 || || || || ||
|-
| 978 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan looking at Cueball 977 || || || || ||
|-
| 979 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Incredibly long-haired Megan-like character|| || || || ||
|-
| 980 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan looking at character #979 || || || || ||
|-
| 981 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball looking at Megan 980 || || || || ||
|-
| 982 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Two Berets Guy|| Given the strange powers of Beret Guy (see eponymous category page) and the [[455: Hats|relationship between Black Hat and Double Black Hat]], Two Berets Guy may be more powerful and even more optimistic and aloof. His playfully outstretched arms indicate the second part. || || || ||
|-
| 983 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball surrounded by three bats/birds. || [[1004: Batman|just four comics]] after this one is a Batman-themed comic, and the animals surround him in a similar manner; it is more likely that they are bats. || || || ||
|-
| 984 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Ponytail stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 985 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball playing with a yo-yo || He seems to be doing considerably better than Cueball 920. || || || || {{w|Yo-yo}}
|-
| 986 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with hairbun and ponytail stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 987 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Abalding character stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 988 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 989 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character with afro stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 990 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands center || || || || ||
|-
| 991 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball sledding down a slope || || || || ||
|-
| 992 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Science Girl standing alone || || || || ||
|-
| 993 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 994 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stands right || || || || ||
|-
| 995 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Megan Playing guitar || This character has the same stance as in [[70: Guitar Hero]] but the same hair as the singer in the background. '''Cannot''' be [[Elaine Roberts]] due to wrong hair colour. || || || || {{w|Guitar}}
|-
| 996 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Policeman stands left || The next example of such a trapezoidal hat is [[1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop|eighteen comics later]], and isn't used in What If? until November. || || || ||
|-
| 997 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Cueball stnds right || || || || ||
|-
| 998 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Character in black beanie stands right || Since they're looking directly at Medusa's head, they may be turned to stone. || || || ||
|-
| 999 || [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L] || Medusa stands left || || || || ||
|-
| 1000 || '''[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/38/1000_Comics_-_The_third_zero_in_thousand_Left_with_numbers.png Zero 3 L]''' || Character in curved top hat ||Identical to the time-traveller from [[2068: Election Night]]; the character must have been in the works for a long time (or, given the character's nature as a time-traveller, this may have been intended). This is the '''last character in the third zero'''. || || || ||
|}

==Transcript==

[Large number 1000 occupies most of comic. The number is made out of 1000 different characters]
 
 
Megan: "''WOOOO!''"
 
Cueball: "Wow- Just 24 to go until a big round-number milestone!"
 
 

{{comic discussion}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1000}}
[[Category:Comic subpages]]

202: YouTube

2021-09-01T00:03:53Z

Sure: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 202
| date = December 27, 2006
| title = YouTube
| image = youtube.png
| titletext = I pray GunPistolMan never learns the word 'sheeple'.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is pointing out the fact that many of the comments on {{rw|YouTube}} videos are insipid and poorly informed, being pointless arguments over some minor topic or factually incorrect position ({{rw|conspiracy}}). At the time of this comic, YouTube was fairly new, and the comic's observation about the inanity of YouTube comments was novel. Since then, this observation has become a widely accepted truism about the Internet. In this case, the {{rw|Moon_landing_hoax|Moon landing hoaxers}} are at the receiving end of [[Randall]]'s pen.

* The comment by ''Rocckir'' just states that the video is obviously fake, with no evidence or explanation.

* The comment by ''BigMike133'' confuses the {{w|Space Shuttle}} (which was never capable of landing on the Moon) with the {{w|Apollo Lunar Module}}.

* The comment from ''GunPistolMan'' claims that the video is fake due to the mistaken belief that the Moon would have no {{w|Gravity|gravity}}, whereas in reality, every object in the universe made of matter has gravity, including the Moon, {{w|Comet|comets}}, {{w|Asteroid|asteroids}}, {{w|Natural satellite|moons of other planets}}, even yourself, and so on. The gravity of the Moon is approximately 1/6 the gravity of {{w|Earth}}.

* The comment by ''CrackMonkey74'' names {{w|Louis Armstrong}}, a famous jazz musician, who may have [http://lyrics.wikia.com/Louis_Armstrong:Moon_Song waxed] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5x8HnyIYHE lyrical] about the moon, but never went there. The ill-informed commenter actually means {{w|Neil Armstrong}}, who was the first person to walk on the Moon. The dare to accuse Armstrong to his face may be a reference to an incident where moon-hoax conspiracy theorist {{w|Bart Sibrel}} confronted {{w|Buzz Aldrin}} and called him "a coward, and a liar, and a thief." Aldrin responded by punching Sibrel; Sibrel's attempt to bring charges was dismissed on the grounds that he had provoked Aldrin to the point where the punch was a justified response.

* The comment by ''SimplePlan2009'' presents, likely mocking the other commenters, the ludicrous position that the Moon shot was faked by suggesting that the footage was filmed by actors on {{w|Mars}}, a planet that at its closest approach to Earth is over a hundred times farther away than the Moon. Landing humans on Mars (much less landing enough people and equipment to set up a soundstage) is a feat that has still not been accomplished, and if it had been possible during the Apollo era, the landing on the Moon would have been a trivial task in comparison. In other words, why go through all the trouble of faking it, if doing it for real would have been no trouble at all?

The reputation of YouTube comment threads as cesspools of abject stupidity and blatant trolling is revisited in [[301: Limerick]] and [[481: Listen to Yourself]].

The username CrackMonkey74 appears again in [[406: Venting]] and [[574: Swine Flu]].

The title text is the first reference to {{rw|Sheeple}}, which [[:Category:Sheeple|appeared a few more times]] in xkcd comics.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:The Internet has always had loud dumb people, but I've never seen anything quite as bad as the people who comment on YouTube videos.
:[Below shows a still of a 44-second video of Moon landing. An astronaut is seen at the center of the still with an Apollo lunar lander at the background.]
:[Below the video shows a list of comments, top to bottom:]
:Comments & Responses
:[The name of the commenters and the time when the comment was posted is shown above each comment in a gray background.]
:rocckir (48 minutes ago)
:this is so obviously faked its unbilevable, why r people so gullible??? morons
:(reply) (mark as spam)
:bigmike133 (35 minutes ago)
:ive seen the space shuttle ass hole it definetly landed on the moon do some research...
:(reply) (mark as spam)
:GunPistolMan (22 minutes ago)
:if it was real why is their gravity? americans r fucken sheep
:(reply) (mark as spam)
:crackmonkey74 (17 minutes ago)
:u dont think we went to the moon why not tell louis armstrong to his face
:(reply) (mark as spam)
:simpleplan2009 (5 minutes ago)
:it was a soundstage on mars
:(reply) (mark as spam)

==Trivia==
In July 2009, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vml7pZJujF0 a restored video] showing Neil Armstrong's first moonwalk was uploaded to YouTube. User Michael Huang copied to that video's comments section all the sentences in this comic. Then, after some other users took some of his comments seriously, he later added another comment stating, "This entire comment chain is from the famous webcomic, xkcd." The comments are copied verbatim, including typos and grammar errors. The only mistake is in the first comment: Michael Huang included only one question mark when the comic has three of them.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:YouTube]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-08-31T23:44:52Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using human-entered {{w|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve {{w|machine learning}} problems, particularly those involving image classification.

In order to prevent automated programs from using web services, Google offers a protection called {{w|reCAPTCHA}}, which performs various tests to see if a user is human or machine. (One of these tests is a "I'm not a robot" checkbox which must be checked in order to proceed, although ticking the box is merely a formality, and later versions of reCAPTCHA can simply perform the tests quietly in the background without needing user consent).

If the reCAPTCHA system suspects that the user may be an automated bot, it presents an image recognition challenge that only humans should be able to pass. This has the desired effect of denying access to robots, but it also has a side benefit that the human input can be used to train Google's image recognition software. The challenge usually features a square grid of images, typically things one might see while driving - eg. "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN". If the user clicks the correct squares, they are permitted to continue.

{{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper}}, on the other hand, is a logic puzzle game in which the player is presented with a grid of unrevealed squares, and must deduce the location of mines that have been secretly hidden on random squares. The game provides clues by marking some squares with the number of mines (up to a maximum of 8) that are adjacent to that square; by carefully considering the possibilities, a player can deduce which squares must contain mines, and mark them with flags to avoid clicking on them. Revealing a mine loses the game.

In this comic, Randall combines the two concepts to create a "Mine Captcha", which is presented in the form of a reCAPTCHA challenge but actually appears to be a mini game of Minesweeper. (To be more precise, it is actually the opposite of regular Minesweeper, since the challenge invites the user to click on the mines - in Minesweeper, you are supposed to ''not'' click the mines. Furthermore, on its own terms it is unsolveable as a reCAPTCHA, since the user is asked to click on all ''pictures'' of mines. However, as in the real Minesweeper, there are no pictures of mines displayed (in Minesweeper, these only appear when the game is over). Taking the game as playable, however, in both cases you still need to know where the mines are, so it is still solved the same way).

A real-world Mine Captcha would be somewhat ineffective for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not every human would recognize a game of Minesweeper and therefore wouldn't understand what they are being asked to do. Even if they do recognize the game, they may not know the logical method for deducing the locations of mines. Additionally, even for skilled players, there is a trap in that the Captcha's objective is the reverse of regular Minesweeper; they might therefore get tripped up by muscle memory and click on something that is not a mine, which would fail the challenge.

Another issue is that games of Minesweeper can sometimes involve a degree of luck, as it is possible to generate a puzzle which does not give sufficient information to unambiguously deduce the location of every mine (Though this may not be a problem since Randall's Minesweeper is only a 4x4 grid). In these situations, the most a player can do is click the uncertain square and hope for the best. If the Mine Captcha is poorly implemented in this way, this would increase false negatives in human detection due to some humans failing the captcha purely due to bad luck. (Some variants attempt to eliminate this problem: ''[https://pragmada.x10hosting.com/mindet.html Mine Detector]'', for example, is a variant game which provides better information, such that it's almost always solvable without guessing except at the highest difficulty level).

Finally, a Mine Captcha would actually be fairly easy for an artificial intelligence (AI) to solve, since it is a logic puzzle - as long as the AI can read the numbers, it can simply use an algorithm to eliminate all impossibilities until it has the correct answer. (Indeed, for a 4x4 grid, it's even easier than that; a computer could quickly brute-force the problem by trying every possible arrangement of mines until it has the correct one).

It seems that Randall predicted that an AI might try to solve the captcha itself, as he rendered each numeral in a different style; this is similar to obfuscation methods used in text-based captchas to prevent automatic text recognition software from reading the captcha. However, it would not be very effective in this case as the same numbers have the same color; an AI could simply recognize the color instead, which is even easier for an AI than trying to read a number.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to answer quickly, implying that the training data is actually a real-world situation being experienced by a self-driving vehicle at that very moment. The joke here is that real-life minefields do not have large numbers indicating which of the surrounding land contains mines{{citation needed}}.

==Solving the Mine Captcha==
Assuming that columns are denoted by letters A, B, C, D, left to right, and rows are denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, top to bottom, one way to solve the captcha is as follows:

The leftmost red 3 at A3 is surrounded by four squares (A2, B2, B3, A4), of which we know three are mines. Therefore, one of these squares is not a mine. However, because of the blue 1 at B4, we know that only one of B3 and A4 can be a mine, otherwise, there would be more than one mine adjacent to B4; therefore, '''A2''' and '''B2''' ''must'' be mines. Otherwise, there could only be two total mines adjacent to A3.

2 . 1 .
X X 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

Since A1 is a green 2 and is adjacent to two squares that we now know are mines (A2 and B2), this means that B1 is ''not'' a mine. If it was, there would be 3 adjacent mines to A1. Furthermore, since there is a blue 1 at C1, and we know that the adjacent B2 is a mine, this means that D1 and D2 are also ''not'' mines, since if any of them were, there would be more than one mine adjacent to C1.

2 . 1 .
X X 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

We also know that C3 and C4 are ''not'' mines, since we already know that the blue 1 at B4 is next to exactly one mine (on either B3 or A4). Since this eliminates two of the three possible neighbors of the blue 1 at D4, this means that '''D3''' ''must'' be a mine.

2 . 1 .
X X 3 .
3 . . X
. 1 . 1

Finally, since we now know the locations of two of the mines around the red 3 at C2, and we have eliminated all other possibilities, '''B3''' ''must'' be a mine. Therefore, the mines are at '''A2''', '''B2''', '''B3''', and '''D3'''. This solves the puzzle.

2 . 1 .
X X 3 .
3 X . X
. 1 . 1

==Transcript==
:[A Minesweeper game in a 4x4 grid is shown beneath a blue rectangle. There is an explanation in white text in the blue field:]
:To proceed, click all the pictures of '''<big>Mines</big>'''

:[The ''Minesweeper'' field has six cells with revealed numbers on a light gray background. The other 10 fields are empty and dark gray. The three ones are blue, the single two are green and the two threes are red. On top of this each number is drawn in a different font/style. The ones changes how bold they are. The two is drawn in a 3D format, the one three is very thin and the other is drawn with two lines and no filling in between (hollow). The grid looks like this:]

2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

==Trivia==
*The solved version of the puzzle showing where the mines are in this comic:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*The solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

2505: News Story Reaction

2021-08-31T00:13:15Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2505
| date = August 20, 2021
| title = News Story Reaction
| image = news_story_reaction.png
| titletext = Unless the next line is, "After we broke up, she blamed the painting and spent years planning her revenge, so my sorrow is mixed with relief that the dogs at least denied her that triumph."
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is at his computer, likely typing a comment after reading a shocking news story where the ''{{w|Mona Lisa}}'' has been attacked and shredded by a pack of wild dogs. The ''Mona Lisa'' is one of the most famous paintings in human history. At the time of this comic, the ''Mona Lisa'' has not been attacked and is unlikely to be shredded in this circumstance at least by dogs as it is painted on wood, rather than canvas.<ref>"Mona Lisa | Painting, Subject, Meaning, & Facts." ''Britannica'', December 4, 2020. Accessed August 20, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting</ref>

At the beginning of his comment, Cueball describes his reaction and disappointment about the event, describing the event as "a loss for humanity." Cueball is then reminded of his first kiss, which occurred inside of a {{w|JCPenney}}, where a picture of the ''Mona Lisa'' hung on one of its walls. He adds this to his comment, explaining that this is why the news hits him hard. However, his story has almost no relation to the ''Mona Lisa'', other than that the picture was at the scene as well as being unnecessary.

After posting the comment, Cueball reflects on this and mentions that not every news story is, or needs to be, about himself.

The title text describes an exception to this, where his experience IS directly related to the affected painting, as his ex seemingly planned to get revenge on the painting itself. The title text suggests that the dogs destroyed the painting before Cueball's ex could do so. (But perhaps it could be that she let the dogs in, and so this extra information could lead to the police finding the person who was responsible.)

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk, typing on his laptop. What he types is shown above Cueball, as indicated by the line going from his hands to the text.]
:Cueball: Devastated to hear that a pack of wild dogs got into the Louvre and shredded the Mona Lisa.
:Cueball: What a loss for humanity.
:Cueball: My first kiss was in the aisle of a J.C. Penny{{sic}} that had a poster of the Mona Lisa on the wall, so this is hitting me especially hard.

:[Caption below the panel]
:Sometimes I have to remind myself not to make every news story about me.

==References==
<references />

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2502: Every Data Table

2021-08-30T23:59:41Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2502
| date = August 13, 2021
| title = Every Data Table
| image = every data table.png
| titletext = "I'm hoping 2022 is relatively normal because I don't know what symbol comes after the asterisk and the dagger."
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another entry in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic|2020-21 pandemic}} of the {{w|SARS-CoV-2}} virus, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

It shows a future data table with one entry for each year from 2017 to 2024, so this table is made at least three years after publication of the comic (presuming it does not depict some form of advanced estimation of trends). The only discernable differences across the eight years are that two years have footnotes as in 2020* and 2021†, whereas the other six years have not.

Sometimes a symbol such as an asterisk (*) or a dagger (†, also called an obelus or obelisk) is used to denote an unusual entry in a table to be explained in a footnote with a matching symbol.

The COVID pandemic has had a large impact on the entire world and one way this can be seen is through strange stats resulting from the effects of the pandemic, at least in 2020 and 2021, the years marked with footnote in the data table. Various statistics such as employment statistics, spending power, holiday miles, pet ownership, births (or at least conceptions), and — naturally — deaths may have been either grossly suppressed/increased for the majority of 2020, and for 2021 may have hardly recovered, partially recovered, renormalized, bounced back with a vengeance or be over-compensated for in the effort to catch up.

Thus Randall concludes that ''every data table'' will look like this one from now on, hence the title of the comic.

In the title text [[Randall]] states that he hopes 2022 is relatively normal. Comically, he doesn't mainly hope for this because he wants the Covid-19 pandemic to end, but rather because he doesn't know what symbol is used after the asterisk and the cross.

It is hard to know what 2022 might be like. Nothing (at the time of this comic being published in August 2021) is exactly back to normal and proper recovery or the resulting compensatory readjustment may not have concluded in time for 2022 to reflect the trends expected based upon pre-2020 figures, and the additional further years that future statistics will record.

Common symbols that are used if the first two are taken include multiple symbols (such as †† or ***), or a series of further single-symbols such as the convention to use a double dagger (‡), the section symbol/silcrow (§), the parallel/double-pipe (‖) and the paragraph symbol/pilcrow (¶). Alternately you could just start and continue the series with superscript numbers (¹, ², ³ ...), especially when you discover a need to frequently clarify {{w|Terry Pratchett|multiple}} and/or {{w|Randall Munroe|nested}} footnotes on each page, or save up a whole chapter of many such references to present them as 'endnotes', upon entirely different pages from the text being referenced.

Unrelated to the usage as English footnote characters, the asterisk and dagger symbol are used in German mainly as the shorthand ''genealogic signs'' to express "born" and "died" respectively (e.g. in encyclopaedias, as the German terms are three-syllable words for both and need to be shortened), so a person that is 2020(*) and 2021(†) would have been alive for only about a year, depending on the months. This symbology is also used on some tomb stones. An optimistic view is the "birth" and "death" of the Coronavirus itself, which would also understandably result in uncertainty on the next symbol in this order, for 2022. Pessimists in this context might suggest to use ∞, which is the symbol for infinity.

Similarly, in biology, species (or genus, etc...) that are possibly extinct are indicated with an asterisk and dagger is used to note the possible extinction (double asterisks indicate taxa believed to be extinct in the wild but known to be extant in cultivation). This of course do not fit well with the Covid-19, which is not close to extinction, and it is also not about to cause the extinction of humans.

Randall, however, seems to have forgotten the potential monkey's paw nature of his wish. 'Relative' requires a comparison between things. It could well be that the whole fall-out of the pandemic becomes the new normal, and future years have no necessity to use symbols to explain how those years come to be like everyone knows they are, while dates before 2020 will be entirely understood as the old-normal. Only 2020 and 2021 may need contextual clarifying, due to the necessary transition/limbo between the earlier unaffected and later fully-adapted scenarios.

== Transcript ==
:[A data table is shown with eight years given. After each year is seven dots. At the end of these dots are unreadable text/scribbles. The table is slanted compared to the panel, so the top year is in the top left corner, partly obscured by the panel, and the dots end at the edge of the panel, so only very small part of the scribles are seen (resembling an eight dot). And at the bottom the year is close to the middle of the panel, but most of the year is below the panel, and only the last three dots are visible. Two years have symbols indicating an unseen footnote.]
:2017.......
:2018.......
:2019.......
:2020*......
:2021†.......
:2022.......
:2023.......
:2024.......

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Every data table from now on

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals

2021-08-30T21:33:49Z

Sure: /* We still need to complete some explanations like this one: */

<noinclude>{{Community links}}

{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Place for ideas and suggestions to improve the wiki's design and organization on general issues can be incubated for later submission for consensus discussion. Be sure to check whether your proposal has already been submitted. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}
|}

= Discussion Area =
</noinclude>

== Add unexplained strips ==

At the moment, browsing through the explanations using the previous and next buttons is interrupted whenever there's an explanation missing.

I think adding a page with the strip fr all of those with a short message like "no one has explained this yet, want to give it a shot?" would make the wiki easier to browse through and will get more strips explained faster.

:I don't think that would happen. If suddenly it was much easier for people to skip over pages that had no explanation, I think they would do exactly that, skip right over it. On the same side of that coin, If suddenly there are no longer any red links on the [[List of all comics]] then everyone perusing that page assumes that all the comics have been explained and don't need to contribute any more. It's astonishing how quickly an [[589: Designated Drivers|embedded]] red link gets an explanation page created simply to get rid of the red link.

:Secondarily, ''many'' of the pages created recently aren't being created with their numerical and titular redirects. Without the numerical redirect, the comic template can't find that there is a previous/next comic to link to. Every once in a while somebody will go through and try to notice all the pages that don't have their redirects created but it's an unscientific process that only happens occasionally. If we could get every joe blow that comes in and vomits up a poorly done explanation to create the redirects I wouldn't be quite as annoyed at their lack of show-don't-tell-manship. But, since they can't be bothered to put the date in the comic template, I doubt we'll ever get people to create the redirects.

:'''TL;DR:''' No more red links, no more work gets done on the back catalog.

:--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 14:28, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

== xplainkcd.com ==

When I first saw this site I thought it should definitely be at xplainkcd.com or at least redirect from that url {{unsigned|115.166.22.158|12:45, 3 January 2013 (UTC)}}

: I like that idea! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 13:28, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah! If it's possible, it would be cool! At least as a redirect. -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:46, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

:Not technically the same thing, but I just took [http://expxkcd.com http://expxkcd.com]. More explanation <del>is</del> was given on the website itself. {{User:Grep/signature|05:10, 29 March 2014}}
::We do that with explainxkcd.com as well, but yay shorter URLs! Mind if I use that for our social media links? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:45, 29 March 2014 (UTC)
:::I had no idea that you did that, but sure, go ahead! If you want, I can change any DNS records if you wish to have it go directly to you guys. {{User:Grep/signature|07:16, 29 March 2014}}
:::In case you were wondering, I just did the following: <code>^/([0-9]+)(/large)?/?$</code> {{User:Grep/signature|07:25, 29 March 2014}}
::::Hrm. We're just matching with <code>^(\d+)/?$</code>. You can keep ownership of the URL if you want, unless you have traffic concerns or whatever and you want us to handle it, which we're very capable of doing. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:47, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Is this ok? [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:49, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== Section style and usage ==

I am new here and I'm trying to get up to speed with the culture. I have a few questions about how and where to use sections (== this ==). I am more willing to go with (and enforce) whatever norms there are here, but I have not seen them actually discussed.

# '''Is it OK to create sections in Discussion pages?''' I have been told no, but there are many examples extant of this usage in this Wiki and indeed in Wikipedia.
# '''Section title case''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Capital_letters#Acronyms Wikipedia's style guide] recommends sentence case, not title case. There are many title cased section headers here.
# '''Links''' I do not have a reference for this but it seems to me putting links in section code (== [[<nowiki>this</nowiki>]] == ) is bad form.

Last note -- it's understood if these bylaws have not yet been written. I can see that a few of you have made a huge personal investment to make this Wiki what it is today, and that is a credit to you all -- this is awesome! As a long-time aficionado of xkcd I applaud your work and look forward to further collaboration.
--[[User:Smartin|Smartin]] ([[User talk:Smartin|talk]]) 04:15, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:As a general rule, we stick to the standard format that existing pages follow, with an optional trivia section below the transcript. Some zealous editors like to add other sections though, which tend to be for the most part unneeded or redundant. If something you want to add doesn't help to explain the comic in some way, but the inclusion of which would somehow still add to the page, *and* it doesn't fall under the trivia category, a new section is warranted. This isn't the case most of the time though, so editors usually fold the content of extraneous sections into "Explanation" or "Trivia." We have no policy on links in titles, and they're allowed so long as they are appropriate; the link is useful and can't be folded into the section itself. And we use title case for titles cuz it just makes sense. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:08, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:We generally do not (or at least, discourage) use sections on the talk/discussion pages for explanation pages. This is purely for looks. The comic discussion section of the explanation page looks/feels wrong if there are level 2 section breaks in the transclusion. Also, if the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Table_of_contents Table of Contents] starts showing up on a page, such as on [[Click and Drag]] the sections created on the talk page also show up in the TOC. This gets confusing, and this is why we prefer not to use them on explanation talk pages. Everywhere else we follow standard wiki format and do use sections on the discussion pages.

:Personally, I think that links in section titles looks wrong, but I choose not to be the dictator of style in this matter. :p

:Please feel free to make edits. The worst that happens is someone reverts your edit. If it's a big enough issue and/or you don't seem to be learning from what people are fixing about your edits someone will leave a comment on your talk page. That's it. We might leave a nasty-gram in the edit summary, but oh well. We only ban for malicious intent. Honestly working to better the wiki is good, even if sometimes we grumble about it.

:--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:00, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

::Oh, I just looked at your talk page. I completely forgot that that happened. Don't worry about it. Learning the ropes is part of the experience. Do make edits, and if they're wrong, we'll nudge you in the right direction. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:18, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

I have been moving some trivia sections to directly below the explanation, in order to make it more consistent, and easier to survey and maintain. Often the dividing line between trivia and explanation is not entirely clear, and in articles without a trivia section the end of the explanation very often contains trivia-like information. (e.g. [[1155: Kolmogorov Directions]]) -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:13, 4 January 2013 (UTC)
===Title case doesn't make any sense===
At first sight title case in titles just makes sense. However title case '''never''' makes sense. It's worse than all caps. Besides, only Americans and children like title case. [[Special:Contributions/190.96.48.48|190.96.48.48]] 20:04, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

==New character==
As per [[Talk:1178: Pickup Artists]], the character with hair has appeared in quite a few comics now, and he's starting to become a recurring character. Shall we go ahead with inaugurating him into our list of regular characters, and what name shall we assign him? Current candidate names include Hairy and Harry. Anyone? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:07, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

: I like Harry :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 01:04, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
::Cos made a point in the discussion on [[Talk:1178: Pickup Artists]] that Hairy is directly descriptive, whereas Harry is not obvious to visitors. On the other hand, not all names are descriptive ([[Danish]]) and I think this wiki is entitled to create some xkcd-in-culture, and not just describe. And Harry is quite funny.
::I wonder: has [[Randall]] ever called him anything at all in the transcript? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 21:52, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
:::Well, he's not named in a any official transcripts, but he's already called Harry in quite a few comic explanations. Then again, I do like having a more descriptive name for him. Shall we hold this up to a vote? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:29, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
::::I think we should wait a little for a few more viewpoints to crop up. Also, can someone link to some more comics he's been featured in? I've got [[1028: Communication]], [[1027: Pickup Artist]] and [[1178: Pickup Artists]]. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 23:41, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::I actually like what that anon said: ''Curly''. Second choice: Hairy (being descriptive, a la Black Hat, Beret, Cueball, etc.) While there's talk about in-culture, we've done that with the names Cueball, Beret, etc. It's my opinion that the only names that should be "real" proper names are those that are named in the comic. Megan, Miss Lenhart, etc. Danish (as is discussed below) isn't truly a proper name, but you could argue it's a meta-description (one attributed by Black hat.) So that's my vote: yes for '''Curly''' or '''Hairy''', no for Harry. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 05:21, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:::That's right, [[Danish]] is not descriptive, but 1/ that name was suggested because the character [[515: No One Must Know|was called that way in the comic]], which is a tiny bit like a name given by the author (at least more than Harry which we have completely made up), and 2/ in that case it's hard to find a descriptive term: use something that revolves around her black hair (her only descriptive feature), and you easily mix up with [[Megan]]; the only graphical difference is that her hair is ''long'', but what kind of name can you make out of that?
:::For this new character, I suggest Hairy because it comes as the easy solution with every advantage: descriptive, easy to understand, and it's not ugly... I actually see no reason to resort to a made-up name like Harry.
:::[[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 22:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

: '''Alright. So the discussion's been had, and the most oft recommended name appears to be Hairy. All in favor, say aye. If more than 1/3 of editors agree and we have more than 6 votes, Hairy it is.''' '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:58, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:58, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' [[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 06:14, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' to Hairy. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:43, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. Harry would be a nice nod to the fact that he's actually hairy, but indeed it's better to avoid inside jokes. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:05, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. I'm convinced! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 17:52, 3 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. Hairy. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:52, 3 March 2013 (UTC)
::Hooray! We now have a [[:Category:Comics featuring Hairy]], with four pages already! Does anyone feel compelled to create "[[Hairy]]", with a brief description and a nice profile pic like the other characters? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:58, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

== Ambiguous characters ==

I've been thinking about the problem of the ambiguity of characters. "Is this really Cueball even though he has an eye and half a nose?", "This is very likely ''not'' x." "Darnit, these arn't Cueballs, these are Randall and his friends!", and so on. The character ambiguity is standard for xkcd (not less so in the early ones), and comes from the very loose or "free" way Randall uses his characters to be whatever he needs at the moment. It's simply often impossible for us to know whether he had e.g. "Cueball" or himself in mind, when drawing a particular comic (and I'd say: probably often both).

I want to suggest that we in general have a likewise rather loose policy towards including characters in the categories for the comics. So that reasonably ambiguous cases should be included in e.g. (does she have a ponytail?) This is not because I believe this or that to really be this or that; I just don't believe in objective truth (here!). I feel that when doing research :) on a character, the borderline cases are often the most interesting ones, and you want to be able to find them through the "Comics featuring miss x"!

I came to think this through now, when I wanted to (and did) list two comics with [[Miss Lenhart]] (?) where she was drawn but not named. Any thoughts on this in general? Other case studies? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 21:17, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
:My take has always been that [[Cueball]], for example, has not been a specific character. There is not ''a'' cueball, per se, distinct from any other cueball... indeed, there are several comics with several cueballs in-frame, and that is the point. I see the cueball character as a wildcard character (pun intended) ready to stand in for anybody (and ''not'' necessarily just Randall; I think those readers who suggest "this ''is'' Randall" are missing the point; he's way more META than that...) [[Megan]], while slightly less generic, still remains the female wild-card significant-other, while Curls seems to be a not-significant-other female used to illustrate a relationship that is transient. Other characters come and go, and when it's important to visually distinguish them from others in the frame, they're given additional characteristics, to wit [[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], etc.
:Unfortunately, that viewpoint is not commonly held, so I daresay I'm in the minority here.
:-- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:18, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

== Note at the top, about the server error ==

:''This thread was moved to [[MediaWiki talk:Sitenotice]]''

== I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading ==

This does move it to above the line, and the rule stops early. Undo my change if that's more bothering than when the TOC is displayed as "add a comment!Discussion"...

I don't know how to automatically treat level 2 headers as level 3. That may be why Discussion was a level 1 heading earlier.
[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:16, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually I now noticed there was a short edit war at {{tl|comic discussion}} over whether it should be a level 1 heading, just for this reason. [[User:Waldir]] seems to have conceeded... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:25, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

:: No edit war, hence no (intentional) concession. I reverted a change once, and didn't notice the change being re-implemented by another user. In any case, it is irrelevant now since we actively discourage using headers in talk pages precisely so that they don't display in the TOC for the main comic page, where the discussion page is transcluded to (see the discussion [[#Section style and usage|above]]). This might not scale well for comics that generate lots of discussion. It might be worth discussing our customs (and perhaps write them down somewhere) before performing such changes. What do others think? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:49, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

== Time: The Table ==

Right now on the page [[1190: Time]], we have a whole bunch of tables in the form image-time-hash. The tables take up heaps of vertical space and all have to be collapsed to even be remotely traversible. I propose that we aggregate all the images into one table after Time ends, like so:

{| class="wikitable plainlinks table-padding"
|-
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
|-
|[[Media:time.png|00:00]]||01/00:00||[[Media:time.png|10:00]]||01/10:00||[[Media:time.png|20:00]]||01/20:00||[[Media:time.png|30:00]]||AND MOAR SAMPLE DATAS
|-
|[[Media:time.png|00:30]]||01/00:30||[[Media:time.png|10:30]]||01/10:30||[[Media:time.png|20:30]]||01/20:30||[[Media:time.png|30:30]]||AND MOAR SAMPLE DATAS
|}

The hash values aren't really a part of the comic, they're gibberish for the most part and they take up space that could be used to compact the table, as shown above. Even if we are conservative and make the table only five columns wide to account for smaller screens, we've divided scrolling time by five and eliminated much of the need for annoying collapsed tables and section headers for each day. Constructing the table shouldn't be particularly hard either, as all our current data is in nice regular tables with clear patterns that are easy enough to parse through.

I'm putting this here because the organization of the frame entries would be unintuitive and difficult to change from the edit window, which would make it a poor choice when we're still expanding it and don't even know how long the comic will continue for. It's merely a space-saving trick for after we're sure that the comic is over. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:26, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

:Oh and it'd be really nice if other people could also upload images if you're awake and a new one rolls by. There's gaps in the image record every time I wake up, and I dun likey. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:34, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Good work so far; go ahead make it better! :) –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:34, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

==Featured Explanation, and Archival?==

* Wikipedia has featured content. Now that we are close to reaching the goal of all comics explained, I think it makes more sense to have a "featured explanation" which would serve as a sort of a marker for a complete and good explanation. Many comics, and almost all charts are not fully explained/not a good quality explanation.

* We should set up archival of discussion of the most discussed pages, like this one. Its not very pleasing to see comments from July 2012 still lying around here. It becomes hectic at some point.

Just my 2 cents, feel free to discuss. Cheers,
[[Special:Contributions/117.194.88.180|117.194.88.180]] 13:36, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:We dedicate this wiki to explaining xkcd, and we do actually have a featured comic feature; it changes every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and we usually manage to fill out the explanation for it within an hour or so of it going up. The most recent comic tends to be the one that most people visiting the wiki care about, so we give it prime space on the front page so they can find it easily. xkcd updates frequently enough that there isn't really that big of a time window for us to feature an article on our front page. Also, we're a volunteer project with quite a bit less manpower than Wikipedia.
:We do need to archive talk pages though. Some of these are getting ridiculously long. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:04, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::I agree with Davidy22. Archiving topics can be done by anyone, by moving resolved threads to the portal section's corresponding [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals|talk page]]. We could start with the threads marked "✓ Closed". [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:42, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

:: The reason I asked for a "featured explanation" was because many of the comic explanations we currently have are sub-par, and we're almost at our initial goal of explaining all comics. A "featured explanation" would drive our editors towards the goal of having complete and good explanation towards all comics, and would allow us to know which explanations need elaboration.
:: P.S. My definition of complete explanation would be - To have a good explanation, To have all categories relevant, To link to any comics related and To explain any technical portions of the comic.
:: [[Special:Contributions/117.194.82.49|117.194.82.49]] 07:45, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:::That message on the front page is going to link to all the pages marked by the incomplete template. If you find an unsatisfactory explanation, please mark it with <nowiki>{{incomplete}}</nowiki> '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: By my definition, I think all comics will be incomplete. An incomplete template will be focused more towards improving the worst explanations, while a featured one will be to improve the best ones. Since we already have the former, we should focus on the latter. Just my 2 cents. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.85.82|117.194.85.82]] 06:55, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the list of all comics ==

[[List of all comics]] is getting larger and larger, which makes it hard to read and hard to edit. How about splitting into parts, say [[List of all comics/1-1000]], [[List of all comics/1001-2000]], etc., or something to that effect? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:39, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

: Done. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.88.176|117.194.88.176]] 10:03, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
::Great job, thanks! [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:09, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
:::And I've added back [[List of all comics (full)]], which allows, for example, listing all comics by alphabetical order.[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 17:29, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

== Sidebar ads ==

''Moved from [[Talk:Main Page]] –– [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:06, 4 May 2013 (UTC)''

Are they generating significant money? The ones I see are pretty sleazy looking and/or scammy - "Power Companies Hate this Device! - click here to break the laws of thermodynamics!" and "Debt relief program click here to lose more money". How much money are they generating? Can you set any selections to remove the sleazy ads? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 18:30, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do we have sleazy sidebar ads? Since when? Thanks Google Chrome and AdBlock, I had no idea! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 07:47, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
::People give 20$ a pop to get a bunch of clicks on explainxkcd, and Jeff uses that money to buy a faster server with a hard drive that doesn't have less space than a public toilet with an elephant in it. It'd be really nice if you didn't turn on adblock, the money is appreciated. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:47, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It's a question of me not turning it off specifically every time I visit this site. More importantly, I do think people would be more likely to click the "donate" if it weren't irrelevant ads around it. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 19:29, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:::Generating money is a great thing. Getting "20$ a pop to get a bunch of clicks" is a bit unclear. Do the ads only generate revenue when clicked on? So EXKCD only gets money when someone actually falls for the sleazy ads? I know lots of people do not like Google - but at least their adsense stuff is relevant to the content of the website, which might generate some legitimate traffic for a legitimate advertiser.... [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 11:48, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Welllll, I didn't pick the ad supplier. You could bring it up with [[User talk:Jeff|Jeff]] if you want, I think he picked the ad provider on basis of which one had a mediawiki plugin or something. If you can link Jeff to a quick and easy way to put adsense on mediawiki, he should change it quickly enough. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:21, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::And I also gather then that they are only a temporary thing? -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:27, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Until we can buy a server that doesn't poop itself every time a new comic is released, the ads are staying. If you want them to go away sooner, throw more money at Jeff. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::: The ads are crap. For sure. Wish I didn't have to run them, but I don't trust donations alone to hold up continually some better hosting. The ads really don't bring in that much $$$. I had google adsense before, but Google shutdown my adsense account for unnamed reason after 1 week. This new ad service is way sketchier. If you all think they don't have a place here, I'll ax 'em. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::: Thanks for the info Jeff. How much ad money are we talking about? Is it calculated on how many ads are displayed or how many are clicked-through? How close to the goal is the server fund? How about a Kickstarter campaign for the server? $10 gets your name on a thankyou webpage or something like that. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 17:32, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: It ain't much, last I looked it was $2 or $3 in 2 weeks. I believe it is based on clicks, it is not nearly as clear as Google adsense. I'm not really interested in doing a Kickstarter. I think the donations will cover the initial start up, I just want to be able to cover the monthly costs as well. A few things are still up in the air. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:24, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Can you find a way to show the donations and ad income on the site, to make it transparent? ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:30, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::::: How about a donation amount that you'll take to turn it (the annoying unethical scummy ads) off for a year? Give me a dollar value and I might step up for the good of us all! [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 16:28, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
Since Project wonderful shut down, I block ads even on explainxkcd. The adds are simple and not colourful, which I like, but being part of Google Adsense I block them for keeping my my privacy. I am sad to do this but until there is another, better way to serve them, I have to.

== Economic transparency ==

I think this is very important: How can we make the donations and ad-income transparent, so that we all can see when and how much money is coming in, and how far we are from reaching our goal? – [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:35, 24 May 2013 (UTC)
: Sounds fine to me, I think I can put something together. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:52, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
::Hi, may I bump this issue? Or maybe you have done something, and I missed it? Anyway, I would still appreciate it! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 17:43, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
:::Numberssss. I'll get on with it, just need less homework and a few more numbers. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:54, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

I would like to respectfully file a complain. I find the banner advertisement of background checks distasteful. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 05:10, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
: Hey [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] - I am the one who approved those ads. But, since you have filed a complaint about them, I have gone ahead and removed them. Thanks. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:52, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

I thank you. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 03:36, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

== Using <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki></nowiki> in transcripts to improve accuracy ==

In the transcripts, <nowiki>[[lines]]</nowiki> are being changed to [lines] in order to avoid auto-linking. Why not just surround these with <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki></nowiki> tags and avoid the problem entirely? --[[User:Epauley|Epauley]] ([[User talk:Epauley|talk]]) 04:18, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
:Because it takes less time to type and single brackets are just as readable as double brackets to visitors. It's also a bit more readable in the editor. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:55, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

== Strip Title ==

For someone who commonly browses explainxkcd in place of xkcd, and hence often see the strips for the first time here rather than the parent site, I find it somewhat odd that the 'Title Text' is so poorly displayed given how critical it can be to the strip.

I propose that, while retaining the given name (perhaps moving it top left), the title text be enlarged and relocated to being over the strip as originally intended. {{unsigned ip|175.41.133.18}}
:The title text is placed very well at bottom of the image.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 07:20, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

:I would have to agree with Dgbrt, it's placed nicely at the bottom, and there is no need for it to be moved. My reasoning is that you never actually read the title text first, you read it last. Making it <code>text-align: left;</code> does not make sense, because the image is centered (just like on xkcd.com). I also believe that there is no need for it to be re-sized, mainly due to the fact that it is slightly larger than the title text (for me, at least). {{User:Grep/signature|05:18, 08 September 2013}}

:Plus, if you hover over the image, it's the same as on xkcd.com {{User:Grep/signature|06:13, 08 September 2013}}

:I also agree with Dgbrt and Grep. The title text is kind of a bonus and should not be emphasized more than on the original page. On the original site you only see it before the image, if you have very slow internet access (or very fast eyes) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:06, 2 October 2013 (UTC)

== Sections in talk pages ==

Is there a reason why there are no sections in talk pages? It is not a very big deal, but especially for longer talk pages it would make editing be much handier, especially when using the preview function (not having to find the section every time). Also it automatically adds a description to the history (thus makes it more easy to look for certain edits, or decide by just looking at the [[Special:RecentChanges]], if a comment should concern you. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:01, 2 October 2013 (UTC)
:When discussion pages are transcluded by the comic discussion template, section headers carry over from talk pages and bad things happen. Using ; to denote headers instead of equals signs works well, and doesn't share transclusion pain. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:04, 2 October 2013 (UTC)

== references ==

Any chance we can add [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Cite/Cite.php cite.php] to this wiki? Most pages don't need it, but some comics take on a life of their own and being able to add reference tags would be really helpful for those. [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 01:33, 9 October 2013 (UTC)
: Cite has been added to the wiki. Thanks for the suggestion! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 01:35, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

== Stylized writing ==

I understand that this wiki isn't as formal as wikipedia or sites like that but it seems that there are a few questionable practices:

1. The use of questions - when a non-rhetorical or unnecessary question is entered into the explanation.

2. Extremely painted/biased view points - when there is obvious bias in the tone of the explanation of the contributor, in other
words; a lack of neutrality.

3. Extreme repetition/rehashing - the explanation restates things and makes for a long and tedious read when a more straight-forward explanation is possible and clearer.

4. The general informality - "This one's an easy one" "This is simple" "this one's straightforward" "You're an idiot for not understanding this one" etc.

5. Many other practices that make the explanation hard to read, difficult to understand, or plain ugly.

I know that there are disparaging view points on how a comic should be explained, but please let's clean up the site a bit, acknowledge each view point and report on all of them and then tighten up the sloppy writing. Carry out arguments in the talk section, not the explanation. Perhaps we could first try to say the majority view point on the interpretation and then write the alternate explanations, of course this would bring up the debate on which is the majority explanation. Either way, more complete, logical explanations should be given more credence. --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:25, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

:I agree with 2-5. 1, on the other hand, is sometimes useful and can contribute the to explanation, although 1 is still a very good point. I would say that you should edit it to have "arguments in the talk" be a 6th point as well. Unfortunately, though, we are not all logical, comic-understanding machines here, so minor deviations of these rules are still to be expected. But I think that overall, these are good rules, even if 2/3 are sort of part of 5.
:[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]], please sign your post with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>{{User:Grep/signature|23:55, 22 October 2013}}

:I understand the use of questions in certain parts. And it was probably better to put the others as sub-categories to five but I wanted to show some common things that can be easily fixed. I know that some explanations require a lot of text and extensive research because of the abstract subjects Randall deals with and that it's difficult to be completely standardized but I think it would be good for us to try to come up with some general things to try to avoid to help the explanations "flow" --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:25, 23 October 2013 (UTC)
::Most of that isn't intentional, it's just an awful lot of labor to copy check all the explanations. I've been going through all the current articles and fixing consistency issues, the worst being wrong transcript/title text/dates and the most benign being wikilinks, spelling and trailing spaces. I'm at 682 so far, but my next pass will be on actual language and content, and it'll probably take longer. It takes a while though, and you can totally work on improving language in articles if you want to. Some explanations were pulled from the old blog, some were written and just got lost in the changelog. Copy editing everything we have so far is a very labor-intensive job, and the only way to really deal with it is to knuckle down and do it, or form a wikiproject and hope to heaven that visitors feel charitable enough to join in on it. I'd *probably* push to finish up all our incomplete articles first though, just because that's more directly related to the purpose of the site; tone and style probably comes second to having correct explanations. That doesn't mean you can't do it yourself, it's just that I'll probably only dedicate the subheader on the main page to one project at a time and our current biggest bugbear hasn't been solved yet. I could put up a sitenotice to see if that speeds the process up any. I'll do that when I get back home. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:31, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

== Easy redirect to comic? ==

I've been thinking, and there is one thing that would make navigating to the explained comics easier. My method of browsing is I'll see the comic on xkcd.com first, and if there is something curious about it that I don't quite understand, I'll come here. Sometimes it can be a bit troublesome, going to the homepage and then navigatiing to the right comic. Not too bad, but I'd like an easy way to go direct. So I was thinking, what if you had a redirect such that if you typed in, for example, www.explainxkcd.com/505, you would get redirected to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=505:_A_Bunch_of_Rocks. That would mean that you could get to the comic just from adding an "explain" to the start of the xkcd.com URL. I don't know if that is at all possible, but it would be pretty handy if it happened. Thoughts?
[[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 03:01, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#Redirect_from_explainxkcd.com.2F1234 That's actually already on the to-do list.] I'm testing it right now and we should have it up soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:02, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
:: Awesome :) [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 03:26, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:::Whoop, forgot to mark this as complete. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:37, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:::: Done! Copy this and drag it to your bookmarks bar: |javascript: var url = document.URL; document.location = url.replace('xkcd.com','explainxkcd.com');| {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.29}}
:::::The feature requested here has also long since been implemented. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:20, 4 April 2014 (UTC)

== Increase support via prominent display of copyright and license for text submitted to explainxkcd ==

XKCD itself is rather liberally licensed, and gets lots of good will from that. As it says on the bottom of every page "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License." For details see [http://xkcd.com/license.html xkcd - A Webcomic - License].

But I found nothing on most pages of explainxkcd about copyright or licensing, and it discouraged me from contributing or donating. Finally, as I was writing this proposal up, I found a link on the editing page here: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Copyrights explain xkcd:Copyrights - explain xkcd] saying that "''The Explain XKCD wiki is generally licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license (CC-BY-SA-3.0)''". That notice should be more prominent on the site, with at least a link on each page. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 15:27, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
:This should be mentioned at the main page, including a reference to the xkcd origin.
:BTW: NO DOUBLE SPACES after a sentence. Are you US guys still using a typewriter? It's not rendered at a web page and stupid like Gallons, Miles, Foots, and much more unique US behaviours. But that's just a joke beside.
:The licence hint is much more important, you are just correct.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
::Added a creative commons icon to the footer of the page, next to the powered by mediawiki button. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:16, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

== New Comics Bot ==

Would there be need for such a thing?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] Synthetica
:Nice idea, I never thought about that before. I will do some tests on existing comics to check if this could reduce the current number of error posts for a new article. When that is ready and working I will talk to some admins. My bot account [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]] was originally intended for [[1190: Time]] picture uploads, but I never have used it because Time was over. Creating the new pages should be easy in general, avoiding errors will cost some more work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:31, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::If you can get dgbrtBOT to do that, that'd help us an awful lot. It'd allow us to get rid of the ifexist cases in template:LATESTCOMIC as well, since the bot could change automatically that whenever a new comic goes up. It'll also help us get new comics down almost the moment they pop up, since the bot could sample several times a minute until a comic is posted. So long as it gets the general pattern right so that we have a correct page set up, we're good. An admin can come in sometime later to clean up categories and image urls and other piddly easy-to-fix details. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:54, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I will work on this next weekend, just local scripts and no updates here. I also will talk about my results before any automatic updates will be activated. My first focus is on creating the new pages in the general pattern, LATESTCOMIC and also the page "All comics" are maybe a bonus later. And of course all my scripts will be open source.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::::The first version is ready and I will test it at my local wiki. If everything goes well I could activate it for Wednesday (2013-11-13). LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are on my roadmap, but first I want produce correct new pages here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:00, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
:::::Righty ho. Here goes. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:36, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
Even when my automatic local wiki test did fail today, just a damn wrong password, I will activate the bot here for Wednesday. It will only run from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM UTC. You will not see my possible updates at [[Special:RecentChanges]] unless you click ''Show bots'' at the top of that page. LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are not covered, but this is at my TODO list until this test will be successful. Give me a '''GO''' or '''NO-GO''' for this test.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
:Easily a GO, I'll be ready to clean up if anything goes wrong. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:08, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
::So be ready on Wednesday for the clean up. My worst case is ''it simply does not work'', second worse scenario is still that I could delete some contend already posted here, but I'm trying to avoid this. ''Huston'', the countdown clock is counting. I'm joking about this because I really want to be confident about this ''BOT'' or ROBOT or uncontrolled action here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:28, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:::The bot can't do anything that I can't reverse. I can even restore a backup from an hour before the bot's edits if it manages to break the database. How quickly does it poll xkcd, by the way? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:53, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

First live test here (comic 1289). Please delete this page: [[Simple_Answers:_1289]]. Since my local wiki did not provide this templates I could not see this error before. In general the bot will update pages differ to any existing pages, but when it is not changed no update will happen. I'm fixing this errors at my script and do a second test here soon. I want to see it's producing correct pages until the bot will do it's work when I'm sleeping.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, test are done here, BOT is scheduled for the next update. Polling is every five minutes on Mon, Wed, and Fri from 04:00 until 08:00 UTC. Let's see how it will work.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:08, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
::Couldja ramp that up to once/twice a minute, push the start time back by an hour, and the end time by a few hours? Also, is it possible to terminate it once it finds a comic for a certain day? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:45, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:::It worked! Though it posted the comic 5 minutes past post time. We has technology now, we can afford to poll faster and closer, yeah? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:32, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, it worked... I will increase the polls when I'm more confident about the release times. Today it was approx. 05:00 UTC (GMT) or 01:00 EST (Randall's time zone). Looks like he is still at daylight saving time, would have been 00:00 EDT. The polls will be increased to one minute when I'm sure about the Standard Release Time (SRT). Next steps for the next update on Friday are:
:The "All comics" page.
:The LATESTCOMIC template.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:The LATESTCOMIC template is included for the next run, it just simply has to return a number. But it's still the most critical part because if it does not work the Main Page is broken. I will change this to a better solution using that IFEXIST syntax soon. The list of all comics is still at my ToDo list. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 14 November 2013 (UTC)
::The desired content of the LATESTCOMIC template should be just the comic number. If we can get out of having to poll multiple IFEXIST statements to find the latest comic, that would be a fantastic boon to our server performance. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:43, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
:::OK, it did work today so I will not change this. Next step is the list for all comics.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:10, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
Next run will include an update on the "All comics" page. I'm crossing my fingers. When this update is also successful I will document my Bot at the Bot user page [[User:DgbrtBOT]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Oh, I forgot this detail: The bot is starting at 00:00 EST (RLT - Randall local time), which is 04:00 UTC and 05:00 MET for me. It polls every 5 minutes until 23:55 MET (22:55 UTC, 18:55 RLT) the main page until a new comic is found. I do not poll the comic number because I want to avoid 404 message logs at the servers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:30, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Something went wrong there. That's gonna need fixing. I am enjoying the looks of the apparently faster polling though. Maybe you could also set the start time to 00:00:05 EST to catch the on-time xkcd releases within ten seconds? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:33, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
::Uh, what a mess. I will do some more tests at my local wiki. At the next time I will do a check against the number from the LATESTCOMIC template, only the next number will be processed. The test against my local history did fail because of some cleanups after testings.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:18, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I don't like mess. So the BOT got many more checks before posting here but the bot was starting at 05:00 local time for me. I'm really asleep at that time. The mess here was covered, but I do need another GO for the next attempt. Otherwise I will just do a test to my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:35, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
No GO so far, my next test will run only at my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
:My script is here: [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update explainXKCD_update]. At my current test "explainxkcd.com" is commented out and "localhost" is active. Since I don't like mess and the bot does act while I am sleeping the next update must be done manually here. I'm hoping the bot will be ready for the next update on Friday.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
::Bot is ready for Friday, everything went smooth at my last local test today. The bot did find the latest comic at 04:05 UTC and all essential pages were properly created. So I will activate it for this site again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:57, 20 November 2013 (UTC)
Bot did work as expected. So I name it release 1.1337, the next planed release will be 2.1337 (beta) because of this two issues:
*"Include any categories below this line." will be removed because it doesn't make any sense any more.
*BETA: I want to use the full template features at [[List of all comics]], just ensuring that the pictures are working properly. No need for this at the most comics, but the BOT doesn't cover all possibilities on corrupt file names like we have had in "Pi vs. Tau". The picture was without that dot. My bot just shows the real link it did upload here.
I'm pretty sure we will have some issues on this bot, but for general pages it should work. So the bot will be active on Mon,Wed,Fri from 0:00 EST (or EDT) every five minutes until it did found a new comic, on success the bot does not poll any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
:Aww, it's a bot. It doesn't need to rest or take time off to do other stuff. It can totally poll once or more times per minute. Also, if you set the start time to a few seconds after midnight, Randall time, when he uploads a comic on-time, you'll get it within a few seconds as opposed to having to wait for the next polling. As for the image names, maybe you could convert spaces in the comic name to underscores, compare the two comic names you have and use that to decide which version of the template to use? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:08, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
::I have to avoid that the bot is running twice, Internet Timeouts and more. And the comics are also published later sometimes. Look at my release [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update 1.1337], release 2.1337 will be later, Maybe I should start at 2 minutes after 0:00, but let's see right now how the bot does work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:38, 23 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, what a huge discussion here. The bot will get a major update soon: Scheduler does start it once and until a comic is found and uploaded it here or an other limit is reached (maybe the end of the day) the bot will poll by a small delay. But every poll is still an entire download from the main page, When a new comic is found bot stops.
:Why, you could use http://xkcd.com/info.0.json, right?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] 07:38, 2 December 2013 (UTC)Synthetica
::The BOT performs perfect and I prefer to analyze the original page. A title text like the one from today (a text showing a link) will be covered in the future.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:35, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
A great enhancement would be also covering a new comic like 1190 Time was. I'm looking forward on this, some ideas, it does require a complete analyse of the page and then finding some strange content.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:05, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

== Require description for 'incomplete' tags ==
I've been trying to fix some of the incompletes, but several explanation pages I've come across are tagged incomplete without any reason given. The reason should be a required part of the tag. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.223|173.245.52.223]] 03:35, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:This incomplete tags are just older than the recent change of that template. Current adds require a description, but it's not easy to figure out all that old reasons. If someone does find a reason, please just add it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

== Should there be a subwiki to cover the shop links that appear above the comic? ==

The current one (as of writing) is [http://imgs.xkcd.com/store_news/store_gd_b11_1ze4.png] but this is a different than the usual, and there was also a third in between these.
[[User:Rsranger65|Rsranger65]] ([[User talk:Rsranger65|talk]]) 06:00, 8 December 2013 (UTC)
:Those are very ephemeral. They aren't going to exist for very long, I don't know how valuable it would be to archive that stuff. We could probably do it, but having to figure out another naming convention and all for advertisements doesn't appeal to me at the current moment. If you can flesh it out, I'd love to see how you think we should do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:24, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

== New Character ==

OK, I think we need a name for the character with a goatee and glasses in comics [[435: Purity]], [[796: Bad Ex]] and [[964: Dorm Poster]] as well as possibly others. Edit: oh and I suggest Goatee and Glasses Guy, but I'm open for suggestions Edit 2: also in [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]] Halfhat {{unsigned|Halfhat}}
edit 3: Another sighting [[954: Chin-Up Bar]] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 16:57, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: In the transcript, he is called "Person with Glasses and a Goatee" --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:39, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
:: "Glasses Guy", "Goatee Guy" are both probably descriptive enough! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:41, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== What If Comics ==

Hi, I was thinking, maybe at some point we should do the comics in the ''What If?'' section, like [http://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/36/cornstarch_bitcoins.png this one.] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 20:01, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: Start creating the pages for them! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:36, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
: I think I can start creating one or two pages for What If, if that helps... [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 16:14, 5 April 2014 (UTC)
:: If nobody has any problem with it, I'm gonna give it a try later. :) [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 13:14, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::I thought they were already pretty self-explanatory though. Also, how are we gonna organize and present them? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:31, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
::::I totally agree with David: Read the entire What-If page and follow the links provided by Randall. No one of us can do that better in depth. But an overview page for this site is maybe not a bad idea, we just need a proper link here — a link at the main menu on the left. Translations to other languages are just another issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:37, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::::Yes, I was thinking of an overview, summarizing the contents and discoveries of each what if page. Not to mention, we could also organize what if pages by categories, such as physics/love.
:::::Would you like me to post here an example of what I would write? That way we can decide if it's worthy of creating an actual page. [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 12:53, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:Adding pages for What If? posts would be very helpful. Although the articles themselves are obviously self-explanatory, there are almost as many subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? posts these days as in the comics themselves.
I often visit explain xkcd when I feel like I'm missing an inside joke or a pop culture reference in a comic, and it would be very helpful to many people (especially those from other cultures/subcultures) to have the same service.
For example, today's What If? contains multiple allusions to the Superman Movie, a running Citation Needed joke, and a whole comic that is a not-so-subtle dig at Elon Musk and the Hyperloop. It would be awesome if the community here at explainxkcd could tackle stuff like that.
Anonymous 20:05, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

I agree. I don't understand the mouseover text on the first image in "Snow Removal", for example. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 22:57, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

== Transcripts ==

The whole point of the transcripts is to have those who are unable to view images to still be able to read the comic, right?

Then why is it required to stick to strictly official transcripts, where sometimes rewriting them slightly would make them flow better or otherwise get the ideas across better? I've tried rewriting a few, but they get reverted. I think that having easier-to-understand transcripts would be more important than strictly following official transcripts; what do you think? (For a few examples, see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=207:_What_xkcd_Means&diff=60061&oldid=57400 this edit] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=995%3A_Coinstar&diff=59862&oldid=57316 this edit]. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 17:38, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
:We use the original transcript to try and deduce original author intent if it's unclear from the image. I remember one comic where Beret Guy was off in the distance and it was difficult to distinguish him from the image, but the official transcript said it was him. We don't stick to the original transcript if it's obviously wrong, or it has typographical errors: see [[Laser Scope]]. Those edits seem to be mainly targeted at language and clarity, and should be fine. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:06, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
::Would it be helpful to have another (optional) section for expanding on the official transcripts? I too think it could be helpful, especially for complex images (such as 1079/United Shapes [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1079]). Or does supplemental description belong in the Explanation sections? Cheers. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 23:00, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:::Naaah, how many people even know there's an original transcript? If the original is wrong, change it. If your additions begin to verge on explanatory, move eet to the trivia/explanation sections. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:52, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== "Characters in this Comic" section ==

Should there be a "Characters in this Comic" section in each comic explanation? (I feel like this should be longer but don't have anything else to say.) [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:33, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

:There is a Category section at the bottom of each comic. Just scroll down and you will see any character belonging to a specific comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

== Adding the Radiation chart from XKCD ==

Hi
As there are already other comics with explanations even though they are not part of the number system.
This one does not seem to have any yet:
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
And as it is very alike the Money strip (the unexplained of the week) so I think it should be explained as well.
If you agree please add it as I'm not sure how to do that.

Best regards
:[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:47, 7 June 2014 (UTC)

== Reddit comments? ==

There should be a link in each comics explanation page somewhere linking to the comment section for the relevant comic on /r/xkcdcomic or reddit.
:The reddit comments page isn't ''that'' close to what we do though. If this is more popular, we'll do it, though there'll need to be a fair bit of post-hoc editing since I don't think there's a standard URL scheme for all the past comics. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:15, 23 June 2014 (UTC)
:I just came here to ask if we could do this, but I looked into it and it wouldn't be simple. Could we write a bot to run on the xkcd subreddit to post the link here? --[[User:Eluvatar|Eluvatar]] ([[User talk:Eluvatar|talk]]) 05:53, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

== Not insulting new users ==

I am writing a response to a vulnerability assessment. I have included a link to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 noting that it contains a good explanation of the relative security of passwords vs passphrases. I just noticed that the top of that page contains "Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb." Looks like I'll have to find a different site to link to. --[[User:Pascal|Pascal]] ([[User talk:Pascal|talk]]) 17:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)
:I agree. While I'm sure it can seem cute or funny in various circles, that text has always seemed immature and inappropriate to me, and I'm sure to many folks we'd like to invite to the site. I suggest that it be changed. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:52, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

:The XKCD http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 suggestion for password is actually not that good. [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/62832/is-the-oft-cited-xkcd-scheme-no-longer-good-advice read here] for some more discussion. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.253.6|162.158.253.6]] 23:49, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

:I also agree. I'm not here because I'm stupid, I'm here because I don't know something and I'm hoping this site can help. It's off putting to have that text there, and there's no benefit to it. What about just repeating the thing at the top of XKCD.com: "Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language: Explained"?

:I agree, and there is actually a very long talk page started about this subject in the miscellaneous section. Eventually people voted to keep it, but the main argument on that side was that that was the way things had always been. I am fairly new to the site (this is actually my first post on it), so I don't know how these things work, but I do think that that should be changed. There were actually a large number of good proposals for replacements with the other one, and I thought it would be funny if there was a randomly selected character every time you loaded a page, with each character having their own tagline. Is there any way to try to get this changed again?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.52|172.68.78.52]]

:Another vote for changing it. I like the idea of rotating through a number of taglines. The world already has too many people who habitually verbally reinforce the idea they aren't smart, why try to convince them they're right about themselves when they might otherwise be experiencing curiosity? (Related: Carol Dweck) ''Edit: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Sightless_readers_offended_by_the_.22It.27s_.27cause_you.27re_dumb.22_tagline. link to prior conversation]'' [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.37|172.69.35.37]] 10:56, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

== RSS feed ==

Is there an RSS feed (or some equivalent) of Explain XKCD available? It's helpful for those using feed readers, and superior to the primary XKCD RSS since there are explanations and the mouse over text is transcribed for the lazy. Thanks [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.154|108.162.219.154]] 08:24, 28 August 2014 (UTC)
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:NewPages&feed=atom&hideredirs=1&limit=90&offset=&namespace=0&username=&feed=&tagfilter= Why yes, we do!] It's the regular new pages log that all wikis have. It's a little ugly at the moment, and sometimes junk gets in there when a bot chucks spam at us, so a nicer feed is in the works, but the linked one should do you excellently for now. When the nice one is done, you'll see it in the sidebar below the "Help" button. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:31, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

== Navigation Pane Link - Categories ==

How about having a link to the "Special:Categories" page in the navigation pane?

A fair amount of effort has gone into categorising the comics, and at the moment it isn't particularly obvious how to browse by category. Is this worth doing?{{unsigned|Pudder}}
:Space on the sidebar is on a premium. I dunno, I'd probably be against it, but I want to hear what other admins say as well. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:45, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

== Alternate realities what if would benefit from a wiki entry ==

The what if entry from the end of November 2014 providing excerpts from alternate reality what ifs would benefit from an explain page.
I suspect these may have been typos that have been made into jokes, but some of the humor might not be apparent to all.
I doubt I have access (or maybe know how) to set it up myself.

Cheers {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.42}}

: Made it. Check out [[What If: 120: Alternate Universe What Ifs]]. [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:10, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
::We don't actually have a structure for what if pages in general, so I'll have to take that down, but when we do we can make pages for every what if. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== Secondary URLs? ==

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Is this ok? [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:50, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
:While we probably won't advertise them because we can't guarantee the uptime of third-party URLs, and they add an additional redirect layer and lack our shortened URL features, you're free to purchase and link URLs to us independently. We are not owned by Randall and as such cannot claim to actually be xkcd, so I'm not hugely comfortable with you using the plain name "xkcd" to link to us; a url in the format http://www.xkcd.[TLD] should by rights link to the main xkcd site, but no trademark claim has been made or likely will be made, so you should be fine with doing whatever you want to do with URL redirects '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== LaTeX (Or MathML, TeX) support? ==

[[1489:_Fundamental_Forces|In the most recent comic at the time of posting]], there was use of formulae, being: Fgravity = G m1m2/d2 Fstatic = Ke q1q2/d2 
There are probably many more comics using formulae that cannot be rendered properly without the use of LaTeX or something. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Displaying_a_formula help page on Wikipedia] says that the following should work: <math>F_{gravity}=G\frac{m_1m_2}{d^2}</math> <math>F_{static}=K_e\frac{q_1q_2}{d^2}</math>
Provided that one has to set <source lang="php" enclose="none">$wgUseTeX = true;</source> in [[mw:Manual:LocalSettings.php|LocalSettings.php]]. Is there any reason for this to be disabled? If there is, is there any alternative? —[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.95|141.101.106.95]] 21:18, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

:The wgUseTeX flag was deprecated in mediawiki 1.18 in a move to simplify base mediawiki and move niche features into seperate plugins. I vaguely remember this being requested in the past, can't find any evidence of me implementing it. I'll try it now, see what stopped me last time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:12, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
:Ah, there's a bit of configuration work to it and I was busy at the time probably. I'll put it on the growing to do list on my userpage. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:20, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
This problem is '''solved'''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:03, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== Merge Cueball & Rob ==

At the risk of posting this idea too many places and annoying everyone, I would like to propose that we consider merging [[Cueball]] and [[Rob]] and redirecting Cueball to Rob, much as [[Cutie]] now redirects to [[Megan]]. The most common name given for a Cueball-like character in the strip is "Rob". Like Megan, he is not always named. Also, like Megan, Rob tends to have distinct characteristics such as being a nerdy alter-ego to Randall (e.g. [[1168: tar]]) just as Megan often is the appearance given to comic representations of Randall's wife (see [[1141: Two Years]], before hair loss). Megan and Cueball appear to have a relationship (e.g. [[159: Boombox]]) and Megan clearly hangs out with Rob in ways not inconsistent with adventurous couples (e.g. [[782: Desecration]]). Finally, comics that feature both [[Black Hat]] and "Cueball" seem to depict them as friends and possibly roommates. However, we learn in [[1102: Fastest-Growing]] that Black Hat's roommate is named "Rob".

In short, I believe if [[159: Boombox]] had called "Cueball" "Rob" we would've rewritten both Cutie and Cueball to redirect there. Because we learned that "Cueball's" name is actually Rob much later (I think the earliest occurrences are [[647: Scary]], and [[716: Time Machine]]; the first time he is seen with Megan in a capacity that might indicate a relationship is [[782: Desecration]]). [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:05, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:As I answered your comment on [[1496: Art Project]] Rob is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Rob already listed] as part of the category for Comics featuring Cueball: and this is listed as the first entry when going to the page for [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Cueball Category:Comics featuring Cueball]. Cueball is such an integral part of explain xkcd that I do not think any other users wish to change. Also the 9 incidences with Rob is maybe a specific person and at the time Randall did not think to give him any features. Also Cueballs have no specific behavior as you allude to. Neither has Megan. You can always find several Cueballs and Megans that behave a certain way. But then you can find many other comics where they behave the opposite way. Thus Rob and Cueball should not be merged. Also there are several comics with more than one Cueball. And here we have this problem: It is typically the first who writes the transcript who decides who of the Cueballs (or Megans) he feels represents the "real" Cueball. However, there is no real behavior of Cueball. So who should decide. I could change all these transcripts so it becomes the other character who becomes Cueball, because I think that the first transcriber did it wrong. And this is why in a comic with more than one Cueball (where neither is called Rob or the like) neither of the two should be called Cueball. It would still be in the category with Cueball, because that is just comics with a Cueball like character no matter how many. But they cannot be named Cueball and friend or Rob and friend (unless Rob's name is mentioned!) They could be called Cueball 1 and Cueball 2, but then guy or man would be better. I know several places have comics with two Cueballs where someone has designated one of them Cueball and the other friend of foe etc. But this should be corrected so none of these are called Cueball. Same should go for more than one Megan. But this is very rare, and I have only found one other than ''Art project'' and here only one Megan had any lines. The problem with different opinions on which Cueball is which came for the first time up with Megan in ''Art project'': The two Megan-like characters was first named (left to right) Megan and Danish. Then unidentified girl and Megan. Then Megan and unidentified girl, then two Megan like girls with short and long hair and finally you reverted it to my first change away from Danish to unidentified girl and Megan. (I can live with that as there is difference in hair length and behavior). But as far as I see it Cueball is not Rob as well as Megan should have continued to be called Cutie (but I would not like to change that now, as I have grown fond of Megan). But at the time the change was done I believe it was wrong. The same fondness for the name Cueball also makes me sure that no one else would wish to call him Rob, even if that is as much his name as Megan is Cuties... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:57, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::My argument is that it is inertia and sentiment ("fond of Megan") that prevents an objective, equal treatment here. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::Also, regarding the analogy made above to Danish. I am fine with a nickname when Randall hasn't named a character. So she was "unidentified girl" and then became "Danish". But, when we named her "Danish", we went back to "Journal 1" and other places and renamed her. My proposal is that we should go back through and rename "Cueball" as "Rob". Alternatively, we should reinstate "Cutie" for cases in which it is not clear that a character is "Megan" per se, but just Megan in her "everywoman" capacity. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:00, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to post a poll, but I see the following options:

1) Status quo: Cueball for all unidentified males without distinct characteristics (e.g. hats), Megan for all shoulder-length brunettes. Rob only for named Cueballs. Multiple Cueballs in a comic mean one is named Cueball and others get named "Friend", etc.

2) Symmetry 1: Cueball/Rob stays as is. Unnamed brunettes get named "Cutie". "Megan" like "Rob" is reserved for comics in which a name is used.

3) Symmetry 2: Megan stays as is. Rob is the default for indistinct males. "Cueball" page redirects to "Rob" (as "Cutie" now redirect to "Megan").

4) Expunge all Cueballs from multi-Cueball comics: Basically the status quo, except that in comics with multiple Cueballs none are named "Cueball" and are just all given names "Man 1", "Man 2", etc.

I am ambivalent regarding options 2 or 3. I could live with 1 if there is consensus for it, but I don't like it. 4 is a disaster in my mind and gains nothing. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:We are probably the only one who reads these post...? But anyway as is clear I'm for 4. Which has been used several places already.´I can live with 1. I think 2 and 3 are disasters. Also it would be completely confusing for those who have used this page for many years. Why do you bring this up now? Is it because of the multiple Megan comics, or have you just signed up here, and dislike that it doesn't follow the rules you would have expected?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::I suggest instead that we create a category for multiple Cueballs, so it is easy to explain why the Cueball is not a specific character, and thus can never be Rob (except when it is clear from the text), or be expected to behave a certain way. And in reverse we make a Named Megan category so it is easy to find the few (three?) where she has been named. This by the way has nothing to do with the other suggestions, so I might just do that to get an overview. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::: It seems more consistent to me to use [[Cutie]] for all unnamed "Megans" and reserve "Megan" for named comics. Thus, Rob is '''a''' Cueball and Megan is '''a''' Cutie. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:30, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::::I've read through some of your discussions (Here, Kynde's talk page, Art Project discussion), and thought I might put my thoughts forwards. Essentially we have three questions here:
::::1) Should we merge Cueball and Rob, and rename all Cueballs as Rob?
::::2) Should we rename all Megans as Cutie, except where she is explicitly named?
::::3) Once questions 1 & 2 are answered, what do we do where the 'same' character appears multiple times in one comic?

::::*I understand the objective argument for renaming Cueball to Rob, however I'm unconvinced of the importance of being entirely objective, and I can't imagine Cueball being renamed to anything other than Cueball.
::::*I think its fairly clear where the Cueball label has come from, even if it might not be immediately obvious to some. Even if readers don't make the link between Cueball's head and a cue-ball, it is quite a generic label, which I think fits well with the transient every-man nature of Cueball's usage.
::::*There is something far more specific about the name Rob, which suggests that he is the same character every time. The origin of the name isn't obvious, which I think would be likely to cause confusion.
::::This brings me to conclude that for me, the answer to Q1 has to be that Cueball should stay as Cueball, unless explicitly named something else.

::::The question of changing Megan to Cutie is one where I am less confident. Following the arguments I've made above, the outcome has to be that we rename to Cutie unless specifically named Megan, however I am not entirely convinced. The name Megan has a history, there are surely lots of people who now know her as Megan, what do we really stand to gain from all the work of changing to Cutie? I would also suggest that the name Cutie may not be accepted well by those with strong feminist views.

::::As far as multi-character comics, I don't have time right now, but I will come back later and add my thoughts. Now that we've only got a few incomplete comics, we've had to resort to discussing renaming characters!--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:07, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:::::I agree with the reasons for keeping Cueball and Megan. And also that Cutie is such a loaded word, that it should never have been used anyway. This I did not immediately think about, but Cutie sounds like something from either a porn movie, or else a Bond Babe... Like the phrase from one of those movies: "Hello, I'm Plenty..." Then we should have to find a third name. And everyone here knows her as Megan. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)
::::::I have created the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Multiple_Cueballs Category:Multiple Cueballs] to locate them and to show how often there are more than one. Feel free to add any I haven't found yet. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

I think Rob is Black Hat's roommate and Megan's boyfriend/partner/husband (see above). The "Cueball" in comics such as [[159: Boombox]] and [[542: Cover-Up]] should, in my view, be renamed "Rob", even though he is not explicitly called that in those comics. Most other "Cueball" comics can stay unchanged. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:43, 14 March 2015 (UTC)
:I have left my reason to disagree also with this on the two comics talk page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

In my opinion, it is quite clear that [[Randall]] has chosen to name the main male protagonist [[Rob]], for the few occasions where he needs characters to call upon each other, in the same way as he has chosen [[Megan]] for the main female protagonist. We should therefore try to overcome our nostalgia, follow Randall, and call the common male protagonist Rob. The problem with multiple cueballs can most often be resolved by identifying the protagonist, from the first-person narration or the general perspective. Thus, in [[525: I Know You're Listening]] Rob is the comic's "I", to the left. In [[1110: Click and Drag]], Rob is obviously flying with a balloon. In [[610: Sheeple]] Rob is arguably the guy in the foreground facing us. Non-Rob "cueballs" we could refer to as "friend" "man", etc. In this way roughly half of the "multiple cueballs" would be resolved. I think I can live with a few unclear cases, like [[220: Philosophy]]. [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:22, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

:A featureless character has been ''specifically'' named Rob in 9 comics, compared with 968 'Comics featuring Cueball'. I believe it is fundamentally flawed to assert that because a featureless character is named Rob in less than 1% of appearances, that all featureless characters should therefore be assumed to be Rob. As I've discussed above, I think that Rob strongly implies a specific person, whereas Cueball is a vague 'everyman' character. I feel it would be a huge error to change all Cueballs to Robs.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 17:37, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

::The problem with that logic is that "Megan" is only named in a small number of comics (fewer that "Rob"). So we should have a different name for an unnamed generic female. [[Cutie]] is fine, but if people perceive that as sexist, then another name, maybe "Cuegirl" or "Brunette" would work. (Side note: I doubt "Cutie" would be perceived as sexist and there's history there.) What I '''do''' find sexist is the fact that there is asymmetry between male and female "everyperson"s. In sum, I would say there is at less evidence to support naming Megan-everywoman "Megan" in all cases as there is to name Rob-everyman (here called "Cueball") "Rob" in all cases. Asymmetry here ignores the fact that Randall clearly intends his name to be "Rob" and also that we are using a proper name for everywoman but a contrived name for everyman, while creating an artificial distinction between Rob and Cueball and smearing out any possible distinction between Megan-everywoman and Megan-properName. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:18, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

:::As I put in my earlier comment (see above), I do agree that the logical conclusion is that Megan should no longer be named Megan, and should have an equivalent generic name. As an aside, I'm quite partial to your suggestion of Cuegirl. I disagree with your assertion that "Randall clearly intends his name to be Rob", and I think that is the central point of this discussion. I don't believe that there is anywhere near enough evidence to assign a specific name to what I believe is a generic character. If we want to go for formal logic, consider the syllogism "Some non descipt characters are called Rob, there are many non-descript characters, therfore all non-descript characters are called Rob". The conclusion simply does not follow. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:22, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

::::Great, I vote for Cuegirl & Cueball :: Megan & Rob! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 01:31, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

I agree with Djbrasier's and St.nerol's arguments, and I too feel that the arguments against dealing with this in an objective, symmetrical and logical way seem mostly based on nostalgia. Either we agree that a few named instances of the everywoman are sufficient to generalize to the (vastly more numerous) unnamed instances, and apply the same standard to the everyman, which is only consistent (and even more justified in the case of Rob since he is named in more comics than Megan), or we decide that the extrapolation is unjustified and we revert the Cutie-->Megan merge. The alternative --having double standards and deciding things based on historical baggage and emotional attachment rather than rationality-- makes no sense for followers of the comic that ''literally invented'' nerd-sniping!

I'd also add that, as a non-native speaker, "cueball" doesn't ring any immediate bells unless the connection to cue balls is pointed out explicitly -- so actually Rob works even better as a generic name than Cueball. We have already [[#New character|agreed previously]] that clarity is better than cleverness when we named [[Hairy]], forgoing the less obvious alliteration "Harry", so I vote we use the name Randall ''actually'' gave us, let go of our attachments to a creation he never endorsed, and honor our collective nerdiness by doing the logical thing: apply our standards uniformly and adopt Rob the same way we adopted Megan. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 06:09, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:I've already put my thoughts forward above, so I won't repeat the same ground I've covered, other than to say I believe it would be a mistake to turn all Cueballs into Robs. While I will admit to having some nostalgia for the name Cueball, that isn't a major facet of my argument. I believe that any generic name is better than a specific name. Call them Stickboy & Stickgirl if you want! I know there are a fairly significant number of contributors and visitors who do not have English as their first language, but I don't believe that is a reason to choose a specific name, rather than a generic name, even if the origin of the latter isn't immediately obvious to all. It would be interesting to know whether each of us sees Cueball as always being the same person, or Cueball *is* Randall, or Cueball is just a changeable everyman.

:To me, he is a changeable everyman, who I guess may represent or be based on: Randall, his friends, family or acquaintances, famous people, someone he saw in the street, or a completely made up character used to fill a specific role in the comic. The reason I argue againt merging Rob & Cueball is that the Cueball I see is this morphing and fluid character, and to use a specific name to tie him down to being the same character all the time runs completely counter to that. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:31, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:: Understood, and sorry for mischaracterizing your argument (the nostalgia part does cloud the discussion though). I suppose I would be somewhat ambivalent to either have Rob+Megan, or Cueball+Cutie -- Cuegirl doesn't work because she has hair :) --, in the interests of reason and symmetry. But I lean slightly towards Rob+Megan because those are names Randall actually gave us, while anything else is our own invention and thus has no claim to legitimacy other than popular support.
:: Particularly, while I understand your concern about shoehorning the various personality traits the Cueballs show in different comics into a single persona, that doesn't seem to have been a problem for Megan -- not to mention real people ''are'' indeed complex and multi-faceted beings (or "morphing and fluid", to use your terms) rather than one-dimensional caricatures. Heck, even Black Hat has his romantic side! :) So in light of that, I don't think we have to worry about ruining Cueball by naming him Rob -- if anything, that'd add more depth to him as a character! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:35, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
:::I'm still very much against changing things here. Call it nostalgia, but there are many users who will never read these arguments, who one day comes back and cannot find Megan or Cueball, and will ask who the heck are Cuegirl/Cutie. I'm completely with Pudder on the problem with giving Cueball the name Rob. It just doesn't make sense. I agree that we have a inconsistency with Megan. But then everyone who uses this page a few times, becomes familiar with that name. However the main problem with all your great ideas is this. Who should correct the either 984 pages where Cueball is mentioned because he is a part of it (and all the other pages relevant to him or where he is exactly mentioned because he isn't part of the comic) and/or who should do the same for 487 comics (plus loose pages) for Megan. Unless those in favor for changing the names will do this, then the discussion is moot. It is already clearly stated in the relevant pages that these two characters are generic and that they have been named but a few times. So what more can we do unless someone is willing to use several days to change this back. I sincerely doubt you can keep the correct syntax if you just try a brute force replacement? There are so many interconnecting links etc. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:21, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

I completely disagree with merging Cueball and Rob. Rob has [[276|Emily]] and [[632|Lisa]] as girlfriends, and Cueball has Megan. Rob also lives a more action-filled and stereotypical life compared to Cueball. --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 13:14, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

I think the main stances here are clear:
* Keep as is
* Rename Cuball to Rob
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl
Since keeping it status quo wouldn't change anything and is asymmetrical, I'll go over the others:
* Rename Cueball to Rob - Arguments:
** Randall gave him this name;
** It would offer symmetry to Megan;
** If the Cutie -> Megan logic is to be followed (as she was changed once named in the comics) then Cueball should be Rob;
** Even though cueball is a generic everyman name, Rob seems more like a name you could give anyone and would be more recognizable to non-native English speakers.
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl - Arguments:
** It would cause symmetry again, letting her have an everywoman name;
** Nostalgia for Cueball;
** Megan is not always the same character, so she should not always have the name Megan

I happen to agree with the idea of merging Cueball and Rob, but I'm not closed to the idea of Cutie/Cuegirl. The main problem is that these characters are typically interchangeable everymen/everywomen and there can be more than one in a comic. So another question is what we should do for multiple Cueballs/Robs. In my opinion, we should have all the comics with more than one depict them as Man 1, Man 2, etc. --[[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 17:04, 20 May 2015 (UTC)
:Well I disagree. The users are used to refeer to these characters now by these names. It is also impractical to try to change them all. Megan is rarely twice in a comic. Maybe she is more the same like Black Hat is. But it is made clear that they are not the same in every comic in their pages. If there are muliple Cueballs but one is the main protagonist then he us cueball. If none can be singled out then Cueball like guy to the left/right can be used. I have done that for tbose cases I have found so far ([[:Category:Multiple_Cueballs|49 today]]).--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:58, 7 June 2015 (UTC)

Well, somebody pointed out that the title text of [[1783: Emails]] suggests that the Cueball in the comic is most certainly not Rob, and calling the main comic character 'Man 1' as above would be silly. And on top of all this, 'Cueball' occurs so much we would probably need to take a regex to every explanation in [[:Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 14:50, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

Why hasn't anyone thought of the name "Hairball"? {{unsigned ip|172.68.189.187}}
:Please don't forget to sign your posts. And everybody should read this first: [[Characters]] and [[Rob]]. For short: Rob is a named Cueball. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:57, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== How to fit explanations of new classes of xkcd-related mysteries into the site: what-if, t-shirts, posters, special comics etc. ==

I suggest that the [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:About explain xkcd] page should explain how this site is laid out, and what sorts of things are explained here besides the online numbered xkcd comics that come out three times a week.

For example, there is the [[A Smarter Planet]] series, and there are ideas for explaining some of the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ What-If] series. I'd like to add my explanation of the [https://gist.github.com/nealmcb/398af29a72f7b3efc202 XKCD Greek t-shirt, with mathematical, scientific and engineering uses for greek letters] and perhaps some other t-shirts, posters and the like.

But I can't even figure out how to find non-numbered-comic-explanations, without going thru the entire [[Special:AllPages]] listing, which includes a huge set of unnumbered aliases as well as the numbered ones.

I've taken a stab towards that by editing the About page to point to some categories (and to start with a little overview), but since I'm just poking around, I might have missed some things. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:40, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

== Link to "Special pages" on main page ==

I think there should be a link to [[Special:SpecialPages]] on the main-page--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:55, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
:Special pages is a default feature in every mediawiki installation. It's also in the sidebar of every page, and it's not relevant to xkcd. Why does it merit space on the main page? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:56, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

== Science comic ==

Should the Science Magazine comic be added? http://m.sciencemag.org/content/342/6154/58.full [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 03:14, 4 April 2015 (UTC)
:I think that would be a great idea. Could there be other copyright rules when the comic has been published on Science? It there anyway to find out if Randall also has a link to it from (or has it on) xkcd? As he has done with the other [[:Category:Extra_Comics|Extra_Comics]]. And how do we create such a page, if there can be no link directly to xkcd (at the top of the comic)? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

== "what if?" section? ==

I would like to start a new "what if?" section explaining and discussing what if pages.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 06:08, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
:Why does it need to exist? The main xkcd comic needs it, because Randall tends to be obtuse at times, but the what if articles are sourced and written out already. Supposedly, they're already explanations to questions sent in to Randall. Why do we need to explain explanations? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:29, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
::Explaining them indeed seems unnecessary, but we could certainly catalog and summarize them. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:38, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
::The images on what if? also have title texts that could further be explained, and we could organize what if pages by categories, as well as provide summaries. There are also subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? that should be explained.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:44, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::This https://what-if.xkcd.com/120/ is a example of a what if that could do with some explanations.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:47, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:::That's one of 135 what-ifs, and it's entirely self referential and can be figured out by reading the rest of the archive. The substance of the majority of pages is going to be incredibly thin, Randall doesn't tend to leave much for explanation. Comics that are simple one-shot images are our least used pages for good reason, and the what-if images pretty much all fall into that category, or are used to illustrate Randall's point that he makes in the immediately preceding paragraph. We could archive/catalog all the what-if pages and be a second archive button for the series, though there's a little less value to that than the archiving we did for [[Time]] and [[Externalities]] because there's already an archive along the same lines on the main site. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::::I think the main value we could add is a summary (TL;DR style) of each entry, in a short Q&A format. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:13, 13 April 2015 (UTC)
If we are going forward with this, is there anyway to find the date in which the what if was first published?--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:01, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:At the bottom of the page, there's an archive button. Click that. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
Well, fact is, the [[what if?]] page is much, '''much''' larger now. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 11:52, 20 April 2015 (UTC)
:Thank you, Nk22! I've added a link from the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd About explain xkcd] page. {{unsigned|Nealmcb}}

== Userscript ==

Hello there, just wrote a simple userscript that adds an 'Explain' button to the original xkcd.com

https://gist.github.com/magazov/934de662d60c9fb5fea9

You can run it via Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey and other similar plugins :)

[[Image:Screen_Shot_xkcd_button.png]]
{{unsigned|Magazovski}}

:Yeah, there's a few of these floating around. In the future, could you use an imgur link instead of uploading stuff like that to the wiki? Thanks. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:02, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

::So maybe explainxkcd should host & maintain one of them? --[[User:Magazovski|Magazovski]] ([[User talk:Magazovski|talk]]) 09:30, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Why would we host an image hosting site? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::::He means we could host and maintain a userscript to help our fans get here from xkcd.... [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 14:36, 9 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::Hum, that's not a bad idea. I'll put it on the list of things to do. Although, if they're already here, why do they need a userscript to help them get here? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:34, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
::::::For people who mainly view the comics through the official site, but sometimes need an explanation of the comic. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:23, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::I've started collecting helpful tools like these on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 00:29, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

== Updating the incomplete comic of the day ==

Currently, I think the incomplete comic of the day should be changed more often (i.e. daily), since the incomplete comics are piling up, and most users aren't seeing the notice, as it is dismissible.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:40, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

:While I agree that the comic of the day could be changed more often, I wouldn't say that the incomplete comics are ''piling up''. Over the months I've been active here, the number of incomplete comics had fallen considerably. In fact if you check the comics which are still marked as incomplete, most of them are one where a significant effort would be required to complete them. For example the large comics (Money, Time, Congress) or dynamic comics (Externalities, Click & Drag, Pixels). --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:32, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::Yeah. Of the 15 incomplete "pages," only 10 of them are actual comics that need the attention, and the full count is still dropping. I've been keeping it on single comics as of late because the remaining actual incomplete comics have been cycled through ~3 times already, with no significant effort made on them, because they're such monumental pieces of work. Making the message dismissable is by design, we are a service first and foremost, we're not trying that hard to make visitors do our work for us. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

== Infrequently recurring minor charachters ==

Should we just group all of the characters that are not of enough significance to warrant their own character page into a single page (i.e. [[Other Minor Characters]])? --{{User:17jiangz1/signature|02:58, 09 May 2015}}
:See comic [[1000]] for a sample of what this entails. Also, what value to we stand to provide by cataloging every unique character that has appeared in xkcd? Does it help us explain the comics any better? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:32, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

== Comic page creation ==

Is comic page creation not automated? If it isn't, then [[Help talk:How to add a new comic explanation]] should be created.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|14:19, 26 May 2015}} 14:19, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:Comic explanation was, at one point, automated. However, the bot ran on a schedule, and so sometimes there would be a few hours between a new comic being posted and the page getting created. Some editors just can't wait that long, so they do the bot's work before the bot even gets going. I agree that this page should be created and be kept up to date. Historically no one has read any of the help pages I've written. ;p [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:42, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:However, I think that the page should be [[Help:Comic Explanation Page Creation]]. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:43, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

== Re-proposing merging Cueball and Rob ==

Okay, so this was previously [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob discussed] but I felt that it was worth bringing up again. Really, at this point, there's no logical reason why the two should not be merged, or Megan and Cutie should be un-merged. Rob and Cueball clearly seem to be the same person, at least when cueball appears as a specific character. In the instances where there are multiple Cueballs, we should just refer to them as Man 1, Man 2, and so on. Can we get a vote or something this time? Yes, I understand that Cueball isn't always the same character. But neither is [[Megan]], and yet we always refer to the short black haired girl (formerly [[Cutie]]) as Megan. If that logic applies to her, it applies to Rob. It's pretty clear that Randall intended to name the character Rob, as most named Cueballs are named Rob and not Fred or something.

In short: Please don't bring nostalgia into this, it's really not relevant. Changing Cueball to Rob or Megan back to Cutie (or Cuegirl?) would have symmetry and make sense. {{unsigned ip|Sensorfire}}
:I'm ok with dumping a marginal character page that only served to add confusion to character identification in new comics, but this was a subject of contention before so we probably need to see more of people's thoughts first. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:03, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

:I agree: let's list the arguments for both sides, ensure that everyone agrees with the objectiveness of that listing, and then vote. If there's support for this plan, and nobody does it first, I'll take a stab at producing a first draft of the summary. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 23:57, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

:Randall is currently on a booktour. So, how about, instead of us (without the ability to read minds) arguing about his intention or who is/isn't the same character, someone go see him and ask? Then we'll know with absolute 100% certainty. [[User:WaltG123|WaltG123]] ([[User talk:WaltG123|talk]]) 04:49, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
::Randall never called either character Cueball and Cutie so of course this is not his names. Asking him would make no meaning at all. For any user of xkcd it will create lots of confusion to change the names of Megan and Cueball now. Regarding Rob he is already listed as Cueball in his category. And Cueballs have been called other names several times. Rob is just the only one that has been used a few times. I agree that it may have been wrong to call her Megan, (the name has been used like three times?) Similar it is just as wrong to call Black Hat's girlfriend [[Danish]], a nick name used once. But it is actually very nice to have a real name or at least useful name when speaking of characters. And it has also been mentioned that Cutie could be perused as a sexist name, so we should not move back to that. Well recently even [[Hairbun]] has her name changed from Hairbun girl since a user thought that was a problem given it most often was a grown woman. So I think we should stick to the solution of the previous debate and leave Cueball, Rob and Megan alone as they are! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

== Adjective phrases ==

Overwhelmed with the need to be picayune, I am compelled to point out that on the homepage there is the sentence that begins "There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations..." This sentence contains a adjective phrase which should be hyphenated thus: "set-in-stone"

Please pretend that I have said something witty here, as I am too tired to think of anything funny. {{unsigned|Gamewriter}}
:Is it actually grammatically wrong in it's current state? Huh. I guess I'll change it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:42, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

::This is long after the fact, but I'll throw my two cents in on Davidy22's question. Yes, it is wrong. If the 'set in stone' phrase were after the word explanations ("explanations set in stone") it would not require hyphens, but used as an adjective before the noun ("set-in-stone explanations") it requires them. D Miller [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.41|108.162.221.41]] 18:26, 21 March 2016 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==

You are currently using MediaWiki 1.19.17. It's ''really'' outdated. Maybe update to 1.26.2, the current recommended stable version? There is an [[mw:Manual:Upgrading|official guide]] for that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.77|141.101.80.77]] 12:03, 24 January 2016 (UTC) (PS my IP address is wrong it's not what you think it is)

== Rename Hair Bun Girl ==

The character [[Hair Bun Girl]] was named in April 2015. There wasn't any discussion of the name at the time, so I'd like to open that discussion now please.

At present we have several other characters named after distinctive visual features: [[Ponytail]], [[Black Hat]], [[White Hat]], [[Beret Guy]], and arguably [[Hairy]] and [[Cueball]]. In all but one of those cases, the name matches the distinctive feature itself, without the addition of "guy", "girl", etc. Given the number of comics that Beret Guy is in it's probably too late to modify his name, but it's not too late for Hair Bun Girl.

Besides the consistency issue, there's also the inaccuracy of referring to a grown woman with the term "girl", particularly when the character has been presented as older than [[Megan]]. I'd really like to fix this while her number of appearances is still manageable.

The name "Hairbun" has been proposed and I think that matches really nicely with Ponytail in particular.

[[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:23, 9 February 2016 (UTC)
:As the "guy" who created the Hair Bun Girl characther, I have no objection to changing the name. I did not think about the issue with girl/woman, probably because I'm not native English speaker. (And with the Beret Guy as an example). Jkshapiro was so kind as to [[User_talk:Kynde#Hair_Bun_.22Girl.22|ask my opinion]] before starting this discussion. At first I thought that ''Hairbun'' was a little weird, but then again so is Ponytail in this context. So I '''support''' the change to '''Hairbun'''! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

I vote '''change''' Hair Bun to Hairbun and '''keep''' girl. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 21:02, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

OK, I'm going ahead. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:47, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
:Well as I said I would not mind, but you cannot say you got any other to agree with you on this though. Mimek wished to keep girl... It will be a huge job to get all the instances correct, also be careful no to change those places where the talk is of a girl who has a hair bun. You cannot just change all placed with hair bun girl to Hairbun, in case is actually says the hair bun girl about a small girl who has a hair bun! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:59, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
::Seems no one cares, so I will remove the notes now. Great job Jkshapiro with changing the names. I like the new name now :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:35, 2 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile friendly website ==

Can we get a mobile friendly version of the wiki? If we already have one, what about forwarding the main site to it when viewed on a phone? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:59, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Ditto. And/or an app. I would like to be able to keep track of which comics/explanations I have read. [[User:Calion|Calion]] ([[User talk:Calion|talk]]) 13:36, 31 July 2019 (UTC)

Install [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension] on the wiki. Or is it more complicated than that? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt Dgbrt] mentions "working on a real mobile version" below, under [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Tables_vs_bold_text Tables vs bold text] [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 15:56, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== New categories ==

I think there may be a need to propose a standard way to decide on categories: what new ones are needed, what are the prerequisites for creating a new category, how to maintain new categories and make sure they are actually used when they apply etc. For now I have gathered all previous discussions about new categories under this section. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 13:39, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think that whenever there are more than 4-5 comics that you wish to refer to in a given explanation because they are of the same topic as the current comic, then having a category is much to prefer rather than listing 5, 6 or 7 comics. I have made several categories for these instances, for instance for sport including the most used sports. At the time being I keep them up to date. One of the things this site does so well is giving you an easy way to find a specific comic even though you cannot remember the title of any precise quotes etc. If you just have an idea of what the topic was you might find it based on the categories. In this way I do not think we can have too many categories. As long as they describe a recurring subject. Only fault is that there seems to be no way to search for a comic based on more than one category? That would be great. In some cases even only 3 comics in a category can make sense. For instance I would be sorry to see this one go [[:Category:Puts on sunglasses]] (and I did not make it!) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:09, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::For instance I have long wished for categories that covered all the space probe related comics, particularly all those referencing the Mars rovers. So today I made them with 16 and 9 comics in them already. [[:Category:Space probes]] [[:Category:Mars rovers]]. I hope people will generally think this was a great idea! :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:42, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:::And [[:Category:The Lion King]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:47, 1 March 2016 (UTC)

=== Category: Protip ===

Anyone for adding ''Protip'' as a [[:Category:Comic series|Comic series]]. I have found five so far: [[653]], [[711]], [[1022]], [[1047]] and [[1156]]. (There are also a few comics with a protip title text.) -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:25, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:I think that qualifies as a recurring topic (thus worthy of a category), but not as a series, where you can see a clear sequence. In fact, [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] has the same limitation, for what I suggest it to be removed from [[:Category:Comic series]]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:42, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

::Seconded. Looks general and common enough to be a category. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:57, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::Okay, great! Do you think that the ones with a "protip:" title text should be included? Besides, I think I might be the one responsiple for moving My Hobby from [[:Category:Comics by topic|Comics by topic]] to Comic series. I felt that all the My Hobby comics were about different topics, but maybe i've got to narrow an interpretation of the word "topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:31, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::: Can you link to the protip-in-title-text comics?
:::: As for My Hobby, note that categories aren't mutually exclusive. They can be in the "my hobby" topic, and each of them further categorized as appropriate: music, math, etc. Makes sense? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:45, 5 January 2013 (UTC)
:::: I just searched for protip in the xkcd search bar. Here: [[1084]], [[427]]. And yes, makes sense. I've moved My Hobby back to "by topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:06, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Sports ===

How about creating a new "Sports" category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 15:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:Well, maybe. Everyone aren't so keen on new categories here. Which comics are you thinking of, for a start? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 20:32, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
::We definitely need to reach an agreement as a community on when to create new categories. Something simple like a minimum of 3 (or, say, 5) existing comics. Since we're already at the proposals' portal... what do you guys think about that? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:::My opinion: Five would be enough to qualify. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I vote for four. But it should also be a reasonable thing to categorize, like sports, not like "sports with Cueball containing at least three anagram words". Wich sholdn't be a problem. :) But the best name choice could be tricky sometimes. e.g. "Film & television", Film & TV", "Film", "Films", or "Movies"? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::
::::Agreed, five should be enough to create the category without having to discuss it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
: OK, let's start with [[588: Pep Rally|588]], [[1092: Michael Phelps|1092]], [[904: Sports|904]] and [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet|1107]]. Should be able to find a few more. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 05:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, it's a broad subject so there are probably several more. -[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::I found another one, sort of, in [[929:Speculation|929]] (although it hasn't been explained yet). Should I get the ball rolling (no pun intended) on setting up the category? Don't wanna do it unilaterally and get yelled at. ;) [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 06:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I think you should. On a wiki, getting stuck in discussions which die without a conclusion, to the point that motivated people give up without having done anything, is definitely counter-productive, and phrases like [[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Be bold|Wikipedia:Be bold]] are here to remind us of that. Seems like people agreed that you ''could'', and after a while nobody said that you ''shouldn't'', so I'd say do it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
:I did it without looking here first, because it was obvious there were many [[:Category:Sport|sport comics]]. I have even created four under categories (only one was there before, Chess). There are 10 comics at present that are related to other sports than the five under categories. And given the way Randall thinks about sport (not very much) he still has plenty of comics about the subject. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:33, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

=== Category: Sex ===

I think we should also create a Sex category. There's no ''doubt'' we can find more than three examples. I'll start looking for them and post the ones I find in here; again, I don't wanna create a large category by myself without community consent. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:20, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
*OK, the ones for Category: Sex that I've found so far are [[443]], [[219]], [[550]], [[1026]], [[575]], [[468]], [[592]], [[320]], [[1101]], [[417]], [[713]], [[672]], [[230]], [[436]], [[940]], [[532]], [[649]], [[176]], [[1006]], [[596]] and [[717]], and I'm sure there are many more. Should we create this category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 23:17, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

:Same as [[#Category: Sports|above]], do it. Oh, already did; well, all the better. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:53, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Flowcharts ===

Hello, the line "Randall has made use of flowcharts before." in today's comic explanation made me want a [[:Category:Flowcharts|flowcharts category]] to navigate into...

As it didn't exist, I proceeded to create it, but as the log says, [[User:lcarsos|lcarsos]] deleted such a category in November, saying ''"Insufficient differentiation from Category:Comics with charts, diluting the depth of comics tagged charts"''.

I don't agree with that, and I think we could profit from such a subcategory. I found those pages fitting it:
* [[94: Profile Creation Flowchart]]
* [[210: 90's Flowchart]]
* [[488: Steal This Comic]]
* [[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]
* [[844: Good Code]]
* [[851: Na]]
* [[854: Learning to Cook]]
* [[1195: Flowchart]]

So? - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:Weell if you're willing to take charge of the category and personally make sure it's added to all relevant comic explanations, go ahead. The usual objection to making new categories is that we admins can't remember all the categories when we're reviewing new explanations, but it's K if you're willing to take up that responsibility yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:17, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:
:: OK. I did it without waiting for further replies, because I think it will be especially profitable today (to viewers).
:: It doesn't seem a big issue to me if the correct category is not added when a new explanation is made: a passing editor will do it later on... But hey, I'm OK with taking special care of adding pages to this category.
:: [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 12:28, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

::: I just want to add that Cos' view is indeed the appropriate way to work in wikis: there is no concept of a single author for a page, category, or piece of text, and the workload is meant to be distributed among several editors: it is not necessary that any single editor remembers all existing categories, or knows the wiki markup by heart, or knows how to work with all the features of mediawiki, etc. The reason why wikis can be edited by anyone is precisely a recognition that there *will* be errors and any page can be improved somehow. That reasoning against categories should, IMO, be abandoned, or at most only kept as the opinion of some editors. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 22:00, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

Isnt there a page which lists all the categories? If not, there should be one, and it should be accessible to all. Such a page could be useful when trying to quick-add categories to comics. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.83.155|117.194.83.155]] 13:43, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, there is. [[Special:Categories]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:07, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::Of course, there's a gazillion of 'em, over several pages, so I understand any reluctance to add new categories (having just suggested a new one myself which I feel is justified, but knowing that the upkeep needed may be the key point of contention so remaining philosophical about it).
::A solution perhaps to carry over from another locale that I frequent is to have a "Categories of Character" page, a "Categories of Object" one, perhaps "Categories of Event", and a "Categories of Publication". For each new comic someone can easily check the shorter Character categories list against those present, the Object list against itemsin use, Events, etc, and of course the Publication one has the "Tuesday Comic"/equivalent, and other date-based ones (although isn't that automatic from templated creation? ...never added a comic, but would imagine it is). After that it's a trawl through the miscelania categories (perhaps a meta-category just for them?). But, yeah, a lot of work to set up. Wouldn't wish it on anyone who wasn't already willing to do it, and I remain an anon-IP person right now so can hardly commit ''myself'' as volunteer maintainer of this. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:20, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: (Barred/banned from?) Conferences ===

I come here after realising I erroneously posted (in reply) to the Main page Talk, being anonymous (or at least IP-only) and without a list of qualifying articles to support me, just yet, but still wish to put forward the above category before I forget. There's no apparent equivalent, that I found, but it's definitely a recurring meme. I should be back (named or otherwise) with my suggested list of members, if someone else doesn't get there first, but I thought I'd start with the placemarker. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:41, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, so I got the bee in my bonnet and spent a few minutes actually looking into this. Revising "Barred from Conferences" (actually more often "Banned" or even "Thrown out of"/equivalent) to just "Conferences", the subset of comics that I can easily find that are involved is *[[153]], *[[177]], *[[365]], *[[410]], *[[463]], *[[541]], [[545]], [[685]], [[829]] and [[867]], but I'm sure there are more recent ones that I didn't spot/recall. One alternative title to "Conferences" is "Presentations", and I'm sure if I'd searched for that I'd have found more potential candidates (less some that might ''exit'' the renamed category). The asterisked ones ''do'' deal with being barred/banned/thrown out/etc, making it still a suitable category in its own right, IMO, but I'll leave it up to your combined musings to decide. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::I add [[690]] to the list. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:12, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

::: Great suggestions! I created [[:Category:Public speaking]] and [[:Category:Banned from conferences]]. I also added [[Wikipedian Protester]] to the mix, of course :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:59, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Wishes ===

[http://explainxkcd.com/1391/ Several] [http://explainxkcd.com/1086/ comics] [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/152:_Hamster_Ball now] [http://xkcd.com/879/ exist] that talk about wishes - probably more. Should there be a category for this? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:22, 7 July 2014 (UTC)
:Doesn't seem significant enough. If you promise to maintain the category you can make it yourself, although it will be cleared out if it gets neglected as new comics are released. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:20, 8 July 2014 (UTC)

=== Category: Artificial Intelligence ===

Hello world.

There are a handful of comics involving Ai - [[1540]], [[1530]], [[1450]] and [[948]] for instance - and maybe it's an idea to give them their own category {{unsigned|Nk22}}

:The usual objection to new categories is that they get abandoned and are too narrow for other people to think of picking them up. If you're going to own it and update it with new comics, you can make it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:01, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

=== Category: Size Comparisons ===
There are numerous comics comparing sizes of things. I can't get a list right now, but off the top of my head, radiation dosages, money, today's comic, and space shuttles in horses. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 19:23, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

===Category: Katamari Damacy ===

There are quite a few comics about this game. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]])

== Adding Ratings for Explanations ==

I found [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1652 today's explanation] excellently written however that is not always the case. Frequently explanations are walk through of the conversation that are too wordy without any succinct explanation of why or how a strip is funny -- while many of those low quality explanations are not strictly "incomplete" they could benefit from a careful rewrite. I was wondering if we should add a rating tool such as " ''Was this explanation helpful? yes/no'' " so as to identify explanation that could benefit from improvement without having to be tagged as "incomplete". [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:57, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
:We have a rather prominent discussion page for feedback, do we really need an additional add-on for this? I did a little research and found that other wikis use [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Rating semantic rating] and [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ArticleRatings article ratings], which I can install if enough other users want it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:54, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

== New Speculation Sections ==

I often see a lot of speculation and conjecture within the explanation of the comic itself. I don't think it has any place in the explanation but I know many editors enjoy speculating and interpreting the comic and the meaning behind it so I've decided to start this discussion on whether we should provide a section where we can provide different speculations.

What I am thinking would not be like the discussion page, where comments are made and discussed, but an edited and reviewed section which outlines different speculations and interpretations of the comics themselves and perhaps even the author's intent.

Of course tone and presentation should be held to the same standards of the comic explanation but I think this would be a good way to better organize a review of the comic.

I have been away too long to remember if there are any comic explanations with something like this so I have no idea how well it would work.

As an example;

This part from comic 1642: [[Gravitational Waves]]

" It seems that Randall knew in advance about this announcement because this comic was published on a Thursday, not following the normal publish schedule, to coincide with the announcement "

Is well supported, and rather likely correct, conjecture which belongs in the body of the explanation because not only is it backed by strong evidence but it provides background on the comic and the time in which the comic was released and aids in understanding the comic itself.

However, this part from comic 478: [[The Staple Madness]]

"From just reading the comic by itself, one may presume that in the last panel, Cueball has been stapled to the ceiling (as obvious evidence to Megan that Beret Guy has indeed been abusing her staple gun). According to the comic's official transcript, however, it is in fact God who is speaking."

Is almost as equally well supported and certainly a valid interpretation of simply the comic. It is only refuted by the official transcript. I believe it is important to acknowledge and may even be a more humorous interpretation than the one which is provided by the official transcript.

If we added a speculation section (or something of the sort) then we would have a place to talk about this interpretation more freely and expound upon it more.

[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:16, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
: Problem is the whole "explanation" is actually conjecture. None of us the author, we're all just guessing. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 15:23, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

: Many of the current explanations are conjecture, that's true but not every explanation. Providing information on the science or mathematics behind a particular comic is not conjecture. Stating whether the author intended to belittle the field or state that one field is superior over another (unless fairly explicitly stated) is. And there are many things which can be inferred without being simple speculation. Not every comic would need a section like this, and not every comic needs a trivia section, and I'm not ready to start adding this proposed section myself. But I think it should be considered. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:35, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
::The intention of the discussion pages was to serve as a place for people to put their conjecture and reaching interpretations of the comics. They're presented alongside the explanation to make people's interpretations more readily visible. Some people may have trouble distinguishing an ungrounded interpretation of a comic from an explanation of it, and they will insert weak text into explanations. If you find something you disagree with, feel free to bring it up in the discussion section and edit it out of the explanation liberally '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:17, 17 May 2016 (UTC)

== Unixkcd ==

Hello everyone. I was just wondering: is there anything on http://uni.xkcd.com/. Because I was just looking and the only thing I found on Unixkcd is a mention of a bug in [[1350]]. There is not even a mention on the April fools article.
:There's nothing on this site, there's a couple of novel tidbits on the xkcd site that are at best tangentially related to the comic, as Randall originally intended to make xkcd.com his personal site for hosting his own projects. That particular one doesn't show up in any comics. Also, proposals might not be the best place to put this. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:46, 21 May 2016 (UTC)
::I added the unixckd information to [[721: Flatland]]. According to [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Randalls Øredev 2013 talk] unixkcd was the April Fools' prank for April 1st 2010. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 09:00, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

== New character category for blonde woman news reporter (from 1699) ==

From today's comic [[1699: Local News]] I just got the idea that there may be needing a new category for either blonde woman and/or comics with news reports. I posted this [[Talk:1699:_Local_News#New_character_category|post]], in the talk page of that comic. Any comments, and if agreeing that there might be one or two different character categories needed then please suggest what they should be called. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:00, 27 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with Blondie as new character name and with adding a category for news reports. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 00:47, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with new character category for Blondie --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:38, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:: Thanks for the replies. Could be nice with a few more chipping in. One issue I just found is [[Miss Lenhart]] and ambiguous situations like in comic [[59: Graduation]], where I would remove the miss reference. But then miss would be a sub category of Blondie (or Blonde? which Randall cals the girl in 59) as [[Rob]] is for [[Cueball]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:07, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:: I think blondie is fine for a name. Miss Lenhart is another character who uses a similar design so I think treating her like Rob is perfectly acceptable. The only thing more I think we should discuss is the role blondie plays in most of the comics (Like how cueball is an everyman, whitehat is often a strawman, Blackhat is blackhat etc.) [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:04, 13 July 2016 (UTC)
:::There are also these two that looks like Blondie: [[Mrs. Roberts]] or her daughter [[Elaine Roberts]]. I think this is part of why no one has made the category, as there are already three named women with the same hair. But there are so many other comics with this kind of woman, that I think she should be created. I hope I will get the time, but if anyone has any other ideas than just calling them "Blondie" and letting the other three be an subcategory like Rob is of Cueball then say so now before anyone creates Blondie. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:19, 24 August 2016 (UTC)
:::Agree with new character category and characters with the same appearance as sub-categories [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 18:04, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

Based on the discussion she is now called [[Blondie]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 10 September 2016 (UTC)
 And now there is also a [[:Category:News anchor]] with 15 entries already. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:22, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

== fix a page ==

The page Comics featuring Summer Glau is missing:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/526:_Converting_to_Metric {{unsigned ip|108.162.241.130}}
:Done. In the future, you can add categories yourself, just scroll to the bottom and follow the template the others go by. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:56, 7 July 2016 (UTC)

== New xkcd book out. ==

Any chance of posting a section of explanation pages for the cartoons in the new xkcd book, hopefully explaining some of the cryptic red notes? Thanks! {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.102}}

== Business Plan category ==

I propose renaming [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business]] into Business Plans, and adding it to [[1721: Business Idea]] [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:15, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::(Note I added a ":" to your category link to show the link instead of adding this page to the category. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC))
:No of course not, that comic is about [[Cueball]]. This is Beret Guy's business we are talking about here. This category is not about business idea but about what [[Beret Guy]] does just like the page with [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]. Both are used in the explanation of who he is. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

== Comics with header text ==

Several comic have some header text, such as [[851]] or [[1052]]. Shouldn't there be a category for them or something? I think it is quite a notable feature. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 15:23, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
:I feel like it's not a particularly defining feature, it feels like making a category for comics that have frames with no borders or something, it's just a technique Randall uses. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:35, 21 September 2016 (UTC)
::To me it feels more like a second title text. It is not technically part of the comic itself, but is a separate piece of information included with it on the xkcd website. There is a category for comics without title text, this is the same, only reverse, in my humble opinion [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 07:13, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

== purpose of detailed transcripts ==

There are two styles of comic descriptions in the transcripts. Some
are fairly terse, giving only the information required to understand
the comic (e.g. "Cueball is talking to Megan, who looks excited").
Others give lots of graphic details, as if one should be able to
reconstruct the picture from the description (e.g. "Cueball, on the
left, is talking to Megan, on the right. His left hand is pointing to
her. Megan's arms are raised above her head and her excitement is
shown by short lines around her head..." and so on). The former style
used to be the norm, the latter has become increasingly
common in recent months.

Being visually impaired, I am extremely pleased with the terse style
of transcript, and have no interest in the verbose style. To me it is
useless and sometimes fairly annoying. Of course, this is a community
and I can happily live with it if others find it useful.

So, I'd like to know who needs detailed, graphical transcripts, and
for what purpose? Were they requested by some users, or did those
writing transcripts just decide to adopt this new style? If there is
a clearly identified reason for describing pictures in detail, fine.
If not, I vote for switching back to the old, terse style.

Zetfr 14:10, 27 September 2016 (UTC)

:Sorry we did not see this at the time. As we can see you finally found ears for you comment after [[1798]] and a new discussion has begun on [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B|my user page]]. (Should probably have been here?) But anyway I'm responsible for your problems, and I will try to write less in the transcript and add "other important" either below in the trivia or below the main comic (as maybe - Detailed image description...) It was meant as a way to search for any thing in the comic if you needed it. I guess most people do not read the transcript, so of course annoying if it is not useful for those who always need to read it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:21, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

== Rename Science Girl "Jill" ==

Following the Precedent of "[[Megan]]" and "[[Danish]]" (but oddly enough not [[Rob]]), I propose that we rename [[Science Girl]] Jill, as per [[1662]]. This could serve to give her an easier name and to use in cases where the character doesn't have a connection with science but seems to be the same girl. [[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 18:19, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
:The only time she's called Jill is in Jack and Jill comics (of course), and the only reason you'd want to do that is since [[Randall]] displays them similarly. In some cases Science Girl is even clearly older. We might do that if there was a [[Child-Blackhaired-Ponytail]] character, but these characters are always either Science Girl or Jill. Also, Jill has very, very few appearances anyway. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:37, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

== Make an official transcript site ==
I've already taken the liberty of making {{template|transcript}}, and think we, together, can do better- which is why I'm implementing [https://jackm.000webhost.com/transcript.html this site], in order to display the official transcript in its intended format. However, it is bugged, and could do better if moved to explain xkcd. Is anyone in on this? [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:36, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:The transcript site doesn't seem to be accessible. Is the project dead? If it's not I can try to help. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 21:06, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

== HTTPS Links Back to XKCD Interfere with Random Button ==

The Links back to the comics that are present just above the comic itself on the wiki pages (and adjacent to the next and previous links) provides an HTTPS link back to XKCD. However, this interferes with users who want to click that link, and then click `random` - because `c.xkcd.com` does NOT support HTTPS, and thus clicking 'random' after returning to xkcd from explainxkcd does not work. These links should be switched back to HTTP.

--[[User:9000 volts|9000 volts]] ([[User talk:9000 volts|talk]]) 21:15, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

== Rearrange for our visually impaired friends. ==

I have a great friend who is blind and he uses this site to "read" XKCD so we can talk about it. However, there are two things that he finds frustrating. The first, while it means no harm and most readers gloss over it, when listening to the content of the page every day it can become demeaning to hear "it's because you're dumb" every time. I certainly agree, I use explain XKCD because I am significantly dumb-er than Randall, but my friend uses it because he's blind. This is not that big of a deal, but a friendly suggestion.

The second suggestion is to move the transcript section to the top before the explanation so as not to spoil the content of the comic with user explanation right away--in the case that those listening to the article are in fact smart enough to get the joke before needing an explanation.

Thanks for your consideration.

== Incomplete in spotlight ==

The incomplete comic in spotlight should be changed more often, the current one is not even incomplete. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 16:52, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

== Duplicate Navigation tools at bottom of page (please!) ==

I'm enjoying revisiting xkcd canon through the lens of Explain, but frustrated that after studiously reading through the explanation and discussion, I have to scroll back up to the top to get to the Next button.
What would the harm be in duplicating the buttons at the foot of each page?
Thanks for considering this.
Regards

That would be nice, would help a lot. Also, please sign your comments with four tildes. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 19:46, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

== JSON endpoint ==
There is a [http://www.xkcd.com/info.0.json endpoint] to retrieve information about the comics on the xkcd website. However the info there is not complete, specially when it comes to the transcripts. explainxkcd should provide a similar interface. It would be very useful specially for bots/scripts. The commmunity could help completing the information on the xkcd website and/or provide a new interface. The transcript are already retrieved from this website and a copy can be found [https://github.com/nhatzHK/randi/blob/master/json/xkcd.references.json here]. If there isn't already a complete file or databse with all the information, this file could help building it. However, this document has been compiled by scraping the html of explainxkcd, so there's some errors in it. These errors can be avoid with a clear and easy to access interface like JSON, similar to what is available on the xkcd website. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 20:43, 11 July 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe there is a mediawiki addon to support a JSON file. Any ideas? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:08, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

== Suggestion for small improvement to interface ==
Am I the only one that wishes the Previous / Next buttons were repeated at the bottom of the page? After reading the explanation, I often want to go to the next one in sequence.
(Obviously, I don't check this wiki every day :)
Scrolling back to the top isn't hard, but having the buttons near the bottom would make navigation easier.

Hope you agree!
Murray in NJ

PS: Aha! I see others have suggested the same thing :) {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.232}}
:This was also mentioned before. I don't agree because the layout is based on the original xkcd site. '''Protip''': Do not "scroll back", just use your keyboard. The magic key is called "Home". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:14, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

== Category for The Little Prince? ==

How many comics need to feature/mention a certain thing before we need a category?

I think there are enough featuring the Little Prince to deserve a Category of its own.

== mediawiki things ==

could admin please update to the latest version of mediawiki and add the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Skin:Timeless?useskin=timeless timeless skin], thx. also would help if you added <code>line-height: 1.5em</code> to the edit box (<code>#wpTextbox1</code>) while making it taller to compensate, or added the 2010 code editor to aid readability. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.4|162.158.92.4]] 11:50, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

== The state of "incomplete" explanations and an unified policy ==

Hello, everybody. Recently I went through the "incomplete" explanations and I saw several problems... I think I better split this into sections.

'''1) Many seemingly old and complete explanations are marked either with various creative variations of the auto-generated tag or something along the lines of "rough draft".''' I have personally removed several incomplete tags during the last days, sometimes adding few information before doing so, but usually not. But there are so many of them and it just would not feel right to take it upon myself to reap them all, so, if anyone can spare a few minutes to quickly scan them and remove (or update, in some cases) the tags, it would be nice. Here is a list of explanations with this particular problem, for convenience: [[1874]], [[1906]], [[1908]], [[1912]], [[1915]], [[1919]], [[1925]], [[1926]], [[1929]], [[1930]], [[1937]]

1940 and 1941 also seem complete IMO, but given how recent they are, they could be given some time.

'''2) Some incomplete tags seem like abuse of the feature.''' [[1909]] is probably the best example of this. Table might be nice, but it is not necessary to explain the comic, it would be just "gilding". There is nothing wrong about perfecting complete articles, but marking an article incomplete because someone got an idea how it could be done (and is too lazy to do it themselves) should be discouraged IMO. Other examples: [[1904]] - here I actually disagree with the proposal - why should information that does not represent percentages be represented using them? - but that's my personal view. [[1895]] - this one is asking for further perfection of a perfective information. [[1688]] - a '''huge''' example, asks for something that would require quite a lot of effort without helping anyone understand the comic, a cool project, but not needed for the article to be complete. [[1701]] - I really don't think this is necessary and the explanation is already twice the size I'd expect for such simple comic (*obligatory personal opinion disclaimer*).

'''3) Some tags are just... vague.''' [[1856]] and [[1733]]. "Someone could maybe improve this" applies to pretty much everything in the universe, sorry.

'''4) A policy proposal.''' Here comes the second half of the topic title. There appear to be two conflicting schools of thoughts among editors. Some seem to prefer long, meticulously detailed explanations. Others, including myself, prefer short and concise explanations. On more than one occasion, this has led to mess, so I think there should be some official policies about what kind of information should be considered considered necessary, useful, and superfluous. Obviously, every comic is different, and defining hard rules for this is impossible, so maybe "guideline" is a better word than "policy" here. Here are some suggestions about what this guideline could contain (please, take this as a "sub-suggestion", if a guideline gets accepted, but will end up containing nothing out of this, I will still be happy):

* NECESSARY: named people, groups, organizations, websites, works of art, geographic locations etc. should be briefly introduced, unless they can be presumed to be universally known (e.g. Google, Shakespeare, New York). Obscure words should be defined. Scientific and technical terms should be explained.
* SUPERFLUOUS: recursive explanations - an explanation that mentions concepts that themselves need explaining, but were not relevant to the comic itself.

I guess that's it. Maybe a little disclaimer that I don't have much time now, so I may not be here to further lead this discussion. Maybe I should have waited with posting this when I do have time, but that may not be for a long time, so for what it's worth, here it is.
--[[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 12:16, 13 January 2018 (UTC)

:Your "policy (or guideline) proposal" is that what's widely excepted here. There are some overwhelming explanations and you are welcome to help on more precise writings. But in general there is no censorship here, less important content may be moved to a trivia section below the transcript. Irrelevant content (who decides that?) may be moved to the talk page with a given reason. I'm also a fan of "short and concise explanations" but who will judge what this really is? Further more I really dislike many of those tables, it's bad layout. But changing this takes a lot of work. [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:51, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

::The main reason why I want there to be an official policy is so the process of marking explanations as complete can be more straightforward. There would be a community-approved list of things an explanation needs to contain, if an explanation has all that, it is complete. Of course there would still be lot of room for interpretation because every comic is different and coming up with rules that fit all is impossible, but I believe this could still be a massive improvement over the current state.
::Also, '''please''', when I say something is merely a sub-suggestion, I mean it. Your reply gives me the feeling you understood my proposal as something along the lines of "We should make it an official policy that explanations should look like this:", whereas it was more along the lines of "There should be an official policy about what explanations should contain. Here is an example of what such policy could maybe look like:" [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:49, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
:::In general I don't think this is a big issue. The vast majority (99%) of the comics is ''not'' marked as incomplete and those you are citing here should be discussed at the corresponding talk pages. Thus I don't see a ''massive improvement'' anyway.
:::However we can enhance the proper section at the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] by one or two concise sentences. But when you say ''"There should be..."'' nothing would happen; that's why I say: ''"We should make it"''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:36, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

== Tables vs bold text ==

There are many, many, many comics with several things mentioned in the comic that need to be individually explained, and there are two ways we can do it, one being tables (for example: [[1930: Calendar Facts]]), the other being using bold text to separate paragraphs into sections (for example: [[1972: Autogyros]]). The thing is for the most cases, it seems like we should be using tables, but then using bold text to seperate paragraphs looks better, and is also easier... So when should we use tables, and when bold text? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:20, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
:IMHO we have far too much tables - a structured floating text is much easier to read. Consider this:
:*A ''List of all planets in our solar'' system with a few columns for distance (in km, mi, and AU), size, and temperature. That's a classical table.
:*The table in [[1930: Calendar Facts]] contains far too much text in many cells. Try to read this on a smartphone. And furthermore on my ''Google Chrome for Android'' all the tables from this comic are not shown at all when using the ''Simplified View''.
:*Or compare this: [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1549: xkcd Phone 3]]. I prefer the floating text and even more when I'm using a mobile device.
:But that's only my opinion.
:Nevertheless I'm also working on a real mobile version of this Wiki (similar to Wikipedia) and that will require some restrictions to the layout to get it properly rendered. But this will not happen before the FIFA World Cup 2018 is over ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:17, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
::Agreed. Narrow columns with simple facts are ok, but longer text should not be put in a table. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 10:15, 18 June 2018 (UTC)
::: I second this. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:22, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::::Please check also this new [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] and the belonging talk page. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:04, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::Any updates? (Why) is it not just a matter of installing [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension]? :) (See also above: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Mobile_friendly_website Mobile friendly website]) [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 16:01, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== Add the comic to the edit page ==

While editing the explanation, it would be nice to be able to see the comic on that same page, especially for the transcript. (it's difficult for mobile editors to see two pages at once)
:Please sign your comments, and that’s not possible from what I know, considering how this website is set up. (I can still edit fine on mobile) [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 13:49, 15 March 2019 (UTC)

== Dark theme/night mode ==

Should I explain this?

It's for all of us who edit the wiki at 1am and like our retinas.

Firefox has a [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dark-theme-enhanced/?src=recommended Dark Theme Extension], and it looks pretty good on the Wiki. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-theme-for-google-chr/annfbnbieaamhaimclajlajpijgkdblo Chrome does too], but I haven't tried it out.

== Change dates to match ISO 8601. ==

Can we change the timestamps to match [[1179: ISO 8601]]? I'm surprised this hasn't been suggested earlier [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 20:33, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

== Add bookmark ==

I have used some simple javascript to create a bookmarklet that automatically opens the wiki-page of the xkcd page that you are reading. I would like to provide it on the wiki. It works as follows.

1. Make a bookmark, give it a recognizable name.
2. For the url, enter the following: javascript: document.location = document.URL.replace('xkcd.com','explainxkcd.com');
3. Create the bookmark. To use it, open any xkcd page and click it to go to the corresponding wiki page.

Thanks for considering.
[[User:Kwonunn|Kwonunn]] ([[User talk:Kwonunn|talk]]) 18:27, 3 May 2019 (UTC)

:Thanks Kwonunn! I've started collecting these helpful tools on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 01:30, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Regarding using facebook like and google captcha - Privacy concerns ==

Considering that they track users across various sites, it is not in the best interests of the users' privacy.

https://complianz.io/google-recaptcha-and-the-gdpr-a-possible-conflict/ - This article explains the issues better than I can.

Especially the users who use VPNs affected more - it takes noticeably longer and more tries to pass the google captcha. Preventing/dis-incentivizing new contributors from behind a VPN. There is anecdotal evidence (in the form of reddit posts) that google captcha discriminates firefox users and allow chrome users to get simpler challenges or none at all.

The Facebook like button is an iframe. Users visiting this page(s) have not explicitly consented to being tracked by facebook and google.

I am speculating here, but from the amount of data these two items are gathering, it seems possible to de-anonymize the users who are behind a vpn. I don't trust either of these companies to not grab the free data. In the article listed above, it seems captcha alone can capture a screenshot of the pages without users' (explicit) consent. I haven't read through all the privacy and terms.

Captcha is necessary for avoiding spam. There are alternatives. Anything but google one should suffice. Regarding the facebook like button, I think that should be replaced by a link to the facebook page. {{unsigned ip|172.68.38.88}}
:I think this can be done only by admins, who are currently absent from this wiki. However regarding the Captcha, there is an easy fix: Register here, and log into your account (an one-time e-mail address is sufficient, if you are worried about your privacy). Also please sign your comments to talk pages and other discussions (such as this) - It will not show the IP related to you/your VPN, but one from cloudfare, so it will also not hurt your privacy, but automatically put a timestamp, etc.

== Removing unnecessary 3-comic categories? ==

I count eight categories on explainxkcd that satisfy the following properties: 1. They have only three comics in them. 2. They aren't really a comic series; they just feature or reference a comic theme. 3. They aren't Featuring some person or character. In short, they seem to have no real reason to exist. (They're [[:Category:Spice_Girls|t]][[:Category:Wind_turbine|h]][[:Category:CubeSats|e]][[:Category:Ender%27s_Game|s]][[:Category:Optimization|e]] [[:Category:Git|o]][[:Category:FernGully|n]][[:Category:Giraffes|e]]s.) So my proposal: remove them. -[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 20:37, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
:In addition, there are [[:Category:Sketches|t]][[:Category:BSD|h]][[:Category:Emacs|i]][[:Category:Identity_Theft|r]][[:Category:Katamari_Damacy|t]][[:Category:Super_Bowl|e]][[:Category:The_Matrix|e]][[:Category:Tournament_bracket|n]][[:Category:Traffic_light| ]][[:Category:Trebuchet|m]][[:Category:Wingsuit|o]][[:Category:Euler_diagrams|r]][[:Category:Pedantic|e]] four-comic categories that also seem rather in need of deletion.
:: Shouldn't the community at least have some time to expand on these categories, in case they're currently incomplete? For example, [[:Category:The Matrix]] is on your list and now contains 7 strips, and [[:Category:Tournament bracket]] got its 5th entry after your post. Even if they're not, a theme category can save some typing in the search box (and is probably also cheaper in terms of server resources than all the searches it'll eliminate). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 22:43, 21 November 2019 (UTC)
:::So what do you think the limit should be for categories? Should we create a category when two comics mention the same topic? Three? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 16:28, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
::::Three seems reasonable to me, and I could see a case being made for two. Categories aren't expensive. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 00:17, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== New transcript ==

The transcripts in the comic pages are quite inconsistent, especially in the brackets where you have to describe what happens in the panels. If I understand correctly, the transcripts are for people to copy the text in the comic without having to type them out. If that's the case, then I think propose a new transcript. This transcript should have the comic with the words erased, and then the copy-pasteable words on top of that. Such a transcript would have no room for error, which would let anyone contribute to a seamless transcript.
:The aim of the transcript is to provide a text-only version of the comic that would allow someone who is visually impaired to use a text-to-speech converter to understand the comic and also in a machine readable format for searching (see the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section?|Editor FAQ]]). Anything using mark-up, images or anything other than plain text will interfere with this and so should be avoided in the transcript. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 18:22, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== Add title text and heading to transcript section ==

It has always bothered me that the transcript did not include the title text since it contributes so much to the humor of the comics. Also, it looks to me like the comic heading is sometimes included as part of the transcript and sometimes left out. I checked the previous proposals and did not see any discussion of these issues. Please consider having a policy going forward of including the heading and the title text within the transcript. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 22:43, 1 January 2020 (UTC)
:To my understanding (and also others, see discussion directly above) one of the main points of the transcript is to make the comics searchable, the other is, to make it readable when images are not an option. In both cases the comic's name and the title text mentioned above and below the image should be sufficient. I personally think this convention is fine. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:28, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

::Pardon me -- (and, '''<big>''thanks'' for your patience</big>''') -- if this is too off-topic (/slash "boring") or [[wikt:TMI|TMI]] (see {{w|Information overload#Web accuracy}} e.g.), '''...OR''' if this should have been posted elsewhere ...instead of here.

::IMHO the term '''"title text"''' is a misnomer. I think the term is used to refer to the little (or, '''BIG!''') pop-up -- (kinda like what is sometimes called a <code>"tooltip"</code>, but ... aren't those usually pretty '''small?''') -- that appears when one "hovers" his mouse [pointer] over an XKCD cartoon. ...at least, according to '''the "Talk:" page section''' [[Template talk:comic#The template field called .22titletext.22]] which was added almost 3 years ago. I think that calling it a <code>"BONUS text"</code> would be even better than calling it a "caption". However, [to me], '''either one''' of those terms would make sense ''WAY'' more than calling it a '''"title text"''' ... for reasons which are stated in the [Template] "Talk:" page section mentioned (and ... '''LINKED TO''') above. '''<big>Any Comments? . . ''' *** Thanks! *** for listening!</big> --[[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 08:57, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

:::Hi Mike, I see your point, and yes, something like "bonus text" might be a bit more descriptive. But FWIW, I think the reason it's called "title text" is because that's the text that appears in the <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_global_title.asp title]</code> attribute of the HTML <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_img.asp <img>]</code> tag of the comic's image on the xkcd.com site. For example, at https://xkcd.com/2364/, the code for the comic image looks like this:
<pre>
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation.png"
title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."
alt="Parity Conservation"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation_2x.png 2x">
</pre>
:::In there, you can see the title text as <code>title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."</code> See [[title text|here]] for more explanation about that, and some discussions about it [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous#Common mistake|here]]. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 03:11, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Wikipedia links. ==

I think the links to Wikipedia should have symbols, so it's not confusing which ones lead to other comic pages.

== It's time to remove the HTTPS lock icon ==

Explainxkcd should do the same thing that browser makers have done: treat HTTPS as the modern standard, and mark HTTP as the deviation instead.

Here are appropriate replacement icons:
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(32_bit).png
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(4_bit).gif
- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 12:49, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

== New page for Randall's regular column in the New York Times ==
Randall Munroe has been writing and illustrating a monthly science column in the New York Times. I suggest a page in this Wiki, indexing those columns. For some reason the New York Times itself does not provide such an index. If they ever do add one, we would still have a topic article here, similar to the one we have for the What If blog, that could link to their index. --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 00:47, 11 June 2020 (UTC)
------
=== New York Times column: Good Question ===

'''Good Question''' is a more-or-less monthly column written and illustrated by '''[[Randall|Randall Munroe]]''' in the '''[https://www.nytimes.com/section/science Science section of the New York Times]''', beginning in November 2019. The columns give serious answers to science questions, in Munroe's inimitable style.

The New York Times website ordinarily requires registration, and its content is always protected by copyright. Most particularly it is ''not'' under [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License] the way [[xkcd]] is. The good news: anyone can register for a free digital subscription to the New York Times, with access to 'recent' Science articles among some others, but outside of that only five articles per month. See [https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/info/help/freesearch.html Free Articles].

Unlike for many of their other regular columnists, the New York Times does not provide a clickable link either on the byline '''Randall Munroe''' or on the column title '''Good Question'''. The following tables are intended to correct that omission.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''by'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/science/what-makes-a-red-sky-at-night-and-at-morning.html What Makes a Red Sky at Night (and at Morning)]
| Randall Munroe
| Aug. 13, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/science/randall-munroe-moon.html If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?]
| Randall Munroe
| Nov. 12, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2019/12/10/science/earth-size-mass.html Is Earth Getting Bigger Over Time?]
| Randall Munroe
| Dec. 10, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/human-running-speed-quadruped.html How Fast Can a Human Run?]
| Randall Munroe
| Jan. 21, 2020 / Feb. 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/science/worst-odor-smell-thioacetone.html What’s the World’s Worst Smell?]
| Randall Munroe
| Feb. 17, 2020 / Feb. 26, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2020/03/10/science/question-randall-munroe-bobsled-gravity.html What if Galileo Had Dropped Bobsleds From the Tower of Pisa?]
| Randall Munroe
| March 10, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/science/pulsar-xkcd-munroe-stars.html How’s the View From a Spinning Star?]
| Randall Munroe
| April 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/science/traffic-barrier-rice-krispies.html What’s the Sweetest, Crispiest Way to Stay Safe in a Car Crash?]
| Randall Munroe
| May 11, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/science/randall-munroe-question-eggs.html Can You Boil an Egg Too Long?]
| Randall Munroe
| June 9, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/science/neutrinos-snowball-randall-munroe.html Could You Make a Snowball of Neutrinos?]
| Randall Munroe
| July 7, 2020
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''about'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! LINK BY LINK
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/business/media/26link.html This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix]
| Noam Cohen
| May 26, 2008
|-
! BITS
| [https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/techs-favorite-cartoonist-enters-mainstream-publishing/ Tech’s Favorite Cartoonist Enters Mainstream Publishing]
| Noam Cohen
| March 14, 2014
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/science/randall-munroe-the-creator-of-xkcd-explains-complexity-through-absurdity.html He’s Glad You Asked]
| Kenneth Chang
| Nov. 3, 2014
|-
! BOOKS
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/books/randall-munroe-explains-it-all-for-us.html Randall Munroe Explains It All for Us]
| Alexandra Alter
| Nov. 23, 2015
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html Randall Munroe, XKCD Creator, Goes Back to High School]
| Kenneth Chang
| March 21, 2016
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/18/science/document-Munroepages.html Randall Munroe of ‘XKCD’ Explains the Human Body, Elevators and the Saturn 5]
| (Actual pages from '''{{w|Thing_Explainer|Thing Explainer}}''')
| March 21, 2016
|}
------

: Looks goods to me, you should probably make that an article of its own, maybe [[New York Times: Good Question]]? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

: {{notice|I went and added the page, here: [[New York Times: Good Question]] --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 02:42, 11 July 2020 (UTC)}}

== Bring back the {{rw}} template! please ==

Can someone restore the <nowiki>{{rw}}</nowiki> template? I insist on its existence. I further assure that it will be of much use. It was deleted by an admin. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 06:10, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:nm, did it myself. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 04:15, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

== Link to high-resolution images? ==

The wiki includes the "standard" resolution images, but would it be worth adding a link to the higher-resolution image on each page? It appears that this could be automated in at least a strong majority of cases: if the standard image is ''xyzzy.png'', the hi-res one is ''xyzzy'''_2x'''.png'' . [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:10, 1 October 2020 (UTC)
:Please stop adding this to the explanations. This is not needed. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
::The high-resolution image was quite useful in parsing the "Amelia's Farm Fresh Cookies" comic. I'm not convinced that the hi-res images are commonly known. I've been reading xkcd for about 7 years and hadn't heard about them until I stumbled across a mention of them in one of the Discussions here. What is the harm in having a one-line ''link'' here? -- not, I emphasize, the actual image, which would take up a great deal of space. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 17:00, 7 October 2020 (UTC)
:::I didn't know about the high-resolution images either. While it might be a bit repetitive to add a full sentence to every comic's explanation, I agree that having ''some'' easy way to link to the hi-res image on xkcd.com could be handy. For example, maybe a "hi-res" or "2x" button before the "Next >" button above the comic in [[Template:comic]]? That's a bit extreme, but I added an example template, derived from the existing [[Template:comic]], to demonstrate how that could work:
:::* Template: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Template:comic 2x test]]
:::* Demo: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Sandbox#2x comic template test]]
:::With those changes to the template, for all comics as of [[1084]] the "2x" button would automatically appear. (No need to go back and change all comics.) This assumes the images hosted on explainxkcd generally have the same filename as on xkcd.com, but there are optional parameters to override the filename or omit the "2x" button altogether for specific exceptions. I'm not suggesting we actually go ahead and implement this; but if there was enough interest, an admin would be needed anyway, to make the changes within [[Template:comic]], which is currently protected. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 23:25, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
::::FWIW, I like this. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 20:25, 12 October 2020 (UTC)
:::::My proposal is that a bot should add it automatically to the description of each comic image when available so that it does not take up space anywhere and is easily accessible. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:49, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Proposal to replace the top section with this... ==

I have come up with a new design for the top section of all community portals...
It’s located here... https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&oldid=199882 — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 14:15, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
<hr/>
{|-
|valign="top" width="80%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Ideas to improve the wiki's design and organization can be added here. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}

|valign="top" xalign="right" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app package settings blue.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical]][[File:Crystal Clear teamwork.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination]][[File:Mop.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests]][[File:Internet-group-chat.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous]]
|}

== I made a template for welcoming new users. ==

{{Welcome}}
<hr/>
Any ideas? Suggestions? Objections? — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 16:35, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
: this is now in at the top of the Main Page --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:38, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
::Why? This looks like a template intended for (newly created) UserPages. And it replaces interesting data from the frontpage with something not useful for casual visitors (or even non-casual lurkers). I'd undo this change in an instant if I had authority to do so. ((The template looks good, to clarify, just obviously not intended to be in that location.)) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.154|141.101.76.154]] 01:36, 6 February 2021 (UTC)
:::[[User: Jeff|Jeff]] is the owner of xkcd you dingus. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:46, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

== comic groups ==

i think we should have a tech problems list of comics ( as there are quite a few)
:We already have a category for it. [[:Category:Cueball_Computer_Problems]]. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:44, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Archiving interactive comics? ==

Has the possibility of archiving interactive comics been discussed? Of course, users can view them on the original website, but it’d be nice to have a working backup of sorts, especially considering some of the interactive comics haven’t aged too well in terms of compatibility or support (e.g. Umwelt displays a blank page for me.)

It probably wouldn’t be possible to do so directly from mediawiki, but I’d be happy to experiment with cloning a few of them on another server, or as simple PHP pages that could be embedded, if it would help. Most of the interactive comics appear to be implemented mostly in client side JS anyways, so replicating them shouldn’t be too bad.

[[User:Tague|Tague]] ([[User talk:Tague|talk]]) 13:12, 29 April 2021 (UTC)

== Replace head shots of characters in the wiki with these new and high quality head shots! ==

https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/n2u28r/i_took_head_shots_of_the_reccuring_characters_and/

These are not only upscaled, but are all squares and have all the features of the characters. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:33, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
:I think you should do it (because higher quality = better) :] [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:42, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

== Cleaning up [[Special:WantedTemplates|Special: Wanted Templates]] ==

I decided to take a look at the list of wanted templates. Imagine my surprise when I see that a lot of the templates wanted were mis-capitalizations or misspellings of existing templates. I hereby request permission to create redirect pages for some of the most popular errors.
I intend to do five, wait a week, and do another five as to not spam the wiki. I will not begin for a week, at which point I will only proceed if nobody has said no OR a moderator has said yes. May I proceed? [[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|{)|(}]][[User:Quillathe_Siannodel|Quill]][[Special:Contributions/Quillathe_Siannodel|{)|(}]] 11:34, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

== "Multiple Megan-like characters" category ==

Since there are more than one Megan-like characters appear in the same panel of at least seven comics, I propose to create the "Multiple Megan-like characters" category. --[[User:Soumya-8974|Soumya-8974]] ([[User talk:Soumya-8974|talk]]) 07:04, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

== Knit Cap ==
Sometimes Knit cap has long hair, sometimes short. Is Knit Cap meant to be a male character that sometimes has long hair, or is Knit Cap sometimes female? I want to clear this up before I finish editing [[1350: Lorenz]]. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:40, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
:Hm, in the 'Enemy Pikachu used theft' scene in [[1350: Lorenz]], Knit Cap's hair looks merely slightly unkempt. From this, I will assume that Knit Cap just sometimes has long hair and is always male. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:10, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
::Ok, the official transcripts say that Knit Cap is 'A guy in a knit cap'. I will take that to mean that Knit Cap is definitely male.

== We still need to complete some explanations like this one: ==

I think should change the banner shown at the top of every page to show a comic that is still incomplete, like Hoverboard or something. [[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 21:32, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals

2021-08-30T21:33:08Z

Sure: /* We still need to complete some explanations like this one: */

<noinclude>{{Community links}}

{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Place for ideas and suggestions to improve the wiki's design and organization on general issues can be incubated for later submission for consensus discussion. Be sure to check whether your proposal has already been submitted. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}
|}

= Discussion Area =
</noinclude>

== Add unexplained strips ==

At the moment, browsing through the explanations using the previous and next buttons is interrupted whenever there's an explanation missing.

I think adding a page with the strip fr all of those with a short message like "no one has explained this yet, want to give it a shot?" would make the wiki easier to browse through and will get more strips explained faster.

:I don't think that would happen. If suddenly it was much easier for people to skip over pages that had no explanation, I think they would do exactly that, skip right over it. On the same side of that coin, If suddenly there are no longer any red links on the [[List of all comics]] then everyone perusing that page assumes that all the comics have been explained and don't need to contribute any more. It's astonishing how quickly an [[589: Designated Drivers|embedded]] red link gets an explanation page created simply to get rid of the red link.

:Secondarily, ''many'' of the pages created recently aren't being created with their numerical and titular redirects. Without the numerical redirect, the comic template can't find that there is a previous/next comic to link to. Every once in a while somebody will go through and try to notice all the pages that don't have their redirects created but it's an unscientific process that only happens occasionally. If we could get every joe blow that comes in and vomits up a poorly done explanation to create the redirects I wouldn't be quite as annoyed at their lack of show-don't-tell-manship. But, since they can't be bothered to put the date in the comic template, I doubt we'll ever get people to create the redirects.

:'''TL;DR:''' No more red links, no more work gets done on the back catalog.

:--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 14:28, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

== xplainkcd.com ==

When I first saw this site I thought it should definitely be at xplainkcd.com or at least redirect from that url {{unsigned|115.166.22.158|12:45, 3 January 2013 (UTC)}}

: I like that idea! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 13:28, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah! If it's possible, it would be cool! At least as a redirect. -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:46, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

:Not technically the same thing, but I just took [http://expxkcd.com http://expxkcd.com]. More explanation <del>is</del> was given on the website itself. {{User:Grep/signature|05:10, 29 March 2014}}
::We do that with explainxkcd.com as well, but yay shorter URLs! Mind if I use that for our social media links? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:45, 29 March 2014 (UTC)
:::I had no idea that you did that, but sure, go ahead! If you want, I can change any DNS records if you wish to have it go directly to you guys. {{User:Grep/signature|07:16, 29 March 2014}}
:::In case you were wondering, I just did the following: <code>^/([0-9]+)(/large)?/?$</code> {{User:Grep/signature|07:25, 29 March 2014}}
::::Hrm. We're just matching with <code>^(\d+)/?$</code>. You can keep ownership of the URL if you want, unless you have traffic concerns or whatever and you want us to handle it, which we're very capable of doing. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:47, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Is this ok? [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:49, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== Section style and usage ==

I am new here and I'm trying to get up to speed with the culture. I have a few questions about how and where to use sections (== this ==). I am more willing to go with (and enforce) whatever norms there are here, but I have not seen them actually discussed.

# '''Is it OK to create sections in Discussion pages?''' I have been told no, but there are many examples extant of this usage in this Wiki and indeed in Wikipedia.
# '''Section title case''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Capital_letters#Acronyms Wikipedia's style guide] recommends sentence case, not title case. There are many title cased section headers here.
# '''Links''' I do not have a reference for this but it seems to me putting links in section code (== [[<nowiki>this</nowiki>]] == ) is bad form.

Last note -- it's understood if these bylaws have not yet been written. I can see that a few of you have made a huge personal investment to make this Wiki what it is today, and that is a credit to you all -- this is awesome! As a long-time aficionado of xkcd I applaud your work and look forward to further collaboration.
--[[User:Smartin|Smartin]] ([[User talk:Smartin|talk]]) 04:15, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:As a general rule, we stick to the standard format that existing pages follow, with an optional trivia section below the transcript. Some zealous editors like to add other sections though, which tend to be for the most part unneeded or redundant. If something you want to add doesn't help to explain the comic in some way, but the inclusion of which would somehow still add to the page, *and* it doesn't fall under the trivia category, a new section is warranted. This isn't the case most of the time though, so editors usually fold the content of extraneous sections into "Explanation" or "Trivia." We have no policy on links in titles, and they're allowed so long as they are appropriate; the link is useful and can't be folded into the section itself. And we use title case for titles cuz it just makes sense. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:08, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:We generally do not (or at least, discourage) use sections on the talk/discussion pages for explanation pages. This is purely for looks. The comic discussion section of the explanation page looks/feels wrong if there are level 2 section breaks in the transclusion. Also, if the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Table_of_contents Table of Contents] starts showing up on a page, such as on [[Click and Drag]] the sections created on the talk page also show up in the TOC. This gets confusing, and this is why we prefer not to use them on explanation talk pages. Everywhere else we follow standard wiki format and do use sections on the discussion pages.

:Personally, I think that links in section titles looks wrong, but I choose not to be the dictator of style in this matter. :p

:Please feel free to make edits. The worst that happens is someone reverts your edit. If it's a big enough issue and/or you don't seem to be learning from what people are fixing about your edits someone will leave a comment on your talk page. That's it. We might leave a nasty-gram in the edit summary, but oh well. We only ban for malicious intent. Honestly working to better the wiki is good, even if sometimes we grumble about it.

:--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:00, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

::Oh, I just looked at your talk page. I completely forgot that that happened. Don't worry about it. Learning the ropes is part of the experience. Do make edits, and if they're wrong, we'll nudge you in the right direction. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:18, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

I have been moving some trivia sections to directly below the explanation, in order to make it more consistent, and easier to survey and maintain. Often the dividing line between trivia and explanation is not entirely clear, and in articles without a trivia section the end of the explanation very often contains trivia-like information. (e.g. [[1155: Kolmogorov Directions]]) -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:13, 4 January 2013 (UTC)
===Title case doesn't make any sense===
At first sight title case in titles just makes sense. However title case '''never''' makes sense. It's worse than all caps. Besides, only Americans and children like title case. [[Special:Contributions/190.96.48.48|190.96.48.48]] 20:04, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

==New character==
As per [[Talk:1178: Pickup Artists]], the character with hair has appeared in quite a few comics now, and he's starting to become a recurring character. Shall we go ahead with inaugurating him into our list of regular characters, and what name shall we assign him? Current candidate names include Hairy and Harry. Anyone? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:07, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

: I like Harry :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 01:04, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
::Cos made a point in the discussion on [[Talk:1178: Pickup Artists]] that Hairy is directly descriptive, whereas Harry is not obvious to visitors. On the other hand, not all names are descriptive ([[Danish]]) and I think this wiki is entitled to create some xkcd-in-culture, and not just describe. And Harry is quite funny.
::I wonder: has [[Randall]] ever called him anything at all in the transcript? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 21:52, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
:::Well, he's not named in a any official transcripts, but he's already called Harry in quite a few comic explanations. Then again, I do like having a more descriptive name for him. Shall we hold this up to a vote? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:29, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
::::I think we should wait a little for a few more viewpoints to crop up. Also, can someone link to some more comics he's been featured in? I've got [[1028: Communication]], [[1027: Pickup Artist]] and [[1178: Pickup Artists]]. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 23:41, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::I actually like what that anon said: ''Curly''. Second choice: Hairy (being descriptive, a la Black Hat, Beret, Cueball, etc.) While there's talk about in-culture, we've done that with the names Cueball, Beret, etc. It's my opinion that the only names that should be "real" proper names are those that are named in the comic. Megan, Miss Lenhart, etc. Danish (as is discussed below) isn't truly a proper name, but you could argue it's a meta-description (one attributed by Black hat.) So that's my vote: yes for '''Curly''' or '''Hairy''', no for Harry. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 05:21, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:::That's right, [[Danish]] is not descriptive, but 1/ that name was suggested because the character [[515: No One Must Know|was called that way in the comic]], which is a tiny bit like a name given by the author (at least more than Harry which we have completely made up), and 2/ in that case it's hard to find a descriptive term: use something that revolves around her black hair (her only descriptive feature), and you easily mix up with [[Megan]]; the only graphical difference is that her hair is ''long'', but what kind of name can you make out of that?
:::For this new character, I suggest Hairy because it comes as the easy solution with every advantage: descriptive, easy to understand, and it's not ugly... I actually see no reason to resort to a made-up name like Harry.
:::[[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 22:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

: '''Alright. So the discussion's been had, and the most oft recommended name appears to be Hairy. All in favor, say aye. If more than 1/3 of editors agree and we have more than 6 votes, Hairy it is.''' '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:58, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:58, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' [[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 06:14, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye''' to Hairy. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 15:43, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. Harry would be a nice nod to the fact that he's actually hairy, but indeed it's better to avoid inside jokes. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:05, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. I'm convinced! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 17:52, 3 March 2013 (UTC)
:# '''Aye'''. Hairy. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:52, 3 March 2013 (UTC)
::Hooray! We now have a [[:Category:Comics featuring Hairy]], with four pages already! Does anyone feel compelled to create "[[Hairy]]", with a brief description and a nice profile pic like the other characters? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:58, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

== Ambiguous characters ==

I've been thinking about the problem of the ambiguity of characters. "Is this really Cueball even though he has an eye and half a nose?", "This is very likely ''not'' x." "Darnit, these arn't Cueballs, these are Randall and his friends!", and so on. The character ambiguity is standard for xkcd (not less so in the early ones), and comes from the very loose or "free" way Randall uses his characters to be whatever he needs at the moment. It's simply often impossible for us to know whether he had e.g. "Cueball" or himself in mind, when drawing a particular comic (and I'd say: probably often both).

I want to suggest that we in general have a likewise rather loose policy towards including characters in the categories for the comics. So that reasonably ambiguous cases should be included in e.g. (does she have a ponytail?) This is not because I believe this or that to really be this or that; I just don't believe in objective truth (here!). I feel that when doing research :) on a character, the borderline cases are often the most interesting ones, and you want to be able to find them through the "Comics featuring miss x"!

I came to think this through now, when I wanted to (and did) list two comics with [[Miss Lenhart]] (?) where she was drawn but not named. Any thoughts on this in general? Other case studies? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 21:17, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
:My take has always been that [[Cueball]], for example, has not been a specific character. There is not ''a'' cueball, per se, distinct from any other cueball... indeed, there are several comics with several cueballs in-frame, and that is the point. I see the cueball character as a wildcard character (pun intended) ready to stand in for anybody (and ''not'' necessarily just Randall; I think those readers who suggest "this ''is'' Randall" are missing the point; he's way more META than that...) [[Megan]], while slightly less generic, still remains the female wild-card significant-other, while Curls seems to be a not-significant-other female used to illustrate a relationship that is transient. Other characters come and go, and when it's important to visually distinguish them from others in the frame, they're given additional characteristics, to wit [[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], etc.
:Unfortunately, that viewpoint is not commonly held, so I daresay I'm in the minority here.
:-- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:18, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

== Note at the top, about the server error ==

:''This thread was moved to [[MediaWiki talk:Sitenotice]]''

== I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading ==

This does move it to above the line, and the rule stops early. Undo my change if that's more bothering than when the TOC is displayed as "add a comment!Discussion"...

I don't know how to automatically treat level 2 headers as level 3. That may be why Discussion was a level 1 heading earlier.
[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:16, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually I now noticed there was a short edit war at {{tl|comic discussion}} over whether it should be a level 1 heading, just for this reason. [[User:Waldir]] seems to have conceeded... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:25, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

:: No edit war, hence no (intentional) concession. I reverted a change once, and didn't notice the change being re-implemented by another user. In any case, it is irrelevant now since we actively discourage using headers in talk pages precisely so that they don't display in the TOC for the main comic page, where the discussion page is transcluded to (see the discussion [[#Section style and usage|above]]). This might not scale well for comics that generate lots of discussion. It might be worth discussing our customs (and perhaps write them down somewhere) before performing such changes. What do others think? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:49, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

== Time: The Table ==

Right now on the page [[1190: Time]], we have a whole bunch of tables in the form image-time-hash. The tables take up heaps of vertical space and all have to be collapsed to even be remotely traversible. I propose that we aggregate all the images into one table after Time ends, like so:

{| class="wikitable plainlinks table-padding"
|-
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
!Image
!Time
|-
|[[Media:time.png|00:00]]||01/00:00||[[Media:time.png|10:00]]||01/10:00||[[Media:time.png|20:00]]||01/20:00||[[Media:time.png|30:00]]||AND MOAR SAMPLE DATAS
|-
|[[Media:time.png|00:30]]||01/00:30||[[Media:time.png|10:30]]||01/10:30||[[Media:time.png|20:30]]||01/20:30||[[Media:time.png|30:30]]||AND MOAR SAMPLE DATAS
|}

The hash values aren't really a part of the comic, they're gibberish for the most part and they take up space that could be used to compact the table, as shown above. Even if we are conservative and make the table only five columns wide to account for smaller screens, we've divided scrolling time by five and eliminated much of the need for annoying collapsed tables and section headers for each day. Constructing the table shouldn't be particularly hard either, as all our current data is in nice regular tables with clear patterns that are easy enough to parse through.

I'm putting this here because the organization of the frame entries would be unintuitive and difficult to change from the edit window, which would make it a poor choice when we're still expanding it and don't even know how long the comic will continue for. It's merely a space-saving trick for after we're sure that the comic is over. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:26, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

:Oh and it'd be really nice if other people could also upload images if you're awake and a new one rolls by. There's gaps in the image record every time I wake up, and I dun likey. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:34, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Good work so far; go ahead make it better! :) –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:34, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

==Featured Explanation, and Archival?==

* Wikipedia has featured content. Now that we are close to reaching the goal of all comics explained, I think it makes more sense to have a "featured explanation" which would serve as a sort of a marker for a complete and good explanation. Many comics, and almost all charts are not fully explained/not a good quality explanation.

* We should set up archival of discussion of the most discussed pages, like this one. Its not very pleasing to see comments from July 2012 still lying around here. It becomes hectic at some point.

Just my 2 cents, feel free to discuss. Cheers,
[[Special:Contributions/117.194.88.180|117.194.88.180]] 13:36, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:We dedicate this wiki to explaining xkcd, and we do actually have a featured comic feature; it changes every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and we usually manage to fill out the explanation for it within an hour or so of it going up. The most recent comic tends to be the one that most people visiting the wiki care about, so we give it prime space on the front page so they can find it easily. xkcd updates frequently enough that there isn't really that big of a time window for us to feature an article on our front page. Also, we're a volunteer project with quite a bit less manpower than Wikipedia.
:We do need to archive talk pages though. Some of these are getting ridiculously long. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:04, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::I agree with Davidy22. Archiving topics can be done by anyone, by moving resolved threads to the portal section's corresponding [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals|talk page]]. We could start with the threads marked "✓ Closed". [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:42, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

:: The reason I asked for a "featured explanation" was because many of the comic explanations we currently have are sub-par, and we're almost at our initial goal of explaining all comics. A "featured explanation" would drive our editors towards the goal of having complete and good explanation towards all comics, and would allow us to know which explanations need elaboration.
:: P.S. My definition of complete explanation would be - To have a good explanation, To have all categories relevant, To link to any comics related and To explain any technical portions of the comic.
:: [[Special:Contributions/117.194.82.49|117.194.82.49]] 07:45, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:::That message on the front page is going to link to all the pages marked by the incomplete template. If you find an unsatisfactory explanation, please mark it with <nowiki>{{incomplete}}</nowiki> '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: By my definition, I think all comics will be incomplete. An incomplete template will be focused more towards improving the worst explanations, while a featured one will be to improve the best ones. Since we already have the former, we should focus on the latter. Just my 2 cents. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.85.82|117.194.85.82]] 06:55, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the list of all comics ==

[[List of all comics]] is getting larger and larger, which makes it hard to read and hard to edit. How about splitting into parts, say [[List of all comics/1-1000]], [[List of all comics/1001-2000]], etc., or something to that effect? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:39, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

: Done. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.88.176|117.194.88.176]] 10:03, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
::Great job, thanks! [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:09, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
:::And I've added back [[List of all comics (full)]], which allows, for example, listing all comics by alphabetical order.[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 17:29, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

== Sidebar ads ==

''Moved from [[Talk:Main Page]] –– [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:06, 4 May 2013 (UTC)''

Are they generating significant money? The ones I see are pretty sleazy looking and/or scammy - "Power Companies Hate this Device! - click here to break the laws of thermodynamics!" and "Debt relief program click here to lose more money". How much money are they generating? Can you set any selections to remove the sleazy ads? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 18:30, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do we have sleazy sidebar ads? Since when? Thanks Google Chrome and AdBlock, I had no idea! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 07:47, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
::People give 20$ a pop to get a bunch of clicks on explainxkcd, and Jeff uses that money to buy a faster server with a hard drive that doesn't have less space than a public toilet with an elephant in it. It'd be really nice if you didn't turn on adblock, the money is appreciated. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:47, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It's a question of me not turning it off specifically every time I visit this site. More importantly, I do think people would be more likely to click the "donate" if it weren't irrelevant ads around it. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 19:29, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:::Generating money is a great thing. Getting "20$ a pop to get a bunch of clicks" is a bit unclear. Do the ads only generate revenue when clicked on? So EXKCD only gets money when someone actually falls for the sleazy ads? I know lots of people do not like Google - but at least their adsense stuff is relevant to the content of the website, which might generate some legitimate traffic for a legitimate advertiser.... [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 11:48, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Welllll, I didn't pick the ad supplier. You could bring it up with [[User talk:Jeff|Jeff]] if you want, I think he picked the ad provider on basis of which one had a mediawiki plugin or something. If you can link Jeff to a quick and easy way to put adsense on mediawiki, he should change it quickly enough. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:21, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::And I also gather then that they are only a temporary thing? -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:27, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Until we can buy a server that doesn't poop itself every time a new comic is released, the ads are staying. If you want them to go away sooner, throw more money at Jeff. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::: The ads are crap. For sure. Wish I didn't have to run them, but I don't trust donations alone to hold up continually some better hosting. The ads really don't bring in that much $$$. I had google adsense before, but Google shutdown my adsense account for unnamed reason after 1 week. This new ad service is way sketchier. If you all think they don't have a place here, I'll ax 'em. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::: Thanks for the info Jeff. How much ad money are we talking about? Is it calculated on how many ads are displayed or how many are clicked-through? How close to the goal is the server fund? How about a Kickstarter campaign for the server? $10 gets your name on a thankyou webpage or something like that. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 17:32, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: It ain't much, last I looked it was $2 or $3 in 2 weeks. I believe it is based on clicks, it is not nearly as clear as Google adsense. I'm not really interested in doing a Kickstarter. I think the donations will cover the initial start up, I just want to be able to cover the monthly costs as well. A few things are still up in the air. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:24, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Can you find a way to show the donations and ad income on the site, to make it transparent? ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:30, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::::: How about a donation amount that you'll take to turn it (the annoying unethical scummy ads) off for a year? Give me a dollar value and I might step up for the good of us all! [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 16:28, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
Since Project wonderful shut down, I block ads even on explainxkcd. The adds are simple and not colourful, which I like, but being part of Google Adsense I block them for keeping my my privacy. I am sad to do this but until there is another, better way to serve them, I have to.

== Economic transparency ==

I think this is very important: How can we make the donations and ad-income transparent, so that we all can see when and how much money is coming in, and how far we are from reaching our goal? – [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:35, 24 May 2013 (UTC)
: Sounds fine to me, I think I can put something together. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:52, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
::Hi, may I bump this issue? Or maybe you have done something, and I missed it? Anyway, I would still appreciate it! –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 17:43, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
:::Numberssss. I'll get on with it, just need less homework and a few more numbers. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:54, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

I would like to respectfully file a complain. I find the banner advertisement of background checks distasteful. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 05:10, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
: Hey [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] - I am the one who approved those ads. But, since you have filed a complaint about them, I have gone ahead and removed them. Thanks. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 12:52, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

I thank you. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 03:36, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

== Using <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki></nowiki> in transcripts to improve accuracy ==

In the transcripts, <nowiki>[[lines]]</nowiki> are being changed to [lines] in order to avoid auto-linking. Why not just surround these with <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki></nowiki> tags and avoid the problem entirely? --[[User:Epauley|Epauley]] ([[User talk:Epauley|talk]]) 04:18, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
:Because it takes less time to type and single brackets are just as readable as double brackets to visitors. It's also a bit more readable in the editor. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:55, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

== Strip Title ==

For someone who commonly browses explainxkcd in place of xkcd, and hence often see the strips for the first time here rather than the parent site, I find it somewhat odd that the 'Title Text' is so poorly displayed given how critical it can be to the strip.

I propose that, while retaining the given name (perhaps moving it top left), the title text be enlarged and relocated to being over the strip as originally intended. {{unsigned ip|175.41.133.18}}
:The title text is placed very well at bottom of the image.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 07:20, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

:I would have to agree with Dgbrt, it's placed nicely at the bottom, and there is no need for it to be moved. My reasoning is that you never actually read the title text first, you read it last. Making it <code>text-align: left;</code> does not make sense, because the image is centered (just like on xkcd.com). I also believe that there is no need for it to be re-sized, mainly due to the fact that it is slightly larger than the title text (for me, at least). {{User:Grep/signature|05:18, 08 September 2013}}

:Plus, if you hover over the image, it's the same as on xkcd.com {{User:Grep/signature|06:13, 08 September 2013}}

:I also agree with Dgbrt and Grep. The title text is kind of a bonus and should not be emphasized more than on the original page. On the original site you only see it before the image, if you have very slow internet access (or very fast eyes) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:06, 2 October 2013 (UTC)

== Sections in talk pages ==

Is there a reason why there are no sections in talk pages? It is not a very big deal, but especially for longer talk pages it would make editing be much handier, especially when using the preview function (not having to find the section every time). Also it automatically adds a description to the history (thus makes it more easy to look for certain edits, or decide by just looking at the [[Special:RecentChanges]], if a comment should concern you. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:01, 2 October 2013 (UTC)
:When discussion pages are transcluded by the comic discussion template, section headers carry over from talk pages and bad things happen. Using ; to denote headers instead of equals signs works well, and doesn't share transclusion pain. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:04, 2 October 2013 (UTC)

== references ==

Any chance we can add [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Cite/Cite.php cite.php] to this wiki? Most pages don't need it, but some comics take on a life of their own and being able to add reference tags would be really helpful for those. [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 01:33, 9 October 2013 (UTC)
: Cite has been added to the wiki. Thanks for the suggestion! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 01:35, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

== Stylized writing ==

I understand that this wiki isn't as formal as wikipedia or sites like that but it seems that there are a few questionable practices:

1. The use of questions - when a non-rhetorical or unnecessary question is entered into the explanation.

2. Extremely painted/biased view points - when there is obvious bias in the tone of the explanation of the contributor, in other
words; a lack of neutrality.

3. Extreme repetition/rehashing - the explanation restates things and makes for a long and tedious read when a more straight-forward explanation is possible and clearer.

4. The general informality - "This one's an easy one" "This is simple" "this one's straightforward" "You're an idiot for not understanding this one" etc.

5. Many other practices that make the explanation hard to read, difficult to understand, or plain ugly.

I know that there are disparaging view points on how a comic should be explained, but please let's clean up the site a bit, acknowledge each view point and report on all of them and then tighten up the sloppy writing. Carry out arguments in the talk section, not the explanation. Perhaps we could first try to say the majority view point on the interpretation and then write the alternate explanations, of course this would bring up the debate on which is the majority explanation. Either way, more complete, logical explanations should be given more credence. --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:25, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

:I agree with 2-5. 1, on the other hand, is sometimes useful and can contribute the to explanation, although 1 is still a very good point. I would say that you should edit it to have "arguments in the talk" be a 6th point as well. Unfortunately, though, we are not all logical, comic-understanding machines here, so minor deviations of these rules are still to be expected. But I think that overall, these are good rules, even if 2/3 are sort of part of 5.
:[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]], please sign your post with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>{{User:Grep/signature|23:55, 22 October 2013}}

:I understand the use of questions in certain parts. And it was probably better to put the others as sub-categories to five but I wanted to show some common things that can be easily fixed. I know that some explanations require a lot of text and extensive research because of the abstract subjects Randall deals with and that it's difficult to be completely standardized but I think it would be good for us to try to come up with some general things to try to avoid to help the explanations "flow" --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 00:25, 23 October 2013 (UTC)
::Most of that isn't intentional, it's just an awful lot of labor to copy check all the explanations. I've been going through all the current articles and fixing consistency issues, the worst being wrong transcript/title text/dates and the most benign being wikilinks, spelling and trailing spaces. I'm at 682 so far, but my next pass will be on actual language and content, and it'll probably take longer. It takes a while though, and you can totally work on improving language in articles if you want to. Some explanations were pulled from the old blog, some were written and just got lost in the changelog. Copy editing everything we have so far is a very labor-intensive job, and the only way to really deal with it is to knuckle down and do it, or form a wikiproject and hope to heaven that visitors feel charitable enough to join in on it. I'd *probably* push to finish up all our incomplete articles first though, just because that's more directly related to the purpose of the site; tone and style probably comes second to having correct explanations. That doesn't mean you can't do it yourself, it's just that I'll probably only dedicate the subheader on the main page to one project at a time and our current biggest bugbear hasn't been solved yet. I could put up a sitenotice to see if that speeds the process up any. I'll do that when I get back home. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:31, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

== Easy redirect to comic? ==

I've been thinking, and there is one thing that would make navigating to the explained comics easier. My method of browsing is I'll see the comic on xkcd.com first, and if there is something curious about it that I don't quite understand, I'll come here. Sometimes it can be a bit troublesome, going to the homepage and then navigatiing to the right comic. Not too bad, but I'd like an easy way to go direct. So I was thinking, what if you had a redirect such that if you typed in, for example, www.explainxkcd.com/505, you would get redirected to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=505:_A_Bunch_of_Rocks. That would mean that you could get to the comic just from adding an "explain" to the start of the xkcd.com URL. I don't know if that is at all possible, but it would be pretty handy if it happened. Thoughts?
[[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 03:01, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#Redirect_from_explainxkcd.com.2F1234 That's actually already on the to-do list.] I'm testing it right now and we should have it up soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:02, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
:: Awesome :) [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 03:26, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:::Whoop, forgot to mark this as complete. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:37, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:::: Done! Copy this and drag it to your bookmarks bar: |javascript: var url = document.URL; document.location = url.replace('xkcd.com','explainxkcd.com');| {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.29}}
:::::The feature requested here has also long since been implemented. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:20, 4 April 2014 (UTC)

== Increase support via prominent display of copyright and license for text submitted to explainxkcd ==

XKCD itself is rather liberally licensed, and gets lots of good will from that. As it says on the bottom of every page "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License." For details see [http://xkcd.com/license.html xkcd - A Webcomic - License].

But I found nothing on most pages of explainxkcd about copyright or licensing, and it discouraged me from contributing or donating. Finally, as I was writing this proposal up, I found a link on the editing page here: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Copyrights explain xkcd:Copyrights - explain xkcd] saying that "''The Explain XKCD wiki is generally licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license (CC-BY-SA-3.0)''". That notice should be more prominent on the site, with at least a link on each page. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 15:27, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
:This should be mentioned at the main page, including a reference to the xkcd origin.
:BTW: NO DOUBLE SPACES after a sentence. Are you US guys still using a typewriter? It's not rendered at a web page and stupid like Gallons, Miles, Foots, and much more unique US behaviours. But that's just a joke beside.
:The licence hint is much more important, you are just correct.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 5 November 2013 (UTC)
::Added a creative commons icon to the footer of the page, next to the powered by mediawiki button. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:16, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

== New Comics Bot ==

Would there be need for such a thing?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] Synthetica
:Nice idea, I never thought about that before. I will do some tests on existing comics to check if this could reduce the current number of error posts for a new article. When that is ready and working I will talk to some admins. My bot account [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]] was originally intended for [[1190: Time]] picture uploads, but I never have used it because Time was over. Creating the new pages should be easy in general, avoiding errors will cost some more work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:31, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::If you can get dgbrtBOT to do that, that'd help us an awful lot. It'd allow us to get rid of the ifexist cases in template:LATESTCOMIC as well, since the bot could change automatically that whenever a new comic goes up. It'll also help us get new comics down almost the moment they pop up, since the bot could sample several times a minute until a comic is posted. So long as it gets the general pattern right so that we have a correct page set up, we're good. An admin can come in sometime later to clean up categories and image urls and other piddly easy-to-fix details. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:54, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I will work on this next weekend, just local scripts and no updates here. I also will talk about my results before any automatic updates will be activated. My first focus is on creating the new pages in the general pattern, LATESTCOMIC and also the page "All comics" are maybe a bonus later. And of course all my scripts will be open source.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
::::The first version is ready and I will test it at my local wiki. If everything goes well I could activate it for Wednesday (2013-11-13). LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are on my roadmap, but first I want produce correct new pages here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:00, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
:::::Righty ho. Here goes. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:36, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
Even when my automatic local wiki test did fail today, just a damn wrong password, I will activate the bot here for Wednesday. It will only run from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM UTC. You will not see my possible updates at [[Special:RecentChanges]] unless you click ''Show bots'' at the top of that page. LATESTCOMIC and "All comics" are not covered, but this is at my TODO list until this test will be successful. Give me a '''GO''' or '''NO-GO''' for this test.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
:Easily a GO, I'll be ready to clean up if anything goes wrong. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:08, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
::So be ready on Wednesday for the clean up. My worst case is ''it simply does not work'', second worse scenario is still that I could delete some contend already posted here, but I'm trying to avoid this. ''Huston'', the countdown clock is counting. I'm joking about this because I really want to be confident about this ''BOT'' or ROBOT or uncontrolled action here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:28, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:::The bot can't do anything that I can't reverse. I can even restore a backup from an hour before the bot's edits if it manages to break the database. How quickly does it poll xkcd, by the way? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:53, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

First live test here (comic 1289). Please delete this page: [[Simple_Answers:_1289]]. Since my local wiki did not provide this templates I could not see this error before. In general the bot will update pages differ to any existing pages, but when it is not changed no update will happen. I'm fixing this errors at my script and do a second test here soon. I want to see it's producing correct pages until the bot will do it's work when I'm sleeping.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, test are done here, BOT is scheduled for the next update. Polling is every five minutes on Mon, Wed, and Fri from 04:00 until 08:00 UTC. Let's see how it will work.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:08, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
::Couldja ramp that up to once/twice a minute, push the start time back by an hour, and the end time by a few hours? Also, is it possible to terminate it once it finds a comic for a certain day? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:45, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:::It worked! Though it posted the comic 5 minutes past post time. We has technology now, we can afford to poll faster and closer, yeah? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:32, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, it worked... I will increase the polls when I'm more confident about the release times. Today it was approx. 05:00 UTC (GMT) or 01:00 EST (Randall's time zone). Looks like he is still at daylight saving time, would have been 00:00 EDT. The polls will be increased to one minute when I'm sure about the Standard Release Time (SRT). Next steps for the next update on Friday are:
:The "All comics" page.
:The LATESTCOMIC template.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:The LATESTCOMIC template is included for the next run, it just simply has to return a number. But it's still the most critical part because if it does not work the Main Page is broken. I will change this to a better solution using that IFEXIST syntax soon. The list of all comics is still at my ToDo list. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 14 November 2013 (UTC)
::The desired content of the LATESTCOMIC template should be just the comic number. If we can get out of having to poll multiple IFEXIST statements to find the latest comic, that would be a fantastic boon to our server performance. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:43, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
:::OK, it did work today so I will not change this. Next step is the list for all comics.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:10, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
Next run will include an update on the "All comics" page. I'm crossing my fingers. When this update is also successful I will document my Bot at the Bot user page [[User:DgbrtBOT]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Oh, I forgot this detail: The bot is starting at 00:00 EST (RLT - Randall local time), which is 04:00 UTC and 05:00 MET for me. It polls every 5 minutes until 23:55 MET (22:55 UTC, 18:55 RLT) the main page until a new comic is found. I do not poll the comic number because I want to avoid 404 message logs at the servers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:30, 17 November 2013 (UTC)
:Something went wrong there. That's gonna need fixing. I am enjoying the looks of the apparently faster polling though. Maybe you could also set the start time to 00:00:05 EST to catch the on-time xkcd releases within ten seconds? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:33, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
::Uh, what a mess. I will do some more tests at my local wiki. At the next time I will do a check against the number from the LATESTCOMIC template, only the next number will be processed. The test against my local history did fail because of some cleanups after testings.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:18, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I don't like mess. So the BOT got many more checks before posting here but the bot was starting at 05:00 local time for me. I'm really asleep at that time. The mess here was covered, but I do need another GO for the next attempt. Otherwise I will just do a test to my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:35, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
No GO so far, my next test will run only at my local wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
:My script is here: [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update explainXKCD_update]. At my current test "explainxkcd.com" is commented out and "localhost" is active. Since I don't like mess and the bot does act while I am sleeping the next update must be done manually here. I'm hoping the bot will be ready for the next update on Friday.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:15, 19 November 2013 (UTC)
::Bot is ready for Friday, everything went smooth at my last local test today. The bot did find the latest comic at 04:05 UTC and all essential pages were properly created. So I will activate it for this site again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:57, 20 November 2013 (UTC)
Bot did work as expected. So I name it release 1.1337, the next planed release will be 2.1337 (beta) because of this two issues:
*"Include any categories below this line." will be removed because it doesn't make any sense any more.
*BETA: I want to use the full template features at [[List of all comics]], just ensuring that the pictures are working properly. No need for this at the most comics, but the BOT doesn't cover all possibilities on corrupt file names like we have had in "Pi vs. Tau". The picture was without that dot. My bot just shows the real link it did upload here.
I'm pretty sure we will have some issues on this bot, but for general pages it should work. So the bot will be active on Mon,Wed,Fri from 0:00 EST (or EDT) every five minutes until it did found a new comic, on success the bot does not poll any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
:Aww, it's a bot. It doesn't need to rest or take time off to do other stuff. It can totally poll once or more times per minute. Also, if you set the start time to a few seconds after midnight, Randall time, when he uploads a comic on-time, you'll get it within a few seconds as opposed to having to wait for the next polling. As for the image names, maybe you could convert spaces in the comic name to underscores, compare the two comic names you have and use that to decide which version of the template to use? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:08, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
::I have to avoid that the bot is running twice, Internet Timeouts and more. And the comics are also published later sometimes. Look at my release [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update 1.1337], release 2.1337 will be later, Maybe I should start at 2 minutes after 0:00, but let's see right now how the bot does work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:38, 23 November 2013 (UTC)
Uhh, what a huge discussion here. The bot will get a major update soon: Scheduler does start it once and until a comic is found and uploaded it here or an other limit is reached (maybe the end of the day) the bot will poll by a small delay. But every poll is still an entire download from the main page, When a new comic is found bot stops.
:Why, you could use http://xkcd.com/info.0.json, right?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.52|108.162.231.52]] 07:38, 2 December 2013 (UTC)Synthetica
::The BOT performs perfect and I prefer to analyze the original page. A title text like the one from today (a text showing a link) will be covered in the future.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:35, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
A great enhancement would be also covering a new comic like 1190 Time was. I'm looking forward on this, some ideas, it does require a complete analyse of the page and then finding some strange content.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:05, 27 November 2013 (UTC)

== Require description for 'incomplete' tags ==
I've been trying to fix some of the incompletes, but several explanation pages I've come across are tagged incomplete without any reason given. The reason should be a required part of the tag. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.223|173.245.52.223]] 03:35, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:This incomplete tags are just older than the recent change of that template. Current adds require a description, but it's not easy to figure out all that old reasons. If someone does find a reason, please just add it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

== Should there be a subwiki to cover the shop links that appear above the comic? ==

The current one (as of writing) is [http://imgs.xkcd.com/store_news/store_gd_b11_1ze4.png] but this is a different than the usual, and there was also a third in between these.
[[User:Rsranger65|Rsranger65]] ([[User talk:Rsranger65|talk]]) 06:00, 8 December 2013 (UTC)
:Those are very ephemeral. They aren't going to exist for very long, I don't know how valuable it would be to archive that stuff. We could probably do it, but having to figure out another naming convention and all for advertisements doesn't appeal to me at the current moment. If you can flesh it out, I'd love to see how you think we should do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:24, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

== New Character ==

OK, I think we need a name for the character with a goatee and glasses in comics [[435: Purity]], [[796: Bad Ex]] and [[964: Dorm Poster]] as well as possibly others. Edit: oh and I suggest Goatee and Glasses Guy, but I'm open for suggestions Edit 2: also in [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]] Halfhat {{unsigned|Halfhat}}
edit 3: Another sighting [[954: Chin-Up Bar]] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 16:57, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: In the transcript, he is called "Person with Glasses and a Goatee" --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:39, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
:: "Glasses Guy", "Goatee Guy" are both probably descriptive enough! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:41, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== What If Comics ==

Hi, I was thinking, maybe at some point we should do the comics in the ''What If?'' section, like [http://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/36/cornstarch_bitcoins.png this one.] [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 20:01, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
: Start creating the pages for them! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:36, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
: I think I can start creating one or two pages for What If, if that helps... [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 16:14, 5 April 2014 (UTC)
:: If nobody has any problem with it, I'm gonna give it a try later. :) [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 13:14, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::I thought they were already pretty self-explanatory though. Also, how are we gonna organize and present them? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:31, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
::::I totally agree with David: Read the entire What-If page and follow the links provided by Randall. No one of us can do that better in depth. But an overview page for this site is maybe not a bad idea, we just need a proper link here — a link at the main menu on the left. Translations to other languages are just another issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:37, 8 April 2014 (UTC)
:::::Yes, I was thinking of an overview, summarizing the contents and discoveries of each what if page. Not to mention, we could also organize what if pages by categories, such as physics/love.
:::::Would you like me to post here an example of what I would write? That way we can decide if it's worthy of creating an actual page. [[User:Daniel Carrero|Daniel Carrero]] ([[User talk:Daniel Carrero|talk]]) 12:53, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:Adding pages for What If? posts would be very helpful. Although the articles themselves are obviously self-explanatory, there are almost as many subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? posts these days as in the comics themselves.
I often visit explain xkcd when I feel like I'm missing an inside joke or a pop culture reference in a comic, and it would be very helpful to many people (especially those from other cultures/subcultures) to have the same service.
For example, today's What If? contains multiple allusions to the Superman Movie, a running Citation Needed joke, and a whole comic that is a not-so-subtle dig at Elon Musk and the Hyperloop. It would be awesome if the community here at explainxkcd could tackle stuff like that.
Anonymous 20:05, 31 July 2014 (UTC)

I agree. I don't understand the mouseover text on the first image in "Snow Removal", for example. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 22:57, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

== Transcripts ==

The whole point of the transcripts is to have those who are unable to view images to still be able to read the comic, right?

Then why is it required to stick to strictly official transcripts, where sometimes rewriting them slightly would make them flow better or otherwise get the ideas across better? I've tried rewriting a few, but they get reverted. I think that having easier-to-understand transcripts would be more important than strictly following official transcripts; what do you think? (For a few examples, see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=207:_What_xkcd_Means&diff=60061&oldid=57400 this edit] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=995%3A_Coinstar&diff=59862&oldid=57316 this edit]. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 17:38, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
:We use the original transcript to try and deduce original author intent if it's unclear from the image. I remember one comic where Beret Guy was off in the distance and it was difficult to distinguish him from the image, but the official transcript said it was him. We don't stick to the original transcript if it's obviously wrong, or it has typographical errors: see [[Laser Scope]]. Those edits seem to be mainly targeted at language and clarity, and should be fine. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:06, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
::Would it be helpful to have another (optional) section for expanding on the official transcripts? I too think it could be helpful, especially for complex images (such as 1079/United Shapes [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1079]). Or does supplemental description belong in the Explanation sections? Cheers. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 23:00, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:::Naaah, how many people even know there's an original transcript? If the original is wrong, change it. If your additions begin to verge on explanatory, move eet to the trivia/explanation sections. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:52, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

== "Characters in this Comic" section ==

Should there be a "Characters in this Comic" section in each comic explanation? (I feel like this should be longer but don't have anything else to say.) [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:33, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

:There is a Category section at the bottom of each comic. Just scroll down and you will see any character belonging to a specific comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

== Adding the Radiation chart from XKCD ==

Hi
As there are already other comics with explanations even though they are not part of the number system.
This one does not seem to have any yet:
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
And as it is very alike the Money strip (the unexplained of the week) so I think it should be explained as well.
If you agree please add it as I'm not sure how to do that.

Best regards
:[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:47, 7 June 2014 (UTC)

== Reddit comments? ==

There should be a link in each comics explanation page somewhere linking to the comment section for the relevant comic on /r/xkcdcomic or reddit.
:The reddit comments page isn't ''that'' close to what we do though. If this is more popular, we'll do it, though there'll need to be a fair bit of post-hoc editing since I don't think there's a standard URL scheme for all the past comics. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:15, 23 June 2014 (UTC)
:I just came here to ask if we could do this, but I looked into it and it wouldn't be simple. Could we write a bot to run on the xkcd subreddit to post the link here? --[[User:Eluvatar|Eluvatar]] ([[User talk:Eluvatar|talk]]) 05:53, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

== Not insulting new users ==

I am writing a response to a vulnerability assessment. I have included a link to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 noting that it contains a good explanation of the relative security of passwords vs passphrases. I just noticed that the top of that page contains "Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb." Looks like I'll have to find a different site to link to. --[[User:Pascal|Pascal]] ([[User talk:Pascal|talk]]) 17:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)
:I agree. While I'm sure it can seem cute or funny in various circles, that text has always seemed immature and inappropriate to me, and I'm sure to many folks we'd like to invite to the site. I suggest that it be changed. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:52, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

:The XKCD http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/936 suggestion for password is actually not that good. [http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/62832/is-the-oft-cited-xkcd-scheme-no-longer-good-advice read here] for some more discussion. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.253.6|162.158.253.6]] 23:49, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

:I also agree. I'm not here because I'm stupid, I'm here because I don't know something and I'm hoping this site can help. It's off putting to have that text there, and there's no benefit to it. What about just repeating the thing at the top of XKCD.com: "Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language: Explained"?

:I agree, and there is actually a very long talk page started about this subject in the miscellaneous section. Eventually people voted to keep it, but the main argument on that side was that that was the way things had always been. I am fairly new to the site (this is actually my first post on it), so I don't know how these things work, but I do think that that should be changed. There were actually a large number of good proposals for replacements with the other one, and I thought it would be funny if there was a randomly selected character every time you loaded a page, with each character having their own tagline. Is there any way to try to get this changed again?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.52|172.68.78.52]]

:Another vote for changing it. I like the idea of rotating through a number of taglines. The world already has too many people who habitually verbally reinforce the idea they aren't smart, why try to convince them they're right about themselves when they might otherwise be experiencing curiosity? (Related: Carol Dweck) ''Edit: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous#Sightless_readers_offended_by_the_.22It.27s_.27cause_you.27re_dumb.22_tagline. link to prior conversation]'' [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.37|172.69.35.37]] 10:56, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

== RSS feed ==

Is there an RSS feed (or some equivalent) of Explain XKCD available? It's helpful for those using feed readers, and superior to the primary XKCD RSS since there are explanations and the mouse over text is transcribed for the lazy. Thanks [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.154|108.162.219.154]] 08:24, 28 August 2014 (UTC)
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:NewPages&feed=atom&hideredirs=1&limit=90&offset=&namespace=0&username=&feed=&tagfilter= Why yes, we do!] It's the regular new pages log that all wikis have. It's a little ugly at the moment, and sometimes junk gets in there when a bot chucks spam at us, so a nicer feed is in the works, but the linked one should do you excellently for now. When the nice one is done, you'll see it in the sidebar below the "Help" button. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:31, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

== Navigation Pane Link - Categories ==

How about having a link to the "Special:Categories" page in the navigation pane?

A fair amount of effort has gone into categorising the comics, and at the moment it isn't particularly obvious how to browse by category. Is this worth doing?{{unsigned|Pudder}}
:Space on the sidebar is on a premium. I dunno, I'd probably be against it, but I want to hear what other admins say as well. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:45, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

== Alternate realities what if would benefit from a wiki entry ==

The what if entry from the end of November 2014 providing excerpts from alternate reality what ifs would benefit from an explain page.
I suspect these may have been typos that have been made into jokes, but some of the humor might not be apparent to all.
I doubt I have access (or maybe know how) to set it up myself.

Cheers {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.42}}

: Made it. Check out [[What If: 120: Alternate Universe What Ifs]]. [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:10, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
::We don't actually have a structure for what if pages in general, so I'll have to take that down, but when we do we can make pages for every what if. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== Secondary URLs? ==

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Is this ok? [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:50, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
:While we probably won't advertise them because we can't guarantee the uptime of third-party URLs, and they add an additional redirect layer and lack our shortened URL features, you're free to purchase and link URLs to us independently. We are not owned by Randall and as such cannot claim to actually be xkcd, so I'm not hugely comfortable with you using the plain name "xkcd" to link to us; a url in the format http://www.xkcd.[TLD] should by rights link to the main xkcd site, but no trademark claim has been made or likely will be made, so you should be fine with doing whatever you want to do with URL redirects '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:57, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

== LaTeX (Or MathML, TeX) support? ==

[[1489:_Fundamental_Forces|In the most recent comic at the time of posting]], there was use of formulae, being: Fgravity = G m1m2/d2 Fstatic = Ke q1q2/d2 
There are probably many more comics using formulae that cannot be rendered properly without the use of LaTeX or something. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Displaying_a_formula help page on Wikipedia] says that the following should work: <math>F_{gravity}=G\frac{m_1m_2}{d^2}</math> <math>F_{static}=K_e\frac{q_1q_2}{d^2}</math>
Provided that one has to set <source lang="php" enclose="none">$wgUseTeX = true;</source> in [[mw:Manual:LocalSettings.php|LocalSettings.php]]. Is there any reason for this to be disabled? If there is, is there any alternative? —[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.95|141.101.106.95]] 21:18, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

:The wgUseTeX flag was deprecated in mediawiki 1.18 in a move to simplify base mediawiki and move niche features into seperate plugins. I vaguely remember this being requested in the past, can't find any evidence of me implementing it. I'll try it now, see what stopped me last time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:12, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
:Ah, there's a bit of configuration work to it and I was busy at the time probably. I'll put it on the growing to do list on my userpage. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:20, 21 February 2015 (UTC)
This problem is '''solved'''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:03, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== Merge Cueball & Rob ==

At the risk of posting this idea too many places and annoying everyone, I would like to propose that we consider merging [[Cueball]] and [[Rob]] and redirecting Cueball to Rob, much as [[Cutie]] now redirects to [[Megan]]. The most common name given for a Cueball-like character in the strip is "Rob". Like Megan, he is not always named. Also, like Megan, Rob tends to have distinct characteristics such as being a nerdy alter-ego to Randall (e.g. [[1168: tar]]) just as Megan often is the appearance given to comic representations of Randall's wife (see [[1141: Two Years]], before hair loss). Megan and Cueball appear to have a relationship (e.g. [[159: Boombox]]) and Megan clearly hangs out with Rob in ways not inconsistent with adventurous couples (e.g. [[782: Desecration]]). Finally, comics that feature both [[Black Hat]] and "Cueball" seem to depict them as friends and possibly roommates. However, we learn in [[1102: Fastest-Growing]] that Black Hat's roommate is named "Rob".

In short, I believe if [[159: Boombox]] had called "Cueball" "Rob" we would've rewritten both Cutie and Cueball to redirect there. Because we learned that "Cueball's" name is actually Rob much later (I think the earliest occurrences are [[647: Scary]], and [[716: Time Machine]]; the first time he is seen with Megan in a capacity that might indicate a relationship is [[782: Desecration]]). [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:05, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:As I answered your comment on [[1496: Art Project]] Rob is [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Rob already listed] as part of the category for Comics featuring Cueball: and this is listed as the first entry when going to the page for [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Cueball Category:Comics featuring Cueball]. Cueball is such an integral part of explain xkcd that I do not think any other users wish to change. Also the 9 incidences with Rob is maybe a specific person and at the time Randall did not think to give him any features. Also Cueballs have no specific behavior as you allude to. Neither has Megan. You can always find several Cueballs and Megans that behave a certain way. But then you can find many other comics where they behave the opposite way. Thus Rob and Cueball should not be merged. Also there are several comics with more than one Cueball. And here we have this problem: It is typically the first who writes the transcript who decides who of the Cueballs (or Megans) he feels represents the "real" Cueball. However, there is no real behavior of Cueball. So who should decide. I could change all these transcripts so it becomes the other character who becomes Cueball, because I think that the first transcriber did it wrong. And this is why in a comic with more than one Cueball (where neither is called Rob or the like) neither of the two should be called Cueball. It would still be in the category with Cueball, because that is just comics with a Cueball like character no matter how many. But they cannot be named Cueball and friend or Rob and friend (unless Rob's name is mentioned!) They could be called Cueball 1 and Cueball 2, but then guy or man would be better. I know several places have comics with two Cueballs where someone has designated one of them Cueball and the other friend of foe etc. But this should be corrected so none of these are called Cueball. Same should go for more than one Megan. But this is very rare, and I have only found one other than ''Art project'' and here only one Megan had any lines. The problem with different opinions on which Cueball is which came for the first time up with Megan in ''Art project'': The two Megan-like characters was first named (left to right) Megan and Danish. Then unidentified girl and Megan. Then Megan and unidentified girl, then two Megan like girls with short and long hair and finally you reverted it to my first change away from Danish to unidentified girl and Megan. (I can live with that as there is difference in hair length and behavior). But as far as I see it Cueball is not Rob as well as Megan should have continued to be called Cutie (but I would not like to change that now, as I have grown fond of Megan). But at the time the change was done I believe it was wrong. The same fondness for the name Cueball also makes me sure that no one else would wish to call him Rob, even if that is as much his name as Megan is Cuties... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:57, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::My argument is that it is inertia and sentiment ("fond of Megan") that prevents an objective, equal treatment here. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

::Also, regarding the analogy made above to Danish. I am fine with a nickname when Randall hasn't named a character. So she was "unidentified girl" and then became "Danish". But, when we named her "Danish", we went back to "Journal 1" and other places and renamed her. My proposal is that we should go back through and rename "Cueball" as "Rob". Alternatively, we should reinstate "Cutie" for cases in which it is not clear that a character is "Megan" per se, but just Megan in her "everywoman" capacity. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:00, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to post a poll, but I see the following options:

1) Status quo: Cueball for all unidentified males without distinct characteristics (e.g. hats), Megan for all shoulder-length brunettes. Rob only for named Cueballs. Multiple Cueballs in a comic mean one is named Cueball and others get named "Friend", etc.

2) Symmetry 1: Cueball/Rob stays as is. Unnamed brunettes get named "Cutie". "Megan" like "Rob" is reserved for comics in which a name is used.

3) Symmetry 2: Megan stays as is. Rob is the default for indistinct males. "Cueball" page redirects to "Rob" (as "Cutie" now redirect to "Megan").

4) Expunge all Cueballs from multi-Cueball comics: Basically the status quo, except that in comics with multiple Cueballs none are named "Cueball" and are just all given names "Man 1", "Man 2", etc.

I am ambivalent regarding options 2 or 3. I could live with 1 if there is consensus for it, but I don't like it. 4 is a disaster in my mind and gains nothing. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

:We are probably the only one who reads these post...? But anyway as is clear I'm for 4. Which has been used several places already.´I can live with 1. I think 2 and 3 are disasters. Also it would be completely confusing for those who have used this page for many years. Why do you bring this up now? Is it because of the multiple Megan comics, or have you just signed up here, and dislike that it doesn't follow the rules you would have expected?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::I suggest instead that we create a category for multiple Cueballs, so it is easy to explain why the Cueball is not a specific character, and thus can never be Rob (except when it is clear from the text), or be expected to behave a certain way. And in reverse we make a Named Megan category so it is easy to find the few (three?) where she has been named. This by the way has nothing to do with the other suggestions, so I might just do that to get an overview. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:19, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
::: It seems more consistent to me to use [[Cutie]] for all unnamed "Megans" and reserve "Megan" for named comics. Thus, Rob is '''a''' Cueball and Megan is '''a''' Cutie. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:30, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::::I've read through some of your discussions (Here, Kynde's talk page, Art Project discussion), and thought I might put my thoughts forwards. Essentially we have three questions here:
::::1) Should we merge Cueball and Rob, and rename all Cueballs as Rob?
::::2) Should we rename all Megans as Cutie, except where she is explicitly named?
::::3) Once questions 1 & 2 are answered, what do we do where the 'same' character appears multiple times in one comic?

::::*I understand the objective argument for renaming Cueball to Rob, however I'm unconvinced of the importance of being entirely objective, and I can't imagine Cueball being renamed to anything other than Cueball.
::::*I think its fairly clear where the Cueball label has come from, even if it might not be immediately obvious to some. Even if readers don't make the link between Cueball's head and a cue-ball, it is quite a generic label, which I think fits well with the transient every-man nature of Cueball's usage.
::::*There is something far more specific about the name Rob, which suggests that he is the same character every time. The origin of the name isn't obvious, which I think would be likely to cause confusion.
::::This brings me to conclude that for me, the answer to Q1 has to be that Cueball should stay as Cueball, unless explicitly named something else.

::::The question of changing Megan to Cutie is one where I am less confident. Following the arguments I've made above, the outcome has to be that we rename to Cutie unless specifically named Megan, however I am not entirely convinced. The name Megan has a history, there are surely lots of people who now know her as Megan, what do we really stand to gain from all the work of changing to Cutie? I would also suggest that the name Cutie may not be accepted well by those with strong feminist views.

::::As far as multi-character comics, I don't have time right now, but I will come back later and add my thoughts. Now that we've only got a few incomplete comics, we've had to resort to discussing renaming characters!--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:07, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:::::I agree with the reasons for keeping Cueball and Megan. And also that Cutie is such a loaded word, that it should never have been used anyway. This I did not immediately think about, but Cutie sounds like something from either a porn movie, or else a Bond Babe... Like the phrase from one of those movies: "Hello, I'm Plenty..." Then we should have to find a third name. And everyone here knows her as Megan. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)
::::::I have created the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Multiple_Cueballs Category:Multiple Cueballs] to locate them and to show how often there are more than one. Feel free to add any I haven't found yet. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

I think Rob is Black Hat's roommate and Megan's boyfriend/partner/husband (see above). The "Cueball" in comics such as [[159: Boombox]] and [[542: Cover-Up]] should, in my view, be renamed "Rob", even though he is not explicitly called that in those comics. Most other "Cueball" comics can stay unchanged. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:43, 14 March 2015 (UTC)
:I have left my reason to disagree also with this on the two comics talk page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

In my opinion, it is quite clear that [[Randall]] has chosen to name the main male protagonist [[Rob]], for the few occasions where he needs characters to call upon each other, in the same way as he has chosen [[Megan]] for the main female protagonist. We should therefore try to overcome our nostalgia, follow Randall, and call the common male protagonist Rob. The problem with multiple cueballs can most often be resolved by identifying the protagonist, from the first-person narration or the general perspective. Thus, in [[525: I Know You're Listening]] Rob is the comic's "I", to the left. In [[1110: Click and Drag]], Rob is obviously flying with a balloon. In [[610: Sheeple]] Rob is arguably the guy in the foreground facing us. Non-Rob "cueballs" we could refer to as "friend" "man", etc. In this way roughly half of the "multiple cueballs" would be resolved. I think I can live with a few unclear cases, like [[220: Philosophy]]. [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:22, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

:A featureless character has been ''specifically'' named Rob in 9 comics, compared with 968 'Comics featuring Cueball'. I believe it is fundamentally flawed to assert that because a featureless character is named Rob in less than 1% of appearances, that all featureless characters should therefore be assumed to be Rob. As I've discussed above, I think that Rob strongly implies a specific person, whereas Cueball is a vague 'everyman' character. I feel it would be a huge error to change all Cueballs to Robs.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 17:37, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

::The problem with that logic is that "Megan" is only named in a small number of comics (fewer that "Rob"). So we should have a different name for an unnamed generic female. [[Cutie]] is fine, but if people perceive that as sexist, then another name, maybe "Cuegirl" or "Brunette" would work. (Side note: I doubt "Cutie" would be perceived as sexist and there's history there.) What I '''do''' find sexist is the fact that there is asymmetry between male and female "everyperson"s. In sum, I would say there is at less evidence to support naming Megan-everywoman "Megan" in all cases as there is to name Rob-everyman (here called "Cueball") "Rob" in all cases. Asymmetry here ignores the fact that Randall clearly intends his name to be "Rob" and also that we are using a proper name for everywoman but a contrived name for everyman, while creating an artificial distinction between Rob and Cueball and smearing out any possible distinction between Megan-everywoman and Megan-properName. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:18, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

:::As I put in my earlier comment (see above), I do agree that the logical conclusion is that Megan should no longer be named Megan, and should have an equivalent generic name. As an aside, I'm quite partial to your suggestion of Cuegirl. I disagree with your assertion that "Randall clearly intends his name to be Rob", and I think that is the central point of this discussion. I don't believe that there is anywhere near enough evidence to assign a specific name to what I believe is a generic character. If we want to go for formal logic, consider the syllogism "Some non descipt characters are called Rob, there are many non-descript characters, therfore all non-descript characters are called Rob". The conclusion simply does not follow. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:22, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

::::Great, I vote for Cuegirl & Cueball :: Megan & Rob! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 01:31, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

I agree with Djbrasier's and St.nerol's arguments, and I too feel that the arguments against dealing with this in an objective, symmetrical and logical way seem mostly based on nostalgia. Either we agree that a few named instances of the everywoman are sufficient to generalize to the (vastly more numerous) unnamed instances, and apply the same standard to the everyman, which is only consistent (and even more justified in the case of Rob since he is named in more comics than Megan), or we decide that the extrapolation is unjustified and we revert the Cutie-->Megan merge. The alternative --having double standards and deciding things based on historical baggage and emotional attachment rather than rationality-- makes no sense for followers of the comic that ''literally invented'' nerd-sniping!

I'd also add that, as a non-native speaker, "cueball" doesn't ring any immediate bells unless the connection to cue balls is pointed out explicitly -- so actually Rob works even better as a generic name than Cueball. We have already [[#New character|agreed previously]] that clarity is better than cleverness when we named [[Hairy]], forgoing the less obvious alliteration "Harry", so I vote we use the name Randall ''actually'' gave us, let go of our attachments to a creation he never endorsed, and honor our collective nerdiness by doing the logical thing: apply our standards uniformly and adopt Rob the same way we adopted Megan. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 06:09, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:I've already put my thoughts forward above, so I won't repeat the same ground I've covered, other than to say I believe it would be a mistake to turn all Cueballs into Robs. While I will admit to having some nostalgia for the name Cueball, that isn't a major facet of my argument. I believe that any generic name is better than a specific name. Call them Stickboy & Stickgirl if you want! I know there are a fairly significant number of contributors and visitors who do not have English as their first language, but I don't believe that is a reason to choose a specific name, rather than a generic name, even if the origin of the latter isn't immediately obvious to all. It would be interesting to know whether each of us sees Cueball as always being the same person, or Cueball *is* Randall, or Cueball is just a changeable everyman.

:To me, he is a changeable everyman, who I guess may represent or be based on: Randall, his friends, family or acquaintances, famous people, someone he saw in the street, or a completely made up character used to fill a specific role in the comic. The reason I argue againt merging Rob & Cueball is that the Cueball I see is this morphing and fluid character, and to use a specific name to tie him down to being the same character all the time runs completely counter to that. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:31, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

:: Understood, and sorry for mischaracterizing your argument (the nostalgia part does cloud the discussion though). I suppose I would be somewhat ambivalent to either have Rob+Megan, or Cueball+Cutie -- Cuegirl doesn't work because she has hair :) --, in the interests of reason and symmetry. But I lean slightly towards Rob+Megan because those are names Randall actually gave us, while anything else is our own invention and thus has no claim to legitimacy other than popular support.
:: Particularly, while I understand your concern about shoehorning the various personality traits the Cueballs show in different comics into a single persona, that doesn't seem to have been a problem for Megan -- not to mention real people ''are'' indeed complex and multi-faceted beings (or "morphing and fluid", to use your terms) rather than one-dimensional caricatures. Heck, even Black Hat has his romantic side! :) So in light of that, I don't think we have to worry about ruining Cueball by naming him Rob -- if anything, that'd add more depth to him as a character! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:35, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
:::I'm still very much against changing things here. Call it nostalgia, but there are many users who will never read these arguments, who one day comes back and cannot find Megan or Cueball, and will ask who the heck are Cuegirl/Cutie. I'm completely with Pudder on the problem with giving Cueball the name Rob. It just doesn't make sense. I agree that we have a inconsistency with Megan. But then everyone who uses this page a few times, becomes familiar with that name. However the main problem with all your great ideas is this. Who should correct the either 984 pages where Cueball is mentioned because he is a part of it (and all the other pages relevant to him or where he is exactly mentioned because he isn't part of the comic) and/or who should do the same for 487 comics (plus loose pages) for Megan. Unless those in favor for changing the names will do this, then the discussion is moot. It is already clearly stated in the relevant pages that these two characters are generic and that they have been named but a few times. So what more can we do unless someone is willing to use several days to change this back. I sincerely doubt you can keep the correct syntax if you just try a brute force replacement? There are so many interconnecting links etc. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:21, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

I completely disagree with merging Cueball and Rob. Rob has [[276|Emily]] and [[632|Lisa]] as girlfriends, and Cueball has Megan. Rob also lives a more action-filled and stereotypical life compared to Cueball. --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 13:14, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

I think the main stances here are clear:
* Keep as is
* Rename Cuball to Rob
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl
Since keeping it status quo wouldn't change anything and is asymmetrical, I'll go over the others:
* Rename Cueball to Rob - Arguments:
** Randall gave him this name;
** It would offer symmetry to Megan;
** If the Cutie -> Megan logic is to be followed (as she was changed once named in the comics) then Cueball should be Rob;
** Even though cueball is a generic everyman name, Rob seems more like a name you could give anyone and would be more recognizable to non-native English speakers.
* Change Megan back to Cutie/Cuegirl - Arguments:
** It would cause symmetry again, letting her have an everywoman name;
** Nostalgia for Cueball;
** Megan is not always the same character, so she should not always have the name Megan

I happen to agree with the idea of merging Cueball and Rob, but I'm not closed to the idea of Cutie/Cuegirl. The main problem is that these characters are typically interchangeable everymen/everywomen and there can be more than one in a comic. So another question is what we should do for multiple Cueballs/Robs. In my opinion, we should have all the comics with more than one depict them as Man 1, Man 2, etc. --[[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 17:04, 20 May 2015 (UTC)
:Well I disagree. The users are used to refeer to these characters now by these names. It is also impractical to try to change them all. Megan is rarely twice in a comic. Maybe she is more the same like Black Hat is. But it is made clear that they are not the same in every comic in their pages. If there are muliple Cueballs but one is the main protagonist then he us cueball. If none can be singled out then Cueball like guy to the left/right can be used. I have done that for tbose cases I have found so far ([[:Category:Multiple_Cueballs|49 today]]).--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:58, 7 June 2015 (UTC)

Well, somebody pointed out that the title text of [[1783: Emails]] suggests that the Cueball in the comic is most certainly not Rob, and calling the main comic character 'Man 1' as above would be silly. And on top of all this, 'Cueball' occurs so much we would probably need to take a regex to every explanation in [[:Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 14:50, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

Why hasn't anyone thought of the name "Hairball"? {{unsigned ip|172.68.189.187}}
:Please don't forget to sign your posts. And everybody should read this first: [[Characters]] and [[Rob]]. For short: Rob is a named Cueball. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:57, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

== How to fit explanations of new classes of xkcd-related mysteries into the site: what-if, t-shirts, posters, special comics etc. ==

I suggest that the [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:About explain xkcd] page should explain how this site is laid out, and what sorts of things are explained here besides the online numbered xkcd comics that come out three times a week.

For example, there is the [[A Smarter Planet]] series, and there are ideas for explaining some of the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ What-If] series. I'd like to add my explanation of the [https://gist.github.com/nealmcb/398af29a72f7b3efc202 XKCD Greek t-shirt, with mathematical, scientific and engineering uses for greek letters] and perhaps some other t-shirts, posters and the like.

But I can't even figure out how to find non-numbered-comic-explanations, without going thru the entire [[Special:AllPages]] listing, which includes a huge set of unnumbered aliases as well as the numbered ones.

I've taken a stab towards that by editing the About page to point to some categories (and to start with a little overview), but since I'm just poking around, I might have missed some things. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 19:40, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

== Link to "Special pages" on main page ==

I think there should be a link to [[Special:SpecialPages]] on the main-page--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:55, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
:Special pages is a default feature in every mediawiki installation. It's also in the sidebar of every page, and it's not relevant to xkcd. Why does it merit space on the main page? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:56, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

== Science comic ==

Should the Science Magazine comic be added? http://m.sciencemag.org/content/342/6154/58.full [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 03:14, 4 April 2015 (UTC)
:I think that would be a great idea. Could there be other copyright rules when the comic has been published on Science? It there anyway to find out if Randall also has a link to it from (or has it on) xkcd? As he has done with the other [[:Category:Extra_Comics|Extra_Comics]]. And how do we create such a page, if there can be no link directly to xkcd (at the top of the comic)? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

== "what if?" section? ==

I would like to start a new "what if?" section explaining and discussing what if pages.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 06:08, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
:Why does it need to exist? The main xkcd comic needs it, because Randall tends to be obtuse at times, but the what if articles are sourced and written out already. Supposedly, they're already explanations to questions sent in to Randall. Why do we need to explain explanations? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:29, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
::Explaining them indeed seems unnecessary, but we could certainly catalog and summarize them. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:38, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
::The images on what if? also have title texts that could further be explained, and we could organize what if pages by categories, as well as provide summaries. There are also subtle references, running gags, and in-jokes in What If? that should be explained.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:44, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::This https://what-if.xkcd.com/120/ is a example of a what if that could do with some explanations.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:47, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:::That's one of 135 what-ifs, and it's entirely self referential and can be figured out by reading the rest of the archive. The substance of the majority of pages is going to be incredibly thin, Randall doesn't tend to leave much for explanation. Comics that are simple one-shot images are our least used pages for good reason, and the what-if images pretty much all fall into that category, or are used to illustrate Randall's point that he makes in the immediately preceding paragraph. We could archive/catalog all the what-if pages and be a second archive button for the series, though there's a little less value to that than the archiving we did for [[Time]] and [[Externalities]] because there's already an archive along the same lines on the main site. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
::::I think the main value we could add is a summary (TL;DR style) of each entry, in a short Q&A format. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:13, 13 April 2015 (UTC)
If we are going forward with this, is there anyway to find the date in which the what if was first published?--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:01, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
:At the bottom of the page, there's an archive button. Click that. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:14, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
Well, fact is, the [[what if?]] page is much, '''much''' larger now. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 11:52, 20 April 2015 (UTC)
:Thank you, Nk22! I've added a link from the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd About explain xkcd] page. {{unsigned|Nealmcb}}

== Userscript ==

Hello there, just wrote a simple userscript that adds an 'Explain' button to the original xkcd.com

https://gist.github.com/magazov/934de662d60c9fb5fea9

You can run it via Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey and other similar plugins :)

[[Image:Screen_Shot_xkcd_button.png]]
{{unsigned|Magazovski}}

:Yeah, there's a few of these floating around. In the future, could you use an imgur link instead of uploading stuff like that to the wiki? Thanks. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:02, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

::So maybe explainxkcd should host & maintain one of them? --[[User:Magazovski|Magazovski]] ([[User talk:Magazovski|talk]]) 09:30, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Why would we host an image hosting site? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::::He means we could host and maintain a userscript to help our fans get here from xkcd.... [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 14:36, 9 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::Hum, that's not a bad idea. I'll put it on the list of things to do. Although, if they're already here, why do they need a userscript to help them get here? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:34, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
::::::For people who mainly view the comics through the official site, but sometimes need an explanation of the comic. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:23, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
:::::I've started collecting helpful tools like these on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 00:29, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

== Updating the incomplete comic of the day ==

Currently, I think the incomplete comic of the day should be changed more often (i.e. daily), since the incomplete comics are piling up, and most users aren't seeing the notice, as it is dismissible.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:40, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

:While I agree that the comic of the day could be changed more often, I wouldn't say that the incomplete comics are ''piling up''. Over the months I've been active here, the number of incomplete comics had fallen considerably. In fact if you check the comics which are still marked as incomplete, most of them are one where a significant effort would be required to complete them. For example the large comics (Money, Time, Congress) or dynamic comics (Externalities, Click & Drag, Pixels). --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:32, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::Yeah. Of the 15 incomplete "pages," only 10 of them are actual comics that need the attention, and the full count is still dropping. I've been keeping it on single comics as of late because the remaining actual incomplete comics have been cycled through ~3 times already, with no significant effort made on them, because they're such monumental pieces of work. Making the message dismissable is by design, we are a service first and foremost, we're not trying that hard to make visitors do our work for us. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:17, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

== Infrequently recurring minor charachters ==

Should we just group all of the characters that are not of enough significance to warrant their own character page into a single page (i.e. [[Other Minor Characters]])? --{{User:17jiangz1/signature|02:58, 09 May 2015}}
:See comic [[1000]] for a sample of what this entails. Also, what value to we stand to provide by cataloging every unique character that has appeared in xkcd? Does it help us explain the comics any better? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:32, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

== Comic page creation ==

Is comic page creation not automated? If it isn't, then [[Help talk:How to add a new comic explanation]] should be created.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|14:19, 26 May 2015}} 14:19, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:Comic explanation was, at one point, automated. However, the bot ran on a schedule, and so sometimes there would be a few hours between a new comic being posted and the page getting created. Some editors just can't wait that long, so they do the bot's work before the bot even gets going. I agree that this page should be created and be kept up to date. Historically no one has read any of the help pages I've written. ;p [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:42, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

:However, I think that the page should be [[Help:Comic Explanation Page Creation]]. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:43, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

== Re-proposing merging Cueball and Rob ==

Okay, so this was previously [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob discussed] but I felt that it was worth bringing up again. Really, at this point, there's no logical reason why the two should not be merged, or Megan and Cutie should be un-merged. Rob and Cueball clearly seem to be the same person, at least when cueball appears as a specific character. In the instances where there are multiple Cueballs, we should just refer to them as Man 1, Man 2, and so on. Can we get a vote or something this time? Yes, I understand that Cueball isn't always the same character. But neither is [[Megan]], and yet we always refer to the short black haired girl (formerly [[Cutie]]) as Megan. If that logic applies to her, it applies to Rob. It's pretty clear that Randall intended to name the character Rob, as most named Cueballs are named Rob and not Fred or something.

In short: Please don't bring nostalgia into this, it's really not relevant. Changing Cueball to Rob or Megan back to Cutie (or Cuegirl?) would have symmetry and make sense. {{unsigned ip|Sensorfire}}
:I'm ok with dumping a marginal character page that only served to add confusion to character identification in new comics, but this was a subject of contention before so we probably need to see more of people's thoughts first. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:03, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

:I agree: let's list the arguments for both sides, ensure that everyone agrees with the objectiveness of that listing, and then vote. If there's support for this plan, and nobody does it first, I'll take a stab at producing a first draft of the summary. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 23:57, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

:Randall is currently on a booktour. So, how about, instead of us (without the ability to read minds) arguing about his intention or who is/isn't the same character, someone go see him and ask? Then we'll know with absolute 100% certainty. [[User:WaltG123|WaltG123]] ([[User talk:WaltG123|talk]]) 04:49, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
::Randall never called either character Cueball and Cutie so of course this is not his names. Asking him would make no meaning at all. For any user of xkcd it will create lots of confusion to change the names of Megan and Cueball now. Regarding Rob he is already listed as Cueball in his category. And Cueballs have been called other names several times. Rob is just the only one that has been used a few times. I agree that it may have been wrong to call her Megan, (the name has been used like three times?) Similar it is just as wrong to call Black Hat's girlfriend [[Danish]], a nick name used once. But it is actually very nice to have a real name or at least useful name when speaking of characters. And it has also been mentioned that Cutie could be perused as a sexist name, so we should not move back to that. Well recently even [[Hairbun]] has her name changed from Hairbun girl since a user thought that was a problem given it most often was a grown woman. So I think we should stick to the solution of the previous debate and leave Cueball, Rob and Megan alone as they are! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

== Adjective phrases ==

Overwhelmed with the need to be picayune, I am compelled to point out that on the homepage there is the sentence that begins "There are a lot of comics that don't have set in stone explanations..." This sentence contains a adjective phrase which should be hyphenated thus: "set-in-stone"

Please pretend that I have said something witty here, as I am too tired to think of anything funny. {{unsigned|Gamewriter}}
:Is it actually grammatically wrong in it's current state? Huh. I guess I'll change it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:42, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

::This is long after the fact, but I'll throw my two cents in on Davidy22's question. Yes, it is wrong. If the 'set in stone' phrase were after the word explanations ("explanations set in stone") it would not require hyphens, but used as an adjective before the noun ("set-in-stone explanations") it requires them. D Miller [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.41|108.162.221.41]] 18:26, 21 March 2016 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==

You are currently using MediaWiki 1.19.17. It's ''really'' outdated. Maybe update to 1.26.2, the current recommended stable version? There is an [[mw:Manual:Upgrading|official guide]] for that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.77|141.101.80.77]] 12:03, 24 January 2016 (UTC) (PS my IP address is wrong it's not what you think it is)

== Rename Hair Bun Girl ==

The character [[Hair Bun Girl]] was named in April 2015. There wasn't any discussion of the name at the time, so I'd like to open that discussion now please.

At present we have several other characters named after distinctive visual features: [[Ponytail]], [[Black Hat]], [[White Hat]], [[Beret Guy]], and arguably [[Hairy]] and [[Cueball]]. In all but one of those cases, the name matches the distinctive feature itself, without the addition of "guy", "girl", etc. Given the number of comics that Beret Guy is in it's probably too late to modify his name, but it's not too late for Hair Bun Girl.

Besides the consistency issue, there's also the inaccuracy of referring to a grown woman with the term "girl", particularly when the character has been presented as older than [[Megan]]. I'd really like to fix this while her number of appearances is still manageable.

The name "Hairbun" has been proposed and I think that matches really nicely with Ponytail in particular.

[[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:23, 9 February 2016 (UTC)
:As the "guy" who created the Hair Bun Girl characther, I have no objection to changing the name. I did not think about the issue with girl/woman, probably because I'm not native English speaker. (And with the Beret Guy as an example). Jkshapiro was so kind as to [[User_talk:Kynde#Hair_Bun_.22Girl.22|ask my opinion]] before starting this discussion. At first I thought that ''Hairbun'' was a little weird, but then again so is Ponytail in this context. So I '''support''' the change to '''Hairbun'''! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:06, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

I vote '''change''' Hair Bun to Hairbun and '''keep''' girl. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 21:02, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

OK, I'm going ahead. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:47, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
:Well as I said I would not mind, but you cannot say you got any other to agree with you on this though. Mimek wished to keep girl... It will be a huge job to get all the instances correct, also be careful no to change those places where the talk is of a girl who has a hair bun. You cannot just change all placed with hair bun girl to Hairbun, in case is actually says the hair bun girl about a small girl who has a hair bun! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:59, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
::Seems no one cares, so I will remove the notes now. Great job Jkshapiro with changing the names. I like the new name now :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:35, 2 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile friendly website ==

Can we get a mobile friendly version of the wiki? If we already have one, what about forwarding the main site to it when viewed on a phone? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:59, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Ditto. And/or an app. I would like to be able to keep track of which comics/explanations I have read. [[User:Calion|Calion]] ([[User talk:Calion|talk]]) 13:36, 31 July 2019 (UTC)

Install [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension] on the wiki. Or is it more complicated than that? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt Dgbrt] mentions "working on a real mobile version" below, under [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Tables_vs_bold_text Tables vs bold text] [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 15:56, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== New categories ==

I think there may be a need to propose a standard way to decide on categories: what new ones are needed, what are the prerequisites for creating a new category, how to maintain new categories and make sure they are actually used when they apply etc. For now I have gathered all previous discussions about new categories under this section. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 13:39, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think that whenever there are more than 4-5 comics that you wish to refer to in a given explanation because they are of the same topic as the current comic, then having a category is much to prefer rather than listing 5, 6 or 7 comics. I have made several categories for these instances, for instance for sport including the most used sports. At the time being I keep them up to date. One of the things this site does so well is giving you an easy way to find a specific comic even though you cannot remember the title of any precise quotes etc. If you just have an idea of what the topic was you might find it based on the categories. In this way I do not think we can have too many categories. As long as they describe a recurring subject. Only fault is that there seems to be no way to search for a comic based on more than one category? That would be great. In some cases even only 3 comics in a category can make sense. For instance I would be sorry to see this one go [[:Category:Puts on sunglasses]] (and I did not make it!) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:09, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::For instance I have long wished for categories that covered all the space probe related comics, particularly all those referencing the Mars rovers. So today I made them with 16 and 9 comics in them already. [[:Category:Space probes]] [[:Category:Mars rovers]]. I hope people will generally think this was a great idea! :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:42, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:::And [[:Category:The Lion King]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:47, 1 March 2016 (UTC)

=== Category: Protip ===

Anyone for adding ''Protip'' as a [[:Category:Comic series|Comic series]]. I have found five so far: [[653]], [[711]], [[1022]], [[1047]] and [[1156]]. (There are also a few comics with a protip title text.) -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:25, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:I think that qualifies as a recurring topic (thus worthy of a category), but not as a series, where you can see a clear sequence. In fact, [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] has the same limitation, for what I suggest it to be removed from [[:Category:Comic series]]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:42, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

::Seconded. Looks general and common enough to be a category. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:57, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::Okay, great! Do you think that the ones with a "protip:" title text should be included? Besides, I think I might be the one responsiple for moving My Hobby from [[:Category:Comics by topic|Comics by topic]] to Comic series. I felt that all the My Hobby comics were about different topics, but maybe i've got to narrow an interpretation of the word "topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:31, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

:::: Can you link to the protip-in-title-text comics?
:::: As for My Hobby, note that categories aren't mutually exclusive. They can be in the "my hobby" topic, and each of them further categorized as appropriate: music, math, etc. Makes sense? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:45, 5 January 2013 (UTC)
:::: I just searched for protip in the xkcd search bar. Here: [[1084]], [[427]]. And yes, makes sense. I've moved My Hobby back to "by topic". -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:06, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Sports ===

How about creating a new "Sports" category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 15:31, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:Well, maybe. Everyone aren't so keen on new categories here. Which comics are you thinking of, for a start? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 20:32, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
::We definitely need to reach an agreement as a community on when to create new categories. Something simple like a minimum of 3 (or, say, 5) existing comics. Since we're already at the proposals' portal... what do you guys think about that? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:44, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:::My opinion: Five would be enough to qualify. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:31, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I vote for four. But it should also be a reasonable thing to categorize, like sports, not like "sports with Cueball containing at least three anagram words". Wich sholdn't be a problem. :) But the best name choice could be tricky sometimes. e.g. "Film & television", Film & TV", "Film", "Films", or "Movies"? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::
::::Agreed, five should be enough to create the category without having to discuss it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
: OK, let's start with [[588: Pep Rally|588]], [[1092: Michael Phelps|1092]], [[904: Sports|904]] and [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet|1107]]. Should be able to find a few more. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 05:00, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, it's a broad subject so there are probably several more. -[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:59, 29 January 2013 (UTC)
:::I found another one, sort of, in [[929:Speculation|929]] (although it hasn't been explained yet). Should I get the ball rolling (no pun intended) on setting up the category? Don't wanna do it unilaterally and get yelled at. ;) [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 06:18, 30 January 2013 (UTC)
::::I think you should. On a wiki, getting stuck in discussions which die without a conclusion, to the point that motivated people give up without having done anything, is definitely counter-productive, and phrases like [[wikipedia:Wikipedia:Be bold|Wikipedia:Be bold]] are here to remind us of that. Seems like people agreed that you ''could'', and after a while nobody said that you ''shouldn't'', so I'd say do it. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
:I did it without looking here first, because it was obvious there were many [[:Category:Sport|sport comics]]. I have even created four under categories (only one was there before, Chess). There are 10 comics at present that are related to other sports than the five under categories. And given the way Randall thinks about sport (not very much) he still has plenty of comics about the subject. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:33, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

=== Category: Sex ===

I think we should also create a Sex category. There's no ''doubt'' we can find more than three examples. I'll start looking for them and post the ones I find in here; again, I don't wanna create a large category by myself without community consent. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 09:20, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
*OK, the ones for Category: Sex that I've found so far are [[443]], [[219]], [[550]], [[1026]], [[575]], [[468]], [[592]], [[320]], [[1101]], [[417]], [[713]], [[672]], [[230]], [[436]], [[940]], [[532]], [[649]], [[176]], [[1006]], [[596]] and [[717]], and I'm sure there are many more. Should we create this category? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 23:17, 3 February 2013 (UTC)

:Same as [[#Category: Sports|above]], do it. Oh, already did; well, all the better. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 00:53, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Flowcharts ===

Hello, the line "Randall has made use of flowcharts before." in today's comic explanation made me want a [[:Category:Flowcharts|flowcharts category]] to navigate into...

As it didn't exist, I proceeded to create it, but as the log says, [[User:lcarsos|lcarsos]] deleted such a category in November, saying ''"Insufficient differentiation from Category:Comics with charts, diluting the depth of comics tagged charts"''.

I don't agree with that, and I think we could profit from such a subcategory. I found those pages fitting it:
* [[94: Profile Creation Flowchart]]
* [[210: 90's Flowchart]]
* [[488: Steal This Comic]]
* [[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]
* [[844: Good Code]]
* [[851: Na]]
* [[854: Learning to Cook]]
* [[1195: Flowchart]]

So? - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:Weell if you're willing to take charge of the category and personally make sure it's added to all relevant comic explanations, go ahead. The usual objection to making new categories is that we admins can't remember all the categories when we're reviewing new explanations, but it's K if you're willing to take up that responsibility yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:17, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:
:: OK. I did it without waiting for further replies, because I think it will be especially profitable today (to viewers).
:: It doesn't seem a big issue to me if the correct category is not added when a new explanation is made: a passing editor will do it later on... But hey, I'm OK with taking special care of adding pages to this category.
:: [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 12:28, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

::: I just want to add that Cos' view is indeed the appropriate way to work in wikis: there is no concept of a single author for a page, category, or piece of text, and the workload is meant to be distributed among several editors: it is not necessary that any single editor remembers all existing categories, or knows the wiki markup by heart, or knows how to work with all the features of mediawiki, etc. The reason why wikis can be edited by anyone is precisely a recognition that there *will* be errors and any page can be improved somehow. That reasoning against categories should, IMO, be abandoned, or at most only kept as the opinion of some editors. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 22:00, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

Isnt there a page which lists all the categories? If not, there should be one, and it should be accessible to all. Such a page could be useful when trying to quick-add categories to comics. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.83.155|117.194.83.155]] 13:43, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, there is. [[Special:Categories]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:07, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
::Of course, there's a gazillion of 'em, over several pages, so I understand any reluctance to add new categories (having just suggested a new one myself which I feel is justified, but knowing that the upkeep needed may be the key point of contention so remaining philosophical about it).
::A solution perhaps to carry over from another locale that I frequent is to have a "Categories of Character" page, a "Categories of Object" one, perhaps "Categories of Event", and a "Categories of Publication". For each new comic someone can easily check the shorter Character categories list against those present, the Object list against itemsin use, Events, etc, and of course the Publication one has the "Tuesday Comic"/equivalent, and other date-based ones (although isn't that automatic from templated creation? ...never added a comic, but would imagine it is). After that it's a trawl through the miscelania categories (perhaps a meta-category just for them?). But, yeah, a lot of work to set up. Wouldn't wish it on anyone who wasn't already willing to do it, and I remain an anon-IP person right now so can hardly commit ''myself'' as volunteer maintainer of this. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:20, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: (Barred/banned from?) Conferences ===

I come here after realising I erroneously posted (in reply) to the Main page Talk, being anonymous (or at least IP-only) and without a list of qualifying articles to support me, just yet, but still wish to put forward the above category before I forget. There's no apparent equivalent, that I found, but it's definitely a recurring meme. I should be back (named or otherwise) with my suggested list of members, if someone else doesn't get there first, but I thought I'd start with the placemarker. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:41, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:Ok, so I got the bee in my bonnet and spent a few minutes actually looking into this. Revising "Barred from Conferences" (actually more often "Banned" or even "Thrown out of"/equivalent) to just "Conferences", the subset of comics that I can easily find that are involved is *[[153]], *[[177]], *[[365]], *[[410]], *[[463]], *[[541]], [[545]], [[685]], [[829]] and [[867]], but I'm sure there are more recent ones that I didn't spot/recall. One alternative title to "Conferences" is "Presentations", and I'm sure if I'd searched for that I'd have found more potential candidates (less some that might ''exit'' the renamed category). The asterisked ones ''do'' deal with being barred/banned/thrown out/etc, making it still a suitable category in its own right, IMO, but I'll leave it up to your combined musings to decide. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 17:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::I add [[690]] to the list. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:12, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

::: Great suggestions! I created [[:Category:Public speaking]] and [[:Category:Banned from conferences]]. I also added [[Wikipedian Protester]] to the mix, of course :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:59, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

=== Category: Wishes ===

[http://explainxkcd.com/1391/ Several] [http://explainxkcd.com/1086/ comics] [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/152:_Hamster_Ball now] [http://xkcd.com/879/ exist] that talk about wishes - probably more. Should there be a category for this? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 23:22, 7 July 2014 (UTC)
:Doesn't seem significant enough. If you promise to maintain the category you can make it yourself, although it will be cleared out if it gets neglected as new comics are released. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:20, 8 July 2014 (UTC)

=== Category: Artificial Intelligence ===

Hello world.

There are a handful of comics involving Ai - [[1540]], [[1530]], [[1450]] and [[948]] for instance - and maybe it's an idea to give them their own category {{unsigned|Nk22}}

:The usual objection to new categories is that they get abandoned and are too narrow for other people to think of picking them up. If you're going to own it and update it with new comics, you can make it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:01, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

=== Category: Size Comparisons ===
There are numerous comics comparing sizes of things. I can't get a list right now, but off the top of my head, radiation dosages, money, today's comic, and space shuttles in horses. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 19:23, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

===Category: Katamari Damacy ===

There are quite a few comics about this game. [[User:DPS2004|DPS2004]] ([[User talk:DPS2004|talk]])

== Adding Ratings for Explanations ==

I found [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1652 today's explanation] excellently written however that is not always the case. Frequently explanations are walk through of the conversation that are too wordy without any succinct explanation of why or how a strip is funny -- while many of those low quality explanations are not strictly "incomplete" they could benefit from a careful rewrite. I was wondering if we should add a rating tool such as " ''Was this explanation helpful? yes/no'' " so as to identify explanation that could benefit from improvement without having to be tagged as "incomplete". [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:57, 8 March 2016 (UTC)
:We have a rather prominent discussion page for feedback, do we really need an additional add-on for this? I did a little research and found that other wikis use [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Rating semantic rating] and [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ArticleRatings article ratings], which I can install if enough other users want it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:54, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

== New Speculation Sections ==

I often see a lot of speculation and conjecture within the explanation of the comic itself. I don't think it has any place in the explanation but I know many editors enjoy speculating and interpreting the comic and the meaning behind it so I've decided to start this discussion on whether we should provide a section where we can provide different speculations.

What I am thinking would not be like the discussion page, where comments are made and discussed, but an edited and reviewed section which outlines different speculations and interpretations of the comics themselves and perhaps even the author's intent.

Of course tone and presentation should be held to the same standards of the comic explanation but I think this would be a good way to better organize a review of the comic.

I have been away too long to remember if there are any comic explanations with something like this so I have no idea how well it would work.

As an example;

This part from comic 1642: [[Gravitational Waves]]

" It seems that Randall knew in advance about this announcement because this comic was published on a Thursday, not following the normal publish schedule, to coincide with the announcement "

Is well supported, and rather likely correct, conjecture which belongs in the body of the explanation because not only is it backed by strong evidence but it provides background on the comic and the time in which the comic was released and aids in understanding the comic itself.

However, this part from comic 478: [[The Staple Madness]]

"From just reading the comic by itself, one may presume that in the last panel, Cueball has been stapled to the ceiling (as obvious evidence to Megan that Beret Guy has indeed been abusing her staple gun). According to the comic's official transcript, however, it is in fact God who is speaking."

Is almost as equally well supported and certainly a valid interpretation of simply the comic. It is only refuted by the official transcript. I believe it is important to acknowledge and may even be a more humorous interpretation than the one which is provided by the official transcript.

If we added a speculation section (or something of the sort) then we would have a place to talk about this interpretation more freely and expound upon it more.

[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:16, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
: Problem is the whole "explanation" is actually conjecture. None of us the author, we're all just guessing. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 15:23, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

: Many of the current explanations are conjecture, that's true but not every explanation. Providing information on the science or mathematics behind a particular comic is not conjecture. Stating whether the author intended to belittle the field or state that one field is superior over another (unless fairly explicitly stated) is. And there are many things which can be inferred without being simple speculation. Not every comic would need a section like this, and not every comic needs a trivia section, and I'm not ready to start adding this proposed section myself. But I think it should be considered. [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 15:35, 13 May 2016 (UTC)
::The intention of the discussion pages was to serve as a place for people to put their conjecture and reaching interpretations of the comics. They're presented alongside the explanation to make people's interpretations more readily visible. Some people may have trouble distinguishing an ungrounded interpretation of a comic from an explanation of it, and they will insert weak text into explanations. If you find something you disagree with, feel free to bring it up in the discussion section and edit it out of the explanation liberally '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:17, 17 May 2016 (UTC)

== Unixkcd ==

Hello everyone. I was just wondering: is there anything on http://uni.xkcd.com/. Because I was just looking and the only thing I found on Unixkcd is a mention of a bug in [[1350]]. There is not even a mention on the April fools article.
:There's nothing on this site, there's a couple of novel tidbits on the xkcd site that are at best tangentially related to the comic, as Randall originally intended to make xkcd.com his personal site for hosting his own projects. That particular one doesn't show up in any comics. Also, proposals might not be the best place to put this. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:46, 21 May 2016 (UTC)
::I added the unixckd information to [[721: Flatland]]. According to [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Randalls Øredev 2013 talk] unixkcd was the April Fools' prank for April 1st 2010. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 09:00, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

== New character category for blonde woman news reporter (from 1699) ==

From today's comic [[1699: Local News]] I just got the idea that there may be needing a new category for either blonde woman and/or comics with news reports. I posted this [[Talk:1699:_Local_News#New_character_category|post]], in the talk page of that comic. Any comments, and if agreeing that there might be one or two different character categories needed then please suggest what they should be called. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:00, 27 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with Blondie as new character name and with adding a category for news reports. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 00:47, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:Agree with new character category for Blondie --[[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:38, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
:: Thanks for the replies. Could be nice with a few more chipping in. One issue I just found is [[Miss Lenhart]] and ambiguous situations like in comic [[59: Graduation]], where I would remove the miss reference. But then miss would be a sub category of Blondie (or Blonde? which Randall cals the girl in 59) as [[Rob]] is for [[Cueball]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:07, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:: I think blondie is fine for a name. Miss Lenhart is another character who uses a similar design so I think treating her like Rob is perfectly acceptable. The only thing more I think we should discuss is the role blondie plays in most of the comics (Like how cueball is an everyman, whitehat is often a strawman, Blackhat is blackhat etc.) [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 12:04, 13 July 2016 (UTC)
:::There are also these two that looks like Blondie: [[Mrs. Roberts]] or her daughter [[Elaine Roberts]]. I think this is part of why no one has made the category, as there are already three named women with the same hair. But there are so many other comics with this kind of woman, that I think she should be created. I hope I will get the time, but if anyone has any other ideas than just calling them "Blondie" and letting the other three be an subcategory like Rob is of Cueball then say so now before anyone creates Blondie. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:19, 24 August 2016 (UTC)
:::Agree with new character category and characters with the same appearance as sub-categories [[User:Lackadaisical|Lackadaisical]] ([[User talk:Lackadaisical|talk]]) 18:04, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

Based on the discussion she is now called [[Blondie]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 10 September 2016 (UTC)
 And now there is also a [[:Category:News anchor]] with 15 entries already. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:22, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

== fix a page ==

The page Comics featuring Summer Glau is missing:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/526:_Converting_to_Metric {{unsigned ip|108.162.241.130}}
:Done. In the future, you can add categories yourself, just scroll to the bottom and follow the template the others go by. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:56, 7 July 2016 (UTC)

== New xkcd book out. ==

Any chance of posting a section of explanation pages for the cartoons in the new xkcd book, hopefully explaining some of the cryptic red notes? Thanks! {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.102}}

== Business Plan category ==

I propose renaming [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business]] into Business Plans, and adding it to [[1721: Business Idea]] [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:15, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
::(Note I added a ":" to your category link to show the link instead of adding this page to the category. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC))
:No of course not, that comic is about [[Cueball]]. This is Beret Guy's business we are talking about here. This category is not about business idea but about what [[Beret Guy]] does just like the page with [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]. Both are used in the explanation of who he is. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:43, 10 September 2016 (UTC)

== Comics with header text ==

Several comic have some header text, such as [[851]] or [[1052]]. Shouldn't there be a category for them or something? I think it is quite a notable feature. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 15:23, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
:I feel like it's not a particularly defining feature, it feels like making a category for comics that have frames with no borders or something, it's just a technique Randall uses. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:35, 21 September 2016 (UTC)
::To me it feels more like a second title text. It is not technically part of the comic itself, but is a separate piece of information included with it on the xkcd website. There is a category for comics without title text, this is the same, only reverse, in my humble opinion [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 07:13, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

== purpose of detailed transcripts ==

There are two styles of comic descriptions in the transcripts. Some
are fairly terse, giving only the information required to understand
the comic (e.g. "Cueball is talking to Megan, who looks excited").
Others give lots of graphic details, as if one should be able to
reconstruct the picture from the description (e.g. "Cueball, on the
left, is talking to Megan, on the right. His left hand is pointing to
her. Megan's arms are raised above her head and her excitement is
shown by short lines around her head..." and so on). The former style
used to be the norm, the latter has become increasingly
common in recent months.

Being visually impaired, I am extremely pleased with the terse style
of transcript, and have no interest in the verbose style. To me it is
useless and sometimes fairly annoying. Of course, this is a community
and I can happily live with it if others find it useful.

So, I'd like to know who needs detailed, graphical transcripts, and
for what purpose? Were they requested by some users, or did those
writing transcripts just decide to adopt this new style? If there is
a clearly identified reason for describing pictures in detail, fine.
If not, I vote for switching back to the old, terse style.

Zetfr 14:10, 27 September 2016 (UTC)

:Sorry we did not see this at the time. As we can see you finally found ears for you comment after [[1798]] and a new discussion has begun on [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B|my user page]]. (Should probably have been here?) But anyway I'm responsible for your problems, and I will try to write less in the transcript and add "other important" either below in the trivia or below the main comic (as maybe - Detailed image description...) It was meant as a way to search for any thing in the comic if you needed it. I guess most people do not read the transcript, so of course annoying if it is not useful for those who always need to read it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:21, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

== Rename Science Girl "Jill" ==

Following the Precedent of "[[Megan]]" and "[[Danish]]" (but oddly enough not [[Rob]]), I propose that we rename [[Science Girl]] Jill, as per [[1662]]. This could serve to give her an easier name and to use in cases where the character doesn't have a connection with science but seems to be the same girl. [[User:Sensorfire|Sensorfire]] ([[User talk:Sensorfire|talk]]) 18:19, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
:The only time she's called Jill is in Jack and Jill comics (of course), and the only reason you'd want to do that is since [[Randall]] displays them similarly. In some cases Science Girl is even clearly older. We might do that if there was a [[Child-Blackhaired-Ponytail]] character, but these characters are always either Science Girl or Jill. Also, Jill has very, very few appearances anyway. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:37, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

== Make an official transcript site ==
I've already taken the liberty of making {{template|transcript}}, and think we, together, can do better- which is why I'm implementing [https://jackm.000webhost.com/transcript.html this site], in order to display the official transcript in its intended format. However, it is bugged, and could do better if moved to explain xkcd. Is anyone in on this? [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 21:36, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:The transcript site doesn't seem to be accessible. Is the project dead? If it's not I can try to help. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 21:06, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

== HTTPS Links Back to XKCD Interfere with Random Button ==

The Links back to the comics that are present just above the comic itself on the wiki pages (and adjacent to the next and previous links) provides an HTTPS link back to XKCD. However, this interferes with users who want to click that link, and then click `random` - because `c.xkcd.com` does NOT support HTTPS, and thus clicking 'random' after returning to xkcd from explainxkcd does not work. These links should be switched back to HTTP.

--[[User:9000 volts|9000 volts]] ([[User talk:9000 volts|talk]]) 21:15, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

== Rearrange for our visually impaired friends. ==

I have a great friend who is blind and he uses this site to "read" XKCD so we can talk about it. However, there are two things that he finds frustrating. The first, while it means no harm and most readers gloss over it, when listening to the content of the page every day it can become demeaning to hear "it's because you're dumb" every time. I certainly agree, I use explain XKCD because I am significantly dumb-er than Randall, but my friend uses it because he's blind. This is not that big of a deal, but a friendly suggestion.

The second suggestion is to move the transcript section to the top before the explanation so as not to spoil the content of the comic with user explanation right away--in the case that those listening to the article are in fact smart enough to get the joke before needing an explanation.

Thanks for your consideration.

== Incomplete in spotlight ==

The incomplete comic in spotlight should be changed more often, the current one is not even incomplete. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 16:52, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

== Duplicate Navigation tools at bottom of page (please!) ==

I'm enjoying revisiting xkcd canon through the lens of Explain, but frustrated that after studiously reading through the explanation and discussion, I have to scroll back up to the top to get to the Next button.
What would the harm be in duplicating the buttons at the foot of each page?
Thanks for considering this.
Regards

That would be nice, would help a lot. Also, please sign your comments with four tildes. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 19:46, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

== JSON endpoint ==
There is a [http://www.xkcd.com/info.0.json endpoint] to retrieve information about the comics on the xkcd website. However the info there is not complete, specially when it comes to the transcripts. explainxkcd should provide a similar interface. It would be very useful specially for bots/scripts. The commmunity could help completing the information on the xkcd website and/or provide a new interface. The transcript are already retrieved from this website and a copy can be found [https://github.com/nhatzHK/randi/blob/master/json/xkcd.references.json here]. If there isn't already a complete file or databse with all the information, this file could help building it. However, this document has been compiled by scraping the html of explainxkcd, so there's some errors in it. These errors can be avoid with a clear and easy to access interface like JSON, similar to what is available on the xkcd website. [[User:Errpell|Errpell]] ([[User talk:Errpell|talk]]) 20:43, 11 July 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe there is a mediawiki addon to support a JSON file. Any ideas? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:08, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

== Suggestion for small improvement to interface ==
Am I the only one that wishes the Previous / Next buttons were repeated at the bottom of the page? After reading the explanation, I often want to go to the next one in sequence.
(Obviously, I don't check this wiki every day :)
Scrolling back to the top isn't hard, but having the buttons near the bottom would make navigation easier.

Hope you agree!
Murray in NJ

PS: Aha! I see others have suggested the same thing :) {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.232}}
:This was also mentioned before. I don't agree because the layout is based on the original xkcd site. '''Protip''': Do not "scroll back", just use your keyboard. The magic key is called "Home". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:14, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

== Category for The Little Prince? ==

How many comics need to feature/mention a certain thing before we need a category?

I think there are enough featuring the Little Prince to deserve a Category of its own.

== mediawiki things ==

could admin please update to the latest version of mediawiki and add the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Skin:Timeless?useskin=timeless timeless skin], thx. also would help if you added <code>line-height: 1.5em</code> to the edit box (<code>#wpTextbox1</code>) while making it taller to compensate, or added the 2010 code editor to aid readability. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.4|162.158.92.4]] 11:50, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

== The state of "incomplete" explanations and an unified policy ==

Hello, everybody. Recently I went through the "incomplete" explanations and I saw several problems... I think I better split this into sections.

'''1) Many seemingly old and complete explanations are marked either with various creative variations of the auto-generated tag or something along the lines of "rough draft".''' I have personally removed several incomplete tags during the last days, sometimes adding few information before doing so, but usually not. But there are so many of them and it just would not feel right to take it upon myself to reap them all, so, if anyone can spare a few minutes to quickly scan them and remove (or update, in some cases) the tags, it would be nice. Here is a list of explanations with this particular problem, for convenience: [[1874]], [[1906]], [[1908]], [[1912]], [[1915]], [[1919]], [[1925]], [[1926]], [[1929]], [[1930]], [[1937]]

1940 and 1941 also seem complete IMO, but given how recent they are, they could be given some time.

'''2) Some incomplete tags seem like abuse of the feature.''' [[1909]] is probably the best example of this. Table might be nice, but it is not necessary to explain the comic, it would be just "gilding". There is nothing wrong about perfecting complete articles, but marking an article incomplete because someone got an idea how it could be done (and is too lazy to do it themselves) should be discouraged IMO. Other examples: [[1904]] - here I actually disagree with the proposal - why should information that does not represent percentages be represented using them? - but that's my personal view. [[1895]] - this one is asking for further perfection of a perfective information. [[1688]] - a '''huge''' example, asks for something that would require quite a lot of effort without helping anyone understand the comic, a cool project, but not needed for the article to be complete. [[1701]] - I really don't think this is necessary and the explanation is already twice the size I'd expect for such simple comic (*obligatory personal opinion disclaimer*).

'''3) Some tags are just... vague.''' [[1856]] and [[1733]]. "Someone could maybe improve this" applies to pretty much everything in the universe, sorry.

'''4) A policy proposal.''' Here comes the second half of the topic title. There appear to be two conflicting schools of thoughts among editors. Some seem to prefer long, meticulously detailed explanations. Others, including myself, prefer short and concise explanations. On more than one occasion, this has led to mess, so I think there should be some official policies about what kind of information should be considered considered necessary, useful, and superfluous. Obviously, every comic is different, and defining hard rules for this is impossible, so maybe "guideline" is a better word than "policy" here. Here are some suggestions about what this guideline could contain (please, take this as a "sub-suggestion", if a guideline gets accepted, but will end up containing nothing out of this, I will still be happy):

* NECESSARY: named people, groups, organizations, websites, works of art, geographic locations etc. should be briefly introduced, unless they can be presumed to be universally known (e.g. Google, Shakespeare, New York). Obscure words should be defined. Scientific and technical terms should be explained.
* SUPERFLUOUS: recursive explanations - an explanation that mentions concepts that themselves need explaining, but were not relevant to the comic itself.

I guess that's it. Maybe a little disclaimer that I don't have much time now, so I may not be here to further lead this discussion. Maybe I should have waited with posting this when I do have time, but that may not be for a long time, so for what it's worth, here it is.
--[[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 12:16, 13 January 2018 (UTC)

:Your "policy (or guideline) proposal" is that what's widely excepted here. There are some overwhelming explanations and you are welcome to help on more precise writings. But in general there is no censorship here, less important content may be moved to a trivia section below the transcript. Irrelevant content (who decides that?) may be moved to the talk page with a given reason. I'm also a fan of "short and concise explanations" but who will judge what this really is? Further more I really dislike many of those tables, it's bad layout. But changing this takes a lot of work. [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:51, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

::The main reason why I want there to be an official policy is so the process of marking explanations as complete can be more straightforward. There would be a community-approved list of things an explanation needs to contain, if an explanation has all that, it is complete. Of course there would still be lot of room for interpretation because every comic is different and coming up with rules that fit all is impossible, but I believe this could still be a massive improvement over the current state.
::Also, '''please''', when I say something is merely a sub-suggestion, I mean it. Your reply gives me the feeling you understood my proposal as something along the lines of "We should make it an official policy that explanations should look like this:", whereas it was more along the lines of "There should be an official policy about what explanations should contain. Here is an example of what such policy could maybe look like:" [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:49, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
:::In general I don't think this is a big issue. The vast majority (99%) of the comics is ''not'' marked as incomplete and those you are citing here should be discussed at the corresponding talk pages. Thus I don't see a ''massive improvement'' anyway.
:::However we can enhance the proper section at the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] by one or two concise sentences. But when you say ''"There should be..."'' nothing would happen; that's why I say: ''"We should make it"''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:36, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

== Tables vs bold text ==

There are many, many, many comics with several things mentioned in the comic that need to be individually explained, and there are two ways we can do it, one being tables (for example: [[1930: Calendar Facts]]), the other being using bold text to separate paragraphs into sections (for example: [[1972: Autogyros]]). The thing is for the most cases, it seems like we should be using tables, but then using bold text to seperate paragraphs looks better, and is also easier... So when should we use tables, and when bold text? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:20, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
:IMHO we have far too much tables - a structured floating text is much easier to read. Consider this:
:*A ''List of all planets in our solar'' system with a few columns for distance (in km, mi, and AU), size, and temperature. That's a classical table.
:*The table in [[1930: Calendar Facts]] contains far too much text in many cells. Try to read this on a smartphone. And furthermore on my ''Google Chrome for Android'' all the tables from this comic are not shown at all when using the ''Simplified View''.
:*Or compare this: [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1549: xkcd Phone 3]]. I prefer the floating text and even more when I'm using a mobile device.
:But that's only my opinion.
:Nevertheless I'm also working on a real mobile version of this Wiki (similar to Wikipedia) and that will require some restrictions to the layout to get it properly rendered. But this will not happen before the FIFA World Cup 2018 is over ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:17, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
::Agreed. Narrow columns with simple facts are ok, but longer text should not be put in a table. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 10:15, 18 June 2018 (UTC)
::: I second this. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:22, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::::Please check also this new [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|Editor FAQ]] and the belonging talk page. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:04, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::Any updates? (Why) is it not just a matter of installing [https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:MobileFrontend the MobileFrontend-extension]? :) (See also above: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Mobile_friendly_website Mobile friendly website]) [[User:Coverbe|Coverbe]] ([[User talk:Coverbe|talk]]) 16:01, 7 January 2020 (UTC)

== Add the comic to the edit page ==

While editing the explanation, it would be nice to be able to see the comic on that same page, especially for the transcript. (it's difficult for mobile editors to see two pages at once)
:Please sign your comments, and that’s not possible from what I know, considering how this website is set up. (I can still edit fine on mobile) [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 13:49, 15 March 2019 (UTC)

== Dark theme/night mode ==

Should I explain this?

It's for all of us who edit the wiki at 1am and like our retinas.

Firefox has a [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dark-theme-enhanced/?src=recommended Dark Theme Extension], and it looks pretty good on the Wiki. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-theme-for-google-chr/annfbnbieaamhaimclajlajpijgkdblo Chrome does too], but I haven't tried it out.

== Change dates to match ISO 8601. ==

Can we change the timestamps to match [[1179: ISO 8601]]? I'm surprised this hasn't been suggested earlier [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 20:33, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

== Add bookmark ==

I have used some simple javascript to create a bookmarklet that automatically opens the wiki-page of the xkcd page that you are reading. I would like to provide it on the wiki. It works as follows.

1. Make a bookmark, give it a recognizable name.
2. For the url, enter the following: javascript: document.location = document.URL.replace('xkcd.com','explainxkcd.com');
3. Create the bookmark. To use it, open any xkcd page and click it to go to the corresponding wiki page.

Thanks for considering.
[[User:Kwonunn|Kwonunn]] ([[User talk:Kwonunn|talk]]) 18:27, 3 May 2019 (UTC)

:Thanks Kwonunn! I've started collecting these helpful tools on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 01:30, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Regarding using facebook like and google captcha - Privacy concerns ==

Considering that they track users across various sites, it is not in the best interests of the users' privacy.

https://complianz.io/google-recaptcha-and-the-gdpr-a-possible-conflict/ - This article explains the issues better than I can.

Especially the users who use VPNs affected more - it takes noticeably longer and more tries to pass the google captcha. Preventing/dis-incentivizing new contributors from behind a VPN. There is anecdotal evidence (in the form of reddit posts) that google captcha discriminates firefox users and allow chrome users to get simpler challenges or none at all.

The Facebook like button is an iframe. Users visiting this page(s) have not explicitly consented to being tracked by facebook and google.

I am speculating here, but from the amount of data these two items are gathering, it seems possible to de-anonymize the users who are behind a vpn. I don't trust either of these companies to not grab the free data. In the article listed above, it seems captcha alone can capture a screenshot of the pages without users' (explicit) consent. I haven't read through all the privacy and terms.

Captcha is necessary for avoiding spam. There are alternatives. Anything but google one should suffice. Regarding the facebook like button, I think that should be replaced by a link to the facebook page. {{unsigned ip|172.68.38.88}}
:I think this can be done only by admins, who are currently absent from this wiki. However regarding the Captcha, there is an easy fix: Register here, and log into your account (an one-time e-mail address is sufficient, if you are worried about your privacy). Also please sign your comments to talk pages and other discussions (such as this) - It will not show the IP related to you/your VPN, but one from cloudfare, so it will also not hurt your privacy, but automatically put a timestamp, etc.

== Removing unnecessary 3-comic categories? ==

I count eight categories on explainxkcd that satisfy the following properties: 1. They have only three comics in them. 2. They aren't really a comic series; they just feature or reference a comic theme. 3. They aren't Featuring some person or character. In short, they seem to have no real reason to exist. (They're [[:Category:Spice_Girls|t]][[:Category:Wind_turbine|h]][[:Category:CubeSats|e]][[:Category:Ender%27s_Game|s]][[:Category:Optimization|e]] [[:Category:Git|o]][[:Category:FernGully|n]][[:Category:Giraffes|e]]s.) So my proposal: remove them. -[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 20:37, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
:In addition, there are [[:Category:Sketches|t]][[:Category:BSD|h]][[:Category:Emacs|i]][[:Category:Identity_Theft|r]][[:Category:Katamari_Damacy|t]][[:Category:Super_Bowl|e]][[:Category:The_Matrix|e]][[:Category:Tournament_bracket|n]][[:Category:Traffic_light| ]][[:Category:Trebuchet|m]][[:Category:Wingsuit|o]][[:Category:Euler_diagrams|r]][[:Category:Pedantic|e]] four-comic categories that also seem rather in need of deletion.
:: Shouldn't the community at least have some time to expand on these categories, in case they're currently incomplete? For example, [[:Category:The Matrix]] is on your list and now contains 7 strips, and [[:Category:Tournament bracket]] got its 5th entry after your post. Even if they're not, a theme category can save some typing in the search box (and is probably also cheaper in terms of server resources than all the searches it'll eliminate). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 22:43, 21 November 2019 (UTC)
:::So what do you think the limit should be for categories? Should we create a category when two comics mention the same topic? Three? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 16:28, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
::::Three seems reasonable to me, and I could see a case being made for two. Categories aren't expensive. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 00:17, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== New transcript ==

The transcripts in the comic pages are quite inconsistent, especially in the brackets where you have to describe what happens in the panels. If I understand correctly, the transcripts are for people to copy the text in the comic without having to type them out. If that's the case, then I think propose a new transcript. This transcript should have the comic with the words erased, and then the copy-pasteable words on top of that. Such a transcript would have no room for error, which would let anyone contribute to a seamless transcript.
:The aim of the transcript is to provide a text-only version of the comic that would allow someone who is visually impaired to use a text-to-speech converter to understand the comic and also in a machine readable format for searching (see the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section?|Editor FAQ]]). Anything using mark-up, images or anything other than plain text will interfere with this and so should be avoided in the transcript. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 18:22, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

== Add title text and heading to transcript section ==

It has always bothered me that the transcript did not include the title text since it contributes so much to the humor of the comics. Also, it looks to me like the comic heading is sometimes included as part of the transcript and sometimes left out. I checked the previous proposals and did not see any discussion of these issues. Please consider having a policy going forward of including the heading and the title text within the transcript. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 22:43, 1 January 2020 (UTC)
:To my understanding (and also others, see discussion directly above) one of the main points of the transcript is to make the comics searchable, the other is, to make it readable when images are not an option. In both cases the comic's name and the title text mentioned above and below the image should be sufficient. I personally think this convention is fine. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:28, 2 January 2020 (UTC)

::Pardon me -- (and, '''<big>''thanks'' for your patience</big>''') -- if this is too off-topic (/slash "boring") or [[wikt:TMI|TMI]] (see {{w|Information overload#Web accuracy}} e.g.), '''...OR''' if this should have been posted elsewhere ...instead of here.

::IMHO the term '''"title text"''' is a misnomer. I think the term is used to refer to the little (or, '''BIG!''') pop-up -- (kinda like what is sometimes called a <code>"tooltip"</code>, but ... aren't those usually pretty '''small?''') -- that appears when one "hovers" his mouse [pointer] over an XKCD cartoon. ...at least, according to '''the "Talk:" page section''' [[Template talk:comic#The template field called .22titletext.22]] which was added almost 3 years ago. I think that calling it a <code>"BONUS text"</code> would be even better than calling it a "caption". However, [to me], '''either one''' of those terms would make sense ''WAY'' more than calling it a '''"title text"''' ... for reasons which are stated in the [Template] "Talk:" page section mentioned (and ... '''LINKED TO''') above. '''<big>Any Comments? . . ''' *** Thanks! *** for listening!</big> --[[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 08:57, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

:::Hi Mike, I see your point, and yes, something like "bonus text" might be a bit more descriptive. But FWIW, I think the reason it's called "title text" is because that's the text that appears in the <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_global_title.asp title]</code> attribute of the HTML <code>[https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_img.asp <img>]</code> tag of the comic's image on the xkcd.com site. For example, at https://xkcd.com/2364/, the code for the comic image looks like this:
<pre>
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation.png"
title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."
alt="Parity Conservation"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/parity_conservation_2x.png 2x">
</pre>
:::In there, you can see the title text as <code>title="Bloody Mary is made of antimatter. It explains so much."</code> See [[title text|here]] for more explanation about that, and some discussions about it [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous#Common mistake|here]]. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 03:11, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Wikipedia links. ==

I think the links to Wikipedia should have symbols, so it's not confusing which ones lead to other comic pages.

== It's time to remove the HTTPS lock icon ==

Explainxkcd should do the same thing that browser makers have done: treat HTTPS as the modern standard, and mark HTTP as the deviation instead.

Here are appropriate replacement icons:
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(32_bit).png
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unlock_Icon_Red_(4_bit).gif
- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 12:49, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

== New page for Randall's regular column in the New York Times ==
Randall Munroe has been writing and illustrating a monthly science column in the New York Times. I suggest a page in this Wiki, indexing those columns. For some reason the New York Times itself does not provide such an index. If they ever do add one, we would still have a topic article here, similar to the one we have for the What If blog, that could link to their index. --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 00:47, 11 June 2020 (UTC)
------
=== New York Times column: Good Question ===

'''Good Question''' is a more-or-less monthly column written and illustrated by '''[[Randall|Randall Munroe]]''' in the '''[https://www.nytimes.com/section/science Science section of the New York Times]''', beginning in November 2019. The columns give serious answers to science questions, in Munroe's inimitable style.

The New York Times website ordinarily requires registration, and its content is always protected by copyright. Most particularly it is ''not'' under [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License] the way [[xkcd]] is. The good news: anyone can register for a free digital subscription to the New York Times, with access to 'recent' Science articles among some others, but outside of that only five articles per month. See [https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/info/help/freesearch.html Free Articles].

Unlike for many of their other regular columnists, the New York Times does not provide a clickable link either on the byline '''Randall Munroe''' or on the column title '''Good Question'''. The following tables are intended to correct that omission.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''by'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/science/what-makes-a-red-sky-at-night-and-at-morning.html What Makes a Red Sky at Night (and at Morning)]
| Randall Munroe
| Aug. 13, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/science/randall-munroe-moon.html If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?]
| Randall Munroe
| Nov. 12, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2019/12/10/science/earth-size-mass.html Is Earth Getting Bigger Over Time?]
| Randall Munroe
| Dec. 10, 2019
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/human-running-speed-quadruped.html How Fast Can a Human Run?]
| Randall Munroe
| Jan. 21, 2020 / Feb. 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/science/worst-odor-smell-thioacetone.html What’s the World’s Worst Smell?]
| Randall Munroe
| Feb. 17, 2020 / Feb. 26, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://nytimes.com/2020/03/10/science/question-randall-munroe-bobsled-gravity.html What if Galileo Had Dropped Bobsleds From the Tower of Pisa?]
| Randall Munroe
| March 10, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/science/pulsar-xkcd-munroe-stars.html How’s the View From a Spinning Star?]
| Randall Munroe
| April 7, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/science/traffic-barrier-rice-krispies.html What’s the Sweetest, Crispiest Way to Stay Safe in a Car Crash?]
| Randall Munroe
| May 11, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/science/randall-munroe-question-eggs.html Can You Boil an Egg Too Long?]
| Randall Munroe
| June 9, 2020
|-
! GOOD QUESTION
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/science/neutrinos-snowball-randall-munroe.html Could You Make a Snowball of Neutrinos?]
| Randall Munroe
| July 7, 2020
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ New York Times columns ''about'' Randall Munroe
! Column !! Headline !! Byline !! Date
|-
! LINK BY LINK
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/business/media/26link.html This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix]
| Noam Cohen
| May 26, 2008
|-
! BITS
| [https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/techs-favorite-cartoonist-enters-mainstream-publishing/ Tech’s Favorite Cartoonist Enters Mainstream Publishing]
| Noam Cohen
| March 14, 2014
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/science/randall-munroe-the-creator-of-xkcd-explains-complexity-through-absurdity.html He’s Glad You Asked]
| Kenneth Chang
| Nov. 3, 2014
|-
! BOOKS
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/books/randall-munroe-explains-it-all-for-us.html Randall Munroe Explains It All for Us]
| Alexandra Alter
| Nov. 23, 2015
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html Randall Munroe, XKCD Creator, Goes Back to High School]
| Kenneth Chang
| March 21, 2016
|-
! SCIENCE
| [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/18/science/document-Munroepages.html Randall Munroe of ‘XKCD’ Explains the Human Body, Elevators and the Saturn 5]
| (Actual pages from '''{{w|Thing_Explainer|Thing Explainer}}''')
| March 21, 2016
|}
------

: Looks goods to me, you should probably make that an article of its own, maybe [[New York Times: Good Question]]? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

: {{notice|I went and added the page, here: [[New York Times: Good Question]] --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 02:42, 11 July 2020 (UTC)}}

== Bring back the {{rw}} template! please ==

Can someone restore the <nowiki>{{rw}}</nowiki> template? I insist on its existence. I further assure that it will be of much use. It was deleted by an admin. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 06:10, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:nm, did it myself. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 04:15, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

== Link to high-resolution images? ==

The wiki includes the "standard" resolution images, but would it be worth adding a link to the higher-resolution image on each page? It appears that this could be automated in at least a strong majority of cases: if the standard image is ''xyzzy.png'', the hi-res one is ''xyzzy'''_2x'''.png'' . [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:10, 1 October 2020 (UTC)
:Please stop adding this to the explanations. This is not needed. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 6 October 2020 (UTC)
::The high-resolution image was quite useful in parsing the "Amelia's Farm Fresh Cookies" comic. I'm not convinced that the hi-res images are commonly known. I've been reading xkcd for about 7 years and hadn't heard about them until I stumbled across a mention of them in one of the Discussions here. What is the harm in having a one-line ''link'' here? -- not, I emphasize, the actual image, which would take up a great deal of space. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 17:00, 7 October 2020 (UTC)
:::I didn't know about the high-resolution images either. While it might be a bit repetitive to add a full sentence to every comic's explanation, I agree that having ''some'' easy way to link to the hi-res image on xkcd.com could be handy. For example, maybe a "hi-res" or "2x" button before the "Next >" button above the comic in [[Template:comic]]? That's a bit extreme, but I added an example template, derived from the existing [[Template:comic]], to demonstrate how that could work:
:::* Template: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Template:comic 2x test]]
:::* Demo: [[User:Yfmcpxpj/Sandbox#2x comic template test]]
:::With those changes to the template, for all comics as of [[1084]] the "2x" button would automatically appear. (No need to go back and change all comics.) This assumes the images hosted on explainxkcd generally have the same filename as on xkcd.com, but there are optional parameters to override the filename or omit the "2x" button altogether for specific exceptions. I'm not suggesting we actually go ahead and implement this; but if there was enough interest, an admin would be needed anyway, to make the changes within [[Template:comic]], which is currently protected. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 23:25, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
::::FWIW, I like this. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 20:25, 12 October 2020 (UTC)
:::::My proposal is that a bot should add it automatically to the description of each comic image when available so that it does not take up space anywhere and is easily accessible. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:49, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Proposal to replace the top section with this... ==

I have come up with a new design for the top section of all community portals...
It’s located here... https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&oldid=199882 — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 14:15, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
<hr/>
{|-
|valign="top" width="80%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app ktip.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Proposals</big></big>

Ideas to improve the wiki's design and organization can be added here. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Proposals|Text=(+post)}}

|valign="top" xalign="right" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app package settings blue.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical]][[File:Crystal Clear teamwork.png|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination]][[File:Mop.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests]][[File:Internet-group-chat.svg|50px|link=https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous]]
|}

== I made a template for welcoming new users. ==

{{Welcome}}
<hr/>
Any ideas? Suggestions? Objections? — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 16:35, 13 December 2020 (UTC)
: this is now in at the top of the Main Page --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:38, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
::Why? This looks like a template intended for (newly created) UserPages. And it replaces interesting data from the frontpage with something not useful for casual visitors (or even non-casual lurkers). I'd undo this change in an instant if I had authority to do so. ((The template looks good, to clarify, just obviously not intended to be in that location.)) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.154|141.101.76.154]] 01:36, 6 February 2021 (UTC)
:::[[User: Jeff|Jeff]] is the owner of xkcd you dingus. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:46, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

== comic groups ==

i think we should have a tech problems list of comics ( as there are quite a few)
:We already have a category for it. [[:Category:Cueball_Computer_Problems]]. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 13:44, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

== Archiving interactive comics? ==

Has the possibility of archiving interactive comics been discussed? Of course, users can view them on the original website, but it’d be nice to have a working backup of sorts, especially considering some of the interactive comics haven’t aged too well in terms of compatibility or support (e.g. Umwelt displays a blank page for me.)

It probably wouldn’t be possible to do so directly from mediawiki, but I’d be happy to experiment with cloning a few of them on another server, or as simple PHP pages that could be embedded, if it would help. Most of the interactive comics appear to be implemented mostly in client side JS anyways, so replicating them shouldn’t be too bad.

[[User:Tague|Tague]] ([[User talk:Tague|talk]]) 13:12, 29 April 2021 (UTC)

== Replace head shots of characters in the wiki with these new and high quality head shots! ==

https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/n2u28r/i_took_head_shots_of_the_reccuring_characters_and/

These are not only upscaled, but are all squares and have all the features of the characters. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:33, 2 May 2021 (UTC)
:I think you should do it (because higher quality = better) :] [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:42, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

== Cleaning up [[Special:WantedTemplates|Special: Wanted Templates]] ==

I decided to take a look at the list of wanted templates. Imagine my surprise when I see that a lot of the templates wanted were mis-capitalizations or misspellings of existing templates. I hereby request permission to create redirect pages for some of the most popular errors.
I intend to do five, wait a week, and do another five as to not spam the wiki. I will not begin for a week, at which point I will only proceed if nobody has said no OR a moderator has said yes. May I proceed? [[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|{)|(}]][[User:Quillathe_Siannodel|Quill]][[Special:Contributions/Quillathe_Siannodel|{)|(}]] 11:34, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

== "Multiple Megan-like characters" category ==

Since there are more than one Megan-like characters appear in the same panel of at least seven comics, I propose to create the "Multiple Megan-like characters" category. --[[User:Soumya-8974|Soumya-8974]] ([[User talk:Soumya-8974|talk]]) 07:04, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

== Knit Cap ==
Sometimes Knit cap has long hair, sometimes short. Is Knit Cap meant to be a male character that sometimes has long hair, or is Knit Cap sometimes female? I want to clear this up before I finish editing [[1350: Lorenz]]. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:40, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
:Hm, in the 'Enemy Pikachu used theft' scene in [[1350: Lorenz]], Knit Cap's hair looks merely slightly unkempt. From this, I will assume that Knit Cap just sometimes has long hair and is always male. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:10, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
::Ok, the official transcripts say that Knit Cap is 'A guy in a knit cap'. I will take that to mean that Knit Cap is definitely male.

== We still need to complete some explanations like this one: ==

I think should change the banner shown at the top of every page to show a comic that is still incomplete, like Hoverboard or something.[[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 21:32, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals

2021-08-30T21:24:45Z

Sure: /* We still need to complete some explanations like this one: */ new section

68: Five Thirty

2021-08-30T21:16:39Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 68
| date = February 24, 2006
| title = Five Thirty
| image = five_thirty.jpg
| titletext = The 8th panel is my favorite
}}

==Explanation==
At 5:30 AM, one's sleep-deprived or prematurely-roused mind sometimes comes up with things that seem like nonsense later.

None of the twelve panels in this comic seem to have any correlation with one another, each one being its own "story," and none of them really make any sense. It is unknown whether Randall really wrote this comic while awake at 5:30 in the morning, or if he wrote it while completely alert and is trying to pass off his rejected ideas by saying what one's mind may experience when trying to process information at an hour when the person is not used to being awake.

===Explanations of the individual panels (numbered left to right, top to bottom)===
# "'80s night" is a special theme many nightclubs hold, inviting their guests to wear fashions that were popular in the 1980s while playing dance music from the same period.
# {{w|Jack the Ripper}} was an infamous serial killer in {{w|Victorian era|Victorian Britain}}. {{w|Jack Black}} is a rock star and actor. "There is no Tuesday" is likely a reference to the line "There is no spoon" in ''{{w|The Matrix}}''.
# There doesn't seem to be too much to this panel that isn't self-explanatory, but it's possible that there's a reference to the ''{{w|Civilization (video game)|Civilization}}'' series of video games, in which it's possible (albeit unlikely) for medieval soldiers to attack and destroy 20th-century military helicopters.
# Stick figures standing upright are indeed drawn without any thought as to which section of their legs are the shins.
# Two Cueballs seem very upset as indicated by them shouting ''shit'' ten times without break, and as indicated at the end, they will continue to do so, as only "sh" of the 11th shit is written. What they should have been alarmed about is the third arm that seems to have grown out of the left Cueball's torso. But as it turns out, they are worried about daylight savings ''[sic]'', which comes out in the second line of their shouting. {{w|Daylight saving time}} (DST) was {{w|History_of_time_in_the_United_States#Start_and_end_dates_of_United_States_Daylight_Time|not due}} until April 2nd in the USA in 2006, more than a month after the release of this comic. This seems to be the first to use DST as part of a joke, but it is far from the last time that Randall has made it clear that he is [[:Category:Daylight saving time|not a fan of DST]], which he sometimes directly mocks. It's hard to tell what the two stick figures are actually doing and what the black blobs at the ends of their arms should represent, given that Randall normally doesn't draw hands on his stick figures. One guess is that they're both wearing watches, one on each of their combined five arms. In that case, they are upset because they forgot to adjust all their clocks for DST. Alternatively, the two Cueballs represent two clocks, the right one with only hour-hand and minute-hand, but the left one also with a seconds-hand, and it is these hands that are drawn. In that case, the left Cueball is one hour ahead of the right Cueball, as his shortest arm points down left at around 8 o'clock (with the seconds-hand above, and the minutes-hand at 20 minutes past), and the right Cueball has his hour hand at 7 o'clock and the minute hand also at 20 past. This would explain both the three arms, the "hands" at the end of the arms, and the different length of especially the left Cueball's arm, and finally why they are so upset about one of them forgetting DST.
# "Ointment" may be a reference to the infamous lotion scene in ''{{w|Silence of the Lambs}}'', as the panel appears to be invoking horror movie visuals.
# The farthest left angle is labeled theta. The joke is that finding the cosine, the length of the adjacent leg divided by the length of the hypotenuse, would be difficult as the adjacent leg is poorly drawn and does not resemble a straight line to be measured. Alternatively, the line <q>fuck the cosine</q> resembles the slogan {{w|fuck the police}}.
# Lots of jokes have been made out of the template "does liking X make you gay?", where the speaker is afraid that he may be a homosexual. Here, the speaker has apparently transformed into a {{w|mermaid}} at some point. His friend seems to be eager to both turn into a mermaid himself and confirm himself for a homosexual. Another explanation may be that the friend thinks that a man who was a mermaid for five minutes should be homosexual afterwards, because he simply can't imagine something else about it. In this explanation, the friend has no interest in others being gay or not; he just thinks that this may be a realistic progress.
# Waving a gun around and declaring that things you hate are "for pussies" is stereotypical "{{w|macho}}" behavior. Possibly, the man with the gun is going to cut the other man's hair with bullets because it's more "macho" than going to the barber.
# This doesn't seem to mean anything whatsoever. However, both of the characters say something irrational: "My hair is bleeding" is irrational because strands of hair can't bleed, and "√3" is an {{w|irrational number}}. The first statement may also have something to do with the prior panel (as cutting one's hair with bullets does not tend to end well).
# A bachelor party is a traditionally raucous party that is thrown for a groom on the night before his wedding. Because these parties can be wild (involving drinking and such), this may explain why the figure is upside down.
# Likely a reference to the "{{w|ant on a rubber rope}}" thought experiment. The experiment does not end well for the ant according to Randall, likely because the paradox often ends up with incredibly long amounts of time until the ant finally gets to the other side of the rope. So the ant does not die from getting stretched, but rather from the rope stretching and leading to the ant having to walk for inconceivably long periods of time.

----

The title text could actually refer to two different panels. If a person chooses to read the comic left-to-right, top-to-bottom (which is more likely given that this is the order in the official transcript), the eighth panel could be the one with where Cueball asks "Does being a mermaid for five minutes make you gay?" However, if a person chooses to read the comic top-to-bottom, left-to-right, the eighth panel will instead be the one with Cueball hanging upside down shouting "Bachelor party!"

==Transcript==
:Comics from 5:30 AM
:[A succession of unrelated and completely random panels.]

:Cueball: It's 80's night at the club. Wanna go?

:Friend: There is no Tuesday.
:Cueball: Jack the Ripper or Jack Black?

:[Cueball in this panel is holding a glinting sword.]
:Friend: You crashed my helicopter!
:Cueball: Verily!

:[A small figure is talking with a larger figure.]
:Figure 1: Basically, neither of us have shins.
:Figure 2: Over and out.

:[Two men are shown: one with three arms, and another with just two. All arms have round appendages at their ends.]
:Men: shitshitshitshitshitshitdaylightsavingsshitshitshitshitsh

:[Two figures with pumpkins (carved with faces) for heads.]
:Figure 1: You're out of ointment and out of time!

:[A diagram of a right-angled triangle, with a theta at the smallest angle.]
:FUCK THE COSINE

:Friend: Does being a mermaid for five minutes make you gay?
:Cueball: I hope so!

:[The friend is holding a gun to Cueball's head.]
:Friend: Barbershops are for pussies.

:Friend: My hair is bleeding.
:Cueball: √3

:[Cueball seems to be walking on the ceiling.]
:Cueball: Bachelor party!

:[Warning sign with picture of an ant.]
:WARNING: STRETCHY DEATH

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

2508: Circumappendiceal Somectomy

2021-08-30T21:08:59Z

Sure:

{{comic
| number = 2508
| date = August 27, 2021
| title = Circumappendiceal Somectomy
| image = circumappendiceal_somectomy.png
| titletext = Some personal news: After treating my first case a few years ago with antibiotics, I can report that I have now had appendicitis for the second and--unless something extremely unexpected happened with the surgery--final time.
}}

==Explanation==

In normal medicine, {{w|appendectomy}} is the surgical removal of an {{w|appendix}}. The purpose of the appendix is not fully understood, believed to be a reservoir for a human's gut microbiome. However if an appendix is swelling, it comes with risk of bursting and causing massive damage through internal bleeding and septic bacterial infection. In such cases the appendix may be partially removed through surgery.

Breaking down the comic's title: circum- means "around," -appendiceal means "the appendix," som(a)- means "the body," and -ectomy means "removal." Therefore, a circumappendiceal somectomy would be "a removal of the body from around the appendix." This appears to be the procedure that the doctor in the comic is describing.

The joke is that such a procedure is functionally identical to a typical appendectomy, the removal of the appendix from the body - just viewed from a different perspective. It humorously implies that the entire body of the patient is the problematic part to be removed, leaving the appendix behind. It should be noted, though, that the procedure is identical only if it's done without disrupting the integrity of the body. There are situations in which an essential part is removed from a damaged or unimportant system by dismantling the system, piece by piece, leaving the part behind. Obviously, this would not be an advisable method for treating {{w|appendicitis}}. {{Citation needed}}

The title text provides personal insight into the comic. It appears [[Randall]] has gotten appendicitis before, which may have been the inspiration of [[2147: Appendicitis]] and was treated using antibiotics instead of surgery. However, his appendix became inflamed again, and this time it was removed. Randall's experience is not uncommon, as a [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32074268/ 2020 study] found that nearly 40% of patients treated with antibiotics for appendicitis required an appendectomy for recurrent appendicitis within 7 years. However, this should be the final time, as it is unlikely to get appendicitis without an appendix.{{Citation needed}} However, he does not rule out the possibility that something "extremely unexpected" happened during the surgery which could cause him to suffer from appendicitis again. Possible candidates for such an extremely unexpected event could include the surgeon faking the removal of Randall's appendix and leaving it intact, or removing only part of it, removing Randall's appendix but transplanting someone else's appendix into him instead, or even the appendix's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_(biology) spontaneous regeneration]. While most of these possibilities are absurd, stump appendicitis, in which appendicitis occurs in remnant of the appendix that remains after surgery really does occur in 1 in 50,000 cases according to the article [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079652/ Appendicitis after appendicectomy - NCBI].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting with legs out over the edge of an examination table, hugging his stomach, likely because of stomach pains. A doctor in lab coat and a surgical head cap is standing next to the table speaking to Cueball, one arm stretched out towards him.]
:Doctor: Normally we would remove your appendix from your body.
:Doctor: But thanks to new surgical techniques, we're now able to remove your entire body from around your appendix!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-08-30T20:53:44Z

Sure: /* Solving the Mine Captcha */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using human-entered {{w|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve {{w|machine learning}} problems, particularly those involving image classification.

In order to prevent automated programs from using web services, Google offers a protection called {{w|reCAPTCHA}}, which performs various tests to see if a user is human or machine. (One of these tests is a "I'm not a robot" checkbox which must be checked in order to proceed, although ticking the box is merely a formality, and later versions of reCAPTCHA can simply perform the tests quietly in the background without needing user consent).

If the reCAPTCHA system suspects that the user may be an automated bot, it presents an image recognition challenge that only humans should be able to pass. This has the desired effect of denying access to robots, but it also has a side benefit that the human input can be used to train Google's image recognition software. The challenge usually features a square grid of images, typically things one might see while driving - eg. "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN". If the user clicks the correct squares, they are permitted to continue.

{{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper}}, on the other hand, is a logic puzzle game in which the player is presented with a grid of unrevealed squares, and must deduce the location of mines that have been secretly hidden on random squares. The game provides clues by marking some squares with the number of mines (up to a maximum of 8) that are adjacent to that square; by carefully considering the possibilities, a player can deduce which squares must contain mines, and mark them with flags to avoid clicking on them. Revealing a mine loses the game.

In this comic, Randall combines the two concepts to create a "Mine Captcha", which is presented in the form of a reCAPTCHA challenge but actually appears to be a mini game of Minesweeper. (To be more precise, it is actually the opposite of regular Minesweeper, since the challenge invites the user to click on the mines - in Minesweeper, you are supposed to ''not'' click the mines. Furthermore, on its own terms it is unsolveable as a reCAPTCHA, since the user is asked to click on all ''pictures'' of mines. However, as in the real Minesweeper, there are no pictures of mines displayed (in Minesweeper, these only appear when the game is over). Taking the game as playable, however, in both cases you still need to know where the mines are, so it is still solved the same way).

A real-world Mine Captcha would be somewhat ineffective for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not every human would recognize a game of Minesweeper and therefore wouldn't understand what they are being asked to do. Even if they do recognize the game, they may not know the logical method for deducing the locations of mines. Additionally, even for skilled players, there is a trap in that the Captcha's objective is the reverse of regular Minesweeper; they might therefore get tripped up by muscle memory and click on something that is not a mine, which would fail the challenge.

Another issue is that games of Minesweeper can sometimes involve a degree of luck, as it is possible to generate a puzzle which does not give sufficient information to unambiguously deduce the location of every mine (Though this may not be a problem since Randall's Minesweeper is only a 4x4 grid). In these situations, the most a player can do is click the uncertain square and hope for the best. If the Mine Captcha is poorly implemented in this way, this would increase false negatives in human detection due to some humans failing the captcha purely due to bad luck. (Some variants attempt to eliminate this problem: ''[https://pragmada.x10hosting.com/mindet.html Mine Detector]'', for example, is a variant game which provides better information, such that it's almost always solvable without guessing except at the highest difficulty level).

Finally, a Mine Captcha would actually be fairly easy for an artificial intelligence (AI) to solve, since it is a logic puzzle - as long as the AI can read the numbers, it can simply use an algorithm to eliminate all impossibilities until it has the correct answer. (Indeed, for a 4x4 grid, it's even easier than that; a computer could quickly brute-force the problem by trying every possible arrangement of mines until it has the correct one).

It seems that Randall predicted that an AI might try to solve the captcha itself, as he rendered each numeral in a different style; this is similar to obfuscation methods used in text-based captchas to prevent automatic text recognition software from reading the captcha. However, it would not be very effective in this case as the same numbers have the same color; an AI could simply recognize the color instead, which is even easier for an AI than trying to read a number.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to answer quickly, implying that the training data is actually a real-world situation being experienced by a self-driving vehicle at that very moment. The joke here is that real-life minefields do not have large numbers indicating which of the surrounding land contains mines{{citation needed}}.

==Solving the Mine Captcha==
Assuming that columns are denoted by letters A, B, C, D, left to right, and rows are denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, top to bottom, one way to solve the captcha is as follows:

The leftmost red 3 at A3 is surrounded by four squares (A2, B2, B3, A4), of which we know three are mines. Therefore, one of these squares is not a mine. However, because of the blue 1 at B4, we know that only one of B3 and A4 can be a mine, otherwise, there would be more than one mine adjacent to B4; therefore, '''A2''' and '''B2''' ''must'' be mines. Otherwise, there could only be two total mines adjacent to A3.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

Since A1 is a green 2 and is adjacent to two squares that we now know are mines (A2 and B2), this means that B1 is ''not'' a mine. If it was, there would be 3 adjacent mines to A1. Furthermore, since there is a blue 1 at C1, and we know that the adjacent B2 is a mine, this means that D1 and D2 are also ''not'' mines, since if any of them were, there would be more than one mine adjacent to C1.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

We also know that C3 and C4 are ''not'' mines, since we already know that the blue 1 at B4 is next to exactly one mine (on either B3 or A4). Since this eliminates two of the three possible neighbors of the blue 1 at D4, this means that '''D3''' ''must'' be a mine.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 🚩 1

Finally, since we now know the locations of two of the mines around the red 3 at C2, and we have eliminated all other possibilities, '''B3''' ''must'' be a mine. Therefore, the mines are at '''A2''', '''B2''', '''B3''', and '''D3'''. This solves the puzzle.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 🚩 .
. 1 🚩 1

==Transcript==
:[A Minesweeper game in a 4x4 grid is shown beneath a blue rectangle. There is an explanation in white text in the blue field:]
:To proceed, click all the pictures of '''<big>Mines</big>'''

:[The ''Minesweeper'' field has six cells with revealed numbers on a light gray background. The other 10 fields are empty and dark gray. The three ones are blue, the single two are green and the two threes are red. On top of this each number is drawn in a different font/style. The ones changes how bold they are. The two is drawn in a 3D format, the one three is very thin and the other is drawn with two lines and no filling in between (hollow). The grid looks like this:]

2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

==Trivia==
*The solved version of the puzzle showing where the mines are in this comic:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*The solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-08-30T20:53:17Z

Sure: /* Solving the Mine Captcha */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using human-entered {{w|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve {{w|machine learning}} problems, particularly those involving image classification.

In order to prevent automated programs from using web services, Google offers a protection called {{w|reCAPTCHA}}, which performs various tests to see if a user is human or machine. (One of these tests is a "I'm not a robot" checkbox which must be checked in order to proceed, although ticking the box is merely a formality, and later versions of reCAPTCHA can simply perform the tests quietly in the background without needing user consent).

If the reCAPTCHA system suspects that the user may be an automated bot, it presents an image recognition challenge that only humans should be able to pass. This has the desired effect of denying access to robots, but it also has a side benefit that the human input can be used to train Google's image recognition software. The challenge usually features a square grid of images, typically things one might see while driving - eg. "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN". If the user clicks the correct squares, they are permitted to continue.

{{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper}}, on the other hand, is a logic puzzle game in which the player is presented with a grid of unrevealed squares, and must deduce the location of mines that have been secretly hidden on random squares. The game provides clues by marking some squares with the number of mines (up to a maximum of 8) that are adjacent to that square; by carefully considering the possibilities, a player can deduce which squares must contain mines, and mark them with flags to avoid clicking on them. Revealing a mine loses the game.

In this comic, Randall combines the two concepts to create a "Mine Captcha", which is presented in the form of a reCAPTCHA challenge but actually appears to be a mini game of Minesweeper. (To be more precise, it is actually the opposite of regular Minesweeper, since the challenge invites the user to click on the mines - in Minesweeper, you are supposed to ''not'' click the mines. Furthermore, on its own terms it is unsolveable as a reCAPTCHA, since the user is asked to click on all ''pictures'' of mines. However, as in the real Minesweeper, there are no pictures of mines displayed (in Minesweeper, these only appear when the game is over). Taking the game as playable, however, in both cases you still need to know where the mines are, so it is still solved the same way).

A real-world Mine Captcha would be somewhat ineffective for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not every human would recognize a game of Minesweeper and therefore wouldn't understand what they are being asked to do. Even if they do recognize the game, they may not know the logical method for deducing the locations of mines. Additionally, even for skilled players, there is a trap in that the Captcha's objective is the reverse of regular Minesweeper; they might therefore get tripped up by muscle memory and click on something that is not a mine, which would fail the challenge.

Another issue is that games of Minesweeper can sometimes involve a degree of luck, as it is possible to generate a puzzle which does not give sufficient information to unambiguously deduce the location of every mine (Though this may not be a problem since Randall's Minesweeper is only a 4x4 grid). In these situations, the most a player can do is click the uncertain square and hope for the best. If the Mine Captcha is poorly implemented in this way, this would increase false negatives in human detection due to some humans failing the captcha purely due to bad luck. (Some variants attempt to eliminate this problem: ''[https://pragmada.x10hosting.com/mindet.html Mine Detector]'', for example, is a variant game which provides better information, such that it's almost always solvable without guessing except at the highest difficulty level).

Finally, a Mine Captcha would actually be fairly easy for an artificial intelligence (AI) to solve, since it is a logic puzzle - as long as the AI can read the numbers, it can simply use an algorithm to eliminate all impossibilities until it has the correct answer. (Indeed, for a 4x4 grid, it's even easier than that; a computer could quickly brute-force the problem by trying every possible arrangement of mines until it has the correct one).

It seems that Randall predicted that an AI might try to solve the captcha itself, as he rendered each numeral in a different style; this is similar to obfuscation methods used in text-based captchas to prevent automatic text recognition software from reading the captcha. However, it would not be very effective in this case as the same numbers have the same color; an AI could simply recognize the color instead, which is even easier for an AI than trying to read a number.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to answer quickly, implying that the training data is actually a real-world situation being experienced by a self-driving vehicle at that very moment. The joke here is that real-life minefields do not have large numbers indicating which of the surrounding land contains mines{{citation needed}}.

==Solving the Mine Captcha==
Assuming that columns are denoted by letters A, B, C, D, left to right, and rows are denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, top to bottom, one way to solve the captcha is as follows:

The leftmost red 3 at A3 is surrounded by four squares (A2, B2, B3, A4), of which we know three are mines. Therefore, one of these squares is not a mine. However, because of the blue 1 at B4, we know that only one of B3 and A4 can be a mine, otherwise, there would be more than one mine adjacent to B4; therefore, '''A2''' and '''B2''' ''must'' be mines. Otherwise, there could only be two total mines adjacent to A3.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

Since A1 is a green 2 and is adjacent to two squares that we now know are mines (A2 and B2), this means that B1 is ''not'' a mine. If it was, there would be 3 adjacent mines to A1. Furthermore, since there is a blue 1 at C1, and we know that the adjacent B2 is a mine, this means that D1 and D2 are also ''not'' mines, since if any of them were, there would be more than one mine adjacent to C1.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

We also know that C3 and C4 are ''not'' mines, since we already know that the blue 1 at B4 is next to exactly one mine (on either B3 or A4). Since this eliminates two of the three possible neighbors of the blue 1 at D4, this means that '''D3''' ''must'' be a mine.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 🚩 1

Finally, since we now know the locations of two of the mines around the red 3 at C2, and we have eliminated all other possibilities, '''B3''' ''must'' be a mine. Therefore, the mines are at '''A2''', '''B2''', '''B3''', and '''D3'''. This solves the puzzle.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 🚩 .
. 1 🚩 1

==Transcript==
:[A Minesweeper game in a 4x4 grid is shown beneath a blue rectangle. There is an explanation in white text in the blue field:]
:To proceed, click all the pictures of '''<big>Mines</big>'''

:[The ''Minesweeper'' field has six cells with revealed numbers on a light gray background. The other 10 fields are empty and dark gray. The three ones are blue, the single two are green and the two threes are red. On top of this each number is drawn in a different font/style. The ones changes how bold they are. The two is drawn in a 3D format, the one three is very thin and the other is drawn with two lines and no filling in between (hollow). The grid looks like this:]

2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

==Trivia==
*The solved version of the puzzle showing where the mines are in this comic:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*The solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-08-30T20:50:52Z

Sure: /* Solving the Mine Captcha */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using human-entered {{w|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve {{w|machine learning}} problems, particularly those involving image classification.

In order to prevent automated programs from using web services, Google offers a protection called {{w|reCAPTCHA}}, which performs various tests to see if a user is human or machine. (One of these tests is a "I'm not a robot" checkbox which must be checked in order to proceed, although ticking the box is merely a formality, and later versions of reCAPTCHA can simply perform the tests quietly in the background without needing user consent).

If the reCAPTCHA system suspects that the user may be an automated bot, it presents an image recognition challenge that only humans should be able to pass. This has the desired effect of denying access to robots, but it also has a side benefit that the human input can be used to train Google's image recognition software. The challenge usually features a square grid of images, typically things one might see while driving - eg. "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN". If the user clicks the correct squares, they are permitted to continue.

{{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper}}, on the other hand, is a logic puzzle game in which the player is presented with a grid of unrevealed squares, and must deduce the location of mines that have been secretly hidden on random squares. The game provides clues by marking some squares with the number of mines (up to a maximum of 8) that are adjacent to that square; by carefully considering the possibilities, a player can deduce which squares must contain mines, and mark them with flags to avoid clicking on them. Revealing a mine loses the game.

In this comic, Randall combines the two concepts to create a "Mine Captcha", which is presented in the form of a reCAPTCHA challenge but actually appears to be a mini game of Minesweeper. (To be more precise, it is actually the opposite of regular Minesweeper, since the challenge invites the user to click on the mines - in Minesweeper, you are supposed to ''not'' click the mines. Furthermore, on its own terms it is unsolveable as a reCAPTCHA, since the user is asked to click on all ''pictures'' of mines. However, as in the real Minesweeper, there are no pictures of mines displayed (in Minesweeper, these only appear when the game is over). Taking the game as playable, however, in both cases you still need to know where the mines are, so it is still solved the same way).

A real-world Mine Captcha would be somewhat ineffective for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not every human would recognize a game of Minesweeper and therefore wouldn't understand what they are being asked to do. Even if they do recognize the game, they may not know the logical method for deducing the locations of mines. Additionally, even for skilled players, there is a trap in that the Captcha's objective is the reverse of regular Minesweeper; they might therefore get tripped up by muscle memory and click on something that is not a mine, which would fail the challenge.

Another issue is that games of Minesweeper can sometimes involve a degree of luck, as it is possible to generate a puzzle which does not give sufficient information to unambiguously deduce the location of every mine (Though this may not be a problem since Randall's Minesweeper is only a 4x4 grid). In these situations, the most a player can do is click the uncertain square and hope for the best. If the Mine Captcha is poorly implemented in this way, this would increase false negatives in human detection due to some humans failing the captcha purely due to bad luck. (Some variants attempt to eliminate this problem: ''[https://pragmada.x10hosting.com/mindet.html Mine Detector]'', for example, is a variant game which provides better information, such that it's almost always solvable without guessing except at the highest difficulty level).

Finally, a Mine Captcha would actually be fairly easy for an artificial intelligence (AI) to solve, since it is a logic puzzle - as long as the AI can read the numbers, it can simply use an algorithm to eliminate all impossibilities until it has the correct answer. (Indeed, for a 4x4 grid, it's even easier than that; a computer could quickly brute-force the problem by trying every possible arrangement of mines until it has the correct one).

It seems that Randall predicted that an AI might try to solve the captcha itself, as he rendered each numeral in a different style; this is similar to obfuscation methods used in text-based captchas to prevent automatic text recognition software from reading the captcha. However, it would not be very effective in this case as the same numbers have the same color; an AI could simply recognize the color instead, which is even easier for an AI than trying to read a number.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to answer quickly, implying that the training data is actually a real-world situation being experienced by a self-driving vehicle at that very moment. The joke here is that real-life minefields do not have large numbers indicating which of the surrounding land contains mines{{citation needed}}.

==Solving the Mine Captcha==
Assuming that columns are denoted by letters A, B, C, D, left to right, and rows are denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, top to bottom, one way to solve the captcha is as follows:

The leftmost red 3 at A3 is surrounded by four squares (A2, B2, B3, A4), of which we know three are mines. Therefore, one of these squares is not a mine. However, because of the blue 1 at B4, we know that only one of B3 and A4 can be a mine, otherwise, there would be more than one mine adjacent to B4; therefore, '''A2''' and '''B2''' ''must'' be mines. Otherwise, there could only be two total mines adjacent to A3.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

Since A1 is a green 2 and is adjacent to two squares that we now know are mines (A2 and B2), this means that B1 is ''not'' a mine. If it was, there would be 3 adjacent mines to A1. Furthermore, since there is a blue 1 at C1, and we know that the adjacent B2 is a mine, this means that D1 and D2 are also ''not'' mines, since if any of them were, there would be more than one mine adjacent to C1.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

We also know that C3 and C4 are ''not'' mines, since we already know that the blue 1 at B4 is next to exactly one mine (on either B3 or A4). Since this eliminates two of the three possible neighbors of the blue 1 at D4, this means that '''D3''' ''must'' be a mine.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 🚩 1

Finally, since we now know the locations of two of the mines around the red 3 at C2, and we have eliminated all other possibilities, '''B3''' ''must'' be a mine. Therefore, the mines are at '''A2''', '''B2''', '''B3''', and '''D3'''. This solves the puzzle.

2 . 1 .
🚩 🚩 3 .
3 🚩 .
. 1 🚩 1

==Transcript==
:[A Minesweeper game in a 4x4 grid is shown beneath a blue rectangle. There is an explanation in white text in the blue field:]
:To proceed, click all the pictures of '''<big>Mines</big>'''

:[The ''Minesweeper'' field has six cells with revealed numbers on a light gray background. The other 10 fields are empty and dark gray. The three ones are blue, the single two are green and the two threes are red. On top of this each number is drawn in a different font/style. The ones changes how bold they are. The two is drawn in a 3D format, the one three is very thin and the other is drawn with two lines and no filling in between (hollow). The grid looks like this:]

2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

==Trivia==
*The solved version of the puzzle showing where the mines are in this comic:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*The solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-08-30T20:49:57Z

Sure: /* Solving the Mine Captcha */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using human-entered {{w|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve {{w|machine learning}} problems, particularly those involving image classification.

In order to prevent automated programs from using web services, Google offers a protection called {{w|reCAPTCHA}}, which performs various tests to see if a user is human or machine. (One of these tests is a "I'm not a robot" checkbox which must be checked in order to proceed, although ticking the box is merely a formality, and later versions of reCAPTCHA can simply perform the tests quietly in the background without needing user consent).

If the reCAPTCHA system suspects that the user may be an automated bot, it presents an image recognition challenge that only humans should be able to pass. This has the desired effect of denying access to robots, but it also has a side benefit that the human input can be used to train Google's image recognition software. The challenge usually features a square grid of images, typically things one might see while driving - eg. "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN". If the user clicks the correct squares, they are permitted to continue.

{{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper}}, on the other hand, is a logic puzzle game in which the player is presented with a grid of unrevealed squares, and must deduce the location of mines that have been secretly hidden on random squares. The game provides clues by marking some squares with the number of mines (up to a maximum of 8) that are adjacent to that square; by carefully considering the possibilities, a player can deduce which squares must contain mines, and mark them with flags to avoid clicking on them. Revealing a mine loses the game.

In this comic, Randall combines the two concepts to create a "Mine Captcha", which is presented in the form of a reCAPTCHA challenge but actually appears to be a mini game of Minesweeper. (To be more precise, it is actually the opposite of regular Minesweeper, since the challenge invites the user to click on the mines - in Minesweeper, you are supposed to ''not'' click the mines. Furthermore, on its own terms it is unsolveable as a reCAPTCHA, since the user is asked to click on all ''pictures'' of mines. However, as in the real Minesweeper, there are no pictures of mines displayed (in Minesweeper, these only appear when the game is over). Taking the game as playable, however, in both cases you still need to know where the mines are, so it is still solved the same way).

A real-world Mine Captcha would be somewhat ineffective for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not every human would recognize a game of Minesweeper and therefore wouldn't understand what they are being asked to do. Even if they do recognize the game, they may not know the logical method for deducing the locations of mines. Additionally, even for skilled players, there is a trap in that the Captcha's objective is the reverse of regular Minesweeper; they might therefore get tripped up by muscle memory and click on something that is not a mine, which would fail the challenge.

Another issue is that games of Minesweeper can sometimes involve a degree of luck, as it is possible to generate a puzzle which does not give sufficient information to unambiguously deduce the location of every mine (Though this may not be a problem since Randall's Minesweeper is only a 4x4 grid). In these situations, the most a player can do is click the uncertain square and hope for the best. If the Mine Captcha is poorly implemented in this way, this would increase false negatives in human detection due to some humans failing the captcha purely due to bad luck. (Some variants attempt to eliminate this problem: ''[https://pragmada.x10hosting.com/mindet.html Mine Detector]'', for example, is a variant game which provides better information, such that it's almost always solvable without guessing except at the highest difficulty level).

Finally, a Mine Captcha would actually be fairly easy for an artificial intelligence (AI) to solve, since it is a logic puzzle - as long as the AI can read the numbers, it can simply use an algorithm to eliminate all impossibilities until it has the correct answer. (Indeed, for a 4x4 grid, it's even easier than that; a computer could quickly brute-force the problem by trying every possible arrangement of mines until it has the correct one).

It seems that Randall predicted that an AI might try to solve the captcha itself, as he rendered each numeral in a different style; this is similar to obfuscation methods used in text-based captchas to prevent automatic text recognition software from reading the captcha. However, it would not be very effective in this case as the same numbers have the same color; an AI could simply recognize the color instead, which is even easier for an AI than trying to read a number.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to answer quickly, implying that the training data is actually a real-world situation being experienced by a self-driving vehicle at that very moment. The joke here is that real-life minefields do not have large numbers indicating which of the surrounding land contains mines{{citation needed}}.

==Solving the Mine Captcha==
Assuming that columns are denoted by letters A, B, C, D, left to right, and rows are denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, top to bottom, one way to solve the captcha is as follows:

The leftmost red 3 at A3 is surrounded by four squares (A2, B2, B3, A4), of which we know three are mines. Therefore, one of these squares is not a mine. However, because of the blue 1 at B4, we know that only one of B3 and A4 can be a mine, otherwise, there would be more than one mine adjacent to B4; therefore, '''A2''' and '''B2''' ''must'' be mines. Otherwise, there could only be two total mines adjacent to A3.

2 . 1 .
>🚩< >🚩< 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

Since A1 is a green 2 and is adjacent to two squares that we now know are mines (A2 and B2), this means that B1 is ''not'' a mine. If it was, there would be 3 adjacent mines to A1. Furthermore, since there is a blue 1 at C1, and we know that the adjacent B2 is a mine, this means that D1 and D2 are also ''not'' mines, since if any of them were, there would be more than one mine adjacent to C1.

2 . 1 .
>🚩< >🚩< 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

We also know that C3 and C4 are ''not'' mines, since we already know that the blue 1 at B4 is next to exactly one mine (on either B3 or A4). Since this eliminates two of the three possible neighbors of the blue 1 at D4, this means that '''D3''' ''must'' be a mine.

2 . 1 .
>🚩< >🚩< 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 >🚩< 1

Finally, since we now know the locations of two of the mines around the red 3 at C2, and we have eliminated all other possibilities, '''B3''' ''must'' be a mine. Therefore, the mines are at '''A2''', '''B2''', '''B3''', and '''D3'''. This solves the puzzle.

2 . 1 .
>🚩< >🚩< 3 .
3 >🚩< .
. 1 >🚩< 1

==Transcript==
:[A Minesweeper game in a 4x4 grid is shown beneath a blue rectangle. There is an explanation in white text in the blue field:]
:To proceed, click all the pictures of '''<big>Mines</big>'''

:[The ''Minesweeper'' field has six cells with revealed numbers on a light gray background. The other 10 fields are empty and dark gray. The three ones are blue, the single two are green and the two threes are red. On top of this each number is drawn in a different font/style. The ones changes how bold they are. The two is drawn in a 3D format, the one three is very thin and the other is drawn with two lines and no filling in between (hollow). The grid looks like this:]

2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1

==Trivia==
*The solved version of the puzzle showing where the mines are in this comic:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*The solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

2508: Circumappendiceal Somectomy

2021-08-28T00:59:05Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

2508: Circumappendiceal Somectomy

2021-08-28T00:58:29Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

2508: Circumappendiceal Somectomy

2021-08-28T00:51:49Z

Sure:

2399: 2020 Election Map

2021-08-27T15:56:48Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2399
| date = December 16, 2020
| title = 2020 Election Map
| image = 2020_election_map.png
| titletext = There are more Trump voters in California than Texas, more Biden voters in Texas than New York, more Trump voters in New York than Ohio, more Biden voters in Ohio than Massachusetts, more Trump voters in Massachusetts than Mississippi, and more Biden voters in Mississippi than Vermont.
}}

*A [https://xkcd.com/2399/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
This is a sequel to an earlier comic, [[1939: 2016 Election Map]]. The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, partially proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used in most states: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state. Though, strictly speaking, the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system, many states impose penalties on them if they don't. Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.

During the election season, news outlets and other political trackers tend to color-code each state with the party which won the state (or which is projected or speculated to win). Since the 2000 election it's become common practice to code Republican victories as red and Democratic victories as blue. Other parties have less consistent colors, but are commonly green. These colors have become embedded in popular vernacular, as states that are heavily Republican are known as "red states" and those that are heavily Democratic are known as "blue states".

These graphics can be misleading as to the realities on the ground, though. Because each state is colored solidly red or blue, it gives the impression that each state belongs entirely to one party or the other, when the color could represent a very slender minority, or an overwhelming advantage. In addition, such a graphical view means that larger states translate to more area of a given color, giving the impression of party strength, even though that may not represent many voters. In the US, large cities trend largely Democratic, while rural areas trend largely Republican. This means that many Democratic voters are concentrated in relatively small urban areas, so a large "red" state may represent fewer voters than a small "blue" state.

Randall's solution to this is to represent the Republican and Democratic voters in each state with Cueball icons, each icon representing 250,000 voters. He has made some attempt to distribute the Cueball icons within a state in a manner similar to how the actual votes were distributed. This has the advantage of giving a decent impression of how popular each candidate was, how their popularity varied across the country, and how the votes were distributed by both state and region. It also gives at least a basic indication of population patterns in the US, with large regions that are sparsely inhabited, and populations clustered in urban centers.

The title text compares different voter pools in terms of absolute size. These facts are frequently counter-intuitive. California is generally thought of as a "blue state", and Texas as a "red state" (Although that may be changing), so it's surprising to realize that, in 2020, Donald Trump received more votes in California than he did in Texas. The reason for this is not complex, California has a huge population, nearly 40 million people, of whom 17.5 million voted in 2020. Even though Joe Biden won the state easily, Trump received 6 million of those votes. Texas, by contrast, has 27.7 million residents and 11.3 million voters in the 2020 election. Trump received 5.9 million of those votes, which was enough to win the state. Because of the huge variation in population among US states, and the political divisions within each state, there are multiple "blue" states which have more Republican voters that at least some "red" states, and vice versa. This underscores the importance of not viewing any state as politically uniform. Even if a state trends heavily toward one party, there is always a substantial population of the other party, and in large states, that means enough people that they'd be a formidable political force anywhere else.

{| class="wikitable"
!|
!colspan="2"|Biden/Harris
!colspan="2"|Trump/Pence
!rowspan="2"|Total
Votes
|-
!|State
!|Votes
!|Perc
!|Votes
!|Perc
|-
|California
|style="text-align: right;"|11,110,250
|style="text-align: right;"|63.48%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: yellow;"|6,006,429
|style="text-align: right;"|34.32%
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,881
|-
|Texas
|style="text-align: right; background-color: lightgreen;"|5,259,126
|style="text-align: right;"|46.48%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: yellow;"|5,890,347
|style="text-align: right;"|52.06%
|style="text-align: right;"|11,315,056
|-
|New York
|style="text-align: right; background-color: lightgreen;"|5,230,985
|style="text-align: right;"|60.86%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: dodgerblue"|3,244,798
|style="text-align: right;"|37.75%
|style="text-align: right;"|8,594,826
|-
|Ohio
|style="text-align: right; background-color: lightsalmon;"|2,679,165
|style="text-align: right;"|45.24%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: dodgerblue"|3,154,834
|style="text-align: right;"|53.27%
|style="text-align: right;"|5,922,202
|-
|Massachusetts
|style="text-align: right; background-color: lightsalmon;"|2,382,202
|style="text-align: right;"|65.60%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: chartreuse;"|1,167,202
|style="text-align: right;"|32.14%
|style="text-align: right;"|3,631,402
|-
|Mississippi
|style="text-align: right; background-color: aqua;"|539,508
|style="text-align: right;"|41.06%
|style="text-align: right; background-color: chartreuse;"|756,789
|style="text-align: right;"|57.60%
|style="text-align: right;"|1,313,894
|-
|Vermont
|style="text-align: right; background-color: aqua;"|242,820
|style="text-align: right;"|66.09%
|style="text-align: right;"|112,704
|style="text-align: right;"|30.67%
|style="text-align: right;"|367,428
|}
{{w|2020_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state|Source}}

The following table lists the number of 250,000-vote markers in the map by candidate and state, and compares this with the actual number of votes. {{w|2020_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state|Source}}
{| class="wikitable"
!|
!colspan="3"|Biden/Harris
!colspan="3"|Trump/Pence
!colspan="3"|Others
!colspan="3"|Total
|-
!|State
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
|-
|Alabama (AL)
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|849,624
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,441,170
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|32,488
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,323,282
|-
|Alaska (AK)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|153,778
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|189,951
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|15,801
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|359,530
|-
|Arizona (AZ)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,672,143
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,661,686
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|53,497
|style="text-align: right;"|14
|style="text-align: right;"|3,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,387,326
|-
|Arkansas (AR)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|423,932
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|760,647
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|34490
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,219,069
|-
|California (CA)
|style="text-align: right;"|44
|style="text-align: right;"|11,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|11,110,250
|style="text-align: right;"|24
|style="text-align: right;"|6,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|6,006,429
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|384,202
|style="text-align: right;"|70
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,881
|-
|Colorado (CO)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,804,352
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,364,607
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|88,021
|style="text-align: right;"|13
|style="text-align: right;"|3,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,256,980
|-
|Connecticut (CT)
|style="text-align: right;"|4.5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,080,680
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|715,291
|style="text-align: right;"|0.5
|style="text-align: right;"|125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|28,309
|style="text-align: right;"|8
|style="text-align: right;"|2,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,824,280
|-
|Delaware (DE)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|296,268
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|200,603
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|7,475
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|504,346
|-
|District of Columbia (DC)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|317,323
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|18,586
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|8,447
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|344,356
|-
|Florida (FL)
|style="text-align: right;"|21
|style="text-align: right;"|5,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,297,045
|style="text-align: right;"|23
|style="text-align: right;"|5,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,668,731
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|101,680
|style="text-align: right;"|45
|style="text-align: right;"|11,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|11,067,456
|-
|Georgia (GA)
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,473,633
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,461,854
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|62,229
|style="text-align: right;"|20
|style="text-align: right;"|5,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|4,997,716
|-
|Hawaii (HI)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|366,130
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|196,864
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|11,475
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|574,469
|-
|Idaho (ID)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|287,021
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|554,119
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|26,874
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|868,014
|-
|Illinois (IL)
|style="text-align: right;"|14
|style="text-align: right;"|3,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,471,915
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,446,891
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|114,938
|style="text-align: right;"|25
|style="text-align: right;"|6,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|6,033,744
|-
|Indiana (IN)
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,242,416
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,729,519
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|61,183
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,033,118
|-
|Iowa (IA)
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|759,061
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|897,672
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|34,138
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,690,871
|-
|Kansas (KS)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|570,323
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|771,406
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|30,574
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,372,303
|-
|Kentucky (KY)
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|772,474
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,326,646
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|37,648
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,136,768
|-
|Louisiana (LA)
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|856,034
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,255,776
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|36,252
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,148,062
|-
|Maine (ME)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|435,072
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|360,737
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|23,652
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|819,461
|-
|Maryland (MD)
|style="text-align: right;"|8
|style="text-align: right;"|2,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,985,023
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|976,414
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|75,593
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,037,030
|-
|Massachusetts (MA)
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,382,202
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,167,202
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|81,998
|style="text-align: right;"|15
|style="text-align: right;"|3,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,631,402
|-
|Michigan (MI)
|style="text-align: right;"|11
|style="text-align: right;"|2,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,804,040
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,649,852
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|85,410
|style="text-align: right;"|21
|style="text-align: right;"|5,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,539,302
|-
|Minnesota (MN)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,717,077
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,484,065
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|76,029
|style="text-align: right;"|13
|style="text-align: right;"|3,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,277,171
|-
|Mississippi (MS)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|539,508
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|756,789
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|17,597
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,313,894
|-
|Missouri (MO)
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,253,014
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,718,736
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|54,212
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,025,962
|-
|Montana (MT)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|244,786
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|343,602
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|15,286
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|603,674
|-
|Nebraska (NE)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|374,583
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|556,846
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|25,044
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|956,383
|-
|Nevada (NV)
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|703,486
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|669,890
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|32,000
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,405,376
|-
|New Hampshire (NH)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|424,937
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|365,660
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|13,236
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|790,597
|-
|New Jersey (NJ)
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,608,335
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,833,274
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|57,744
|style="text-align: right;"|16
|style="text-align: right;"|4,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|4,549,353
|-
|New Mexico (NM)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|501,614
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|401,894
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|20,457
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|923,965
|-
|New York (NY)
|style="text-align: right;"|20.5
|style="text-align: right;"|5,125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,230,985
|style="text-align: right;"|13
|style="text-align: right;"|3,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,244,798
|style="text-align: right;"|0.5
|style="text-align: right;"|125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|119,043
|style="text-align: right;"|34
|style="text-align: right;"|8,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|8,594,826
|-
|North Carolina (NC)
|style="text-align: right;"|11
|style="text-align: right;"|2,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,684,292
|style="text-align: right;"|11
|style="text-align: right;"|2,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,758,775
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|81,737
|style="text-align: right;"|22
|style="text-align: right;"|5,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,524,804
|-
|North Dakota (ND)
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|114,902
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|235,595
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|11,322
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|361,819
|-
|Ohio (OH)
|style="text-align: right;"|11
|style="text-align: right;"|2,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,679,165
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,154,834
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|88,203
|style="text-align: right;"|24
|style="text-align: right;"|6,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,922,202
|-
|Oklahoma (OK)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|503,890
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,020,280
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|36,529
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,560,699
|-
|Oregon (OR)
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,340,383
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|958,448
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|75,490
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,374,321
|-
|Pennsylvania (PA)
|style="text-align: right;"|15
|style="text-align: right;"|3,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,458,229
|style="text-align: right;"|14
|style="text-align: right;"|3,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,377,674
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|79,380
|style="text-align: right;"|29
|style="text-align: right;"|7,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|6,915,283
|-
|Rhode Island (RI)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|307,486
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|199,922
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|10,349
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|517,757
|-
|South Carolina (SC)
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,091,541
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,385,103
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|36,685
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,513,329
|-
|South Dakota (SD)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|150,471
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|261,043
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|11,095
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|422,609
|-
|Tennessee (TN)
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,143,711
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,852,475
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|57,665
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,053,851
|-
|Texas (TX)
|style="text-align: right;"|21
|style="text-align: right;"|5,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,259,126
|style="text-align: right;"|24
|style="text-align: right;"|6,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|5,890,347
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|165,583
|style="text-align: right;"|46
|style="text-align: right;"|11,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|11,315,056
|-
|Utah (UT)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|560,282
|style="text-align: right;"|4
|style="text-align: right;"|1,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|865,140
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|62,867
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,488,289
|-
|Vermont (VT)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|242,820
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|112,704
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|3,608
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|367,428
|-
|Virginia (VA)
|style="text-align: right;"|10
|style="text-align: right;"|2,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,413,568
|style="text-align: right;"|8
|style="text-align: right;"|2,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,962,430
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|84,526
|style="text-align: right;"|18
|style="text-align: right;"|4,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|4,460,524
|-
|Washington (WA)
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,369,612
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,584,651
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|133,368
|style="text-align: right;"|16
|style="text-align: right;"|4,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|4,087,631
|-
|West Virginia (WV)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|235,984
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|545,382
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|13,365
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|794,731
|-
|Wisconsin (WI)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,630,866
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,610,184
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|56,991
|style="text-align: right;"|13
|style="text-align: right;"|3,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,298,041
|-
|Wyoming (WY)
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|73,491
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|193,559
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|9,715
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|276,765
|-
|Total
|style="text-align: right;"|325
|style="text-align: right;"|81,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|81,268,867
|style="text-align: right;"|296
|style="text-align: right;"|74,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|74,216,747
|style="text-align: right;"|12
|style="text-align: right;"|3,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,896,077
|style="text-align: right;"|633
|style="text-align: right;"|158,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|158,381,691
|}

==Transcript==

:2020 Election Map
:[One stick figure in a black circle] = 250,000 votes
:[Stick figure in a blue circle] Biden
:[Stick figure in a red circle] Trump
:[Stick figure in a green circle] Other
:Votes are distributed by state as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.
:Location within each state is approximate.
:[Blue, red, and green circles are distributed across a map of the United States.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Trump]]

2488: Board Game Argument: Legacy

2021-07-13T18:45:01Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2488
| date = July 12, 2021
| title = Board Game Argument: Legacy
| image = board_game_argument_legacy.png
| titletext = Listen, you need to get over your reluctance to permanently alter a game. Now roll 2d6 to determine how many ounces of soda to spill into the box.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic continues the joke from comic 2486, released the previous week, about the difficulty some gaming groups have actually ''playing'' any game at all once they get together. In this scenario the group have leveraged the difficulty of choosing a game into a game itself. It seems to be that each player has a certain number of votes, or tokens, that they can use to decide which game to play, with the added element that they permanently dispose of the losing game. This can lead to strategic play where a player might vote for a game, even if they don't want to play it that night, so that they could still play it at some future resolution of the choosing.

Once the voting is finished, the next phase of the game is to debate which expansion packs they should collectively buy for which game.

A {{w|legacy game}} is one where players change the game itself in the course of play, such that future sessions are modified. The "meta-game" this comic describes fits this definition, because the available pool of games (and expansion packs) changes based on the players' decisions. Randall refers to board games sometimes becoming repetitive if played every week, which is a common tradition among friends or families. Some players, in order to make the games less repetitive, may create legacy versions od the game.

The title text refers to how many board and card game owners wish to keep their games in as-new condition, going as far as refusing to shuffle cards in ways that bend them, or not punching tokens out of their cardboard frames. A legacy game, of course, is ''meant'' to be permanently altered, but [https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/5oxhz2/pandemic_legacy_do_you_really_destroy_cards_or/ many players] [https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2118913/do-you-have-destroy-cards find it hard] to perform destructive actions like cutting or tearing up cards. Even some games not classed as "legacy" games may have elements such as blank cards to be filled in by the players. For those who are reluctant to make changes, these items may remain blank forever. An additional layer of humour comes from the fact that it sounds like the speaker is chastising a game owner who does not want to engage with these elements of the game, but instead urges them to pour soda on the game (something that would usually be an unfortunate accident). "2d6" is standard notation for games that involve rolling several different types of dice, where the first number refers to the number of dice to be rolled (in this case 2), and the second number referring to the style of dice (in this case 6-sided). That means that the player could end up pouring between 2 and 12 ounces of soda (inclusive) into their game box, depending on the total value rolled on the two 6-sided dice and any mapping function used to translate from dice roll to ounces.

The board game boxes visible in this comic are real board games, including Wingspan and Wits and Wagers.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[White Hat, Megan, Ponytail, and Cueball are sitting around a table that is covered with board game boxes. White Hat is pointing at Ponytail. Both Ponytail and Cueball are holding boxes.]

Ponytail: You may reallocate up to five tokens to your top choice from last week. Remember, the game with the least support tonight will go to the thrift store.

Ponytail: Next, we'll resume the debate over ordering expansion packs.

[Caption beneath the panel:]

We got tired of having the same repetitive arguments every week over which game to play, so we developed ''Board Game Argument: Legacy''.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Board games]]

Talk:481: Listen to Yourself

2021-05-29T01:00:02Z

Sure:

Anyone out there skilled in the art of making viruses?
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.72|173.245.50.72]] 03:38, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

I admit that I would welcome this virus in order to weed out spelling and grammatical errors, and to make sure the sentences flow properly (when commenting on Youtube my words can become rather salad-y. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.205|108.162.249.205]] 01:04, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Yes! and elsewhere too, there are soooooo many trolls. [[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 23:39, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

It seems to me that the class-holes are finally using there talents for good, albeit with malicious intent. -CreativeName

But... how babby *is* formed???!¿
If you figyour it out, call me at this nunber: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.16|108.162.237.16]] 05:16, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

Just so you know, our development company Cobalts (cobalts.net) is creating this "virus".
[[User:ThetaFive|ThetaFive]] ([[User talk:ThetaFive|talk]]) 20:31, 23 May 2017 (UTC)
: I want that "virus"

It says Youtube added this as a feature, then removed it. Can someone find a reference for this?
[[User:Sure|Sure]] ([[User talk:Sure|talk]]) 01:00, 29 May 2021 (UTC)

1787: Voice Commands

2021-05-26T21:49:19Z

Sure: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1787
| date = January 18, 2017
| title = Voice Commands
| image = voice_commands.png
| titletext = Dvorak words may sound hard to pronounce, but studies show they actually put less stress on the vocal cords.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] has shown [[Ponytail]] something relevant to her on his smartphone and she asks if he can send it to her. He agrees but then says something completely incomprehensible to Ponytail, but obviously his phone understands and sends the message with a beep.

The caption explains that he was speaking as though he was using a {{w|QWERTY}} keyboard layout and writing as it was a {{w|Dvorak Simplified Keyboard}}. Cueball can be sure that nobody else will be able to use voice commands on his phone.

The sentence Cueball tells his phone translates to "Okay Google send a text" -- he says it as if he were typing the sentence on a Dvorak layout with the keyboard set to a QWERTY layout. How such words would be pronounced is a mystery, as the letters in the words are merely substituted with others with no regard to phonetics; without standardized pronunciations, a speech-to-text program would be useless. To add to the confusion, one of the words in Cueball's sentence includes a semi-colon as one of its letters despite the fact that semi-colons are punctuation rather than phonemes, which only complicates the pronunciation further.

The title text is a reference to the fact that many users of Dvorak keyboards claim they may be hard to learn, but they are more movement efficient and put less stress on your fingers due to less movement. This makes little sense in the scenario set up by the comic, as speaking gibberish using oddly placed vowels would be equally difficult, if not in fact harder, on the vocal cords.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is looking at Cueball facing her direction, and he looks down at the smartphone he is holding in his hand.]
:Ponytail: Can you text it to me?
:Cueball: Sure!
:Cueball: ''Svat ussupd ;dlh a kdbk''
:Ponytail: ...What?
:Phone: ''*Beep*''

:[Caption under the panel:]
:Setting my phone's speech recognition to Dvorak was a pain at first, but it's more efficient in the long run.

==Trivia==
*Dvorak was also mentioned in [[977: Map Projections]], and it seems likely that Randall took a look at that comic before making [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize]] which where released the week before this comic.
*So it is realistic that the reason this comic came out now, was because Randall was thus reminded about his aversion to people advocating for Dvorak enabling people to type faster than on QWERTY.
*Using a Dvorak keyboard layout on a smartphone (for actual typing, not voice commands) is possible, but the very features that make it desirable in a physical touch-typing environment are drawbacks on a swipe-enabled keyboard. A placement designed to alternate a typist's left and right hands requires the finger of a swipist to travel back and forth across the keyboard more often. Fitting commonly-used letters onto the typist's home row reduces finger movement but makes many words the swipist enters indistinguishable. On a QWERTY swipe keyboard, four English words can be entered by swiping right to left from P to T: "pot", "pit", "put", and "pout"; however, setting the layout to Dvorak causes this to happen with many more common sets of words.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Dvorak]]